CandyJar: what it costs, whether it's free, TV apps and how to cancel
We make TotalShort, a short drama app: we say so wherever it matters. Facts about other apps come from their official App Store and Google Play pages and may change.
In short: CandyJar is a short drama app from Inkitt GmbH, a Berlin company, formerly called GalateaTV. It holds 4.8 from 49,434 ratings on the US App Store and is rated 13+. It is free to download and ad-free, but the free route is narrow: one free episode or short every 24 hours, plus one-time bonus Coins. After that you pay per episode with Coins or subscribe. The US listing shows Unlimited Weekly at $19.99, Unlimited Yearly at $69.99 and Coin packs from $1.99 to $49.99. There is no free trial, subscription refunds are possible within 7 days, and you cancel where you paid: the website, Apple, Google or Roku. It runs on iPhone, Android, Apple TV and Roku, not in a computer browser.
What CandyJar is
CandyJar is a streaming app for short dramas: vertical series made for the phone, with short episodes that end on a hook. Its catalog leans on romance: bad boys, billionaires, enemies to lovers, mafia and werewolf stories. Titles named on the App Store include Keily, Secrets of Sin, The Arrangement and His Nerd, and the listing says new episodes arrive every week [1]. New to the format? Start with what a short drama is.
The listing in numbers
| Item | US App Store (6 Oct 2026) | Italian App Store (6 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Name on the store | Inkitt CandyJar: TV & Shorts | CandyJar - TV, Drama & Shorts |
| Developer | Inkitt GmbH | Inkitt GmbH |
| Rating | 4.8 (49,434 ratings) | 4.5 (1,947 ratings) |
| Age rating | 13+ | 13+ |
| App interface | English only | English only |
| On the store since | November 2023 | November 2023 |
Who is behind it
The terms of use name the company as Inkitt GmbH, Saarbrücker Str. 36, 10405 Berlin, Germany [2]. Inkitt also runs Galatea, a reading app, and the App Store description ends with "GalateaTV now is CandyJarTV!" [1]. So if you remember an app called GalateaTV, it's the same one under a new name.
How much does CandyJar cost?
There are two ways to pay: Coins for single episodes, or a subscription for everything.
The prices on the App Store
The US listing shows ten in-app purchases (read on 6 October 2026) [1]:
| Purchase | Price |
|---|---|
| Unlimited Weekly | $19.99 |
| Unlimited Yearly | $69.99 |
| CandyJar VIP Weekly (early access add-on) | $9.99 |
| Coin packs | $1.99, $4.99, $9.99, $19.99, $29.99, $49.99 |
On the Italian store the same plans cost €12.99 a week and €44.99 a year, with Coin packs from €1.99 to €14.99 [3]. CandyJar's help center says the annual plan is the best value and that weekly and monthly plans exist only "in select locations" [4].
How much is one episode?
CandyJar doesn't publish a fixed price. Its help center says the Coin cost of an episode "depends on the length and type of content", and that you see the exact number when you tap a locked episode, before unlocking [4]. So nobody can honestly quote "X dollars an episode". What you can do is check the number on the first locked episode and divide your Coin pack by it.
Worked examples (assumptions, plain arithmetic)
- A month on the weekly plan: 4 × $19.99 = $79.96.
- The yearly plan, per week: $69.99 ÷ 52 ≈ $1.35 a week, if you watch all year.
- Where they cross: four weeks of the weekly plan ($79.96) already cost more than a full year ($69.99).
- A forgotten weekly plan for a quarter: 13 × $19.99 = $259.87.
What VIP is, and isn't
VIP is an add-on, not a plan. The help center says it "only unlocks early access to eligible shows", one week before everyone else, and "doesn't include a subscription or Coins" [4]. Subscribers who were already subscribed before 4 September 2026 got a free year of VIP; after that it costs $9.99 a week on top of the regular plan. If you only want to watch, you don't need it.
Is CandyJar free?
Partly, and less than most apps. The help center lists exactly what's free [4]:
- One free episode or short every 24 hours, with no Coins or subscription.
- One-time bonus Coins in the Rewards tab: 50 for verifying your email, 50 for turning on notifications, 50 for each social account you follow, 50 for installing the Galatea reading app, and 250 for a feedback call.
And what isn't: CandyJar is "completely ad-free", so there's no "watch ads to earn coins" option and no daily login reward [4]. One free episode a day means a 40-episode series takes about six weeks for free.
Is there a free trial?
No. The help center says plainly: "CandyJar doesn't currently offer a free trial" [4]. Searches for a "CandyJar free trial" lead to two different things: limited-time offers on candyjar.com (on 6 October 2026 the homepage advertised "2 months of free, unlimited streaming") and a student plan. Read the conditions of any offer before you enter a card, because it renews into a paid plan.
Student plan
The student subscription needs you to be at least 18, enrolled at an eligible college or university, and to sign up with a qualifying student email. The student price lasts up to four years, then renews at the regular price [4].
Dailymotion, "free apk" and full episodes elsewhere
Many CandyJar titles are searched with "Dailymotion" or "full movie". Uploads outside the app aren't CandyJar's official service; they are copies that infringe the rights of the people who made the shows, and "free apk" files are a classic way to install malware. Our guide to free short dramas covers the legal routes.
Is CandyJar legit and safe?
What we can verify
CandyJar is published by a registered company with an address in Berlin and a VAT number in its terms [2]. It has 49,434 ratings on the US App Store, a public help center, and pays through Apple, Google, Roku or its own website. The listing claims "over 500K satisfied users" [1]; that's the developer's figure. As a business, it's legitimate.
Where the money risks are
- Auto-Unlock is on by default. The help center says it "uses your Coins to open the next episode automatically when you finish one" [4]. If your Coins vanish faster than you expected, that's usually why. Turn it off per series in More > My Wallet > Series on Auto-Unlock.
- Weekly plans add up. $19.99 a week is more than $1,000 a year if you never cancel.
- Several places to pay. A website subscription doesn't show up in your iPhone settings, and a Roku one is managed on Roku.
Seven checks before you pay any short drama app
- Who publishes it?A named developer on the official store listing, not a link from a social post.
- How many ratings?A 4.9 from 200 ratings means less than a 4.7 from 200,000.
- What is the billing period?Weekly, monthly or yearly: it is on the purchase sheet, read it before you confirm.
- Does it renew by itself?Subscriptions renew until you cancel with Apple or Google.
- What does one unlock cost?Turn coins into money before you spend them.
- Is there a free route?Free episodes, bonuses or ads: see how far they really get you.
- Does the age rating fit?Stores rate these apps from 13+ to 18+; check who will watch.
Age rating
The App Store rates CandyJar 13+ [1], while the student plan requires users to be 18 [4]. The catalog is heavily romance-focused, so if a teenager uses the phone, look at the titles yourself.
Can you watch CandyJar on TV, Roku, Firestick or a computer?
These are some of the most searched questions, and the help center answers most of them [4]:
| Device | Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad, Android | Yes | The main apps |
| Apple TV | Yes | CandyJar app on the Apple TV App Store; subscriptions only, no Coins |
| Roku | Yes | CandyJar app in the Roku Channel Store; same account, subscriptions only |
| Other TVs | Screen mirroring | Mirror your phone or tablet |
| Computer browser | No | "There isn't a browser or website option for streaming" |
| Fire TV / Prime Video | Not listed | The help center names only Apple TV and Roku |
So on a big screen, CandyJar is a subscription product: Coins can't be bought or spent on Apple TV or Roku.
Languages and subtitles
The app interface is English only on the App Store [1]. Subtitles are always on and can't be turned off; they follow the app language and exist in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Turkish, Polish, Russian and Dutch [4]. Some series also have dubbed versions: on 6 October 2026 the Italian homepage had a section of Italian-language versions, such as L'accordo (The Arrangement), Sin and Keily.
How to cancel CandyJar
Cancel where you paid. The help center lists each route [4]:
If you subscribed on candyjar.com
Log in at candyjar.com and cancel from your subscription settings. You keep access to the end of the paid period. If you want your money back too, email support instead, within 7 days of the charge.
If you subscribed in the iPhone or Android app
Where to tap to cancel
iPhone and iPad
- Settings
- Your name, at the top
- Subscriptions
- The app’s subscription
- Cancel Subscription
Android
- Play Store
- Profile picture, top right
- Payments & subscriptions
- Subscriptions
- The app’s subscription
- Cancel subscription
Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription. On iPhone you may have to scroll to see the button, and an expiration message in red means it is already cancelled. Can’t find it? On iPhone, look for the Apple receipt in your email to see which Apple Account paid; on Android it may be on another Google account, so switch accounts in the Play Store.
Sources: Apple Support, Google Play Help. Menu labels can change slightly between versions.
On iPhone: Settings, your name, Subscriptions, CandyJar, Cancel Subscription [5]. On Android: Google Play, profile icon, Payments & subscriptions, Subscriptions, CandyJar, Cancel subscription [6].
If you subscribed on Roku
Manage auto-renewal at my.roku.com/subscriptions [4].
VIP
VIP is managed like your regular subscription: cancel it in the same subscription settings [4].
What happens when, on a weekly plan
- Day 1: you subscribeA weekly plan renews by itself every 7 days until you cancel it.
- At least 24 hours before renewal: cancelThat is the deadline the ReelShort listing gives, and Apple says the same for free trials.
- After cancelling: you keep what you paid forAccess runs to the end of the period. Google’s example: a yearly plan bought on January 1 and cancelled on July 1 stays active until December 31.
- Coins: cancelling is not a refundCancelling stops future charges. What happens to coins you already bought depends on each app’s terms.
Sources: ReelShort listing on the App Store, Apple Support, Google Play Help.
Refunds
"Subscription refunds are available within 7 days of the charge", says the help center; after that CandyJar "can't refund active, functioning subscriptions" [4]. App Store purchases are refunded by Apple (reportaproblem.apple.com), Google Play purchases through Google, Roku purchases through Roku, and website purchases by CandyJar support. In the EU, the terms add a statutory right of withdrawal for website purchases, with a model withdrawal form [2].
CandyJar compared with other apps
Ratings and weekly prices from each app's US App Store listing: CandyJar read on 6 October 2026, the others on 2 October 2026.
| App | Rating (US) | Age | Weekly plan on the listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| TotalShort (our app) | not in the stores yet | 14+ (per series) | VIP $5.99 a week |
| CandyJar | 4.8 (49,434) | 13+ | Unlimited $19.99; yearly $69.99 |
| ReelShort | 4.7 (504K) | 13+ | $19.99 subscription, billed weekly |
| DramaWave | 4.9 (180K) | 13+ | from $7.99 |
| GoodShort | 4.9 (527K) | 13+ | from $5.99 |
CandyJar's yearly plan works out cheap per week, and the app has no ads. In exchange, its free route is one episode a day, where ReelShort, for example, says on its listing that you can keep watching with ads and daily bonuses. For a wider comparison see the best short drama apps and ReelShort.
A different option: TotalShort
We make TotalShort, so we're not neutral. It's a smaller app with a different deal:
- Italian stories set on Lake Como, in Puglia, Milan and Ortigia, made with AI and labeled "AI Series" on every title.
- The first 8 episodes of every series are free, then 1 free episode a day per series.
- An episode costs 30 coins (€0.30); coins never expire and every unlock asks you to confirm, so nothing spends itself.
- It plays in any browser, including on a computer. The iPhone and Android app is coming soon.
The arithmetic of finishing a TotalShort series
- 8 episodes
- freeevery series
- Episodes 9–12
- 4 × 30 coins= 120 coins = €1.20
- Or the free daily episode
- 1 per series per dayfree in 4 days
- VIP break-even
- €5.99 ÷ €0.30≈ 20 paid episodes a week
Coins are worth €0.01 each. Prices of coin packs and VIP are shown in the app before every purchase. They are in euros; on the US App Store the weekly VIP is set at $5.99, and the store always shows your country’s price before you pay.
The limit is plain: 4 series, against CandyJar's large catalog. Try episode 1 of My Contract Wife, free, no sign-up.
Common mistakes
Leaving Auto-Unlock on
It's on by default and spends Coins at the end of each episode. Turn it off if you want to decide episode by episode.
Looking for a free trial
There isn't one. A website offer can be free for a period, but read what it renews into.
Paying weekly for months
Four weeks of the weekly plan cost more than a year of the annual plan.
Buying Coins on the TV
You can't: Apple TV and Roku support subscriptions only.
Cancelling in the wrong place
Website, Apple, Google and Roku subscriptions each live in their own place. Check your email for the receipt to find which one you have.
Waiting too long for a refund
The 7-day window starts at the charge.
Frequently asked questions
Is CandyJar free?
Only in part. You can watch one free episode or short every 24 hours, and earn one-time bonus Coins for tasks such as verifying your email (50 Coins) or a feedback call (250 Coins). CandyJar has no ads, so there's no "watch an ad, unlock an episode" route. To watch more than one episode a day you need Coins or a subscription: on the US App Store, Unlimited Weekly costs $19.99 and Unlimited Yearly $69.99. There's no free trial in the app, though candyjar.com sometimes runs limited-time offers. Unofficial uploads and "free apk" files aren't a safe alternative.
How much does CandyJar cost?
On the US App Store (6 October 2026): Unlimited Weekly $19.99, Unlimited Yearly $69.99, VIP early access $9.99 a week as an add-on, and Coin packs from $1.99 to $49.99. In Italy the plans are €12.99 a week and €44.99 a year. An episode's Coin price depends on its length and type and is shown before you unlock it. Over four weeks the weekly plan costs $79.96, more than the whole yearly plan, so if you'll watch for more than a month, the annual plan is the cheaper one.
Does CandyJar have a free trial?
No. CandyJar's help center says it "doesn't currently offer a free trial". What you'll find instead are one free episode every 24 hours, one-time bonus Coins, a student plan for eligible students aged 18 or over, and occasional limited-time offers on candyjar.com, such as the "2 months of free, unlimited streaming" banner we saw on 6 October 2026. Any such offer renews into a paid plan unless you cancel, so read the terms on the payment screen. If you subscribe and change your mind, refunds are possible within 7 days of the charge.
How do I cancel my CandyJar subscription?
Cancel where you paid. Website: log in at candyjar.com and cancel in your subscription settings. iPhone: Settings, your name, Subscriptions, CandyJar, Cancel Subscription. Android: Google Play, profile icon, Payments & subscriptions, Subscriptions, CandyJar, Cancel subscription. Roku: my.roku.com/subscriptions. Deleting the app does nothing. You keep access until the end of the period you've paid for. If you want a refund too, ask within 7 days of the charge: CandyJar support for website purchases, otherwise Apple, Google or Roku.
Is CandyJar on Roku, Apple TV or Firestick?
CandyJar has apps for Apple TV and Roku. On both you sign in with the same account and your subscription carries over, but they support subscriptions only: Coins can't be bought or spent on the TV. On other TVs you can mirror your phone or tablet. The help center doesn't list a Fire TV app or Prime Video, so as of 6 October 2026 we can't confirm either. CandyJar can't be streamed in a computer browser.
Is CandyJar legit and safe?
Yes. It's published by Inkitt GmbH, a company registered in Berlin, has 49,434 ratings and a 4.8 average on the US App Store, a public help center, and payments through Apple, Google, Roku or its own website. The risks are about spending: Auto-Unlock spends Coins automatically after each episode unless you turn it off, weekly plans add up fast, and subscriptions can live in four different places. Install it only from the official stores and skip "free apk" or free-coins sites.
Is CandyJar AI?
Neither the App Store description nor the terms of use say that CandyJar's series are made with AI; the listing talks about its "stars" and "lineup of heroes", and many people search for the cast of its shows. If AI matters to you, check the credits of a specific series. For comparison, TotalShort is made with AI and labels every such series "AI Series", with the tools listed on the series page.
Is CandyJar worth it?
If you'll watch most days for months, the yearly plan ($69.99 in the US) works out at about $1.35 a week, ad-free, and that's good value. If you want to finish one series this weekend, compare the Coin price shown on the locked episodes with a single week of Unlimited ($19.99), and cancel straight after. If you don't want to pay at all, one free episode a day is slow but real. Whatever you choose, turn off Auto-Unlock if you prefer to approve each spend.
Sources
- App Store, CandyJar official listing, US storefront (developer, rating, age, language, in-app purchases, description), read on 6 October 2026: Inkitt CandyJar on the App Store.
- CandyJar, Terms of Use, effective 29 September 2026 (company, address, VAT number, subscriptions, EU withdrawal): candyjar.com/en/terms.
- App Store, CandyJar official listing, Italian storefront (rating, in-app purchases in euros), read on 6 October 2026.
- CandyJar Help Center (free episodes and rewards, subscriptions, VIP, student plan, refunds, Apple TV and Roku, computer, subtitles, Auto-Unlock), articles updated on 24 September 2026, read on 6 October 2026: galateatv.zendesk.com/hc/en-us.
- Apple Support, "Cancel a subscription from Apple": support.apple.com/en-us/118428.
- Google Play Help, "Cancel, pause, or change a subscription on Google Play": support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7018481.
Want to try a short drama on your computer, free? Start from the TotalShort home page.
Watch it on your phone
Open totalshort.com on your phone: it works in the browser, nothing to install. The iPhone and Android app is coming soon.
Watch on your phone: point your camera at the code.