Shortwave

The team behind Shortwave brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the challenge of email management. Shortwave was founded by veterans of Google Inbox, a beloved and innovative email client that, despite its popularity among users, was eventually shut down by Google. This lineage is incredibly significant, as the founders carried forward a deep understanding of what made Inbox special and, more importantly, a vision for how to evolve those ideas with the advancements in artificial intelligence and modern software development.

Their journey began with a shared frustration: despite the closure of Inbox, the problems it sought to solve – email overload, disorganization, and lack of focus – only intensified. They recognized that while email remains a critical communication tool, its traditional format often hinders rather than helps productivity. Armed with insights from years of designing and building email experiences at Google, the team set out to create a spiritual successor, one that not only recaptured the magic of Inbox's intelligent bundling and clean interface but also pushed the boundaries further with integrated AI capabilities.

This background means Shortwave isn't just another email client; it's a product built on a foundation of proven concepts and a forward-thinking approach. The team’s commitment is evident in Shortwave’s design philosophy, which prioritizes clarity, efficiency, and user control. They are dedicated to continuously innovating and refining the email experience, drawing on user feedback and the latest technological advancements to ensure Shortwave remains at the forefront of productivity tools. Their expertise isn't just in technology, but in understanding the human element of email – the habits, the frustrations, and the desire for a calmer, more productive digital life.

Shortwave is meticulously crafted for a broad spectrum of individuals and teams who find themselves constantly battling email overload and are eager to reclaim their productivity and peace of mind. Primarily, it's an ideal solution for Gmail users, as it seamlessly integrates with your existing Google Workspace account to provide a dramatically enhanced experience.

If you identify with any of the following, Shortwave is likely designed with you in mind:

• The Overwhelmed Professional: Whether you're a manager, a project lead, a freelancer, or an entrepreneur, if your inbox dictates your day rather than the other way around, Shortwave's intelligent prioritization and bundling can bring much-needed order.
• Productivity Enthusiasts: Individuals always on the lookout for tools that minimize distractions and maximize output will appreciate Shortwave's focus-driven design, keyboard shortcuts, and AI assistance.
• Former Google Inbox Fans: For those who mourned the departure of Google Inbox, Shortwave offers a modern reincarnation, retaining many beloved features while introducing powerful new AI capabilities.
• Anyone Seeking Inbox Zero: If achieving and maintaining a clean, empty inbox is your goal, Shortwave provides the structural and AI support to make that a consistent reality, not just an aspiration.
• Teams Collaborating on Gmail: While primarily focused on individual productivity, Shortwave's ability to simplify complex threads and its potential for shared inbox management (in future developments or specific setups) can benefit small to medium-sized teams looking to streamline communication.
• Remote Workers: For those working remotely, clear and efficient communication is paramount. Shortwave helps manage the asynchronous nature of email, ensuring important messages are not lost and responses are well-crafted.

Ultimately, if your current email client feels like a burden and you're ready for a smarter, cleaner, and more efficient way to handle your digital correspondence, Shortwave offers a compelling solution to transform your daily email grind into a productive and calm experience.

Shortwave is packed with an impressive array of features designed to revolutionize your email workflow, moving beyond basic sending and receiving to offer intelligent organization, powerful AI assistance, and a focus-driven interface. Here’s a detailed look at what Shortwave can do to enhance your productivity:

• Intelligent Email Bundling: One of Shortwave’s standout features, similar to its spiritual predecessor Google Inbox, is its ability to automatically group related emails into digestible bundles. This means all your promotional emails, social media notifications, or project updates appear as a single item in your inbox, drastically reducing clutter and notification fatigue. You can process an entire bundle at once, saving significant time.
• AI Summarization: For lengthy email threads or dense newsletters, Shortwave’s AI can generate concise summaries of key information. This allows you to quickly grasp the essence of a conversation or document without needing to read every word, ensuring you stay informed without getting bogged down.
• AI Writing Assistance: Struggling to craft the perfect reply? Shortwave's AI writing assist can help you draft responses, improve grammar and tone, or even generate entire emails based on a few prompts. This feature can be a game-changer for speeding up communication and ensuring professional, polished correspondence.
• Smart Prioritization: Shortwave intelligently distinguishes between important messages and less urgent ones. It allows you to pin critical emails, snooze messages to reappear later, or schedule emails to be sent at an optimal time. This ensures your attention is always directed to what truly requires it.
• Seamless Search & Filtering: With powerful search capabilities, finding specific emails or attachments is quicker than ever. Advanced filters and labels allow for custom organization, making your historical email data easily accessible and manageable.
• Intuitive User Interface: Shortwave boasts a clean, minimalist design that reduces visual distractions, promoting focus and a more pleasant email experience. Its intuitive layout makes navigating your inbox simple and efficient.
• Cross-Platform Accessibility: Whether you're at your desktop, on the web, or on the go with your mobile device (iOS and Android), Shortwave provides a consistent and powerful experience across all platforms, ensuring your inbox is always in sync and accessible.
• Customizable Notifications: Take control of your notifications. Shortwave allows you to tailor when and how you're alerted to new emails, helping you maintain focus without missing important communications.

By integrating these advanced features, Shortwave empowers you to manage your email with unprecedented efficiency, transforming a daily struggle into a streamlined part of your productive workflow.

Shortwave offers a flexible pricing structure designed to cater to both individual users getting started with smarter email management and those requiring more advanced features and deeper integration. It operates on a freemium model, meaning there’s a robust free tier for casual users, alongside a premium subscription for power users and professionals.

Free Plan:

The Free Plan allows you to experience the core benefits of Shortwave without any cost. This tier typically includes:

• Core Bundling and Organization: Enjoy intelligent email bundling, categorization, and the clean Shortwave interface.
• Limited Search History: Access to a certain number of days or weeks of your email history for search.
• Basic Email Features: Send, receive, snooze, pin, and schedule emails.
• Trial of AI Features: Often includes a limited trial or usage of AI summarization and writing assistance.

This plan is perfect for individuals who want to test the waters, get a cleaner inbox, and benefit from basic intelligent sorting.

Pro Plan:

For users who require unlimited access to Shortwave's advanced capabilities and a more comprehensive email management solution, the Pro Plan is available. This is a paid subscription that unlocks the full potential of the platform. The pricing for the Pro Plan is structured as follows:

• Monthly Subscription: Typically priced around $15 per month. This option provides flexibility if you prefer not to commit to a longer term.
• Annual Subscription: A more cost-effective option, usually priced around $120 per year, which translates to a saving compared to the monthly rate (effectively $10 per month).

The Pro Plan generally includes:

• Unlimited Search History: Access to your entire email history, invaluable for professionals.
• Full AI Writing Assist: Unrestricted use of AI to draft, refine, and improve your email responses.
• Advanced AI Summarization: Full access to AI summaries for all your long threads and newsletters.
• Custom Domains: Use Shortwave with your own custom email domain (if applicable for your Gmail account).
• Priority Support: Expedited customer service.

Shortwave also typically offers a 14-day free trial of the Pro features, allowing you to fully experience the premium benefits before making a financial commitment. This trial is an excellent opportunity to determine if the Pro Plan's enhanced capabilities align with your productivity needs and justify the investment in a calmer, more efficient email experience.

While Shortwave offers a compelling vision for modern email management, there are several key aspects and considerations that potential users should pay attention to before fully committing to the platform. Understanding these points will help you determine if Shortwave is the right fit for your specific needs and workflow.

• Gmail Exclusivity: This is perhaps the most significant point: Shortwave is exclusively built for Gmail (including Google Workspace accounts). If you use other email providers like Outlook, Yahoo, or a self-hosted solution, Shortwave will not work for you. This specificity means you must be a dedicated Gmail user to leverage its benefits.
• Learning Curve for New Paradigms: Shortwave introduces a different way of interacting with your inbox, especially with its aggressive bundling and AI-driven sorting. While incredibly efficient, it might take some time to adjust if you're accustomed to a traditional, chronological inbox view. Give yourself a few days to fully adapt to its unique workflow.
• Reliance on AI Features: A significant part of Shortwave's value proposition comes from its AI capabilities (summarization, writing assistance). While powerful, users should be mindful of the implications of AI processing their emails, especially regarding data privacy and the accuracy of AI-generated content. Always review AI-drafted responses before sending.
• Subscription Cost: While a free plan is available, the full suite of Shortwave's most impactful features, including unlimited search history and advanced AI tools, requires a paid Pro subscription. For some, the monthly or annual cost might be a consideration, especially if their existing email solution is free or part of a broader suite they already pay for. Evaluate if the productivity gains justify the investment.
• Bundling Behavior: Shortwave's intelligent bundling is a major strength, but it's not always perfect. Occasionally, an important email might get bundled with less critical ones, or a bundle might not align with your specific mental model for organization. While you can customize and unbundle, it's something to be aware of and monitor initially.
• Mobile Experience: While Shortwave offers robust mobile apps, ensure the on-the-go experience meets your expectations. Some users might find the interface slightly different or prefer certain functionalities on desktop vs. mobile.
• Integration with Third-Party Tools: Consider how Shortwave fits into your broader digital ecosystem. If you rely heavily on specific Gmail add-ons or integrations with other productivity tools, confirm that Shortwave's approach doesn't hinder those workflows.

By considering these points, you can make an informed decision and fully leverage Shortwave's potential to transform your email experience.

While Shortwave offers a compelling, AI-powered approach to email management for Gmail users, it's not the only player in the field aiming to enhance your inbox experience. The market for productivity-focused email clients is vibrant, with various tools offering different philosophies and feature sets. Here are some notable alternatives to Shortwave, each with its own strengths:

• Superhuman: Often positioned as a premium, keyboard-driven email client, Superhuman prioritizes speed and efficiency. It boasts an incredibly fast interface, robust keyboard shortcuts, AI summarization (similar to Shortwave), and features like 'undo send' and 'snooze.' It's known for its high price point and exclusive invite-only access, targeting professionals who value every second. Unlike Shortwave, it supports multiple email providers.
• Spark Mail: A popular choice for both individuals and teams, Spark offers a 'Smart Inbox' that automatically categorizes emails (personal, notifications, newsletters), similar in concept to Shortwave's bundling. It supports multiple email accounts (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, etc.), has excellent team collaboration features (shared inboxes, private comments), and offers a clean design with powerful search. It has a free tier and affordable premium plans.
• HEY Email: From the creators of Basecamp, HEY is a radical reimagining of email itself. It introduces concepts like 'The Screener' (you decide who can email you), 'The Feed' for newsletters, and 'Paper Trail' for receipts, completely departing from the traditional inbox. It's a full email service provider rather than just a client, meaning you get a new @hey.com address, and it comes with a premium subscription fee.
• Outlook (Web/Desktop): Microsoft's omnipresent email client, especially the modern web and desktop versions, has made significant strides in smart features. It offers focused inboxes, scheduling, robust integrations with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, and AI capabilities for drafting and summarizing. It supports various email providers and is often included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions, making it a strong contender for business users.
• Canary Mail: This client focuses heavily on security with end-to-end encryption features, alongside productivity tools like AI Compose (similar to Shortwave's AI writing), a 'Focus Inbox,' and read receipts. It supports multiple email accounts and is available on macOS, iOS, Windows, and Android. It offers a combination of security and smart features, often with a one-time purchase model for desktop or subscription for mobile/advanced AI.
• Gmail (with add-ons): For those who prefer to stick with the native Gmail interface, countless Chrome extensions and Google Workspace add-ons can replicate some of Shortwave's functionality, such as email scheduling, snooze, CRM integrations, and basic inbox categorization. While it requires manual curation of tools, it offers immense flexibility without changing clients.

Each of these alternatives caters to slightly different priorities, whether it's raw speed, team collaboration, a complete re-think of email, or enhanced security. Your choice will ultimately depend on your existing email provider, budget, desired features, and personal workflow preferences.

Yes, Shortwave is designed with security and privacy in mind. It connects to your existing Gmail account via Google's secure OAuth protocol, meaning Shortwave never stores your email password. Your emails remain on Google's servers, and Shortwave acts as an interface. For AI features, specific data might be processed to generate summaries or drafts, but Shortwave is committed to upholding privacy standards and often uses anonymized data where possible to improve its models.

No, Shortwave is exclusively built for Gmail and Google Workspace accounts. It deeply integrates with Google's infrastructure to provide its advanced features, meaning it does not support other email providers like Outlook, Yahoo, ProtonMail, or custom IMAP/POP3 accounts.

Absolutely! Shortwave offers dedicated mobile applications for both iOS and Android devices. This ensures a consistent, streamlined, and AI-enhanced email experience whether you're at your desk or on the go. Your inbox status and changes are synchronized across all platforms.

If you decide to stop using Shortwave, all your emails remain safe and sound in your original Gmail account. Shortwave is a client that accesses your Gmail, not a separate email service. You can simply uninstall the app or revoke its access via your Google account settings, and your Gmail inbox will revert to its standard Google interface, with all your data intact.

Shortwave's AI summarization feature uses advanced natural language processing (NLP) models to analyze the content of long email threads or documents. It identifies key points, actions, and decisions within the text and then distills them into a concise summary. This helps you quickly understand the essence of a conversation without needing to read through every single message.

Yes, Shortwave offers a robust free plan that includes its core features like intelligent bundling, a clean interface, and basic email management tools. However, premium features such as unlimited search history, full AI writing assistance, and advanced customization options are typically reserved for the paid Pro subscription.

Shortwave can be considered a spiritual successor to Google Inbox, as it was founded by former Inbox team members and revives many of its beloved features like email bundling and intelligent categorization. However, Shortwave takes these concepts further by integrating advanced AI capabilities for summarization and writing assistance, which were not as prominent or developed in Inbox. It also offers a fresh, modern interface and continuous innovation, building on the legacy of Inbox while evolving for today's AI-driven world.