Choosing the right email client can dramatically impact your productivity. 

Shortwave and Superhuman are popular options if you want to upgrade your inbox. But how do they compare, and which one is best for you? Let's dive into a detailed comparison.

What are Superhuman and Shortwave?

Shortwave is a Gmail-specific email application that enables you to do more with your Google account. The basic version is free, and the paid version removes the "Sent with Shortwave" message that appears on your emails and unlocks additional features. 

Some of Shortwave’s most popular features include bulk triages with Bundles, team collaboration tools like Labels and Templates, and a personalized autocomplete based on your email history.

Superhuman is blazingly fast email that works with Gmail and Outlook accounts and helps you save four hours per week, every single week.

Superhuman offers revolutionary features to fly through your inbox and collaborate with your team — such as Ask AI, Instant Event, and Shared Conversations & Team Comments.

Shortwave: Email management with AI capabilities 

Shortwave seeks to build on Gmail's basic platform. The intuitive layout can easily be customized with various themes and colors, and migrating from Gmail requires little effort. 

Only paid versions remove Shortwave branding from their messages and gain access to Bundles, Inbox Splits, search histories, and one year of AI-powered search. 

AI Assistant

Shortwave's AI Assistant enables you to write better emails, search and find answers instantly, and manage your calendar. It can also follow bespoke instructions using advanced customization capabilities. Offload your most tedious tasks onto AI Assistant and get more out of your workday.

Google Calendar integration 

Coordinating meetings between contacts can be challenging if you don't have your calendar handy. However, Shortwave's Google Calendar integrations allow you to schedule meetings and draft invitations directly from your inbox. Keep your focus on your email while still penciling in your commitments as you go. 

Email to-do lists

If you're someone who thrives on to-do lists, Shortwave's ability to create a to-do list directly from an email can save you time while keeping you organized. Generate a title for the task based on the content of a message, and craft action items to ensure you address every concern and avoid tasks slipping through the cracks. 

Do Not Disturb mode 

Enhancing productivity requires limiting distractions, and Shortwave's Do Not Disturb mode does just that. Set your working hours to limit the email notifications you receive until you're ready to address them. You can even establish rules about specific emails and when they arrive in your inbox. 

Where does Shortwave fall short?

Shortwave recently released a macOS desktop application, but Windows users are restricted to using the mobile app only. Shortwave also only caters to Gmail, so you can't connect your Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, or Yahoo! Mail accounts. 

Despite Shortwave's added capabilities, navigating the app requires a learning curve. Users may struggle to switch between inboxes and to-do sections, and while Shortwave's automatic sorting feature can help, there's still the potential to miss important messages.

Superhuman: The most productive email app ever made

Superhuman is the fastest and most productive email experience ever made. With Superhuman, users fly through their inboxes, reply two days sooner, and save four hours or more every single week. Here are some of the most popular features:

Split Inbox

Split Inbox lets you focus on what matters most. Organize your inbox into custom workstreams and process similar messages together. 

Team Comments

Team Comments reimagines email to be multiplayer by default. Share a live view of any email with your team, collaborate within Superhuman or via a link, and comment directly on the email. 

You can now rapidly unblock progress, collaborate where work actually happens, and include your team wherever they are.

Superhuman AI

If you're looking for the best AI email assistant, look no further than Superhuman AI. It includes:

• Auto Summarize:Auto Summarize shows a one-line summary above every conversation. As new emails arrive, it updates instantly, and if you want to see more details, just expand.
• Instant Reply:Instant Reply lets you wake up to an inbox where every email has a draft reply. You can simply edit, then send — sometimes, you don't even need to edit. 
• Compose With AI: Compose With AI lets you write faster than ever before. Jot down some phrases, and we'll turn them into a full email. Superhuman AI matches the voice and tone in the emails you've already sent, applying that to everything it creates.
• Autocorrect: With Autocorrect, you can type at the speed of thought. Superhuman's AI-powered autocorrect catches errors as you go and beats the autocorrect in Gmail and Outlook across multiple benchmarks.
• Ask AI: With Ask AI, searching is done in seconds. Stop combing through messages, guessing keywords, or remembering senders — Ask AI lets you catch up in an instant.
• Instant Event: With just one tap, Instant Event can create an event with a title, description, location, and attendees — as well as the best date and time — all taken from your email. No more back and forth; no more copy and paste.

Inbox Zero

Did you know you can achieve Inbox Zero in less than 15 minutes with Superhuman? This practical approach helps you stay on top of your email so you can spend less time in your inbox and more time on what matters most. 

The Inbox Zero method consists of four steps: Delete, Delegate, Do, and Defer. The goal isn't to maintain an empty inbox at all times but to spend less time working through your emails so you can prioritize what's most important.

Fly through your inbox twice as fast with Superhuman 

While Shortwave has its benefits, the learning curve and Gmail-only interface might not make it an ideal choice for busy professionals, especially for teams.

Sign up for Superhuman today and save four hours every single week.