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Quartz 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); Quartz does not. Only Quartz is free.

QuartzMac-only email client that runs its sorting and reply-drafting model on-device, currently free in beta.ShortwaveAI-first email client for Gmail with deep assistant search

Side by side

FactQuartzShortwave
CategoryEmail ManagementEmail Management
Pricing modelFreePaid
Starts at—$30 month
Public APINoNo
PlatformsmacOSWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
CompanyDatarocketsShortwave Communications, Inc.
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Quartz

Quartz is worth a look if the idea of an email client whose sorting and reply model never leaves your Mac appeals to you, and Gmail is your main account. Being Mac-only, beta-stage, and Gmail-only narrows who can use it today, and pricing after beta is still unknown.

Pros

  • Sorting and reply-drafting model runs on-device rather than on a vendor server
  • CASA Tier 2 certified under Google's Cloud Application Security Assessment
  • Free for the full beta period with no credit card required

Cons

  • Mac and Apple Silicon only, with no Windows, Linux, or mobile version
  • Gmail is the only supported provider right now
  • Beta status means pricing and the long-term feature set are not yet fixed

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 Quartz if you need

  • Mac users on Gmail who want local, not cloud-side, AI sorting
  • People who want AI-drafted replies without sending mail content to a server

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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