- Verified by BizGlocal
Feature-Rich AI Email Client For Gmail And Google Workspace Teams
- 11-50
- 2020
- San Francisco, CA
- 8+
About Shortwave
Industry leader in connected fleet operations
Market Position
A Gmail-focused challenger to Superhuman and Fyxer, with logos on its website that include Twilio, Gusto, Spotify, Zapier and HubSpot.
Innovation Focus
An AI assistant that searches years of email, drafts in your voice, connects to tools through MCP and runs on Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.6 models.
Core Strengths
Natural-language email search, personalized AI writing, split inbox and bundles, shared threads with team comments, and CASA Tier 2 security verification.
Use Cases
Inbox triage, finding past conversations, drafting replies, scheduling, CRM follow-ups, shared team inboxes and founder or sales email workloads.
Core Products & Solutions
Shortwave AI Assistant
Ask in plain language to find emails, summarize threads, check availability, create calendar events or draft a scheduling reply. Paid plans add AI web browsing, memory for custom instructions, saved prompts and attachment analysis.
AI Writing And Autocomplete
Shortwave learns your writing voice from sent mail, offers predictive autocomplete from your email history, suggests instant AI replies in one click and places a short summary at the top of each long thread.
Inbox Organization
Split inbox tabs, bundles for promotions and newsletters, plain-English AI filters that label, star or archive, todos, snooze, delivery schedules, snippets and block and unsubscribe controls help teams reach a clean inbox faster.
AI Integrations And MCP
Business plans and above can connect the assistant to tools through built-in or custom MCP servers, with Notion, Asana, HubSpot, Zapier and Salesforce named in the docs. MCP support is in beta and allows up to 40 tools at once.
Team Collaboration
Shared threads update live, with private comments, assignees, shared labels, channels and team read statuses. Teams use Collaborator, Admin and Owner roles, and admins manage billing, invites and sharing permissions.
Tracking, Calendar And Apps
Read statuses, link tracking, follow-up reminders and automatic BCC to CRMs such as HubSpot and Salesforce sit alongside calendar integration and apps for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, plus an installable web app.
Pricing Overview
Free And Pro (Individuals)
Solo professionals and small teams trying AI email before paying
$0
$0 Free, with Pro listed at $18 per user per month by third-party price trackers
- Free includes most productivity features and the Shortwave AI executive assistant
- Free emails carry a “Sent with Shortwave” signature
- Paid plans add full email history import, AI search and AI writing personalization
- Pro price comes from trackers because the individual plan details were not visible on the official page
- Business, Premier and Max start with a 14-day free trial
Business And Premier (Teams)
Growing teams that need heavier AI use, integrations and shared inbox tools
$30
$30 Business and $45 Premier per user per month
- Business uses Standard intelligence (Claude Sonnet 4.6) with roughly 150 to 300 AI requests per day
- Business allows 50 threads per AI search, 3 AI filters and 5 years of AI search history
- Premier adds Advanced intelligence, 2x more AI usage and 100 threads per AI search
- Premier allows 10 AI filters, 2x context tokens and unlimited AI search history
- AI integrations and MCP are available from Business upward
Max
Power users and larger teams running complex, high-volume AI workflows
$120per user per month
- Expert intelligence using Claude Opus 4.6 with adaptive thinking
- 6x more AI usage, per the pricing page
- 150 threads per AI search and 3x context tokens
- 50 AI filters and unlimited AI search history
- Billing is per team, with the same plan type for every member
- Refunds are available if you contact billing within 14 days of payment
Who Is Shortwave Best For?
Small Businesses
1-25 EmployeesA strong fit for Gmail-based founders, sales reps and operators who want AI search, drafting and a cleaner inbox, starting free and moving to Business at $30. Owners on Outlook or Microsoft 365 cannot use it directly.
Mid-Market Companies
26-100 EmployeesBusiness and Premier suit teams that share threads, comments, labels and assignees, and that connect HubSpot, Notion or Asana through MCP. Admins should confirm quota and seat rules before rollout.
Enterprise Companies
100+ EmployeesSuited to Google Workspace organizations that value CASA Tier 2 verification and an AI assistant. The site shows no SSO or published SOC 2, so security teams should request documentation first.
Founders And Power Users
Any SizeIndividuals with large inboxes use Max for deeper AI search across up to 150 threads, 50 AI filters and the strongest model tier.
Measurable Impact & Benefits
150-300
Daily AI Requests
Approximate Standard intelligence requests per day on Business, per the pricing page, with the figure varying by usage
150
Threads Per AI Search
Maximum threads the assistant can read in one search on Max, versus 50 on Business and 100 on Premier
50
AI Filters
Plain-English filters that label, star or archive mail on Max, versus 3 on Business and 10 on Premier
5
Years Of AI Search History
Searchable email history on Business, with Premier and Max listing unlimited AI search history
3,000+
Apps Via Tasklet
Vendor-reported app connections available through Tasklet, Shortwave’s separate automation product
40
MCP Tools At Once
Maximum tools the Shortwave assistant can use across MCP integrations, per the MCP documentation
Opus 4.6
Claude Model On Max
Expert intelligence tier upgraded to Opus 4.6 with adaptive thinking in the February 2026 changelog
4.4
Rating On G2
Average score across 68 reviews, with 69% of reviewers giving five stars
Shortwave Real reviews
Our Rating:
4.4
- Verified Users
- Verified Users
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Shortwave’s Pros & Cons
Balanced evaluation to help you make an informed decision
Strengths
- Assistant that searches, summarizes, drafts and schedules from one prompt
- Writing that learns your voice, with autocomplete and instant replies
- Split inbox, bundles, AI filters, snippets, todos and snooze in one client
- MCP integrations with Notion, Asana, HubSpot, Zapier and Salesforce
- Shared threads, comments, assignees and shared labels for teams
- CASA Tier 2 verification, AES-256 encryption and a no-training pledge for third-party models
- Apps for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, plus an installable web app
Limitations
- Works only with Gmail and Google Workspace, not Microsoft 365 or Exchange
- No SOC 2 or GDPR certification is claimed, and no SSO is documented
- Prices rose in June 2026, with monthly billing only and Max at $120 per user
- AI usage is quota-based, so heavy users may need Premier or Max
- MCP support is in beta and limited to 40 tools
- Public review volume is thin, with only 68 reviews on G2
Our Verdict
Shortwave earns its place in BizGlocal’s Best in Features list for AI email and inbox assistants because it puts an AI assistant, voice-matched writing, split inbox, bundles, AI filters, snippets, calendar actions, shared threads and MCP integrations in one client. Individuals can start free, teams can scale from Business to Max with higher model tiers and search limits, and the product runs on Claude Sonnet and Opus 4.6. The trade-offs are reach and enterprise readiness. Shortwave supports only Gmail and Google Workspace, publishes no SOC 2 report or SSO, and its quotas and price increases make costs harder to forecast. Buyers should confirm data handling with support, test AI limits on real mail, and compare Superhuman and Fyxer if Outlook matters.
Resources
Resources & Documentation
Detailed materials for deeper evaluation
Pricing Page
Plans, AI intelligence levels, usage limits and trial details
Security And Privacy Guide
CASA verification, encryption, sub-processors and AI data handling
Billing Guide
Monthly billing, seat proration, plan rules and refund policy
MCP Integration Guide
Setting up remote and local MCP servers, limits and plan requirements
Team Collaboration Guide
Shared threads, roles, labels and comments for teams
Other Email Providers Guide
Which accounts work, what is unsupported and the forwarding workaround
Product Changelog
Model upgrades, Tasklet integration and recent releases
Shortwave Blog
Launch posts on AI integrations, Tasklet and product direction
What to Know
What to Know Before Buying
-
Start on Free or a 14-day trial of a paid plan -
Create shared labels and agree on roles before inviting the team
-
Test MCP tools on a small group first
-
Plan for Google Calendar, Slack, Notion, Asana, HubSpot or Salesforce, plus MCP servers on Business or higher and CRM BCC addresses for follow-up tracking.
-
Business, Premier and Max raise AI usage, threads per search and AI filters, but no published Enterprise tier, SSO or SCIM exists, so large rollouts need a conversation with support.
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Per-seat prices rose in June 2026, billing is monthly, and heavy AI users may outgrow the Business quota. Tasklet automation is a separate product with its own pricing.
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Moving from Outlook means forwarding mail to a Gmail address, since Microsoft 365 and Exchange are unsupported, and full email history import is a paid feature.
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Subscriptions bill monthly per team, seats are prorated, downgrades keep features until the period ends and refunds are available within 14 days of payment.
Alternatives
Compare Alternatives
See how Shortwave stacks up against competitors
Superhuman lists Mail from about $30 per user monthly with Gmail and Outlook support and a 4.7 on G2 from 1,300+ reviews, while Shortwave has a free tier but supports only Gmail and Google Workspace.
Fyxer works with Gmail and Outlook and lists Pro at $49 monthly ($37 annual) for inbox sorting and drafted replies, while Shortwave is a full client with split inbox, MCP and shared threads from $30.
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FAQ’s
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Shortwave
Business is $30, Premier $45 and Max $120 per user per month, billed monthly. A Free plan exists, and Pro is listed at $18 by third-party trackers. Paid plans start with a 14-day free trial.
Each plan has a daily AI quota. Business lists roughly 150 to 300 Standard requests per day, Premier lists 2x more and Max 6x more. Higher tiers also raise threads per search and AI filters.
No. Shortwave states it works only with Gmail and Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported. Outlook users can forward mail to a Gmail address, but cannot send from the Outlook address.
Shortwave reports CASA Tier 2 verification, AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 or higher. It says your data is never used to train third-party models. It claims no SOC 2 or GDPR certification and asks such buyers to contact support.
It names Slack, Calendar, Notion, Asana and HubSpot, offers CRM BCC for HubSpot and Salesforce, and supports MCP servers on Business or higher. Tasklet adds 3,000+ apps as a separate product.
Yes to both. Free includes most productivity features and the AI assistant, with a “Sent with Shortwave” signature. Apps cover iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, and the web app can be installed as a PWA.
Teams get shared threads, comments, assignees, shared labels and Admin and Owner roles. No SSO or Enterprise tier is published, so large organizations should confirm requirements with support.
Common alternatives include Superhuman, Fyxer, Spark, Front and Missive, which differ in provider support, pricing and AI depth.