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ChatGPT vs Shortwave

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

ChatGPT logo

ChatGPT

OpenAI's AI assistant for writing, research, coding, image generation and voice chat

4.0(1 review)Freemium
Visit websiteView details
Shortwave logo

Shortwave

AI email client for Gmail that searches, organizes, drafts and schedules from plain-language prompts

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

ChatGPT and Shortwave are both AI Assistants tools. ChatGPT scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.9 vs 8.1 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only ChatGPT is available on Web.

Best overall

ChatGPT

  • Students
  • Writers
  • Software Developers
  • Researchers

Choose ChatGPT if

  • You want a tool built for everyday questions, drafting and editing text, summarizing documents, coding help, data analysis and image generation in one assistant.
  • One assistant covers text, voice, images, file analysis, search and coding.
  • Free tier lets users try the service without a card.

Choose Shortwave if

  • You want a tool built for heavy Gmail users who want AI search, drafting and inbox triage inside the email client itself.
  • AI search covers up to five years of email on Business and unlimited history on Premier and Max.
  • Native apps on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, with a 4.7 average rating on the App Store.
Best for beginners
ChatGPT
Best for business
ChatGPT

Features

18 features compared.

  • Chat with web search
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Voice mode
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Image generation
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • File and image analysis
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Projects
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • ChatGPT agent
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Codex
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Connectors and apps
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AI Assistant
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Search
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Write in Your Voice
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Filters
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Bundles and Split Inboxes
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Scheduling
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Team Collaboration
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Tracking and Reminders
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • App Connections and MCP
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Privacy Controls
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    ChatGPT
    Freemium
    Shortwave
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    ChatGPT
    Yes
    Shortwave
    Yes
  • Starting price
    ChatGPT
    $0
    Shortwave
    $0
  • Plans
    ChatGPT
    8 plans
    Shortwave
    5 plans

ChatGPT plans

  • Free

    $0

    Limited access to OpenAI's models for everyday use

    • Limited messages
    • Limited file uploads
    • Limited image generation
    • May show ads in some regions

  • Go

    $8/month

    Low-cost plan with more usage than Free

    • More messages than Free
    • More uploads and image generation
    • May show ads

  • Plus

    Most popular

    $20/month

    For individuals who want more capable models and higher limits

    • Access to more advanced models
    • Projects
    • Expanded Codex
    • Higher limits for research and voice

  • Pro 100

    $100/month

    High-volume use for research and coding

    • About 5x Plus usage
    • Everything in Plus

  • Pro 200

    $200/month

    Higher usage than Pro 100

    • About 20x Plus usage
    • Everything in Plus

  • Pro 500

    $500/month

    Highest usage tier

    • Highest usage limits
    • Ultrafast model variants
    • Everything in Plus

  • Business

    $25/user/mo

    For small teams, with a two-seat minimum

    • Shared workspace
    • Admin controls
    • Business data not used for training by default

  • Enterprise

    Custom/user/mo

    For large organizations, priced by contract

    • Single sign-on
    • Admin and security controls
    • Dedicated support

Shortwave plans

  • Free

    $0

    Individual tier with basic AI and limited daily AI quota

    • Basic intelligence
    • limited daily AI quota
    • 90 days of search history
    • Sent with Shortwave signature

  • Pro

    $18/user/mo

    Individual plan for personal users

    • AI assistant
    • paid AI features for individuals

  • Business

    Most popular

    $30/user/mo

    Everyday AI productivity for teams

    • Standard intelligence
    • 5 years AI search history
    • max 50 threads per AI search
    • 3 AI filters
    • AI integrations and web browsing

  • Premier

    $45/user/mo

    Everything in Business with more AI capacity

    • Advanced intelligence
    • 2x AI usage
    • 100 threads per AI search
    • 10 AI filters
    • unlimited AI search history

  • Max

    $120/user/mo

    Highest AI capacity per seat

    • Expert intelligence
    • 6x AI usage
    • 150 threads per AI search
    • 50 AI filters
    • unlimited AI search history

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

ChatGPT
8.9overall
Shortwave
8.1overall

  • General Reasoning & Logic

    ChatGPT
    9.0
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Conversational Fluency

    ChatGPT
    9.2
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Coding & Data Analysis

    ChatGPT
    8.8
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Multimodal Processing

    ChatGPT
    9.0
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Ecosystem & Integrations

    ChatGPT
    8.7
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.5

  • Feature Depth

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.4

  • Value for Money

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    7.3

  • Performance & Speed

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.3

  • Documentation & Support

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    7.8

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

ChatGPT

Pros

  • One assistant covers text, voice, images, file analysis, search and coding
  • Free tier lets users try the service without a card
  • Apps for web, iOS, Android, macOS and Windows with synced history
  • Large ecosystem of connectors, projects and agent features
  • Plans range from $8 to $500 per month, so users can match spend to usage

Cons

  • Free and Go usage limits are low and may include ads
  • Pricing and model lineup change often, which makes limits hard to compare over time
  • Answers can be wrong and need checking, especially for facts and citations
  • The top Pro tiers cost $100 to $500 per month

Shortwave

Pros

  • AI search covers up to five years of email on Business and unlimited history on Premier and Max.
  • Native apps on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, with a 4.7 average rating on the App Store.
  • Team features such as shared threads, comments and assignments sit inside the inbox.
  • AI connects to outside tools including Notion, HubSpot, GitHub and MCP servers.
  • Per-plan model tiers let users pay for stronger models only when needed.

Cons

  • Paid plans are priced per seat from $30 (Business) to $120 (Max), higher than many email clients.
  • Built around Gmail; support for other providers is limited or unclear.
  • AI usage is capped by plan, with Business allowing roughly 150-300 Standard requests per day.
  • The free tier is not clearly documented on the official pricing page.

Platforms

  • Web
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Windows
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • macOS
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • iOS
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • Android
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • API
    ChatGPT
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    ChatGPT
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported

Integrations

ChatGPT

2 integrations
  • Gmail
  • MCP connectors

Shortwave

10 integrations
  • Gmail
  • Google Calendar
  • Slack
  • Notion
  • HubSpot
  • Asana
  • GitHub
  • Linear
  • Zapier
  • Tasklet

Company

  • Company
    ChatGPT
    OpenAI
    Shortwave
    Shortwave Communications, Inc.
  • Founded
    ChatGPT
    2015
    Shortwave
    2020
  • Headquarters
    ChatGPT
    San Francisco, CA
    Shortwave
    San Francisco, CA
  • Listing
    ChatGPT
    Claimed
    Shortwave
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is ChatGPT better than Shortwave?

It depends on your workflow. ChatGPT is built for everyday questions, drafting and editing text, summarizing documents, coding help, data analysis and image generation in one assistant. Shortwave is built for heavy Gmail users who want AI search, drafting and inbox triage inside the email client itself.

What are the key feature differences between ChatGPT and Shortwave?

ChatGPT: OpenAI's AI assistant for writing, research, coding, image generation and voice chat. Shortwave: AI email client for Gmail that searches, organizes, drafts and schedules from plain-language prompts. ChatGPT is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does ChatGPT or Shortwave have a free plan?

Yes, both do. ChatGPT is freemium and Shortwave is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT or Shortwave?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.