Shortwave
← Back to All AI Tools1. Should you try Shortwave? Overview
| What it is | AI-native email client (built by ex-Google Inbox/Firebase engineers) with an ‘AI Executive Assistant’ that organizes, schedules, writes and searches email from a single prompt. |
| Country / HQ | San Francisco, California, USA (founded 2020 by ex-Googlers) |
| Best for | Gmail/Google Workspace users who want prompt-driven inbox zero, AI search and team-shared threads. |
| Check before buying | Primarily Gmail/Google Workspace – Outlook and other providers are unsupported or heavily limited. AI search/filter limits scale by tier. |
| Editor rating | ~4.4/5 (editor, Gmail users) |
| Pricing signal | Free trial only, then paid from $30/mo |
2. Features What it does
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| AI Executive Assistant | Organize, schedule, write and search email via natural language. |
| Inbox splits & bundles | Tab your inbox by sender, label or custom query. |
| AI filters & search | Plain-English rules; AI search across threads/attachments. |
| Team collaboration | Shared live threads, comments, assignments, shared labels. |
| Integrations + Tasklet | Slack, Calendar, Notion, Asana, HubSpot; Tasklet automates replies (3,000+ apps). |
3. Pricing Pricing (2026-10, USD)
| Plan | Price / mo | Key limits & who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | AI Assistant with limited daily use, 90-day search. |
| Pro | $14/mo (annual) | Individuals; full personal AI features. |
| Business | $30/seat/mo | Team inboxes, custom domains, AI filters. |
| Premier / Max | $45 / $120 per seat/mo | Unlimited history, more filters/threads. |
4. Integration Access & integrations
| Access type | Details |
|---|---|
| Access | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android; Gmail/Workspace focused. |
| Security | AES256 at rest, TLS 1.2+, CASA Tier 2; data not used to train LLMs. |
5. Reviews & Sources External reviews
| Source | Rating | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Editor | ~4.4/5 | The closest thing to Google Inbox’s successor with real AI; Gmail-only scope and per-seat pricing are the limits. |
| Users | — | Praised for speed and AI search; Outlook users out of luck. |
| Source | — | shortwave.com; 2026 email-client reviews. |
6. Best for / Not for Fit
| ✔ Suitable | ✘ Not suitable |
|---|---|
| • Gmail/Workspace users wanting AI inbox zero • Teams sharing email threads • Knowledge workers wanting prompt-based email |
• Outlook/Microsoft 365 email users (limited) • Those wanting a free advanced tier • Users needing a unified multi-provider inbox |
7. Competitors How it compares
| Competitor | How it differs | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Superhuman | Fast client, Gmail+Outlook, $30/mo | High-volume senders |
| SaneBox | Server-side filter, any client | Filtering-only users |
| Missive | Collaborative inbox, freemium | Team email |
8. Summary Verdict
| Takeaway | Shortwave is the AI-native spiritual successor to Google Inbox – brilliant for Gmail users who want prompt-driven email, but its Google-only focus excludes Outlook shops. |
| Who should pick it | Gmail/Workspace power users who want AI across email. |
| Who should skip it | Outlook users or anyone needing multi-provider unified inbox. |