Mar 26, 2026

8 Best Shortwave Alternatives in 2026

Shortwave is an AI-powered Gmail client that replaces the default Gmail interface with something smarter — natural language search, AI thread summaries, email bundles, and an AI assistant you can ask questions about your inbox. It’s one of the better AI email clients out there. In early 2026, Shortwave also launched Tasklet, a separate AI automation platform that connects your inbox to tools like Slack, Notion, and HubSpot. But Shortwave is still Gmail-only, pricing ranges from $7 to $24/seat/month depending on the plan, and the core product is still oriented around reading and organizing email rather than taking autonomous action. Here are eight alternatives.

1. Carly

Carly is an AI agent platform that works through email. Instead of adding AI to an email client, Carly creates AI agents that handle the actual work behind your emails. A scheduling request becomes a booked meeting. A sales inquiry becomes a CRM entry with enriched lead data. A document request becomes an uploaded file in Google Drive. Each agent gets its own name, email address, custom instructions, and memory — and sends from your Gmail or Outlook so recipients see your name.

With 200+ integrations across 40+ categories, Carly connects to your CRM, calendar, project management tools, file storage, and more. You can build specialized AI email agents for sales, recruiting, support, or billing — each learning and improving over time by writing their own skills and memories.

What makes it different from Shortwave: Shortwave helps you search and summarize email faster. Carly eliminates email work by taking action across 200+ tools. It doesn’t replace your email client — it handles the workflows behind it.

Best for: Professionals who want AI that does the work, not just organizes the inbox.

Pricing: $35/month

2. Superhuman

The fastest email client available, now owned by Grammarly (which acquired Superhuman in 2025 and rebranded the entire company under the Superhuman name). Built around speed — keyboard shortcuts, split inbox, snooze, undo send, and read statuses. AI features include Auto Drafts (AI writes follow-up emails in your voice without prompting), Auto Labels (automatic email classification), drafting, summarization, and auto-triage. Supports both Gmail and Outlook. CRM integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive on the Business plan.

What makes it different from Shortwave: Superhuman focuses on making you the fastest emailer alive. Shortwave focuses on AI intelligence. Superhuman’s design and speed are unmatched; Shortwave’s AI search is better. If you care more about feel and throughput than AI-powered search, Superhuman wins.

Best for: Speed-obsessed email power users who want the snappiest inbox experience possible.

Pricing: From $25/month (annual) or $30/month (Starter); Business plan from $33/month (annual)

3. Spark Mail

Smart inbox with AI, available on every platform — Mac, Windows, iOS, Android. AI drafting, thread summaries, priority sorting. The free tier is generous enough for personal use. Team collaboration features on paid plans — shared inboxes, shared drafts, comments, assignments. Spark has been around longer than most AI email tools, so the client itself is polished and stable.

What makes it different from Shortwave: Spark works everywhere and costs significantly less. Shortwave is Gmail-only and starts at $7/month before jumping to $24/seat for teams. Spark’s team features (shared inbox, shared drafts, comments, assignments) are more mature, and the cross-platform support means your whole team can use it regardless of their email provider.

Best for: Teams and cross-platform users who want AI email without the premium price tag.

Pricing: Free tier available; Premium from $5/month (annual) or $8/month

4. SaneBox

Server-level email filtering that works with any email client. SaneBox analyzes your email history and automatically filters unimportant messages out of your inbox into separate folders. No app to install, no interface to learn. It works behind the scenes with whatever client you already use — Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo, anything.

What makes it different from Shortwave: SaneBox works behind the scenes with your existing email client. Shortwave forces you to switch to its interface entirely. If you like your current email setup and just want the noise removed, SaneBox is set-and-forget with zero learning curve.

Best for: People who want a cleaner inbox without learning a new email client.

Pricing: From $7/month

5. Gemini for Gmail

Google’s built-in AI for Gmail. Drafts emails, summarizes threads, suggests replies — right inside the Gmail interface you already use. No separate app to install. Gemini is now included in Google Workspace Business Standard and above plans (starting at $14/user/month). For personal Gmail accounts, Google rolled out Gemini Personal Intelligence to free US users in March 2026 — it can search your inbox, summarize threads, and answer questions about your email history.

What makes it different from Shortwave: It’s built into Gmail with no interface switch. If Shortwave’s main appeal was AI in Gmail, Google now offers a version of that natively. The search isn’t as powerful as Shortwave’s natural language queries, but zero friction and no new subscription count for a lot. Workspace users get it bundled; personal Gmail users can opt in for free.

Best for: Gmail users who want AI features without paying for another tool.

Pricing: Included with Google Workspace ($14+/user/month); free for personal Gmail accounts (US, with limits)

6. Microsoft Copilot for Outlook

AI across the full Microsoft 365 stack. Email drafting, summaries, catch-up on missed threads — plus context from Teams, Word, SharePoint, and your calendar. The advantage is that Copilot has access to your entire Microsoft 365 graph, not just email. It can draft a reply referencing a document you shared in Teams last week.

What makes it different from Shortwave: Copilot understands your entire Microsoft work ecosystem, not just email. Shortwave only sees Gmail. For Microsoft shops, Copilot’s cross-app awareness is more valuable than Shortwave’s search — especially when you need AI that pulls context from meetings, documents, and chats alongside email.

Best for: Teams already on Microsoft 365 who want AI that understands their full work context.

Pricing: $30/user/month (requires Microsoft 365 subscription)

7. Missive

Team email platform with AI, shared inboxes, and workflow automation rules. Handles email, SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, and live chat in one interface. Built-in assignments, internal comments, and automation rules that route conversations to the right team member. The AI assists with drafting, summarization, and translation — plus AI-driven rule conditions that can analyze message content to trigger actions like task creation or escalation.

What makes it different from Shortwave: Missive is built for team collaboration on messages across channels. Shortwave is individual-focused and email-only. If your team needs shared inbox workflows with AI assist across email, SMS, live chat, and social, Missive covers significantly more ground.

Best for: Teams that need shared inbox management with AI across multiple communication channels.

Pricing: Free for up to 3 users; Starter from $14/user/month (annual)

8. Mailbutler

Lightweight AI add-on that works with Apple Mail, Gmail, and Outlook. Email tracking (no recipient approval needed), scheduled sends, AI drafting, signatures, contact insights, and task management. Less ambitious than a full email client replacement — it’s a utility belt that layers on top of your existing setup without disrupting it.

What makes it different from Shortwave: Mailbutler works as an add-on to your existing email client, including Apple Mail (which Shortwave doesn’t support at all). It’s lighter weight and cheaper — you keep your current workflow and add capabilities on top. No interface switch required.

Best for: Apple Mail users who want AI features, or anyone who wants a lightweight add-on without a full client replacement.

Pricing: From $4.95/month (Tracking); $14.95/month for the Smart plan with AI features

Shortwave Alternatives Compared

Tool	AI Drafting	AI Search	Works Beyond Email	Email Clients Supported	Price
Carly	Yes	No (takes action instead)	Yes (200+ integrations)	Gmail, Outlook	$35/mo
Superhuman	Yes	Basic	No	Gmail, Outlook	From $25/mo
Spark Mail	Yes	Basic	No	Gmail, Outlook, IMAP	Free / $5/mo
SaneBox	No	No	No	Any client	From $7/mo
Gemini for Gmail	Yes	Yes	No	Gmail	Included w/ Workspace
Copilot for Outlook	Yes	Basic	Yes (Microsoft 365)	Outlook	$30/user/mo add-on
Missive	Yes	Basic	Yes (multi-channel)	Gmail, Outlook, IMAP	Free / $14/user/mo
Mailbutler	Yes	No	No	Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail	From $4.95/mo

FAQ

Is Shortwave shutting down? No. Shortwave is still active and developing — it launched Tasklet, a separate AI automation product, out of beta in early 2026. But the Gmail-only limitation and pricing tiers have pushed many users to explore alternatives — especially teams that need multi-client support or AI that goes beyond search and summarization.

What’s the cheapest Shortwave alternative? Gemini for Gmail is free for personal Gmail accounts in the US. Missive and Spark Mail both have free tiers. SaneBox starts at $7/month. Mailbutler starts at $4.95/month. All cost less than Shortwave’s paid plans.

Which alternative actually takes action on emails? Carly is the only tool on this list that takes autonomous action — booking meetings, updating CRMs, managing files — rather than just helping you read and write email faster. For more on what’s possible, see our guide on AI email agents.

Does any alternative match Shortwave’s natural language search? Gemini for Gmail is getting close — Google’s Personal Intelligence feature (free for US personal accounts since March 2026) can search your inbox conversationally, find buried confirmations, and answer questions about your email history. Shortwave’s AI search is still more polished, but the gap is narrowing. Most people find they need action more than search.

Which alternatives work with Outlook? Superhuman, Spark Mail, Mailbutler, and Carly all support Outlook. Microsoft Copilot is native to Outlook. SaneBox works with any client at the server level. Missive supports Outlook via IMAP. For a broader look at AI inbox management tools, we cover more options.

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