Shorthand enables the user to create interactive multimedia stories for any online audience — all with no code. The vendor boasts that Shorthand is used by hundreds of publishers, brands, non-profits, and more — including the BBC, Honda, Business Insider, and Doctors Without Borders.
N/A
Vyond
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Vyond (formerly GoAnimate) is a cloud-based platform for producing custom animated videos. It is used by educators as well as in business contexts by advertisers and content marketers, and for demos and presentations.
$99
per month single user
Pricing
Shorthand
Vyond
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Starter
$99
per month
Professional
$199
per month
Enterprise
$1649
per year per user
Agency
$1999
per year per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Shorthand
Vyond
Free Trial
Yes
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
—
Discount available for annual billing on Starter and Professional plans.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Shorthand
Vyond
Features
Shorthand
Vyond
Content Creation
Comparison of Content Creation features of Product A and Product B
Shorthand
9.0
1 Ratings
13% above category average
Vyond
-
Ratings
Content collaboration
9.01 Ratings
00 Ratings
Content Publishing
Comparison of Content Publishing features of Product A and Product B
Shorthand is ideally suited to visual stories where you have a good number of images and/or embeds or video to include. It is well-suited to long-form stories, where you wish to keep the readers' attention longer than usual. It can help to differentiate particularly important or intriguing stories from others on your website - and for this reason, it could be used as a premium content tool, perhaps for subscribers. It can also be used to showcase stories about awards you've organised, giving them special treatment. It is less suited to breaking news, or very time-sensitive news stories, as it can take some time to prepare, post or update shorthand stories. And it doesn't work well for stories with strong accompanying imagery
As long as money isn't a major issue (this application is pretty expensive!), it's the best solution I've used so far for creating short explainer videos. It's pretty robust/full-featured and relatively easy to learn to use. Vyond is constantly adding assets and features, too. It would not really appropriate for making full-fledged e-learning, as there's no way to add any interactivity to it, and it's not something I'd used to create long, complex presentations.
In the newest version, the timeline allows you to control each asset individually in a way that mimics video auditing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Camtasia
I love the way you can replace an object and the new object will automatically take on the formatting of the object it is replacing including, location, size, expression, duration on the timeline, etc.
I really enjoy the spotlights on other user's videos. Even when I don't have time to read the full article, watch the full video, or attend the webinars, this is usually enough to give me new ideas to try out when making my own videos
I appreciate the ample notice when things are changing. For example, the platform will be updated at the end of the year, but I have had access to the new format since June(ish) so I've had time to play around with it and get used to it. By the time the legacy format is retired I won't have any problems adjusting to the new format or functionality.
Additional flexibility in how text is overlaid on pictures would be welcome so that there are more choices on what images to use with particular layouts
Enabling users to control the path of text - for example, enabling runaround - could enable some excellent designs
Adding additional section templates could speed up design
More flexibility in caption placement would be helpful
The fact that it's on a cloud server means that sometimes the software can get clunky/slow.
There may be extra work involved if you have multiple characters talking in one audio file and you want them to sync their mouths with their appropriate lines.
Characters having multiple actions/expressions means multiple scenes, which can be very cumbersome to manage.
I was recently at a conference where I learned that many of my peers also use Vyond, solidifying my opinion that it is the right tool for out needs. Further more, one of our content vendors also uses it, ensuring that I will continue to use it as I believe this will facilitate our collaborations in the future
This program is great when you have no video experience! There's only a little of a learning curve to the program. In general, the user interface is great and easier than using a program like Adobe premier. It's a great resource to use as a marketer.
I have never known it to be down during my use of it. All you require is an internet connection to log in and you can use it on multiple devices. Adding ease of accessibility, there are simple ways to log in. I've also never known a Shorthand story to go down once live on our site.
Due to the integration with our content management software, there is a short delay on our site while it loads, which may cause some readers to drift away. However, I've seen other sites where it instantly loads articles, so I believe this to be down to the content management software behind our site more than Shorthand itself. Once that brief initial period is over, it doesn't require additional loading time.
Vyond is just an animated video creation tool. You have to use your video content and track its performance through other means. Because it is an online tool it doesn't hog your resources or slow down any other tools that I use. It is a stand-alone product and it doesn't need to integrate with any of our other tools. It does what it does and that is all we need.
I haven’t had any issues that required me to contact their support team. However, I believe support in any product starts before you have to call for help. Vyond provides an option for priority queue when you have their professional option. This is great for folks who need things done faster, especially when businesses can’t afford any downtime. Their Live chat feature is also reassuring, because I don’t always want to spend time on the phone or on hold if their call volume is high and I need to solve an issue.
Vyond is the best tool our company has used for creating animated explainer videos and social content. We have tried many other software solutions but Vyond offers the most options for animating characters, text, and scenes. Despite the lack of options for overall styles, it offers a consistent and professional video every time. Plus, Vyond it's constantly adding new templates to their already expanding library
As a web-based service, it is easy for users to log into from anywhere. Content can easily be shared, as you can set up teams that enable access to each other's work as required. And content can be reviewed by others before publication using the sharing function. You can also view how an article will look on different devices.
