FinderAtlas
Sign in

Fireflies.ai vs Shortwave

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

Fireflies.ai logo

Fireflies.ai

AI notetaker that records, transcribes and summarizes your meetings across every major call platform

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

Fireflies.ai is listed under Audio & Speech AI and Shortwave under AI Assistants. Fireflies.ai scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.3 vs 8.1 out of 10), led by ease of use and feature depth. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Fireflies.ai is available on Web and Chrome Extension and offers an API. Only Shortwave is available on Windows and macOS.

Best overall

Fireflies.ai

  • Sales Teams
  • Recruiters
  • Marketing Teams
  • Engineering Teams

Choose Fireflies.ai if

  • You want a tool built for Teams that want automatic meeting records and CRM-ready notes across many call platforms.
  • Permanent free tier with unlimited transcription and 100+ language support.
  • Works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and other platforms, plus file uploads.

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
Fireflies.ai
Best for business
Fireflies.ai

Features

19 features compared.

  • AI Notetaker Bot
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AI Summaries and Action Items
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AskFred Assistant
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Multilingual Transcription
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Conversation Intelligence
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Search and Soundbites
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AI Skills and Apps
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Integrations and MCP Server
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Chrome Extension and Uploads
    Fireflies.ai
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AI Assistant
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Search
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Write in Your Voice
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Filters
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Bundles and Split Inboxes
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Scheduling
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Team Collaboration
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Tracking and Reminders
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • App Connections and MCP
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Privacy Controls
    Fireflies.ai
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available

Pricing

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

  • Pricing model
    Fireflies.ai
    Freemium
    Shortwave
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Fireflies.ai
    Yes
    Shortwave
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Fireflies.ai
    $0
    Shortwave
    $0
  • Plans
    Fireflies.ai
    4 plans
    Shortwave
    5 plans

Fireflies.ai plans

  • Free

    $0

    For individuals starting out

    • Unlimited transcription
    • limited AI summaries
    • 400 mins storage per team
    • 20 AI credits

  • Pro

    $18/user/mo

    For professional individuals and small teams

    • Unlimited AI summaries
    • 8,000 mins storage per seat
    • video recording
    • AI Skills
    • unlimited integrations

  • Business

    Most popular

    $29/user/mo

    For fast growing businesses

    • Unlimited storage
    • conversation intelligence
    • team analytics
    • multi-language mode
    • user groups

  • Enterprise

    $39/user/mo

    For large scale enterprises

    • SSO
    • SCIM
    • audit logs
    • HIPAA compliance
    • private storage
    • custom data retention

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.

Fireflies.ai
8.3overall
Shortwave
8.1overall

Fireflies.ai leads in 4 categories and Shortwave in 1.

  • Ease of Use

    Fireflies.ai leads by 0.1
    Fireflies.ai
    8.6
    Shortwave
    8.5

  • Feature Depth

    Fireflies.ai leads by 0.4
    Fireflies.ai
    8.8
    Shortwave
    8.4

  • Value for Money

    Fireflies.ai leads by 0.7
    Fireflies.ai
    8.0
    Shortwave
    7.3

  • Performance & Speed

    Shortwave leads by 0.1
    Fireflies.ai
    8.2
    Shortwave
    8.3

  • Documentation & Support

    Fireflies.ai leads by 0.2
    Fireflies.ai
    8.0
    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

Fireflies.ai

Pros

  • Permanent free tier with unlimited transcription and 100+ language support.
  • Works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and other platforms, plus file uploads.
  • Broad integrations covering CRM, ATS, dialers, Slack and an MCP server.
  • Conversation analytics and team insights on the Business plan.
  • Web, iOS, Android and Chrome extension coverage plus a desktop app with a public API.

Cons

  • Free plan limits AI summaries and caps storage at 400 minutes per team.
  • Per-seat pricing rises quickly for teams: Business is $29 per seat on monthly billing.
  • AI credit pools are small (20 to 50 per plan), and some features consume credits.
  • HIPAA compliance, SSO and audit logs require the sales-led Enterprise plan.

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
    Fireflies.ai
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Windows
    Fireflies.ai
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • macOS
    Fireflies.ai
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • iOS
    Fireflies.ai
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • Android
    Fireflies.ai
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • API
    Fireflies.ai
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    Fireflies.ai
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Chrome Extension
    Fireflies.ai
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported

Integrations

Fireflies.ai

14 integrations
  • Zoom
  • Google Meet
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Asana
  • Trello
  • Greenhouse
  • Lever
  • BambooHR
  • Aircall
  • RingCentral
  • Zapier

Shortwave

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

Company

  • Company
    Fireflies.ai
    Fireflies.ai Corp
    Shortwave
    Shortwave Communications, Inc.
  • Founded
    Fireflies.ai
    Not listed
    Shortwave
    2020
  • Headquarters
    Fireflies.ai
    Not listed
    Shortwave
    San Francisco, CA
  • Listing
    Fireflies.ai
    Claimed
    Shortwave
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Fireflies.ai better than Shortwave?

It depends on your workflow. Fireflies.ai is built for Teams that want automatic meeting records and CRM-ready notes across many call platforms. 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 Fireflies.ai and Shortwave?

Fireflies.ai: AI notetaker that records, transcribes and summarizes your meetings across every major call platform. Shortwave: AI email client for Gmail that searches, organizes, drafts and schedules from plain-language prompts.

Does Fireflies.ai or Shortwave have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, Fireflies.ai or Shortwave?

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