Shortwave
Gmail but smarter — AI that organizes your inbox, summarizes threads, and helps you write better emails without switching apps.
Shortwave was built by former Google engineers who got tired of how broken Gmail felt. The result is an AI email client that actually thinks — it bundles conversations automatically, summarizes long threads in seconds, and lets you search your entire email history using plain English instead of filters. The AI writing assistant picks up on your tone and drafts replies that sound like you wrote them. Team inboxes let you collaborate on shared emails like support@ or hello@ without the usual chaos. The interface is clean, fast, and distraction-free. The one catch — it is Gmail only for now, so if your team runs on Outlook this is not for you yet.
- Category: Email
- Pricing: Paid
- Rating: 4.6 / 5 (0 reviews)
- Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Key features
- AI thread summaries — Get the key points of any long email chain in one click without reading every reply
- Natural language search — Find any email ever sent or received just by describing it in plain English
- AI reply drafting — Writes replies that match your tone so you spend less time staring at a blank compose window
- Smart inbox bundling — Groups related emails together automatically so your inbox stops feeling like chaos
- Team inboxes — Collaborate on shared email addresses like support@ or hello@ with your whole team
- Do Not Disturb mode — Set your working hours and Shortwave holds all notifications until you are ready
- Priority inbox — AI learns what matters to you and puts the important stuff at the top
- Tasklet integration — Connect your email workflow to over 3000 apps and automate repetitive tasks
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best AI search of any email app, find anything instantly in plain English
- Thread summaries that actually save time on long team conversations
- Clean distraction-free interface that makes Gmail feel modern
- Team inbox features that replace the need for a separate help desk tool
- Do Not Disturb mode that actually respects your working hours
Cons
- Gmail only, no Outlook or Microsoft 365 support which rules it out for many teams
- No permanent free plan, just a 14-day trial then you must pay
- Pricing scales per user which gets expensive fast for growing teams
- No built-in calendar integration unlike some competitors