Email Clients · Reviewed 26 Oct 2026

Shortwave

AI-native email app for teams to collaborate and automate workflows.

free tier · shortwave.com ↗

Paid against free › Email Clients › Shortwave

Shortwave at a glance

Overview

01

Summary

The useful answer before the supporting detail.

Shortwave is an AI-native email application that embeds an AI assistant directly into the inbox to help users write, organize, and search email S1 S7. It is designed for business users and teams of all sizes, from founders to large company executives, who want to improve productivity and collaboration S52. The main practical value is automating email workflows and enabling team collaboration through shared threads and AI-powered features S12.

02

Product identity and positioning

Name, category, positioning, audience, and first-party claims.

  • Identity: Shortwave is an AI-native email app for business communications S47 S1.
  • Core purpose: It solves email overload by using AI to help users organize, write, and search their inbox S7 S12.
  • Intended users: Business users on teams of all sizes, from small business founders to large company executives S52.
  • Product scope: A single email application with an integrated AI assistant, available on web, desktop, iOS, and Android S58.
  • Positioning: Shortwave positions itself as an AI agent app for business communications, designed for effective human-AI collaboration S1.
  • Claimed distinction: It claims to be built from the ground up with AI at its core, unlike legacy apps with simple AI features S1.
03

Use cases and audiences

Who the product serves and the jobs it is designed to handle.

AudiencePractical use case
Small business foundersBoost personal productivity by using AI to triage and respond to email faster S52.
Large company executivesMake entire organizations more effective by rolling out AI-powered email workflows S52.
Support teamsUse AI filters to triage customer support emails and automate responses with saved prompts S65 S47.
Sales teamsTrack email engagement with read receipts and link tracking to follow up effectively S137.

Features

09

Features and capabilities

Core functions and evidence-backed product capabilities.

CapabilityWhat it does
AI AssistantA conversational assistant that can identify priorities, draft replies, and summarize threads S58.
Inbox SplitsDivides the inbox into customizable tabs based on importance, labels, senders, or complex queries S12 S65.
Team CollaborationEnables shared threads, comments, mentions, and shared labels for team-based email management S12 S47.
AI IntegrationsConnects to external tools like Slack, Notion, and CRM via one-click integrations or custom MCP servers S12 S58.
AI SearchUses natural language to find emails and analyze team email archives S12 S137.
Email TrackingProvides read receipts and link click tracking to monitor recipient engagement S137.
Tasklet IntegrationIntegrates with sister product Tasklet to automate replies and connect to 3,000+ apps S12.
10

Integrations and ecosystem

Connected products, exports, APIs, and workflow compatibility.

Integration or interfaceTypeWhat it enables
Slack, Notion, Asana, HubSpotIntegrationConnect the AI to these tools to automate workflows without leaving the inbox S12.
ZapierIntegrationConnect to thousands of other services for extended automation S58.
Custom MCP ServersAI interfaceConnect virtually any application through the Model Context Protocol S58.
TaskletIntegrationAutomatically draft replies, add team comments, and connect to 3,000+ apps S12.
CalendarIntegrationCheck availability, create calendar events, and write scheduling emails S12 S58.

Pricing

11

Pricing and plans

Published plans, free access, trials, credits, and pricing limitations.

Plan or offerVerified price and billingIncludedLimits
FreeFree to get started S52Basic AI tasks like marking done or labeling S7Not established
Business$30 per seat per month S137Roughly 150-300 Standard AI requests per day S1373 AI filters, 50 threads per AI search S137
Premier$45 per seat per month S1372x Business AI usage S13710 AI filters, unlimited AI search history S137
Max$120 per seat per month S1376x Business AI usage S13750 AI filters, 150 threads per AI search S137
Trial14 days S137Not establishedNot established

Competition

12

Competitive landscape

Domains competing for the same organic search demand.

Sampled competitors

CompetitorFirst-page appearancesSampled queriesAverage positionQueries observed
reddit.com222respond to introduction email, responding to an introduction email
italki.com222.5respond to introduction email, responding to an introduction email
woodpecker.co223respond to introduction email, responding to an introduction email
justanswer.com225respond to introduction email, responding to an introduction email
forum.wordreference.com227respond to introduction email, responding to an introduction email
wallstreetoasis.com111responding to an introduction email
fyxer.com114respond to introduction email
revenuegrid.com116respond to introduction email
linkedin.com116responding to an introduction email
facebook.com118respond to introduction email

Website intelligence — Collected evidence

Customers, testimonials, and first-party review claims

No supporting public-page evidence was collected for this category.

Independent review sources discovered

No links to supported independent review platforms were discovered on the collected pages.

13

AI visibility

Measured ChatGPT and Google AI mentions with cited sources.

AI-assistant referral traffic

  • Estimated current generative-AI referral share: 0.9%
MonthSource
—All AI assistants
—All AI assistants
—All AI assistants

Website intelligence — Collected evidence

Site-stated AI capabilities

Page typeEvidenceSource
otherAgentic AI that helps you organize, write, search, schedule, and more with just a prompthttps://www.shortwave.com/
otherUse AI-powered search to find emails fast, or to analyze your entire team's emails & attachments for the answers you needhttps://www.shortwave.com/
otherShortwave integrates with our sister product Tasklet to automatically draft replies, add team comments, and connect to 3,000+ apps.https://www.shortwave.com/
features[](<https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams&text=​Everything Shortwave shipped in 2024https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features>)[](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
featuresThis year, we doubled down on building the smartest AI-native email experience. After kicking off 2024 with an AI Launch Week—5 new AI features in 5 days—our team hasn’t slowed down since. 96 features, 5,281 PRs, and 713 improvements later, Shortwave continues to lead the way with the smartest personalized AI email assistant, a full calendar integration, powerful new settings, real-time team collaboration, and hundreds of other improvements.https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#ai-assistant)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#team)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#calendar)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#customization)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#essentials)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
featuresAI analysis for text attachments and “Summarize with AI” attachment shortcuthttps://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features[](<https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams&text=​Everything Shortwave shipped in 2024https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features>)[](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
featuresThis year, we doubled down on building the smartest AI-native email experience. After kicking off 2024 with an AI Launch Week—5 new AI features in 5 days—our team hasn’t slowed down since. 96 features, 5,281 PRs, and 713 improvements later, Shortwave continues to lead the way with the smartest personalized AI email assistant, a full calendar integration, powerful new settings, real-time team collaboration, and hundreds of other improvements.https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
featuresThe ultimate AI email assistanthttps://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#ai-assistant)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#team)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#calendar)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/
features](/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/#customization)https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/

These are first-party product claims, not independent measurements of AI-search visibility.

14

Marketing opportunities

Actions calculated directly from the collected evidence.

OpportunityRecommended actionEvidence
Competitor gap2 first-page appearances across respond to introduction email, responding to an introduction email

Website intelligence — Collected evidence

Website evidence gaps

  • customers: no usable public page was collected; verify whether the site publishes this evidence.
  • reviews: no usable public page was collected; verify whether the site publishes this evidence.
  • changes: no usable public page was collected; verify whether the site publishes this evidence.
  • identity: no usable public page was collected; verify whether the site publishes this evidence.
  • technical: no usable public page was collected; verify whether the site publishes this evidence.

Trust and proof

15

Customers, proof, and reviews

Published proof, customer signals, and review evidence.

Independent reviews

PlatformPageHow it was foundNote
Toolradar / G2Shortwave Reviews, Pricing & Alternatives (2026) / ToolradarGrounded web search## Ratings Across the Web 4.4(68 reviews) Shortwave holds an aggregate rating of 4.4 out of 5 from 68 reviews across G2, last checked September 17, 2026. G2 68 reviews 4.4/5 Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Email ToolsShortwave Review — Email ToolsGrounded web searchShortwave Review — Email Tools ... Shortwave is the strongest AI-native Gmail client for users who want writing assistance that actually sounds like them. The Ghostwriter feature analyzes your sent mail history and generates drafts in your voice — not a generic corporate tone. For Gmail power users who spend significant time composing email, this is a ... The single hard constraint is Gmail lock-in. Shortwave connects exclusively to Gmail and Google Workspace via the Gmail API. If any of your ac
Product HuntShortwave AI Assistant - Your AI-powered executive email assistant / Product Hunt Launch OverviewGrounded web searchShortwave AI Assistant launched on Product Hunt on September 20th, 2023 and earned 160 upvotes and 49 comments, placing #12 on the daily leaderboard. Our AI Assistant is designed to supercharge your email productivity by helping you think. It lives in your inbox and is incredibly capable: it can search your entire email history, write drafts in your voice, schedule meetings, and save you an hour every day. ... Shortwave AI Assistant has received 23 reviews on Product Hunt with an average rating
hunted.spaceShortwave AI Email Assistant 2.0 - The ultimate search, analysis, and productivity companion / Product Hunt Launch OverviewGrounded web searchShortwave AI Email Assistant 2.0 launched on Product Hunt on September 9th, 2024 and earned 211 upvotes and 27 comments, placing #11 on the daily leaderboard. The new Shortwave AI Email Assistant is the ultimate search, analysis, and productivity companion, built right into your email app. Version 2.0 is dramatically smarter, faster, and more capable. Stop copy-pasting emails into ChatGPT, and just ask the AI. ... Shortwave AI Email Assistant 2.0 has received 23 reviews on Product Hunt with an a
magpieai.storeShortwave: review, pricing & alternatives / Magpie AIGrounded web searchOverall score 3.6/ 5 SME fit 3/5 per-seat pricing + freemium JTBD 4/5 solid named JTBD Integration 3/5 Zapier + 6 integrations Trust 4/5 mature, founded 2020 Quality 5/5 4.7 on G2 (80 reviews)

Customer proof

No named customers, testimonials, or customer case studies were found.

Independent mentions

  • Shortwave: A AI model front end for Gmail / Hacker News — Shortwave: A AI model front end for Gmail / Hacker News ... 74 points by jamest on Feb 27, 2023 / hide / past / favorite / 66 comments ... Why are you calling it an email client? It is obviously not. It is a proprietary front-end for Gmail, which is not even remotely the same.
  • Shortwave — Automate your email with AI — # Automate your email with AI #### Save hours each day with the Shortwave Agent — organize, schedule, write and search with just a prompt Available on iOS, Android, Mac & Windows Empowering ambitious teams at thousands of companies big and small

External links were grounded in one live web search. Search snippets are leads, not independently scraped page content; rejected links remain available in Review evidence.

16

Company, security, and trust

Ownership, policies, security signals, and public trust evidence.

SignalFindingSource
Company and ownershipPartner at Y Combinator & Founder at Twitchsource
Contact and supportMore questions? Check out our billing guide or contact ussource
Legal and privacyHow do I get a refund?source
Security and complianceAll Shortwave data is stored in Google Cloud’s highly secure & compliant data centers. Stored data is encrypted at rest using AES256 and encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2+. We employ a “defense in depth” philosophy whersource
Uptime and status pageNot published on the collected pages.—
Domain registered1999-03-26—
Domain expires2030-03-26—

Not found on the collected pages: uptime and status page. This only means Scout did not find it on the pages it read; it says nothing about the company itself.

17

Documentation and product updates

Help resources, product guidance, and visible changes over time.

Resource or updateTypeWhat is availableDate or freshness
Collaborate with your teamGuideWrite, search, organize, and summarize your emails with the help of AI (source)Not dated
BillingGuideWrite, search, organize, and summarize your emails with the help of AI (source)Not dated
The Shortwave AI AssistantGuideGuides, comparisons, pricing breakdowns, use cases, and how-to articles. (source)Not dated
Customize your ShortwaveGuidePersonalize Shortwave to suit your workflow with powerful settings and inbox customizations (source)Not dated
The Shortwave MethodGuideAchieve and maintain inbox zero with Shortwave’s approach to managing your email (source)Not dated
Security & PrivacyGuideWrite, search, organize, and summarize your emails with the help of AI (source)Not dated
Make the most of your quotaDocumentationWrite, search, organize, and summarize your emails with the help of AI (source)Not dated

Not found in the collected public sources: public roadmap, changelog or release notes, status page, separate help center or knowledge base.

Technical

18

Technical and delivery signals

Delivery model, platforms, API, data ownership, reliability claims and release activity.

SignalFindingSource
Delivery model (cloud, self-hosted, desktop, browser extension)Available as web and desktop apps, plus iOS and Android apps S58.S58
Platforms and appsSupports web, desktop, iOS, and Android platforms S58.S58
API and extensibility (API, SDK, webhooks, MCP, plugins)Supports custom MCP servers for extensibility S58.S58
Data ownership and exportNot published on the collected pages.—
Performance and reliability claimsNot published on the collected pages.—
Release activityNot published on the collected pages.—
19

Measured infrastructure

Domain, certificate, and hosting signals, measured directly.

SignalFinding
Domain registered1999-03-26 — Squarespace Domains II LLC
Domain expires2030-03-26
TLS certificateGoogle Trust Services, valid, expires 2027-01-07
Security headersHSTS, CSP, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, Referrer-Policy
Server headerVercel
Mail handled byaspmx.l.google.com, alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
Nameserversns-cloud-d4.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-d1.googledomains.com

Not measurable: wayback: rate limited by archive.org, ladder stopped after 1 probe(s). A gap here means the lookup was unavailable, not that the finding is negative.

20

Technical site audit

A bounded multi-page crawl with page-level issues and URLs.

Scout — Bounded technical crawl

  • Pages crawled: 15 of 15 maximum
  • Technical health: 95/100
  • Critical issues: 0
  • Warnings: 15
  • Notices: 3

Issues

SeverityIssueValueAffected URL
warningPage should have one primary H12https://www.shortwave.com/
warningPage should have one primary H12https://www.shortwave.com/
warningPage should have one primary H12https://www.shortwave.com/download/
noticeLow visible word count54https://www.shortwave.com/download/
warningPage should have one primary H12https://www.shortwave.com/docs/guides/method/
noticeMeta description length should be reviewed48https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/
warningTitle length should be reviewed6https://www.shortwave.com/docs/references/search/
warningPage should have one primary H12https://www.shortwave.com/blog/
warningPage should have one primary H10https://www.shortwave.com/about/
noticeImages are missing alt text2https://www.shortwave.com/about/
warningDuplicate title in audit sample2https://www.shortwave.com/
warningDuplicate title in audit sample2https://www.shortwave.com/
warningDuplicate meta description in audit sample2https://www.shortwave.com/
warningDuplicate meta description in audit sample2https://www.shortwave.com/
warningDuplicate meta description in audit sample4https://www.shortwave.com/docs/guides/security/
warningDuplicate meta description in audit sample4https://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/before-you-contact-support/
warningDuplicate meta description in audit sample4https://www.shortwave.com/policies/terms-of-service/
warningDuplicate meta description in audit sample4https://www.shortwave.com/policies/privacy-policy/

Crawled pages

StatusTitleH1sWordsResponseURL
200Shortwave — Automate your email with AI2105741 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/
200Shortwave — Automate your email with AI2105736 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/
200Shortwave \Download25414 ms
200The Shortwave Method2151153 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/docs/guides/method/
200Shortwave \Changelog1800071 ms
200Shortwave \Pricing1177818 ms
200Fully Automate Your Email with Shortwave + Tasklet154722 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/blog/shortwave-tasklet-integration/
200Security & Privacy196214 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/docs/guides/security/
200Search1698233 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/docs/references/search/
200Shortwave \Blog24149456 ms
200Shortwave \About024714 ms
200Before you contact support166620 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/before-you-contact-support/
200Terms of Service1606728 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/policies/terms-of-service/
200Privacy Policy12306135 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/policies/privacy-policy/
200Install Shortwave&#x27;s PWA1521215 mshttps://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/desktop/

This is a bounded Scout crawl. Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse scores are not claimed unless a dedicated performance audit is connected.

21

Search Console and Analytics

First-party search and behavioral data connection state.

Modeled acquisition channels

ChannelEstimated share
direct84.0%
search8.3%
search organic8.3%
search paid0.0%
social3.0%
social organic3.0%
social paid0.0%
referrals2.6%
paid referrals0.2%
mail1.0%
gen ai0.9%
affiliate0.0%
other0.0%

First-party connections

IntegrationStatusData available after connection
Google Search ConsoleNot connectedClicks, impressions, CTR, average position, queries, pages, countries, and devices
Google AnalyticsNot connectedOrganic sessions, engagement, landing pages, conversions, geography, and devices

No first-party Search Console or Analytics numbers are shown until the site owner authorizes the corresponding Google account. Scout traffic model values above are modeled estimates, not private analytics totals.

Limits and method

22

Limitations and open questions

Known constraints and missing evidence from the collected pages.

The collected pages do not mention specific competitors. Evidence gaps include lack of detailed pricing for free tier, absence of customer counts, and no independent review ratings. Open questions remain about data export options and specific security certifications beyond CASA Tier 2.

23

Sources, method, and limitations

Evidence inventory, collection method, provider use, and constraints.

This report is based on 15 collected pages from shortwave.com, including the homepage, pricing page, and documentation. Static and rendered page captures were used. External proof search was performed but no additional verification was needed. Limitations: some pages were not fully captured, and pricing details were only available for the Business plan tab.

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