Ellie vs Shortwave (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Shortwave grades higher than Ellie: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Shortwave grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ellie
AI that drafts email replies in your voice for Gmail and Outlook
Shortwave
AI email client for Gmail with an assistant, filters and split inbox
Which one is for you
Pick Ellie if
- Fits if you spend your day answering inbound email in Gmail or Outlook
- Makes sense if a small team wants shared roles and one knowledge base for replies
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you write cold or outbound email, because the FAQ says it only replies
- Tight if you stay on Casual: 25 replies a day, extension only, no auto-drafts
- Pricey if you add people, as extra team members start at $5 each on top of the plan
- Skip it if you want a free plan, since there is only a 7-day trial
- Watch out: the pricing page shows a time-limited first-year discount that we haven't recorded
Pick Shortwave if
- Fits if you're on Gmail and want AI to triage your inbox and draft replies
- Works for teams that want to comment on and assign email threads internally
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your mail is on Microsoft 365 or Exchange, as sign-in needs Gmail or Google Workspace
- Pricey if you only want a tidier inbox, at $18 a seat a month before you reach the business plans
- Tight if you're staying free, with 90 days of search history and a Shortwave signature on your emails
- Watch out: every plan caps AI use with a daily quota, and Business allows just 3 AI filters
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAEllieFair | 2.6GPAShortwaveGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DThe auto-drafts that make it worth having start on Business at $39 a month for up to 3 seats. Casual is $19, against an email middle of about $8, and has no auto-drafts. | DPro is $18 a seat a month, where this category's middle is $8 and its dearest quarter starts at $14.99, and the business plans climb to $30, $45 and $120. You're paying for the AI, and even then every plan caps it with a daily quota. |
| Free plan and trial | C7 days free with no credit card, and nothing free after that. | CThere's a free plan, but it's a taster: basic AI with a limited quota, 90 days of search history, up to 15 threads per AI search, and a "Sent with Shortwave" signature on your emails. The paid plans come with a 14-day trial. |
| Features | CDrafts replies, categorizes mail, and learns from a knowledge base. The pricing FAQ says it writes replies only, never cold emails. | BAn assistant that organises, drafts, searches and schedules from a prompt, AI filters written in plain English, a split inbox, bundles for clearing newsletters in bulk, snooze, no-reply reminders, and shared threads with comments and assignments for teams. The inbox job is covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect your mailbox and feed it a knowledge base before it sounds like you. | B4.75 from about 740 App Store ratings, too few ratings for our top mark. It sits on the Gmail account you already have, and you ask the assistant in plain English instead of building filters by hand. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, browser extension and Outlook add-in, covering Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft 365 and Fastmail. No phone app is listed. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Slack, Notion, Asana and HubSpot wired in. The catch is the mailbox rather than the device: Gmail and Google Workspace only, with Microsoft 365 and Exchange unsupported. |
| Best for | AI-drafted email replies | Gmail users who want AI to run the inbox |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ellie and Shortwave. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ellie starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shortwave starts at $18 a month for each person and scores 3.3.
Shortwave scores higher and starts $1 a month lower. Of the other email apps on the chart, 36 score higher than Ellie for less, and 1 scores higher than Shortwave for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Ellie also covers inbox filtering.
- Shortwave also covers chat assistant and AI search.
At a glance
| Ellie | Shortwave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month (Casual, billed monthly) | $18 per seat / month (Pro, the individual plan) |
| Free plan | None | Basic AI with a limited usage quota, 90 days of search history, up to 15 threads per AI search and a "Sent with Shortwave" email signature. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of the paid plans |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Ellie | Shortwave Communications, Inc. |
| Price read from | ellieai.com | shortwave.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ellie
- Writes replies only; the pricing FAQ says it will not write cold emails.
- Casual has no auto-drafts and works only through the browser extension.
- Extra team members are priced starting at $5 per user, according to the pricing FAQ.
- The pricing page also shows a time-limited first-year discount that is not recorded here.
Shortwave
- Sign-in requires Gmail or Google Workspace. Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported, and other providers only work by forwarding mail to Gmail.
- Paid plans start at $18 per seat a month for individuals and $30 on the business plans, and AI usage on every plan is capped by a daily quota.
- The Business plan limits AI search to 5 years of history and allows 3 AI filters.
- Native apps cover Mac, Windows, iOS and Android; other platforms rely on the web app.
Key features
Ellie
- Auto-drafted replies
- On Business and Professional, Ellie connects to a Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook or Microsoft 365 mailbox and saves drafts to the Drafts folder.
- On-demand replies
- A browser extension adds a reply button in Gmail and Outlook on the web; Casual also lists Fastmail. An Outlook add-in covers the desktop apps.
- Writing in your style
- Ellie learns from previous sent emails, up to 200 on Casual and 1,000 on Business, and replies in your tone and language.
- Roles and knowledge base
- Roles give each kind of email its own tone and material, such as help documentation for a support role. Business and Professional accept files and website URLs.
- Auto-categorize
- Business and Professional also sort incoming mail into categories. The vendor says Ellie never sends an email without you checking it first.
Shortwave
- AI assistant
- Prompt the assistant to organize the inbox, write in your own voice, search mail or schedule a meeting. It can also browse the web and analyze attachments.
- AI filters
- Describe a rule in plain English and it labels, stars or archives incoming mail. Business includes 3 AI filters, Premier 10 and Max 50.
- Split inbox and bundles
- Divide the inbox into tabs by sender, label or custom query, and triage promotions, newsletters and updates in bulk as bundles.
- AI search
- Ask questions across your mail instead of keyword searching. Business reaches back 5 years and reads up to 50 threads per search; Premier removes the history limit.
- Team collaboration
- Share a live thread with teammates, discuss it in private comments, assign emails with a done status, and keep shared labels, snippets and saved prompts.
- Scheduling and follow-ups
- The assistant checks availability, creates calendar events and writes scheduling emails. Snooze, delivery schedules and no-reply reminders are also included.
Plans
Ellie
Casual$19
per month, billed monthly
One person; 25 replies a day through the browser extension only, with no auto-drafts.
Business$39
per month for up to 3 seats
100 replies a day, auto-draft and auto-categorize, shared roles and training, 1 connected account per user.
Professional$79
per month for up to 5 seats
Unlimited replies a day, 3 connected accounts per user, priority support and extra seats.
Shortwave
Free$0
Basic AI with a limited usage quota, 90 days of standard and AI search history, and up to 15 threads per AI search.
Pro$18
per seat / month
For individuals: standard AI, full standard search history, 3 years of AI search history, AI web browsing and personalized AI writing.
Business$30
per seat / month
Standard AI with a daily usage quota, 5 years of AI search history, up to 50 threads per AI search and 3 AI filters.
Premier$45
per seat / month
Advanced AI with twice the Business usage, unlimited AI search history, up to 100 threads per AI search and 10 AI filters.
Max$120
per seat / month
Expert AI with six times the Business usage, up to 150 threads per AI search and 50 AI filters.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ellie or Shortwave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ellie starts at $19 per month (Casual, billed monthly), and Shortwave starts at $18 per seat / month (Pro, the individual plan). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Ellie or Shortwave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Shortwave has a free plan. Ellie does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Ellie and Shortwave run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Ellie lists a browser extension and only Shortwave lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.