Comparison
Impressive Scroll as a Shorthand alternative
Shorthand and Impressive Scroll both let non-technical teams build scroll-driven stories without code. They start from opposite ends: Shorthand gives you sections to compose by hand; Impressive Scroll drafts the whole story from your brief and data, then lets you edit. This page is written to help you pick, not to score points.
What Shorthand is
Shorthand is a digital storytelling platform built around section types such as scroll-triggered image transitions, with collaboration features for teams and custom themes for brand fonts, colours and logos. Its own pages describe it as free to sign up and create, with publishing offered through subscription plans arranged with its sales team. It is widely used by newsrooms, universities, government and non-profits.
What Impressive Scroll is
Impressive Scroll is an AI-first builder. You give it a topic, optional data or an uploaded document, and it drafts a complete story: 88 block types, 29 of them charts chosen to fit the shape of your numbers, in one of 20 themes. You then edit in a visual builder with a live preview, publish to a link, or download the story as one self-contained HTML file.
Side by side
| Shorthand | Impressive Scroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | An empty story you compose from sections | A brief plus data; the AI drafts the sequence, blocks and charts |
| Charts | No-code data visualisations within stories | 29 chart types, picked from the data shape, guaranteed into the draft exactly as entered |
| Output | Hosted stories, with publishing options through its plans | A hosted link and a single offline HTML file with fonts and map data inlined; no embed, no runtime service |
| Pricing model | Subscription plans via its sales team | Credit packs from $20 for 20 credits that never expire; free credits on sign-up |
| Team features | Collaboration and review built in | Single-author studio |
| Best for | Editorial teams composing long features by hand, with review workflows | Individuals and small teams who want a finished draft in a minute and a file they own |
Shorthand details are taken from shorthand.com's own pricing and feature pages as of September 2026, and are summarised, not quoted. Check the current pages before deciding.
Choose Shorthand if
- You have a team that composes and reviews stories together.
- You want to hand-place every section and effect.
- You need enterprise procurement and support arrangements.
Choose Impressive Scroll if
- You have the material already, a report, a deck or a spreadsheet, and want it turned into a story fast.
- You want to own the output as a file, not only a hosted page.
- You publish occasionally and would rather buy credits than carry a subscription.
See it on your own material
Paste a report, a résumé or a deck outline. The AI drafts the story; you keep every edit.
Start building free