Shortwave vs Spark Mail
Shortwave
shortwave.comSpark Mail
sparkmailapp.comSide by side
| Figure | Shortwave | Spark Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $30/mo | $8.25/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 6 |
| Spec score · Email clients | 8.8 (#17) | 9.1 (#6) |
| Spec score · Email Productivity Apps | 8.3 (#14) | 8.4 (#10) |
| Calendar tools | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | The AI can connect with apps including Slack, Calendar, Notion, Asana, and HubSpot; the pricing page also describes built-in integrations or MCP. | Listed integrations include Asana, Evernote, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Notion, Slack, Todoist, Trello, and Zoom, with availability varying by platform. |
| Product | Shortwave is an AI email app that helps users organize, schedule, write, and search email using prompts. | Spark is a cross-platform email app designed to filter out distractions and help users focus on important messages. |
| Security | Shortwave says it has CASA Tier 2 compliance and undergoes an annual third-party security audit. | Spark says it uses Google Cloud for data storage and encryption, and says user data is used for product optimization and is not shared with third parties. |
| Scheduled sending | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from | 30 | 8.25 |
| Support | The pricing page describes plan support as direct help from a real person on the Shortwave team. | The pricing page lists self-service support, priority support, and dedicated customer success manager support, depending on plan. |
| Team collaboration | Teams can share live email threads, comment privately, assign next steps, and use shared labels. | Spark supports real-time email collaboration, private comments, shared information, delegated ownership, progress tracking, and deadlines. |
| Unified inbox | No | Yes |
Plans
Spark Mail
- FreeFree
- Plus$10 a month
- Pro$20 a month
- Plus$99 a year
- Pro$199 a year
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Shortwave
Shortwave is an AI email app for organizing, writing, scheduling, and searching messages with prompts. Email tools include inbox splits, bundles, delivery schedules, todos, summaries, AI filters, and AI-assisted search. Teams can share live threads, comment privately, assign next steps, and use shared labels. Connections include Slack, Calendar, Notion, Asana, and HubSpot; the pricing page also describes built-in integrations or MCP. Shortwave runs on Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows, and includes calendar tools and scheduled sending. It offers a free plan and a 14-day trial; paid plans start at $30/user/mo. Business is $30 a month per seat and includes five years of AI search history, up to 50 threads per search, and three AI-powered filters. Premier and Max cost $45.00 USD and $120 a month per seat, respectively, with unlimited history and higher search-thread and filter limits. Shortwave says data is encrypted at rest and in transit, and customer data is not used to train third-party LLMs. It lists CASA Tier 2 compliance and annual third-party security audits.
Spark Mail
Spark Mail is an email app for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows that helps users focus on important messages. Smart Inbox separates priority mail from other messages, while a unified inbox brings multiple accounts together. It supports IMAP, iCloud, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo, and Google accounts, as well as offline access, scheduled sending, and calendar tools. Teams can collaborate on email in real time, add private comments and shared information, delegate ownership, track progress, and set deadlines. Spark +AI can translate, summarize, draft, and proofread email; AI Assistant can find information and take action across emails, attachments, meeting notes, and events. AI is disabled by default, and AI features have plan-based monthly quotas. Listed integrations include Asana, Evernote, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Notion, Slack, Todoist, Trello, and Zoom, with availability varying by platform. The free plan includes unlimited accounts, Smart Inbox, Smart Notifications, essential email productivity, and Calendar. Plus costs $10 a month per user, and Pro costs $20 a month per user. A 7-day Plus and Pro trial is available when subscribed to directly in the app.