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.
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.
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.
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.
Where Shortwave stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Shortwave
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Email clients checklist (15 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Email clients checklist | Shortwave | eM Client | BlueMail | Canary Mail | The Bat! | Apple Mail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Protocols (IMAP / POP3 / JMAP / Exchange) | ||||||
| Unified inbox | ||||||
| Snooze & send later | ||||||
| Tracking pixel blocking | ||||||
| PGP / encryption support | ||||||
| Conversation view | ||||||
| Offline mode | ||||||
| Rules & filters (local) | ||||||
| Calendar integrated | ||||||
| Multiple identities/aliases | ||||||
| Keyboard-first shortcuts |
Every fact and feature listed for Shortwave is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Starts at $30/seat/month verified 2026-07-12
Business $30/seat/mo
https://www.shortwave.com/pricing -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-12
Business $30/seat/mo
https://www.shortwave.com/pricing -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-12
Start your 14 day free trial
https://www.shortwave.com/pricing -
Platforms Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android verified 2026-07-12
Download for macOS / Download for Windows / Download on iOS / Download on the Play Store
https://www.shortwave.com/download/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-12
Start your 14 day free trial
https://www.shortwave.com/pricing -
Protocols (IMAP / POP3 / JMAP / Exchange) Partial verified 2026-07-12
Microsoft 365 / Exchange — not supported at this time
https://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/microsoft-outlook-exchange-other-sign-in-support/ -
Unified inbox Partial verified 2026-07-12
While currently there is no default option to view a unified inbox in Shortwave, you can easily sign into multiple accounts on each device.
https://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/multi-account/ -
Snooze & send later Yes verified 2026-07-12
Snooze to just the right time with smart AI suggestions
https://www.shortwave.com/features -
Tracking pixel blocking Yes verified 2026-07-12
Our image proxy & tracking pixel blocking keep your privacy intact
https://www.shortwave.com/features -
PGP / encryption support No verified 2026-07-12
Stored data is encrypted at rest using AES256 and encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2+.
https://www.shortwave.com/docs/guides/security/ -
Conversation view Yes verified 2026-07-12
Thread sharing lets teammates see a live view of the thread with the full conversation history
https://www.shortwave.com/blog/2024-new-shortwave-features-ai-email-calendar-business-teams/ -
Rules & filters (local) Partial verified 2026-07-12
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.
https://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/manage-auto-apply-labels/ -
Calendar integrated Yes verified 2026-07-12
See your schedule at a glance & accept or reject invites in-app
https://www.shortwave.com/features -
Multiple identities/aliases Partial verified 2026-07-12
Each Gmail or Google Workspace account that you sign into Shortwave with has a default account address as well as potentially multiple email aliases.
https://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/multi-account/ -
Keyboard-first shortcuts Yes verified 2026-07-12
Never touch your mouse again with markdown support and keyboard shortcuts for everything
https://www.shortwave.com/features
FAQ
Yes. eM Client, BlueMail and Canary Mail have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
FairEmail, Evolution and Mailspring — every license claim links its source.