HEY vs Shortwave
We give HEY a 2.8 GPA and Shortwave a 3.4, out of 4.0. HEY grades higher on value for money. Shortwave grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HEY
Email service and calendar with sender screening, from 37signals
Shortwave
AI email client for Gmail with an assistant, filters and split inbox
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAHEYGood | 3.4GPAShortwaveVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BHEY for You is $99 a year, billed annually only. That's about typical for paid email, and it buys an @hey.com address, the calendar and 100GB of storage. Your own domain means HEY for Domains at $12 a user a month, $10 for the first. Families pay $179 a year in total. | CPro is $18 a seat a month, roughly double what paid email apps usually start at, and the business plans run $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 | CNo free plan. HEY for You has a 30-day trial with no credit card required, which is plenty of time to see if the Screener suits you. HEY for Domains has no free trial at all. | BThere's a free plan, but it's a taster: basic AI with a limited usage 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 free trial. |
| Features | BThe Screener, a feed for newsletters, a Paper Trail for receipts, a Reply Later pile, a spy pixel blocker and a calendar. It's a properly thought-out inbox. But there's no IMAP or POP, and your existing mail history isn't imported, only forwarded from now on. | AAn assistant that organizes, drafts, searches and schedules from a prompt, AI filters you write in plain English, a split inbox, and bundles for clearing newsletters in bulk. Teams get shared threads, private comments and assignments. Snooze and no-reply reminders are in there too. |
| Ease of use | B4.6 from about 4,300 App Store ratings, which would normally be an A. We've held it at a B because moving in is work: it's a new address and a different routine, and your old mail doesn't come with you. | A4.7 from about 740 App Store ratings. It sits on the Gmail account you already have, and telling an assistant what you want in plain English is easier than building filters by hand. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, so every device is covered. But that's the whole list. With no IMAP or POP it only works in HEY's own apps, and no integrations are listed. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and it connects to Slack, Notion, Asana and HubSpot. The big catch is the mailbox: Gmail and Google Workspace only. Microsoft 365 and Exchange aren't supported. |
| Best for | a fresh email address with a bouncer on the door | 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: HEY and Shortwave. How we grade
Where they differ
- HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only). Shortwave starts at $18 per seat / month (Pro, the individual plan).
- Shortwave has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a Linux app.
- HEY also covers calendar.
- Shortwave also covers chat assistant and AI search.
At a glance
| HEY | Shortwave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only) | $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 | 30-day free trial of HEY for You, no credit card required. HEY for Domains has no free trial. | 14-day free trial of the paid plans |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | 37signals LLC | Shortwave Communications, Inc. |
| Price read from | hey.com | shortwave.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
HEY
- People ready to move to a new email address and a different inbox routine
- Anyone who wants to approve senders before they can reach the inbox
- Small teams that want email on their own domain with thread sharing
Shortwave
- Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to triage and draft email
- Teams that want to comment on and assign email threads internally
- People who want Google Inbox-style bundles on top of Gmail
Worth knowing
HEY
- HEY is its own email provider, not a client for Gmail or Outlook; existing mail history is not imported, only forwarded going forward.
- IMAP and POP are not supported, so HEY works only in its own apps.
- HEY for You is billed annually only, and HEY for Domains is billed monthly with no free trial.
- There is no free plan.
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
HEY
- The Screener
- First-time senders land in the Screener, where you approve or block them before any of their email can reach your Imbox.
- Imbox, The Feed and Paper Trail
- Mail from approved senders goes to the Imbox, newsletters are shown in a feed-style reader, and receipts and confirmations are filed in the Paper Trail.
- Reply Later and Set Aside
- Move emails that need an answer into a Reply Later pile and work through them in Focus & Reply. Set Aside keeps messages on hand for reference.
- HEY Calendar
- A calendar is included with HEY for You and HEY for Domains and lives in the same apps as email.
- Spy pixel blocker
- Blocks tracking pixels in incoming email and identifies the companies trying to track whether you opened a message.
- Workflows and Collections
- Workflows track an email through stages you define, and Collections bring several related threads together on one page.
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
HEY
HEY for You$99
per year
A personal @hey.com address with HEY Calendar, 100GB of storage, apps on every platform and a HEY World blog.
HEY for Domains$12
per user / month, billed monthly ($10 for the first user)
Email on your own domain for multiple users, with thread sharing, private team comments and email aliases.
HEY for Families$179
per year, in total
Adds up to 4 additional people, each with their own @hey.com address, calendar and account.
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.
