Shortwave Review: Features, Pricing & Alternatives

What is Shortwave?

Shortwave is an email client that sits on top of Gmail and Google Workspace and puts an AI assistant at the center. You can ask it to find emails in plain language, summarize threads, draft replies in your own style and schedule meetings, while a bundled, split inbox keeps newsletters and notifications out of the way.

It was founded by Andrew Lee and Jonny Dimond, both part of the founding team at Firebase, and is backed by Union Square Ventures and Lightspeed. Shortwave has been described in the press as a spiritual successor to Google Inbox. Note that Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts are not supported, and Outlook.com works only through forwarding.

Shortwave added Model Context Protocol support in May 2025 so its AI can reach other apps. In October 2025 the team launched Tasklet, a separate AI agent product that grew out of Shortwave, and in January 2026 connected the two so routine emails can be handled automatically. Current pricing lists three paid tiers that differ mainly in AI capability and usage.

Key features of Shortwave

• AI assistantAsk questions about your inbox, summarize threads, check your calendar and draft replies that learn your voice.
• AI searchNatural-language search that reads across many threads at once, with longer history on higher plans.
• AI filtersRules written in plain English that label, archive or sort mail automatically.
• Bundles and splitsGroup similar email and split the inbox into focused views.
• Team collaborationShare threads, comment, assign emails and use shared AI snippets and labels.
• Tasklet and MCPConnect Shortwave to Tasklet agents and other apps to automate replies, comments and to-dos.

Who is Shortwave best for?

• Gmail and Workspace power users who want faster triage and answers from years of email.
• Founders and sales staff who send many similar replies and want drafts in their own tone.
• Small teams that handle shared inboxes and need assignments and comments.
• Former Google Inbox fans who miss bundles and a to-do style inbox.

Popular ways to use Shortwave

• Inbox questions: Ask which invoices are still unpaid or what a client agreed last quarter.
• Reply drafting: Let the AI draft a response in your style, then edit and send.
• Automatic sorting: Create an AI filter that files receipts or vendor pitches without manual rules.
• Team triage: Assign customer emails to colleagues and discuss them in comments.
• Scheduling: Have the assistant check your calendar and propose meeting times in a reply.

Shortwave pricing (October 2026)

Prices are per seat per month as listed on the pricing page, with a 14-day free trial. The page does not list a separate annual price, so check at checkout for any discount.

Shortwave pros and cons

How to get started with Shortwave

1. Sign in with your Google account and start the trial.
2. Let Shortwave set up bundles, then review which senders go where.
3. Ask the AI assistant a question about your recent email to test search.
4. Create one AI filter for a common type of mail, such as receipts.
5. Install the mobile and desktop apps and invite teammates if needed.

Tips to get better results from Shortwave

• Add personal instructions to the AI memory so drafts match your tone and sign-off.
• Give AI search specific names and dates for more accurate answers.
• Check your company’s policy before connecting work email to any AI client.
• Try Premier during the trial if you rely on searching older mail.

Shortwave vs alternatives

The main rival is Superhuman Mail, a fast keyboard-driven client with its own AI features that also supports Outlook accounts. If you prefer to stay in Gmail, Gemini in Google Workspace can summarize threads and draft replies, and Microsoft Copilot covers Outlook users.

For automation beyond email, Shortwave pairs with its sister product Tasklet, while Lindy offers email-handling AI agents that work alongside your existing client. Shortwave stands out for search and summaries across a large Gmail history. See all best AI productivity tools.

Our verdict: is Shortwave worth it?

Shortwave FAQs

Pricing and features change often. Details on this page were last reviewed in October 2026. Always confirm current plans on the official Shortwave website.