Shortwave alternatives

Who Shortwave suits

Shortwave is an email client for Gmail. Its home page lists an AI assistant, AI filters written in plain English, AI search, split inbox, bundles, delivery schedules, a way to turn emails into todos, and shared comments for teams. It is available on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, and its billing guide says there is a free plan alongside paid ones.

If you live in Gmail or Google Workspace and want AI woven into a fast inbox, that is a clear fit.

Why people look elsewhere

• Provider coverage. Shortwave's provider guide says Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported at this time, and that Outlook.com and Hotmail work by forwarding only, without sending from your own address. If part of your day is on Outlook, that matters.
• Plan limits on AI. Its pricing page sets different levels of AI model and different caps on AI search threads and AI filters by plan. If you lean on AI features, read the table.
• Per-seat business pricing. The pricing page leads with per-seat plans for businesses.

Alternatives worth a look

• Otto. Gmail and Outlook in one app, with calendar, tasks and an assistant that waits for your approval before anything sends, books or changes. Plus is $6.99 a month and Pro is $19.99 a month, with a lower rate on yearly billing. Web and iPhone.
• Superhuman. A shortcut-first client that says it is built for teams that use Gmail or Outlook. Mail sits on its paid Business and Enterprise plans as of October 2026.
• Spark. A mail client whose Free plan lists unlimited accounts, with AI on paid plans. It connects Outlook, Exchange, iCloud, Yahoo and IMAP accounts, among others.
• SaneBox. Not a client. It sorts and quiets mail in the app you already use, so you keep Gmail or Outlook as it is.

What they cost

Otto Free costs nothing. These are the lowest paid plans, in USD on monthly billing, from each vendor's own pricing page.

Product	Lowest paid plan	Price	Notes
Otto	Plus	from $6.99/month	Pro $19.99/month; $55.99/year for Plus
Shortwave	Business	from $30/month	per seat
Spark	Plus	from $10/month	per seat, $8.25/month billed yearly
SaneBox	Snack	from $3.49/month	filtering for your current mail app, $2.42/month billed yearly

Yearly billing is cheaper where a vendor offers it, and plan limits differ, so read the plan before you compare on price alone.

Where Otto fits, and where it does not

Otto fits if Gmail and Outlook both matter to your day, you want calendar and tasks next to mail, and you want to approve what the assistant does before it happens.

Otto does not fit if you want Shortwave's Gmail-specific tools, such as AI filters and bundles tuned for Google's labels, or native Mac and Windows apps. Otto's organizing tools are labels, saved views, filters and rules, and it runs in the browser and on iPhone.

Side by side: Otto vs Shortwave.

What to test before you switch

Start with the accounts, not the features. List every address you read, and check each against the provider guide: if one is Microsoft 365 or Exchange, Shortwave will not connect it directly. Then test what you would miss. If you rely on AI filters or AI search, read the plan table for the caps on each. If you rely on bundles, check whether the new app has an equivalent or whether labels and saved views will do. A week with one account in each candidate shows more than a feature list.

How we checked this

Last reviewed 9 October 2026. Sources: Shortwave's home page, pricing page, billing guide and provider guide, Superhuman's plans page, Spark's pricing page and SaneBox's home page. Otto is our product, so weigh the Otto notes accordingly. Nothing here is paid placement and there are no affiliate links. We read each product's own pages on 9 October 2026 and did not run a head-to-head test. Plans, limits and features change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.