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AI Email Assistants

Shortwave

An AI-native email client built specifically on top of Gmail and Google Workspace, centered on a conversational AI assistant, natural-language search, and automation filters.

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What it does

Shortwave is an email client built exclusively for Gmail and Google Workspace, designed from the ground up around AI rather than adding AI features to a traditional inbox layout. Its AI Assistant can answer questions about your email history, its Ghostwriter drafts replies in your voice, and its AI-powered filters let you describe automation rules in plain language instead of building traditional mail rules.

The product is aimed at teams and individuals already committed to Google’s ecosystem who want deeper AI-native search, automation, and shared team-inbox support than Gmail offers natively. Because Shortwave requires a paid subscription with no permanent free tier, it’s best suited to users with high enough email volume to justify the per-seat cost.

Ideal users

  • Gmail and Google Workspace users who want a rebuilt, AI-first interface without leaving Google's ecosystem
  • Teams that want shared team inboxes (support@, hello@) with AI triage built in
  • Users who want natural-language search and automation ('AI filters') across their whole mailbox history

Who should avoid it

  • You use Outlook or Microsoft 365 — Shortwave is built exclusively for Gmail/Google Workspace
  • You want a permanent free tier — Shortwave now requires a paid plan after a 14-day trial
  • You need the lowest-cost option — entry pricing starts higher than lightweight add-ons like SaneBox

Key features

  • Ghostwriter AI drafts replies that learn your tone and writing style over time
  • Conversational AI Assistant with multi-step reasoning across your inbox
  • Natural-language AI search across years of email history
  • AI-powered custom filters that auto-label, archive, or flag messages from plain-language descriptions
  • Automatic Bundles that group related emails for batch processing
  • Team inboxes for shared addresses with AI-assisted triage and assignment

Pros

  • AI is built into the core product experience — search, filters, and drafting all run through it, not as an add-on
  • Strong fit for teams already standardized on Gmail/Google Workspace who want shared-inbox support
  • Ghostwriter's tone-matching improves the longer you use it

Cons

  • Gmail/Google Workspace only — no Outlook or Microsoft 365 support
  • No longer offers a free-forever tier, unlike some competitors
  • Cost rises quickly for teams needing the deeper AI tiers (Premier, Max)

Pricing

Paid — $30/seat/month (Business, billed monthly)

Confirmed on shortwave.com/pricing: Business is $30/seat/month billed monthly or $24/seat/month billed annually, Premier is $45/seat/month monthly or $36/seat/month annually, and Max is $120/seat/month monthly or $100/seat/month annually. All plans start with a 14-day free trial, and there is no permanent free plan.

Typical workflows

  • A support team connects a shared support@ inbox, uses AI filters to auto-triage incoming tickets by topic, and relies on the AI Assistant to search past conversations for context before replying.

Integrations

  • Gmail and Google Workspace
  • Slack, Notion, Asana, and HubSpot via the Tasklet automation platform

Privacy & security notes

Shortwave's security documentation states email content is never used to train third-party AI models and isn't shared beyond its listed sub-processors (Google Cloud, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Pinecone). Data is encrypted with TLS 1.2+ in transit and AES-256 at rest, and employee access requires explicit customer permission plus hardware-key multi-factor authentication.

Frequently asked questions

Does Shortwave work with Outlook?

No. Shortwave is built specifically for Gmail and Google Workspace accounts and does not currently support Outlook or Microsoft 365 mailboxes.

Is there a free version of Shortwave?

As of the most recent pricing information, Shortwave no longer offers a permanent free plan — every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, after which you must choose a paid tier (Business, Premier, or Max).

How is Shortwave different from Gmail's built-in Gemini features?

Gemini in Gmail adds AI features (summaries, drafting, an AI inbox) inside the standard Gmail interface. Shortwave instead replaces the interface entirely with a client built around AI-native search, automation filters, and a conversational assistant, at an additional per-seat cost.

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