Spark Mail vs Shortwave

Compared on	Spark Mail Free plan · from $8.25/user/mo VisitRemove	Shortwave Free plan · from $18/seat/mo VisitRemove
What it is	Cross-platform email app with a smart inbox, AI writing and team features	AI email client for Gmail and Google Workspace accounts
Free plan	Unlimited email accounts and core email features; AI assistant limited to 1 month of email history; 5 AI meeting notes (lifetime); 2 free active collaborators; 10 assignments per team; 5 GB team file storage.	Basic AI with a limited usage quota; 90 days of standard and AI search history; up to 15 threads per AI search; basic inbox settings; adds a 'Sent with Shortwave' email signature.
Cheapest paid plan	$8.25/user/mo billed annually (Plus)Spark Mail pricing	$18/seat/mo (Pro)Shortwave pricing
What it covers	$99 per year when billed annually.	Listed as $18 per seat/month on the Individual tab; the pricing page shows no annual billing option.
Free trial	7-day free trial of Plus or Pro when subscribing in the app	14-day free trial of paid plans
Platforms	macOS, Windows, iOS, Android	Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Integrations (vendor's figure)	Not stated	Not stated
Open source	No	No
Good for	Managing several email accounts in one app across computer and phone Drafting and summarising emails with AI Sharing and assigning emails within a small team	Finding old emails and attachments by asking questions in plain English Sorting a busy Gmail inbox automatically with AI filters Sharing and assigning customer email threads within a small team
Watch out for	Free plan AI assistant only covers 1 month of email history and includes 5 lifetime meeting notes Free plan allows 2 active collaborators and 10 assignments per team Workflows, Auto-Labels and Auto-Drafts are listed as coming soon on Pro	Sign-in requires Gmail or Google Workspace; Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported, and other providers work only through forwarding Free plan limits search history to 90 days and adds a 'Sent with Shortwave' signature Each plan has a daily AI usage quota; higher tiers give more usage
Made by	Readdle (Spark Mail Limited)	Shortwave Communications, Inc.

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in AI email and inbox tools is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.