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Arch AI vs Shortwave

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. Shortwave publishes a starting price ($30); Arch AI does not. Only Arch AI has a free tier.

Arch AIAI email copilot that drafts replies, summarizes threads, and flags urgent messages in your writing style.ShortwaveAI-first email client for Gmail with deep assistant search

Side by side

FactArch AIShortwave
CategoryEmail ManagementEmail Management
Pricing modelFreemiumPaid
Starts at—$30 month
Public APINoNo
PlatformsWebWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
CompanyArch IntelligenceShortwave Communications, Inc.
Launched2023—
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Arch AI

Arch's pitch, summarizing the inbox, drafting replies in the user's own voice, flagging what's actually urgent, targets the daily grind of email triage rather than a one-off writing task. Outlook is the mature integration; Gmail was still being finished as of the source used here, so Gmail-first users should confirm current status before relying on it.

Pros

  • Urgency detection flags time-sensitive emails instead of leaving triage entirely manual
  • Calendar cross-referencing factors real availability into suggested replies
  • States GDPR/CCPA-aligned handling and encryption for email data

Cons

  • Gmail integration was still in progress as of the source used for this record, limiting it mainly to Outlook users
  • No specific pricing figures published, only a general free-to-enterprise range
  • The product's own site was almost entirely inaccessible to direct research, so claims rely on secondary sources

Shortwave

The strongest AI layer on Gmail right now, priced accordingly: $30 a seat is Superhuman money for a product whose real value is search and the assistant, not keyboard shortcuts. Worth it only if you interrogate old mail rather than just triage new mail.

Pros

  • AI search across multi-year history is the feature rivals handle worst
  • Real desktop apps for macOS and Windows plus iOS and Android, not a web wrapper
  • Collaboration is built in rather than bolted on
  • Model class is an explicit priced choice instead of a black box

Cons

  • No free plan and no cheap individual tier any more
  • Gmail-only, which rules out a large share of business mail
  • The $120 Max seat is hard to justify outside very heavy use
  • No public API to build on

Which one fits

Choose Arch AI if you need

  • Outlook users wanting AI-drafted replies and thread summaries
  • Teams using email for support or lead follow-up who want urgency flagged automatically
  • Anyone who wants replies matched to their own tone rather than a generic AI style

Choose Shortwave if you need

  • People whose job is finding things buried in years of email: recruiters, founders, account managers
  • Small teams wanting shared threads and assignment without adopting a helpdesk
  • Gmail users who liked Google Inbox and want a modern equivalent

More comparisons

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