Shortwave pricing
Shortwave offers a free plan with paid upgrades. You can start for free and pay only when you need higher limits, advanced features or team seats.
What you get on the free vs paid plan
Shortwave's free plan lets you use ai assistant that searches and answers questions across your mailbox and semantic search that works from a description, not just keywords without paying. Paid plans typically unlock higher usage limits, advanced capabilities and team or collaboration features — the things you tend to hit once the tool becomes part of your daily workflow. That makes the free tier a genuine way to evaluate Shortwave before you spend anything.
Is Shortwave worth the price?
Shortwave is most praised for the most genuinely capable ai assistant of any mainstream email client. The most common caveat is that gmail only — no outlook or imap. Whether it is worth paying for comes down to how central email tools is to your work: use it daily and a paid plan usually pays for itself; reach for it only occasionally and you are better off starting with the free tier and the cheaper alternatives below.
AI Email Tools pricing compared
Of the 3 comparable email tools tools below, 0 offer a free or freemium plan and 3 are paid-only. Shortwave itself is freemium, so you can start without a credit card.
| Tool | Pricing | Cheapest paid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmelius | Paid | $19 | Pricing → |
| Superhuman | Paid | $300 | Pricing → |
| Missive | Paid | $Infinity | Pricing → |
Shortwave pricing: FAQ
Is Shortwave free?+
Shortwave has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Some advanced features may require a paid plan — check the official site for current limits.
How much does Shortwave cost?+
Shortwave offers a free plan with paid upgrades. You can start for free and pay only when you need higher limits, advanced features or team seats. Plans and prices change often, so confirm the latest on the official Shortwave pricing page before purchasing.
Does Shortwave offer a free trial?+
Shortwave has a free tier, so a separate trial is usually unnecessary — you can start using it at no cost today.
What are cheaper alternatives to Shortwave?+
Browse the Shortwave alternatives page for similar tools in AI Email Tools, including free and freemium options.