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HeyGen vs Shortwave

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

Shortwave logo

Shortwave

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

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

HeyGen is listed under Video AI and Shortwave under AI Assistants. HeyGen scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.3 vs 8.1 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only HeyGen is available on Web and CLI and offers an API. Only Shortwave is available on Windows and macOS.

Best overall

HeyGen

  • Marketing teams
  • Corporate training and L&D teams
  • Sales teams
  • Content creators

Choose HeyGen if

  • You want a tool built for Avatar-presented training and explainer videos.
  • Free plan with no time limit, though capped at 3 videos a month.
  • Video Translation with voice preservation and lip-sync in 175+ languages.

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
HeyGen
Best for business
HeyGen

Features

19 features compared.

  • AI Studio
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Avatars
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Video Translation
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Video Agent
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Multiple input types
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Voice cloning
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Interactive video and SCORM export
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Developer API
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Identity verification and moderation
    HeyGen
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AI Assistant
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Search
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Write in Your Voice
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Filters
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Bundles and Split Inboxes
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Scheduling
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Team Collaboration
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Tracking and Reminders
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • App Connections and MCP
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Privacy Controls
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available

Pricing

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

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

HeyGen plans

  • Free

    $0

    3 videos per month, up to 1 minute each

    • 1 custom avatar
    • 500+ stock avatars
    • 30+ languages
    • Up to 3 Photo Avatars
    • 1 voice clone
    • Standard processing

  • Creator

    Most popular

    $29/month

    600 credits per month, videos up to 30 minutes

    • Watermark removal
    • Unlimited Photo Avatars
    • Voice cloning
    • 175+ languages and dialects
    • Credit rollover
    • 700+ stock avatars
    • Fast processing

  • Pro

    $49/month

    From 1,000 credits per month, videos up to 30 minutes

    • Everything in Creator
    • 4K export
    • Faster processing
    • Customizable monthly usage
    • All advanced AI models
    • Editing of translated scripts

  • Business

    $149/month

    1,500 credits per month plus $20 per extra seat, videos up to 60 minutes

    • Team seats
    • Workspace collaboration
    • SAML/SSO
    • Centralized billing
    • 5+ custom avatars
    • Interactive video
    • SCORM export
    • LMS integrations
    • Credit packs or auto-reload

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Contact sales

    • No maximum video length
    • SCIM provisioning
    • MFA
    • Invoice billing
    • Priority support
    • Dedicated customer success manager
    • Custom onboarding

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.

HeyGen
8.3overall
Shortwave
8.1overall

HeyGen leads in 0 categories and Shortwave in 1, with 1 tied.

  • Avatar Realism & Lip Sync

    HeyGen
    9.0
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Video Translation

    HeyGen
    9.0
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Tied
    HeyGen
    8.5
    Shortwave
    8.5

  • Value for Money

    Shortwave leads by 0.3
    HeyGen
    7.0
    Shortwave
    7.3

  • Developer & Team Features

    HeyGen
    8.0
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Feature Depth

    HeyGen
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.4

  • Performance & Speed

    HeyGen
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.3

  • Documentation & Support

    HeyGen
    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

HeyGen

Pros

  • Free plan with no time limit, though capped at 3 videos a month
  • Video Translation with voice preservation and lip-sync in 175+ languages
  • Text-based editor with Brand Kit, captions and multi-user editing
  • Custom avatars and voice cloning on every plan, including Free
  • Public API with CLI and MCP server, and iOS and Android apps
  • Business plan adds SAML/SSO, SCORM export and LMS integrations

Cons

  • Free plan limits videos to 1 minute and 3 per month
  • 4K export and advanced AI models need Pro at $49 per month or higher
  • Credit-based pricing makes the cost of a video depend on model, length and complexity
  • Business starts at $149 per month plus $20 for each extra seat
  • Android app is stated as available in the U.S. only

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
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Windows
    HeyGen
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • macOS
    HeyGen
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • iOS
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • Android
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • API
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    HeyGen
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • CLI
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported

Integrations

HeyGen

5 integrations
  • ChatGPT
  • Zapier
  • Make
  • n8n
  • HubSpot

Shortwave

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

Company

  • Company
    HeyGen
    HeyGen
    Shortwave
    Shortwave Communications, Inc.
  • Founded
    HeyGen
    2020
    Shortwave
    2020
  • Headquarters
    HeyGen
    Los Angeles, CA
    Shortwave
    San Francisco, CA
  • Monthly users
    HeyGen
    30M+
    Shortwave
    Not listed
  • Listing
    HeyGen
    Claimed
    Shortwave
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is HeyGen better than Shortwave?

It depends on your workflow. HeyGen is built for Avatar-presented training and explainer videos. 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 HeyGen and Shortwave?

HeyGen: Create avatar videos from text and translate them into 175+ languages. Shortwave: AI email client for Gmail that searches, organizes, drafts and schedules from plain-language prompts. HeyGen is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does HeyGen or Shortwave have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, HeyGen or Shortwave?

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