Shortwave
An AI-first email client for Gmail and Google Workspace with an assistant that drafts from a prompt, in your own style on paid plans
FreemiumFree plan
Decision snapshot
Fast-read signals for fit, pricing, and trust.
- Category
- Email & Communication
- Best for
- ai email writer
- Pricing
- Freemium
- Access
- Free plan available
What is this tool?
Shortwave suits a Gmail or Google Workspace user, or a small team on Workspace, who wants AI inside the email client itself; on paid plans that means drafts in their own style and search that answers questions across years of mail, with plain-English AI filters from Business up. It needs a Gmail or Workspace account: Shortwave says Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported at this time, and other providers only work by forwarding into Gmail. AI use is capped per day by plan, and Shortwave's help centre says there is currently no way to top up.
By QT Desk
Read full overviewHide full overview
Shortwave is a full email client, not an add-on: you sign in with a Gmail or Google Workspace account and read, triage and send from Shortwave's apps instead of Gmail. The assistant sits in a side panel and takes ordinary instructions, whether that is drafting a reply, summarising a thread, searching your history or creating a calendar event, and drafts land in the composer for you to edit and send.
AI use is metered by a daily quota that resets every 24 hours. Business allows roughly 150 to 300 Standard requests a day, and the pricing page describes Premier and Max as offering 2x and 6x more AI usage; the help centre says there is currently no way to buy more mid-day. One paid plan covers all of your own email accounts at a flat rate, as long as they are signed in on the same device as the paid account; team billing is per seat, charged monthly and upfront.
Shortwave's sister product Tasklet is a separate product that runs automations around the clock, drafting replies in the background and connecting to thousands of apps, all of it set up in that separate product. Inside Shortwave, drafting happens when you ask for it.
Shortwave says your data will never be used to train third-party models, names Google Cloud, OpenAI, Anthropic and Pinecone as the services it shares data with, and says it does not sell personal data. Shortwave states CASA Tier 2 compliance and says it undergoes an annual security audit to keep its Google verification for Gmail access.
Is this right for you?
Quick fit check against how you actually work.
Choose this if
- Your mail is on Gmail or Google Workspace and you are happy to switch to a different client to get AI built in
- You will pay for drafts that sound like you and an assistant that can answer questions from years of your email
- You work across several of your own Gmail accounts and want one paid plan to cover them all, signed in on the same device
- You want to try it properly first: there is a free plan and a 14-day trial of the paid plans
Consider alternatives if
- Your mail is on Microsoft 365, Exchange or Outlook.com: Shortwave says Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported at this time, and commenters on Shortwave review videos name the Gmail-only requirement as a drawback
- You want replies drafted in the background without asking, which Shortwave leaves to its separate Tasklet product
- You would rather keep Gmail's own interface and add an assistant inside it than move to a new email app
- You expect heavy AI use every day: the quota resets daily and, per Shortwave's help centre, cannot currently be topped up
Key features
What you can actually do with this tool.
Ghostwriter, on paid plans
Ghostwriter studies the email you have sent, including tone and recurring facts about you, so a prompt such as "decline politely and suggest next month" comes back sounding like you. Inline instant replies and an Improve draft button handle the quick cases, and personalised writing is on the paid plans.
Autocomplete that knows your mail
While you type, Shortwave suggests completions drawn from your own history, such as links, facts and phrases you have used before; Tab accepts them.
Search that answers questions
Ask a question and the assistant searches your email to answer it, rather than returning a list of threads, and from Business up it also reads attachments. How far back it looks depends on plan: 3 years on Pro, 5 years on Business and unlimited on Premier.
Filters written in plain English
AI filters label, star or archive incoming mail from a sentence you write, alongside splits, bundles and todos for working through the inbox. AI filters start on Business, which allows 3; Premier allows 10 and Max 50.
Connections the assistant can use
The assistant can reach Google Calendar for scheduling and, on paid plans, browse the web. The AI Assistant guide also names HubSpot, Notion, Slack, Asana, Linear, Zapier and custom MCP servers, which are AI integrations and start on the Business plan. CRM logging by auto-BCC is described for HubSpot and Salesforce.
Integrations
Tools and platforms this connects with.
Google CalendarHubSpotSalesforceSlackNotionAsanaLinearZapier
Plans & pricing
Pricing tiers and what's included in each.
Free
Free
- Most productivity features, including the Shortwave AI assistant, per the billing guide
- Personalised writing that learns your style is a paid feature; for search, the downgrade guide lists full-history and AI-assisted search as paid, while the pricing page's Free card lists 90 days of AI search history
Pro
$18 per seat / month (pricing page, Individual view)
- Listed on the Individual view for "personal users who just need the basics"; Standard intelligence and a "Standard" AI usage quota (the Business card lists "More AI usage")
- Personalised AI writing, AI autocomplete and instant summaries, AI web browsing and 3 years of AI search history
- AI filters, AI integrations and attachment analysis start on Business
Business
$30 per seat / month (pricing page, Business view)
- Standard intelligence, with roughly 150-300 Standard AI requests a day; the quota resets every 24 hours
- Personalised AI writing, AI autocomplete, AI integrations and web browsing
- 5 years of AI search history and 3 AI-powered filters
Premier
$45 per seat / month (pricing page, Business view)
- Advanced intelligence and "2x more AI usage" than Business, per the pricing page
- Unlimited AI search history and 10 AI-powered filters
Max
$120 per seat / month (pricing page, Business view)
- Expert intelligence and "6x more AI usage", per the pricing page
- 50 AI-powered filters
Official pricing pagePricing may have changed. Always verify before purchasing.
Frequently asked
Common questions about this tool, answered.
Does Shortwave work with Outlook or other email providers?
Shortwave requires a Gmail or Google Workspace account to sign in. Its help centre says Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts are not supported at this time; Yahoo, iCloud, Fastmail and Zoho can be used by forwarding into Gmail, and Outlook.com is forwarding only, without sending from that address.
What does the free plan include?
The billing guide says the free plan gives access to most productivity features, including the AI assistant, and personalised writing that learns your style needs a paid plan. On search, Shortwave's downgrade guide says the free plan loses full-history and AI-assisted search, while the pricing page's Free card lists 90 days of standard and AI search history; confirm with Shortwave before relying on search on the free plan.
Is Shortwave billed monthly or annually?
The billing guide says new subscriptions are billed monthly, upfront, per seat, and the plan cards show monthly prices per seat. On the pricing page, Pro is $18 per seat a month on the Individual view, and Business, Premier and Max are $30, $45 and $120 on the Business view.
Can I get a refund?
The billing guide offers a full refund if you ask within 14 days of a payment. The terms of service, last updated January 26th, 2023, say payments are final and non-refundable unless Shortwave decides otherwise, so treat the 14-day window as a policy rather than a contractual right.
Is Tasklet a separate product?
Yes. Tasklet is Shortwave's sister product for background email automation; it integrates with Shortwave, but its automatic drafting and app connections belong to that separate product, and the Shortwave plan cards do not list them.