Vertical dramas, explained
A vertical drama is a series made for a phone held upright, told in episodes of a minute or two, each ending on a cliffhanger. You will also see them called short dramas, micro dramas, mini dramas or drama shorts. We count 8,562 of them on four apps, and these are the numbers.
How the format works
- Short episodes, long series. An episode runs a minute or two; a drama runs 55 episodes in a typical case, so a whole story is about 72 minutes, the length of a film watched in pieces.
- Free start, paid finish. The apps give the first 9 episodes or so free. The rest are unlocked with coins or a weekly pass, which is where the money is made.
- Built on cliffhangers. Every episode ends on a reveal or a threat, so stopping is hard. That is also why it pays to know how many episodes are free before you start.
- A few stories told many times. Most dramas are built from familiar plots: the secret billionaire, the rejected mate, the divorce regretted too late.
The apps, side by side
| App | Dramas we track | Free episodes, typical | Episodes, typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReelShort | 1,100 | 9 | 55 |
| GoodShort | 3,501 | 9 | 59 |
| DramaBox | 2,890 | 9 | 50 |
| ShortMax | 1,071 | 10 | 61 |
Counted from each drama's own page on the app, Oct 17, 2026. What each app charges after the free episodes: prices. Other apps we do not track drama by drama: NetShort, DramaWave, My Drama, FlickReels, PineDrama.
What the stories are about
The most common kinds of story in our catalogue, by the apps' own tags. All of them, or describe a drama you saw and we will find it.
Filmed or made with AI
Most vertical dramas are filmed with actors. A growing share is made with AI video tools: ReelShort labels its dramas, and 46% of the 1,100 we have read carry its AI label, mostly animated, comic-style series. More about AI dramas.
How big it has become
Outside China, the format is expected to take about $3.6 billion in 2026, according to a Media Partners Asia report reported by Screen Daily, and the same firm expects ReelShort alone to reach about $1.05 billion in revenue this year (Variety). Our own monthly counts of what the apps release are in the research section.
How to watch for less
- Pick dramas that give more free. Some give half the story away. The list.
- Check other apps. The same drama is often on two apps with a different number of free episodes; each drama page compares them.
- Look for official free versions. PineDrama is free with ads, and some apps post whole dramas on YouTube. The ones we found.
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