Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Box AI vs Heidi 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: GPs, specialists, psychologists and allied health practitioners who spend their evenings writing up notes.
Pick it if: Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.
Overview
| Attribute | Box AI | Heidi | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Ask questions of, summarise and pull data from your company's Box files. | AI medical scribe that listens to a consult and writes the notes and letters. | 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 | Free | $18/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Box AI | Heidi | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 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 | 4.0 | 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 | Heidi | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | – | Yes | – |
| API access | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | – | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | – | No | – |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | – | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 10/ 17 | 10/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Box AI | Heidi | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Business Starter From $5/user/mo billed yearly Small teams that just need file storage. | Free Free A single clinician trying it on real consults. | Free Free Trying it on your Gmail inbox. |
Business See website Teams wanting AI on one file at a time. | ClinicianOur pick See website (14-day free trial) A clinician who uses it every day. | ProOur pick $18/mo Individuals who use the AI daily. | |
Enterprise See website Companies with compliance needs and light AI use. | Practice Custom Clinics with several practitioners. | 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. | Enterprise Custom Health services and large groups. | 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 Free for a couple of weeks of real consults. If it saves you time every day, trial the Clinician plan; if you need notes to flow into your practice software or want one bill for the clinic, ask about Practice. | 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
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Box AI | Heidi | Shortwave |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Box AI | Heidi | Shortwave |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Box AI, Heidi or Shortwave?
They tie on our overall rating (Box AI 3.8/5, Heidi 4.2/5 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. Heidi is best for writing up consult notes and drafting referral and specialist letters. Shortwave is best for finding old emails by describing them and clearing a cluttered Gmail inbox quickly.
Which is cheaper, Box AI, Heidi or Shortwave?
Box AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $5/user/mo. Heidi: It's free to use. Shortwave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo.
Which is easier to use, Box AI, Heidi or Shortwave?
Heidi rates highest for ease of use in our scores. GPs, specialists, psychologists and allied health practitioners who spend their evenings writing up notes.
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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