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Protime 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.

The short answer

Cheaper paid plan
Protime AI — $7.85/mo vs $18/mo for Shortwave
Free plan
Both have one
Higher Trust score
Shortwave — 96 vs 78 for Protime AI
Best fit
Protime AI: Business owners in Switzerland tracking partner and counterparty risk · Shortwave: People who search and question years of Gmail history
Platforms
Protime AI: Web · Shortwave: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

Protime AIA Swiss morning-briefing assistant that flags business-register risk, drafts email replies, and curates news.ShortwaveAI-first email client for Gmail with deep assistant search

Side by side

FactProtime AIShortwave
CategoryNews Monitoring & BriefingsEmail Management
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$7.85/mo$18/mo
Trust score78 / 10096 / 100
PlatformsWebWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
CompanyProtimeShortwave Communications, Inc.
Last verifiedOct 15, 2026Oct 15, 2026

What our research says

Protime AI

Protime bundles three things a busy owner might otherwise check separately, partner risk, inbox replies, and news, into one morning briefing, and the Swiss business-register monitoring is a genuinely specific feature most general assistants don't offer. It's built around Swiss data sources and CHF pricing, so its core risk-alert value is strongest for people actually doing business in Switzerland.

Pros

  • Swiss business-register monitoring is a specific, verifiable data source rather than generic risk scoring
  • Bundles register alerts, inbox drafting, and news into a single daily briefing
  • 14-day trial requires no card to start
  • Optional AML/sanctions screening package for users who need it

Cons

  • Core value (register monitoring) is specific to Switzerland and less useful elsewhere
  • Pricing is spread across several overlapping tiers and add-ons in Swiss francs, which takes some reading to compare
  • Draft-reply quality in a user's own voice is hard to judge without testing it on real correspondence

Shortwave

Still the most capable AI layer we have seen on top of Gmail, and it is now cheaper to try: a free plan and an $18 individual Pro tier sit below the $30-plus business seats. The value is in asking questions of years of old mail, so people who only triage today's inbox will not get much from the paid tiers.

Pros

  • Free plan and an $18 individual tier make it possible to test the assistant without a business seat
  • AI search answers questions across the mail archive, not just keyword hits
  • Model tier, AI quota and filter count scale clearly from plan to plan
  • Native apps on all major desktop and mobile platforms

Cons

  • Business seats at $30 to $120 a month are expensive next to Gmail's built-in AI
  • Free plan limits search history to 90 days and adds a Shortwave signature to sent mail
  • No annual discount is offered; billing is monthly only

Which one fits

Choose Protime AI if you need

  • Business owners in Switzerland tracking partner and counterparty risk
  • Decision-makers wanting inbox replies drafted in their own voice each morning

Choose Shortwave if you need

  • People who search and question years of Gmail history
  • Small teams that share threads and assign emails inside the inbox
  • Users who want AI filters to sort incoming mail without hand-written rules

Protime AI vs Shortwave: the questions people ask

Is Protime AI cheaper than Shortwave?

On published entry prices, Protime AI starts lower — $7.85/mo against $18/mo for Shortwave. Entry price is the lowest paid plan as we last verified it; what each plan includes differs.

Does Protime AI or Shortwave have a free tier?

Both: Protime AI has a free tier, and Shortwave has a free tier.

More comparisons

Browse all News Monitoring & Briefings →