# Alternatives to Shortwave AI-first Gmail client from ex-Googlers. Shortwave ranks #14 of 22 in Email clients, with an Alt Score of 68. It is proprietary, freemium from $30/seat/month and available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. 10 of 11 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/shortwave/ Category: Email clients ## Where Shortwave stands out - **Keyboard-first shortcuts** — 5 of 19 apps with a verified answer have this ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Gmail users and small teams who want an AI-driven inbox to cut through email overload — from individual professionals aiming for inbox zero to teams that need to triage and collaborate on shared email threads. - **What you get**: An AI assistant built into your Gmail inbox that drafts replies in your writing style, summarizes long threads, and lets you build custom filters and searches using plain-English prompts. It also adds productivity tools like split inboxes, bundled bulk triage, email-to-task conversion, and send scheduling, plus team features like shared threads, in-inbox comments, and assigning emails to teammates. - **How it works**: Shortwave connects to your existing Gmail account and replaces the standard interface; you read and manage mail there while typing natural-language prompts to the AI assistant to draft replies, create filters, or organize your inbox, with everything staying searchable and synced back to Gmail. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-12) - **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-12) - **Starts at**: $30/seat/month (verified 2026-07-12) - **Platforms**: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-12) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [eM Client](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/em-client.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 2 | [BlueMail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bluemail.md) | 92 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS | | 3 | [Canary Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/canary-mail.md) | 92 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 4 | [The Bat!](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/the-bat.md) | 92 | Proprietary | Windows | | 5 | [Apple Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-mail.md) | 87 | Proprietary | macOS, iOS | | 6 | [FairEmail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/fairemail.md) | 87 | GPL-3.0 | Android | | 7 | [Mailbird](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mailbird.md) | 87 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 8 | [Evolution](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/evolution.md) | 84 | LGPL-2.1 | Linux | | 9 | [Mailspring](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mailspring.md) | 84 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 10 | [Missive](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/missive.md) | 84 | Proprietary | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS | | 11 | [Outlook](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/outlook.md) | 84 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 12 | [Thunderbird](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/thunderbird.md) | 76 | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 13 | [Spark](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/spark.md) | 71 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 14 | [NeoMutt](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/neomutt.md) | 68 | GPL-2.0 | Linux, macOS | | 15 | [Postbox](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/postbox.md) | 63 | Proprietary | macOS, Windows | | 16 | [Mimestream](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mimestream.md) | 60 | Proprietary | macOS | | 17 | [Aqua Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/aqua-mail.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Android | | 18 | [Superhuman](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/superhuman.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 19 | [Geary](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/geary.md) | 50 | LGPL-2.1-or-later | Linux | | 20 | [K-9 Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/k-9-mail.md) | 47 | Apache-2.0 | Android | | 21 | [aerc](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/aerc.md) | 42 | MIT | Linux, macOS | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Email clients checklist | Shortwave | eM Client | BlueMail | Canary Mail | The Bat! | Apple Mail | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | One-time | Free | | Starts at | $30/seat/month | €39.95/year | ? | $3/month | €47.95 one-time (Home Edition) | ? | | License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | | Platforms | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows | macOS, iOS | | Protocols (IMAP / POP3 / JMAP / Exchange) | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | | Unified inbox | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Snooze & send later | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | Tracking pixel blocking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | PGP / encryption support | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | Conversation view | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Offline mode | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Rules & filters (local) | Partial | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Calendar integrated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | Multiple identities/aliases | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Keyboard-first shortcuts | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | ## Sources Sources for Shortwave. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Starts at**: $30/seat/month — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Business $30/seat/mo” - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Business $30/seat/mo” - **Pricing model**: Freemium — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Start your 14 day free trial” - **Platforms**: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Download for macOS / Download for Windows / Download on iOS / Download on the Play Store” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Start your 14 day free trial” - **Protocols (IMAP / POP3 / JMAP / Exchange)**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Microsoft 365 / Exchange — not supported at this time” - **Unified inbox**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “While currently there is no default option to view a unified inbox in Shortwave, you can easily sign into multiple accounts on each device.” - **Snooze & send later**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Snooze to just the right time with smart AI suggestions” - **Tracking pixel blocking**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Our image proxy & tracking pixel blocking keep your privacy intact” - **PGP / encryption support**: No — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Stored data is encrypted at rest using AES256 and encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2+.” - **Conversation view**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Thread sharing lets teammates see a live view of the thread with the full conversation history” - **Rules & filters (local)**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “You can add an always apply rule to automatically apply a label to a specific sender by adding new labels to an email via the label picker.” - **Calendar integrated**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “See your schedule at a glance & accept or reject invites in-app” - **Multiple identities/aliases**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Each Gmail or Google Workspace account that you sign into Shortwave with has a default account address as well as potentially multiple email aliases.” - **Keyboard-first shortcuts**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “Never touch your mouse again with markdown support and keyboard shortcuts for everything” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/