# Superhuman vs Shortwave email: which client should you pick? > Superhuman vs Shortwave email: both replace your inbox with a new client. Prices, Outlook support, AI drafts and who presses Send, compared. Source: https://askmomo.app/compare/superhuman-vs-shortwave · Updated 16 October 2026 Pick Superhuman if you need Outlook or want the most polished keyboard-first client and will pay per member for it. Pick Shortwave if you are on Gmail, want a free plan to start and care more about an AI assistant inside the client than about raw speed. Both replace your inbox, so if you would rather keep plain Gmail, neither is the answer. ## Superhuman or Shortwave: which should you pick? Pick Superhuman if your team runs on Outlook, or if you want the most refined speed-first client and the Business plan's Auto Drafts are worth $33 a member. Pick Shortwave if you are on Gmail or Google Workspace, want to start free and want an AI assistant that can search your mail and send calendar invites. Pick neither if you do not want a new client at all. We make Momo AI, so read our placement of it with that in mind. Prices are from each vendor's own pricing page on 16 October 2026 and change often. ## What each one actually is Both are email clients, not overlays. Superhuman syncs to Gmail or Outlook and sells per member on annual billing; Auto Drafts and Ask AI sit on its Business plan. Shortwave is available on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, and its docs say it requires a Gmail or Google Workspace account to sign in. Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported; Outlook.com mail can only be forwarded in, not sent from. Shortwave's pricing page lists AI autocomplete on Business, plus instant AI replies, personalised AI writing, automatic follow-up reminders and calendar integration that checks availability and sends invites from its AI assistant. The page does not say which of those sit on which plan, so the table marks them as listed rather than confirmed per plan. ## Price Superhuman: Starter $25 and Business $33 per member per month, billed annually. Monthly figures are behind a toggle and not shown in the page text. No free tier is listed. Shortwave: Business $30, Premier $45 and Max $120 per seat per month. Its billing guide says new subscriptions are billed monthly, so there is no annual discount to quote. There is a free plan, which the billing guide says includes most productivity features and the Shortwave AI assistant, and a 14-day trial on paid plans. Both bill in US dollars, so Indian buyers pay card conversion charges and GST on top. ## Where both stop Both ask you to move into a new client. Shortwave lists follow-up reminders and can send calendar invites; Superhuman's plans page does not mention either. Neither runs the scheduling thread itself, offering free slots in an email and booking the one picked. [Momo AI](/) is the third option: keep Gmail exactly as it is, add an assistant that drafts in your voice, tracks who has not replied, [books meetings over email](/schedule-meetings-by-email) and briefs you each morning, and [asks before every send](/ask-before-sending). Limits: Gmail only, no Outlook, no native client. More on the [Superhuman alternative](/alternatives/superhuman) and [Shortwave email alternative](/alternatives/shortwave) pages. ## Momo AI vs Shortwave | | Superhuman | Shortwave | |---|---|---| | Price | Starter $25, Business $33 per member/mo billed annually; monthly price not shown | Free plan; Business $30, Premier $45, Max $120 per seat/mo, billed monthly | | Works inside Gmail or replaces it | Replaces it | Replaces it; needs a Gmail or Workspace sign-in | | Outlook | Yes | Microsoft 365 and Exchange not supported; Outlook.com forwarding only | | Drafts in your voice | Auto Drafts, Business plan | Personalised AI writing listed; plan not stated | | Follow-up tracking | Not stated | Automatic follow-up reminders listed | | Schedules over email | Not stated | AI assistant checks availability and sends invites | | Who presses Send | Not stated | Not stated | | Training on your email | Not stated | Not stated | | Free tier | None listed | Free plan; 14-day trial on paid plans | Prices read on 16 October 2026 from superhuman.com/plans/mail and shortwave.com/pricing and its billing guide. They may change. Momo AI is free during early access; Pro at ₹499 per month is planned. ## Questions ### Is Shortwave better than Superhuman? Shortwave is the better pick if you are on Gmail and want a free plan and an AI assistant inside the client. Superhuman is the better pick if you need Outlook or want the most polished speed-first client. ### Does Shortwave work with Outlook? Not for Microsoft 365 or Exchange. Shortwave's docs say those are not supported, and Outlook.com mail can only be forwarded into a Gmail account you sign in with. ### Which is cheaper, Superhuman or Shortwave? Shortwave has a free plan; its paid plans start at $30 per seat per month, billed monthly. Superhuman starts at $25 per member per month billed annually with no free tier listed. ### Is there an alternative that does not replace Gmail? Yes. Momo AI works on top of your existing Gmail: drafts in your voice, follow-up tracking, meetings booked over email and a morning brief, with your tap before every send. Free in early access. ## Related - [A Superhuman alternative that doesn't replace your inbox](https://askmomo.app/alternatives/superhuman) - [A Shortwave email alternative with no new client to learn](https://askmomo.app/alternatives/shortwave) - [Momo AI next to the alternatives](https://askmomo.app/compare) - [The best Superhuman alternatives in 2026, sorted by what you actually want](https://askmomo.app/blog/best-superhuman-alternatives) - [The best AI email assistant for Gmail in 2026, compared](https://askmomo.app/blog/best-ai-email-assistant-for-gmail) --- Momo AI (Ask Momo, askmomo.app) is a personal AI assistant and chief of staff for Gmail and Google Calendar, built in India. It triages your inbox, drafts replies in your voice to Gmail Drafts, tracks who hasn't replied and what you promised, schedules meetings over email, and sends a morning brief. Every email and cancellation waits for your approval.