Shortwave Business costs $30/user/month ($24 billed annually) for full AI email features, team inboxes, and Google Workspace support. There's no longer a permanent free plan, just a 14-day trial. Shortwave is Gmail-only, Outlook and Microsoft 365 are not supported.
Shortwave Pricing Plans at a Glance
| Feature | Shortwave Business | alfred_ |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $30/user/mo | $24.99/month |
| Annual billing discount | Yes ($24/user/mo) | |
| Free plan | No (14-day trial only) | |
| Gmail support | ||
| Outlook / Microsoft 365 | ||
| AI email triage | ||
| AI reply drafting | ||
| Automatic task extraction | ||
| Daily briefing | ||
| Team inboxes | ||
| Shared threads | ||
| Calendar management |
Shortwave vs alfred_, June 2026
Shortwave Free Trial (No More Free Plan)
Shortwave used to offer a permanent free tier for personal Gmail accounts. That’s gone. Today every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, and once it ends you have to pick a paid tier (Business, Premier, or Max). During the trial you get the full Shortwave email interface, threaded conversation bundles, priority inbox, and AI-assisted actions.
There’s no longer a stripped-down free option for solo Gmail users. If you’re evaluating Shortwave for yourself or your company, plan to be on the Business plan from day 15.
- 14-day free trial, no permanent free plan
- Full features during the trial, then a paid tier is required
- Cheapest paid option is Business at $30/user/month ($24 annually)
- Good for testing the interface, but you can’t stay on it for free
Shortwave Business Plan ($30/user/month)
The Business plan at $30/user/month, or $24/user/month billed annually, is where Shortwave’s full feature set unlocks. You get unrestricted AI features (reply drafting, search, summarization), team inboxes for shared email addresses like support@ or hello@, and priority support. Above it sit Premier ($45/user/month) and Max ($120/user/month) for higher AI limits and advanced features.
For a team of five, that’s $150/month. For a team of ten, $300/month. Shortwave’s pricing scales directly with headcount, which matters for growing companies.
- Full AI reply drafting and email summarization
- Team inboxes for shared email addresses
- Google Workspace (business Gmail) support
- Priority support and admin controls
Hidden Costs and Limitations
Shortwave’s pricing is fairly transparent, but there are real limitations that function as hidden costs:
- Gmail only: If your team uses Outlook or Microsoft 365, Shortwave isn’t an option. This is a hard wall, not a soft limitation.
- Per-user scaling: At $30/user/month, costs compound as your team grows. A 20-person team pays $600/month.
- No task extraction: Shortwave doesn’t automatically pull action items out of emails into a task list. You still need to process manually.
- No calendar integration: Shortwave is email-only. Calendar conflicts, meeting prep, and scheduling still require separate tools.
- No daily briefing: You still open your inbox and process it yourself. Shortwave makes that faster, but it doesn’t eliminate the work.
Is Shortwave Worth the Price?
Shortwave is genuinely good software. The interface is polished, the AI features are real, and the team inbox capability adds clear value for customer-facing teams. If you’re a Gmail-first organization and your primary goal is a better email client with AI drafting assistance, $30/user/month is defensible.
The case weakens for solo professionals and executives who need more than a better inbox interface. Shortwave helps you work through email faster. It doesn’t handle email for you. You’re still the one reading, prioritizing, and deciding. The AI assists; it doesn’t act autonomously.
For Outlook users, the decision is simple: Shortwave doesn’t work with your email provider at all.
The Better-Value Alternative: alfred_
alfred_ is designed for professionals who want their email handled, not just made faster to process. While Shortwave is a better inbox interface, alfred_ is an autonomous AI executive assistant that acts on your behalf.
alfred_ works with both Gmail and Outlook, triages your inbox while you sleep, drafts replies you can send with one tap, automatically extracts tasks from emails, manages your calendar, and delivers a daily briefing so you start each morning knowing exactly what needs your attention.
- Works with Gmail AND Outlook, no provider lock-in
- Automatic task extraction from emails, no manual processing
- Calendar management alongside email, one tool handles both
- Daily briefing delivered every morning, acts while you sleep
- Flat pricing, not per-user, stays predictable as you grow
Our Verdict
Shortwave: a polished Gmail inbox with AI assistance
Shortwave is a solid AI-enhanced Gmail client that makes email faster to process. At $30/user/month for Business ($24 billed annually), the per-seat cost adds up for Gmail teams. But it's a better-email-interface play, not an autonomous assistant. It doesn't handle email for you. It helps you handle it faster. Outlook users can't use it at all. If you want software that acts on your behalf, triaging, drafting, extracting tasks, and managing your calendar, alfred_ is the stronger choice.
Best for
- Gmail-first teams who want a better email interface with AI drafting
- Customer-facing teams using shared inboxes (support@, hello@)
- Organizations already fully committed to Google Workspace
Not for
- Outlook or Microsoft 365 users, Shortwave does not support them
- Solo professionals who want email handled autonomously, not just faster
- Anyone who needs calendar management alongside email in one tool