Shortwave Review: AI Inbox Built on Gmail

#Quasa #QUA #shortwave

Shortwave is an AI-native email client for Gmail, built by people who worked on Google Inbox. It sits on your existing account: split tabs, bundles, todos, keyboard shortcuts, and an assistant that searches threads, drafts in your voice, and filters in plain English. Teams get shared threads, comments, and labels. Sister product Tasklet can hook drafts and actions into other apps. Free is a capped demo with a “Sent with Shortwave” signature. Pro is $18 per seat per month. Business is $30. Premier is $45. Max is $120. Plans mostly bill monthly and meter daily AI quota, threads per search, filter count, and model tier. It does not replace Outlook. Switching clients is the real cost, not the logo.

𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇𝐒:
• Gmail-native, not a new mailbox
• AI search over real thread history
• Ghostwriter-style drafts that learn your voice
• Split inbox and bulk triage
• Team comments on live threads

𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑:
People who live in Gmail and want Inbox-era organization plus an assistant that can answer “what did we agree last March?”

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:
• Command palette and serious shortcuts
• AI filters that label, star, or archive
• Calendar, read receipts, link tracking on higher plans
• Multi-account and custom themes
• Integrations / MCP and Tasklet automation

𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:
• Gmail only — no Outlook
• Free tier stamps a signature and throttles AI
• Daily AI quotas even on Max
• Per-seat price climbs fast for teams
• You still have to leave the Gmail tab

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓: 4.4/5 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒
Shortwave is the strongest AI client if Gmail is already the job. Use Free to test the split inbox. Buy Pro when search and drafts become daily. Take Business when the team shares threads. Premier or Max only if filter count and model tier are the bottleneck. Stay in Gmail if you will not change apps.

𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃: https://quasa.io/projects/shortwave