Pricing and capability claims verified through .
Superhuman vs Shortwave
Choose Superhuman for keyboard-first speed across Gmail and Outlook. Choose Shortwave when you want an AI-native Gmail client with search and bundles.
Moneda may earn a commission from some product links. Partner economics do not affect our recommendations. This page is research-based — conclusions come from product evidence and documentation, not a claim that we personally purchased every product listed.
Winner for most teams
Superhuman
Choose Superhuman if you live in email and need maximum keyboard speed across Gmail or Outlook. Choose Shortwave if you are Gmail-only and want an AI-native client with search and thread bundles.
Try SuperhumanHow we evaluated this
Evaluation note: We assessed Triage of high-volume inboxes, Reply drafting quality, Search across long email history against vendor docs, product pages, and workflow fit — not synthetic benchmark scores. 5 primary sources checked. Superhuman led for most teams in our editorial call.
Which of these are you?
Your pick
Superhuman
Keyboard-first client and mature speed workflows for power users.
Tradeoff
Shortwave can be better when the task is mostly gmail-only teams wanting ai-native inbox ux.
Highlighted = better for High-volume professionals across Gmail or Outlook
Spec at a glance
Mail Starter: $30 per member/month billed monthly, or $25 billed annually (Source: https://superhuman.com/mail/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-07) · Mail Business: $40 per member/month billed monthly, or $33 billed annually for teams of 5+ (Source: https://superhuman.com/mail/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-07)
Free individual plan still listed, with capped AI and 90-day search (Source: https://www.shortwave.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-07) · Pro $18, Business $30, Premier $45, Max $120 per seat per month. Monthly billing only (Source: https://www.shortwave.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-07)
✅ Included · ❌ Missing · ⚠️ Partial or add-on. Shaded cell = stronger option for your segment.
Don't pick Superhuman if
you only need noise filtering and will not switch clients — try SaneBox.
Don't pick Shortwave if
Outlook is a hard requirement.
What we evaluated
Evaluation criteria: Triage of high-volume inboxes, Reply drafting quality, Search across long email history. Conclusions are based on primary documentation, product evidence, and workflow fit — not hands-on benchmark runs unless noted. 5 primary sources checked.
Superhuman is the default for professionals who treat email as a high-throughput workstation and want a keyboard-first client on Gmail or Outlook. Shortwave is the alternate for Gmail-only teams that want an AI-native inbox — natural-language search, bundles, and drafts — without Superhuman’s premium positioning.
This page compares full email clients, not filter layers. If you want to keep Gmail/Outlook UI and only reduce noise, see SaneBox vs Superhuman.
Pick Superhuman for speed, split inbox habits, and Outlook coverage. Pick Shortwave when Gmail is the only system of record and AI search across history is the main pain.
Do not pay for Superhuman to solve simple filtering. Do not pick Shortwave for Outlook shops. Do not confuse inbox clients with ticketing systems.
What we evaluated: triage speed, reply drafts, and history search. Superhuman won on power-user throughput. Shortwave won for Gmail-native AI search UX.
Prices checked 7 October 2026. Superhuman Mail Starter is $30 per member per month billed monthly, or $25 billed annually. Business is $40 billed monthly, or $33 billed annually when the team is 5 or larger. Enterprise is custom. There is no free plan. Shortwave still lists Free for individuals, with capped AI, 90 days of search history, and a “Sent with Shortwave” signature. Paid plans are monthly only: Pro $18, Business $30, Premier $45, and Max $120 per seat per month. There is no annual Business price near $24 on the current page. Both buttons are product links.
This call changes if Shortwave covers Outlook and matches speed, or if Superhuman matches Shortwave’s AI search depth at a better price. Until then: Superhuman for speed; Shortwave for Gmail-native AI.