FinderAtlas
Sign in

Runway 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

Runway is listed under Image & Visual AI and Shortwave under AI Assistants. Runway scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.4 vs 8.1 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Runway is available on Web and offers an API. Only Shortwave is available on Windows and macOS.

Best overall

Runway

  • Filmmakers
  • Video creators
  • Marketers and ad teams
  • Designers

Choose Runway if

  • You want a tool built for Text-to-video and image-to-video generation.
  • Combines video, image and audio generation and editing in one workspace.
  • Offers Runway's own Gen-4.5 plus third-party models such as Seedance 2.0.

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
Runway
Best for business
Shortwave

Features

19 features compared.

  • Gen-4.5 video model
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Creative Agent
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Multiple models
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Characters
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Aleph and Act-Two
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Audio tools
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Workflows and Recipes
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Runway Dev API
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Runway MCP
    Runway
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AI Assistant
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Search
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Write in Your Voice
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Filters
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Bundles and Split Inboxes
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Scheduling
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Team Collaboration
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Tracking and Reminders
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • App Connections and MCP
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Privacy Controls
    Runway
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available

Pricing

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

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

Runway plans

  • Free

    $0

    125 one-time credits that do not expire

    • A selection of generative models
    • 5GB storage

  • Standard

    $15/month

    625 credits per month; $12 per month billed annually

    • All video and image models
    • Creative Agent
    • 5 parallel generations
    • Music and voice and sound effects
    • Up to 3 projects
    • No watermarks
    • 4K upscaling
    • 20GB storage

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $35/month

    2,250 credits per month; $28 per month billed annually

    • Everything in Standard
    • 15 parallel generations
    • Up to 5 projects
    • 1 Brand Kit
    • 1 custom voice clone
    • Top-up credits
    • Runway MCP
    • Unlimited 4K video upscaling
    • 100GB storage

  • Max

    $95/month

    9,500 credits per month; $76 per month billed annually

    • Everything in Pro
    • Early access to new models
    • 20 parallel generations
    • Up to 10 projects
    • Up to 3 Brand Kits
    • Up to 3 custom voice clones
    • HDR and ProRes and image sequence outputs
    • 500GB storage

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.

Runway
8.4overall
Shortwave
8.1overall

  • Video Quality

    Runway
    9.0
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Camera & Motion Control

    Runway
    8.8
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Model Variety

    Runway
    8.5
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Editing Tools

    Runway
    8.6
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Pricing Clarity

    Runway
    7.2
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Runway
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.5

  • Feature Depth

    Runway
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.4

  • Value for Money

    Runway
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    7.3

  • Performance & Speed

    Runway
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.3

  • Documentation & Support

    Runway
    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

Runway

Pros

  • Combines video, image and audio generation and editing in one workspace
  • Offers Runway's own Gen-4.5 plus third-party models such as Seedance 2.0
  • Creative Agent builds videos from a conversation
  • Runway Dev API with Node and Python SDKs
  • Free plan with 125 credits that do not expire
  • Native iOS and Android apps

Cons

  • Credit-based pricing: a 5-second Gen-4.5 clip costs 60 credits, so the 625 credits on Standard cover about 10 such clips
  • Standard and Pro credits do not roll over at the end of the month
  • Some App Store reviewers complain about the cost of failed or unusable generations
  • 4K upscaling is unlimited only on Pro and Max

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

Integrations

Runway

5 integrations
  • Runway MCP
  • ChatGPT plugin
  • Meta Ads
  • Google Ads
  • TikTok Ads

Shortwave

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

Company

  • Company
    Runway
    Runway AI, Inc.
    Shortwave
    Shortwave Communications, Inc.
  • Founded
    Runway
    2018
    Shortwave
    2020
  • Headquarters
    Runway
    New York, NY
    Shortwave
    San Francisco, CA
  • Listing
    Runway
    Claimed
    Shortwave
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Runway better than Shortwave?

It depends on your workflow. Runway is built for Text-to-video and image-to-video generation. 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 Runway and Shortwave?

Runway: AI video, image and audio creation suite with Gen-4.5, agents and an API. Shortwave: AI email client for Gmail that searches, organizes, drafts and schedules from plain-language prompts.

Does Runway or Shortwave have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, Runway or Shortwave?

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