Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Box AI vs Granola vs Shortwave
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Companies that already keep their contracts and documents in Box and want AI to work on them securely.
Pick it if: Founders, consultants and managers who sit in back-to-back calls and hate the awkward recording bot.
Pick it if: Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.
Overview
| Attribute | Box AI | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Ask questions of, summarise and pull data from your company's Box files. | Takes meeting notes from your computer's audio, so no bot ever joins the call. | AI email app for Gmail that searches, sorts, drafts and acts on your inbox for you. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | From $5/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $18/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Box AI | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.8 | 4.4Winner | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Box AI | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | – | No | – |
| API access | Yes | Yes | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | – |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | No | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | No | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | – | No | – |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | No | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 10/ 17 | 8/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Box AI | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Business Starter From $5/user/mo billed yearly Small teams that just need file storage. | Basic Free Trying it, or anyone who only needs the last month of notes. | Free Free Trying it on your Gmail inbox. |
Business See website Teams wanting AI on one file at a time. | BusinessOur pick $14/user/mo Anyone in regular client or sales calls. | ProOur pick $18/mo Individuals who use the AI daily. | |
Enterprise See website Companies with compliance needs and light AI use. | Enterprise $35/user/mo Companies that need admin control over who records what. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams who share threads and need more AI. | |
Enterprise PlusOur pick Custom, billed yearly Teams that want AI across many files. | Premier $45/seat/mo Heavy users with complex email workflows. | ||
Enterprise Advanced Custom Large companies building custom AI agents. | Max $120/seat/mo People who live in email all day. | ||
| Which plan to pick | If you want Box AI to be genuinely useful, Enterprise Plus is where multi-file questions and Box Agent start. On Business you only get single-file questions and must buy AI units. Ask sales to estimate your AI unit use before signing. | Start on Basic and see how it fits your week. If you find yourself wanting a call from six weeks ago, that's your signal to move to Business. Enterprise is only for IT-managed rollouts. | Start on Free for a week to see if you like the app. Pro is enough for most individuals; pick Business only if you share threads with a team. Every paid plan has a 14-day free trial. |
Key features
| Attribute | Box AI | Granola | Shortwave |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Box AI | Granola | Shortwave |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Box AI | Granola | Shortwave |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Box AI, Granola or Shortwave?
Granola scores highest overall in our ratings (Box AI 3.8/5, Granola 4.4/5 and Shortwave 4.2/5). Box AI is best for questions and summaries on long contracts and pulling key fields out of contracts and invoices. Granola is best for client and sales calls and interviews and one-on-ones. Shortwave is best for finding old emails by describing them and clearing a cluttered Gmail inbox quickly.
Which is cheaper, Box AI, Granola or Shortwave?
Box AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $5/user/mo. Granola: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14/user/mo. Shortwave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo.
Which is easier to use, Box AI, Granola or Shortwave?
Granola rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Founders, consultants and managers who sit in back-to-back calls and hate the awkward recording bot.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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