Shortwave
FreemiumAI email app for Google Workspace that summarises threads, drafts replies, and triages your inbox automatically
Verified by editorial·Last updated: April 2026·How we rank
Editor's verdict
Shortwave is a solid freemium pick, rated 4.4/5 by 780 users. Best for professionals who need to stay on top of high-volume gmail without spending hours triaging and teams who need to search email history to answer questions quickly. Standout: thread summarisation condenses long email chains into brief overviews. Watch out: gmail and Google Workspace only - no Outlook support.
About Shortwave
Shortwave is an AI-native email client built specifically for Gmail and Google Workspace. Its AI capabilities go beyond simple reply drafting: Shortwave can summarise long email threads into a brief overview, answer questions about your email history ("Did Sarah confirm the contract?"), triage your inbox by grouping related threads into bundles, and draft contextually appropriate replies based on the full conversation history. The bundle system organises emails by sender type - newsletters, notifications, receipts, conversations - and processes entire categories at once rather than requiring individual email decisions. Shortwave's Ask AI feature treats your inbox as a searchable knowledge base: you can ask natural language questions across all your historical emails and get direct answers with source citations. This is particularly useful for finding specific details from long email chains without scrolling through threads. The drafting assistant understands context from the full thread and can be instructed to match your usual communication style. Shortwave is a strong alternative to Superhuman for teams that want AI email capabilities but find Superhuman's price or onboarding requirement prohibitive. Free plan covers 1 Gmail account with limited AI requests; Pro plan at $9/month adds unlimited AI and multiple accounts.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Thread summarisation condenses long email chains into brief overviews
- ✓Ask AI searches your email history with natural language questions
- ✓Bundle triage processes entire categories of email at once
- ✓Strong alternative to Superhuman at a fraction of the price
Cons
- ✗Gmail and Google Workspace only - no Outlook support
- ✗Free tier limits AI requests
- ✗Less mature than Superhuman for power keyboard users
Best Use Cases
- →Professionals who need to stay on top of high-volume Gmail without spending hours triaging
- →Teams who need to search email history to answer questions quickly
- →Anyone who wants AI email capabilities but cannot justify Superhuman's $30/month
Categories
Shortwave Preview
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Pricing
Pricing verified April 2026. Verify current pricing on the official site before purchase.
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780 aggregate ratings
Aggregate of third-party review platforms (G2, Capterra, Product Hunt) plus editorial testing. How we rank.
Last verified: April 2026
Editorial Scoring
How Shortwave scores on our 7-criteria framework
Output Quality
Accuracy, polish, and usefulness of what the tool produces.
Ease of Use
Onboarding friction, UI clarity, time to first useful result.
Pricing Value
Output per dollar at the realistic monthly cost for a typical user.
Feature Depth
Breadth and maturity of capabilities relative to category leaders.
Integrations
Native integrations, API quality, and ecosystem coverage.
Reliability
Uptime, output consistency, and battle-test through scale.
Trajectory
Recent product velocity and momentum vs the category.
Scores are editorial assessments based on hands-on testing and verified user data. They do not reflect affiliate relationships. How we score.
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Shortwave on MytheAi
Compared with Shortwave (1)
- Shortwave vs Superhuman →tie
Superhuman vs Shortwave is the premium AI email client head-to-head. Superhuman is the fastest email client available, built for keyboard-driven power users willing to pay $30/month for speed and AI. Shortwave brings meaningful AI features to Gmail at a fraction of the price, making it the best choice for most professionals. Superhuman wins on raw speed, polish, and onboarding quality. Shortwave wins on value, free tier, and Gmail-native depth. The right pick depends on how central email is to your workflow and how much you value speed vs cost.
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Alternatives to Shortwave
See all 8 →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shortwave free?▼
Shortwave offers a free tier with limited features. Paid plans start from $0/month.
What is Shortwave best for?▼
Shortwave is best suited for: Professionals who need to stay on top of high-volume Gmail without spending hours triaging, Teams who need to search email history to answer questions quickly, Anyone who wants AI email capabilities but cannot justify Superhuman's $30/month.
How does Shortwave compare to alternatives?▼
Shortwave holds a rating of 4.4/5 from 780 reviews. Browse our comparison pages to see detailed side-by-side breakdowns against similar tools.
Reviewed by
John Ethan
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Founder of MytheAi. Tracking and reviewing AI and SaaS tools since January 2026. Built MytheAi out of frustration with pay-to-rank listicles and SEO-driven AI directories that prioritize ad revenue over honest guidance. Hands-on testing across 500+ tools to date.
Shortwave Review (2026): Is It Worth It?
Shortwave is a freemium tool with a free tier available. It holds a rating of 4.4/5 based on 780 reviews.
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