Writer’s block is every writer’s foe. When you have to churn out content regularly, the last thing you would want is to run out of ideas and get hit with the block. Unfortunately, that often happens. But with AI writing assistants, writer's block no longer has to have a huge impact on your workflow. ShortlyAI is one AI tool which aims to ensure that. But is it the best AI writing tool? Let’s find out.
Background of ShortlyAI
The brain behind ShortlyAI is Qasim Munye, a man with a deep passion for writing and great knowledge of tech. In 2020, he did what any other person passionate about their interests would. He combined writing and tech and developed artificially intelligent software that provided brief stories depending on the time a user or reader had available.
When the app was released, it instantly became a hit. But Qasim Munye kept developing the software. And as he kept on working, he discovered that a lot of writers struggled and had issues with author’s block. As a solution, he created an AI writing tool, ShortlyAI.
It did not take long for ShortlyAI to grow and become a full-time startup because of the surge in use. In 2021, however, a change occurred; ShortlyAI was acquired by the founder of Conversion.ai, now Jasper AI. Shortly still remains a standalone product and, except for a few variations, existing users are not affected by this change in ownership.
Who is ShortlyAI meant for?
Simply, ShortlyAI is meant for all whose jobs or businesses rely on generating compelling material on a deadline. So, whether you are a novel writer or a blog editor, ShortlyAI can assist you to put your ideas into text whenever you need to brainstorm or expand an idea.
Specifically, the following categories of people who may be unsuccessful in creating content regularly would find this AI writing assistant useful:
Authors
Content writers
Bloggers
YouTube content creators
Heads of agencies
Marketers
Copywriters
SEO professionals
Entrepreneurs
People facing writer’s block
Anyone that prioritizes time management and does not desire to write long articles
Keep in mind that, with ShortlyAI, artificial intelligence is not the one writing. You are the writer and, although the AI would assist in bringing your ideas to text, it is you who would put in the work.
Features of ShortlyAI
Shortly is an AI writing tool with essential features that make it easy to use and efficient in generating content. Its basic features include –
Easy to use UI
The user interface is simple to use and understand. As with any new platform, you will need some time before you get properly acquainted with it. However, since ShortlyAI has a pretty straightforward interface, you would get to know your way around in a short time.
Customization options
ShortlyAI provides some customization options that you can select from to make the writing suitable to your goals. For example, you can select between long-form and short-form content when you write in the editor tool. The AI will write as much as you want when you select the “write for me” tool.
Text commands
Other AI tools list writing functions in their menu but ShortlyAI implements these functions as text commands. There are four basic /commands on ShortlyAI:
/instruct (the most powerful and critical command with which you can ask ShortlyAI to generate any form of content)
/rewrite (this command will direct the AI to reword any text you provide)
/shorten (this will provide a shorter, more concise version of your provided text)
/expand (with this command, Shortly lengthens your text by developing it and adding more words)
ShortlyAI Pricing
ShortlyAI has a free trial for all but if you want to get the maximum experience you have to pay. The free trial, however, only allows you to write 300 words. And signing up with your email and password is required to use even the free version.
They charge $79 for a monthly subscription and $65 monthly for an annual subscription. A subscription gives you an unlimited word count and access to every feature that is offered.
Is ShortlyAI the best writing tool?
ShortlyAI is a great writing tool but not without its downsides. After taking into consideration the features of ShortlyAI, to see if it is the best writing tool, let's go into the details of Shortly’s benefits and shortcomings.
How is ShortlyAI beneficial?
ShortlyAI proves beneficial in the following ways –
Social media content production
If you manage multiple social media accounts and you need content across the different platforms, ShortlyAI can help you brainstorm multiple ideas and create content.
Unlimited word count during content creation
ShortlyAI does not have a word limit when typing. Unfortunately, this does not apply to the free trial, as that provides text with only a 300-word count, which is not enough to do anything major.
Creation of articles, stories, blog entries, etc.
Writing articles might prove to be a challenge at times. You might not easily find source material for research based on the topic you are writing on. With ShortlyAI, you need not worry about that. The AI writing assistant works for a vast range of uses.
It can help you write an article from top to bottom, whether its a blog post, social media caption, an essay, or a story. All it leaves to you is the refining and editing. As for word count, ShortlyAI can generate three times as many words as a human writer can.
Composes emails
The writing partner can also help you in composing professional emails and email headers with appropriate tone and style.
Creation of video scripts
YouTubers know it is not an easy task to write a YouTube video script, especially when it is only part of a larger bulk of work that also includes filming and editing. If you often spend hours writing your scripts, ShortlyAI will help you to create a high-quality script in a very short period.
Once you use the /instruct command and describe the topic you want to write about, ShortlyAI will do the rest of the job. Thereafter, you only need to make minor changes to ensure that the script matches what you intended.
Pros and Cons of ShortlyAI
Pros:
ShortlyAI has an interface that is easy to use and understand
The premium tool has no limits or no particular word count that constrains you
It provides an interactive writing process, allowing what is referred to as ‘the dance’ where you let the AI write some text, then write some yourself, and repeat the process until your entire content is complete
You can alter the content using the /refine command feature
ShortlyAI provides a free trial for users
Customer support via email is usually swift
Cons
For now, ShortlyAI is constrained to only one language – English
It does not have a writing tone feature
To use ShortlyAI for free, you first have to sign up
The free trial that ShortlyAI provides has a word limit of 300 words. This does not allow you to properly test ShortlyAI
It does not have a live chat for customer support or a contact form
The writing assistant does not have a chrome extension
The generated content sometimes has grammatical errors
A lot of editing is often required
Verdict : Is ShortlyAI the best AI writing tool?
ShortlyAI generates content for articles, creates emails, generates video scripts, and much other content depending on the instruction it receives. However, the tools misunderstand your instructions at times. So, when you’re giving it a command you have to be specific with your instructions to avoid getting back unwanted results. It requires reviewing and editing after the software generates content to ensure the result is correct.
To conclude, it has drawbacks that make the statement “best writing tool” arguable. But when compared to other artificially intelligent writing tools, it performs better and provides better content.
Alternatives to ShortlyAI
There are other AI writing tools you can also use if ShortlyAI does not satisfy your writing needs. Three top ShortlyAI alternatives are –
Jasper AI. Jasper AI, formerly Jarvis, formerly Conversion AI is a very popular writing tool. This tool offers a 10,000-word free trial, unlike ShortlyAI and it is multilingual. This should make it worth checking out amidst other features.
Copy AI. CopyAI offers a 7-day free trial, amidst other features. With CopyAI, you can generate blog posts, web copies, as well as social media content such as hashtags and captions.
Rytr. The plan which Rytr offers enables you to generate just 5000 characters monthly. That is quite little compared to other AI tools, however, some still prefer using Rytr. Some of its perks include its speed in processing content and its support of over 30 languages.
Final Thoughts
It is important to bear in mind that many AI writing tools cannot write with a tone or “voice” in mind because they have not learned how to do so. They cannot check facts too so if you do not want to have credibility issues, it is best you do a little bit of fact-finding while editing your articles. ShortlyAI cannot produce original ideas, so your input is greatly needed for you to succeed in using the software.
If you’re just a beginner in writing and you need to find a simple-to-use AI, ShortlyAI is your best bet because it is straightforward and produces relatively good content. As seen in this review, the assistant is not without its flaws, so it is impossible to definitely say that ShortlyAI is the best AI writing tool. Yet, its benefits and perks are worth trying the tool for.
Comments