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Recraft 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

Recraft is listed under Image & Visual AI and Shortwave under AI Assistants. Recraft scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.3 vs 8.1 out of 10), led by value for money. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Recraft is available on Web and Chrome Extension and offers an API. Only Shortwave is available on Windows and macOS.

Best overall

Recraft

  • Graphic designers
  • Illustrators
  • Marketers
  • Brand and design teams

Choose Recraft if

  • You want a tool built for vector graphics and icons.
  • Generates editable SVG vectors on every plan, including Free.
  • Custom styles and color palettes keep output consistent with a brand.

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
Recraft
Best for business
Shortwave

Features

19 features compared.

  • Raster and vector generation
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Custom styles
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Color palettes
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Vector Editor and canvas
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Image tools
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Mockups
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Agentic chat and Design Agent
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • External models
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Video generation
    Recraft
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AI Assistant
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Search
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Write in Your Voice
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Filters
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Bundles and Split Inboxes
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Scheduling
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Team Collaboration
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Tracking and Reminders
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • App Connections and MCP
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Privacy Controls
    Recraft
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available

Pricing

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

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

Recraft plans

  • Free

    $0

    Daily credits to try image and vector generation; images are public

    • Daily credit allowance
    • Vector generation and Vector Editor
    • Up to 2 images per prompt
    • 3 image uploads per day
    • Public images with no commercial license

  • Basic

    $12/month

    1,000 credits per month for individuals; $10 per month billed annually

    • 1,000 monthly credits
    • Private images
    • Commercial rights
    • Credit top-ups
    • No video generation

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $20/month

    Starts at 2,000 credits per month for $20; larger tiers up to 16,000 credits at $160

    • 2,000 to 16,000 monthly credits
    • Private images
    • Commercial rights
    • Video generation
    • Credit top-ups

  • Teams

    $22/user/mo

    Shared workspace, minimum 2 seats; starts at 2,000 credits per seat per month

    • Shared custom styles
    • Centralized account management
    • SSO
    • Priority support
    • Video generation
    • Credits not shared between members

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.

Recraft
8.3overall
Shortwave
8.1overall

Recraft leads in 1 category and Shortwave in 0.

  • Vector (.SVG) Quality & Paths

    Recraft
    8.8
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Brand Style Consistency

    Recraft
    8.7
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Editing Toolset

    Recraft
    8.5
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Integrations & API

    Recraft
    8.2
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Recraft leads by 0.2
    Recraft
    7.5
    Shortwave
    7.3

  • Ease of Use

    Recraft
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.5

  • Feature Depth

    Recraft
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.4

  • Performance & Speed

    Recraft
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.3

  • Documentation & Support

    Recraft
    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

Recraft

Pros

  • Generates editable SVG vectors on every plan, including Free
  • Custom styles and color palettes keep output consistent with a brand
  • Single workspace for generation, vector editing, upscaling, background removal and mockups
  • Gives access to external models such as Flux, GPT Image, Imagen and Nano Banana
  • Paid plans include private images and full commercial rights
  • Apps for iOS and Android, Figma and other plugins, and a public API and MCP server

Cons

  • Free plan images are public and not licensed for commercial use
  • Monthly credits expire each cycle, and costs per image vary by model (for example 2 credits for V4.1 and 10 for V4.1 Pro)
  • Video generation is not available on Free or Basic plans
  • Plan prices depend on credit tier, so cost rises quickly for heavy use

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
    Recraft
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Windows
    Recraft
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • macOS
    Recraft
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • iOS
    Recraft
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • Android
    Recraft
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Supported
  • API
    Recraft
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    Recraft
    Not supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported
  • Chrome Extension
    Recraft
    Supported
    Shortwave
    Not supported

Integrations

Recraft

5 integrations
  • Figma
  • Framer
  • Google Docs
  • Google Slides
  • Claude (MCP connector)

Shortwave

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

Company

  • Company
    Recraft
    Recraft, Inc.
    Shortwave
    Shortwave Communications, Inc.
  • Founded
    Recraft
    2022
    Shortwave
    2020
  • Headquarters
    Recraft
    London, UK
    Shortwave
    San Francisco, CA
  • Listing
    Recraft
    Claimed
    Shortwave
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Recraft better than Shortwave?

It depends on your workflow. Recraft is built for vector graphics and icons. 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 Recraft and Shortwave?

Recraft: AI image and vector design studio with brand styles, editing tools and SVG export. Shortwave: AI email client for Gmail that searches, organizes, drafts and schedules from plain-language prompts.

Does Recraft or Shortwave have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, Recraft or Shortwave?

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