Two questions settle most searches for Shortwave alternatives. Do you need Outlook, and do you want to keep the client you already use? Answer those and the list of five below shrinks to one or two.
Shortwave only connects to Gmail, so anyone on Microsoft 365 needs a different tool, and everyone else has to move into a new client to use it. Pidgy is the Shortwave alternative that removes both constraints. It reads Outlook and Gmail as a single inbox, ranks the messages that need a reply, drafts in your voice and chases the threads that went quiet, all inside the client you have now. Superhuman is the pick if speed matters more than follow-through, Spark if price does, and Fyxer or SaneBox if you want a lighter layer on top of what you have.
Shortwave's two hard limits are Gmail-only support and the fact that it is a full client replacement. Every alternative below sits in one of four boxes.
Pidgy or Fyxer. Both run on top of your existing Outlook or Gmail account, so there is no migration. SaneBox also fits here, though it only filters.
Superhuman or Spark. Superhuman is the fast, expensive one. Spark is the cheap one that also covers iCloud and IMAP.
Pidgy, Fyxer or SaneBox again. Gmail stays exactly as it is and the AI arrives as a layer.
Then Shortwave may already be your best option, and Superhuman is the only rival that matches it on polish. Read the next section before you leave.
Shortwave does four things unusually well. Name them so the switch is a trade rather than a surprise.
Ordered by how much of your current setup survives the switch. The first three keep your client. The last two replace it.
Pidgy connects to Outlook and Gmail and reads them as one inbox. Every morning it hands you a ranked list of the messages that need you, drafts replies in your voice, and watches the threads you sent so a quiet one gets a prepared chase rather than a mental note. Email, documents and tasks are grouped into projects, and one Inbox Health score shows how on top of things you are.
Data stays in the EU, your mail is never used to train models, and no message leaves without your click. There is no meeting notetaker.
Fyxer is a server-side layer over Gmail or Outlook. It files incoming mail into a fixed set of categories, writes reply drafts in your voice and turns calendar meetings into notes. Pricing starts around $22.50 per user per month on annual billing, and heavy volumes can attract overage fees.
The category logic cannot be tuned, and it does not chase stalled threads.
SaneBox sits in front of any IMAP inbox, including Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, learns which senders matter, and moves the rest into smart folders. It also keeps a list of emails you sent that never got a reply. From about $7 per month per inbox.
No drafting, no ranked priority list and no chasing. It quietens the inbox and stops there.
Superhuman is the client Shortwave is most often measured against. Keyboard-first, with actions under 100 milliseconds, AI drafts in your voice, instant replies and thread summaries. It supports both Gmail and Outlook and is now owned by Grammarly.
The priciest option here at around $25 per user per month, single-player by design, and a full client switch.
Readdle's Spark covers Gmail, Outlook, iCloud and IMAP, with AI Compose, a My Writing Style option and a Smart Inbox that separates people from noise. The free tier is solid and Premium starts around $5.99 per month.
Credentials are stored on Readdle's servers, and reviewers find the AI lighter than purpose-built assistants.
| Tool | Outlook | Keeps your client | Chases follow-ups | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pidgy | Yes, with Gmail as one inbox | Yes | Yes, drafts the chase | 7-day free trial, no credit card |
| Fyxer | Yes | Yes | No | About $22.50 per user, annual |
| SaneBox | Yes, any IMAP | Yes | Tracks no-replies only | About $7 per inbox |
| Superhuman | Yes | No | No | About $25 per user |
| Spark Mail | Yes, plus iCloud and IMAP | No | No | Free, Premium from about $5.99 |
| Shortwave (for reference) | No, Gmail only | No | No | Free, paid from about $14 |
Outlook and Gmail in one ranked inbox, without changing clients.
Try Pidgy for freeA switch fails when the new tool is judged on day one. Give it five working days and check these things in order.
Connect the account and let the tool read your history. With an overlay like Pidgy or Fyxer, Gmail and Outlook look unchanged. With Superhuman or Spark, spend the day reading, not reconfiguring.
Open the tool before your inbox. Do the top items match what you would have picked? Shortwave categorises; Pidgy ranks. You will notice the difference here first.
Pick a low-stakes thread and send the draft as written. If it sounds like you, the voice model is doing its job. If you rewrote half of it, note that before the trial ends.
Check which of your Monday emails got no reply. Pidgy will have queued a chase. SaneBox will have listed them. The other three leave that to your memory.
Other pages that help with the same decision.
Pidgy ranks both inboxes, drafts in your voice and queues the follow-ups you would have forgotten. Start your free trial below.