MailMaestro vs Shortwave (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Shortwave grades higher than MailMaestro: 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
MailMaestro grades higher on value for money. Shortwave grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MailMaestro
AI email writing and inbox assistant for Outlook and Gmail
Shortwave
AI email client for Gmail with an assistant, filters and split inbox
Which one is for you
Pick MailMaestro if
- Fits if you answer lots of similar emails in Outlook or Gmail
- Works for teams that want shared templates and one bill, from two seats up
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 3 AI requests a week runs out by Tuesday
- Pricey if you want inbox agents, labels and follow-ups, which are Pro-only at $12 a seat
- Skip it if you want a full email client, as it only adds to Outlook and Gmail
- Watch out: annual plans can't be refunded after purchase, according to the pricing FAQ
- Watch out: the name is in flux, as Flowrite was folded into MailMaestro and its old team moved to a separate product
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
| 2.0GPAMailMaestroFair | 2.6GPAShortwaveGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $12 a seat a month on annual billing ($15 monthly), which sits near the dear end of email tools: the middle is about $8 and the cheaper quarter starts at $3. | 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 | CFree forever with no card, but only 3 AI requests a week. That's a taste, not a plan you can work on. The Pro trial is 14 days. | 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 | CWrites, replies, rewrites and summarizes, with templates and shortcuts. It lives inside Outlook and Gmail, and the listing shows no standalone client. | 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 add it to your mailbox and connect your account, then learn the templates and shortcuts. | 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 | CA browser and Outlook add-in for one job, with Teams, Zoom and Google Meet listed. No phone or desktop app of its own. | 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 replies inside Outlook and Gmail | 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: MailMaestro and Shortwave. How we grade
Price against what you get
MailMaestro starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.0 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 $6 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, 54 score higher than MailMaestro 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
- MailMaestro also covers inbox filtering and text expansion.
- Shortwave also covers chat assistant and AI search.
At a glance
| MailMaestro | Shortwave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $18 per seat / month (Pro, the individual plan) |
| Free plan | 3 AI requests a week to write, reply to and improve emails, plus templates and text shortcuts. | 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 | None listed | 14-day free trial of the paid plans |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Maestro Labs | Shortwave Communications, Inc. |
| Price read from | maestrolabs.com | shortwave.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MailMaestro
- Flowrite was acquired and folded into MailMaestro; it is listed here under its current name.
- The free plan stops at 3 AI requests a week; unlimited use needs Pro.
- It works inside Outlook and Gmail; the pages list no standalone email client.
- Annual plans are not refundable after purchase, according to the pricing FAQ.
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
MailMaestro
- AI writing and replies
- Writes emails from scratch in several languages, drafts replies from the thread and attachments, and rewrites or polishes selected text.
- Inbox agents
- On Pro, agents label incoming mail, prepare drafts before an email is opened and send follow-ups when someone has not replied.
- Summaries
- Summarizes long emails and threads. Summarizing attachments and asking questions about the inbox are marked as Outlook features.
- Templates and shortcuts
- Magic templates combine saved text with the AI writer, and keyword shortcuts insert details such as a phone number or LinkedIn profile.
- Team management
- With two or more seats, Pro adds shared templates and user management with centralized billing in the Maestro Portal.
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
MailMaestro
Free$0
3 AI requests a week, Magic templates, custom text shortcuts, in Outlook and Gmail.
Pro$12
per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Unlimited writing and replies, auto labels, drafts and follow-ups, summaries. 14-day free trial.
EnterpriseCustom
Company-wide templates, SSO, custom data retention and dedicated support. Billed annually only.
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.
Ways to pay less
MailMaestro
- Annual discount
20% off MailMaestro with annual billing
Pro is $12 per seat a month billed annually at $144, against $15 a month billed monthly, according to the pricing page.
- Other savings
Special pricing for startups, nonprofits, education
The pricing FAQ says Maestro Labs has special pricing for startups, non-profits and education; the terms are not shown on the page.
Shortwave
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MailMaestro or Shortwave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MailMaestro is cheaper to start with: $12 a month for each person, against $18 a month for each person for Shortwave. MailMaestro starts at $12 per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly), and Shortwave starts at $18 per seat / month (Pro, the individual plan).
Which has a free plan, MailMaestro or Shortwave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both MailMaestro and Shortwave have a free plan.
Which platforms do MailMaestro and Shortwave run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only MailMaestro lists a browser extension and only Shortwave lists a web app and macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. 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.