Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Box AI vs Notion 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: Anyone who wants one place for their notes, plans and team knowledge, from solo creators to whole companies.
Pick it if: Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.
Overview
| Attribute | Box AI | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Ask questions of, summarise and pull data from your company's Box files. | One workspace for notes, docs, wikis and project tracking, with AI built in. | 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 | $10/member/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 | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.8 | 4.3Winner | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 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 | 4.5 | 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 | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | – | Yes | – |
| 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | – | Yes | – |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | No | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 10/ 17 | 13/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Box AI | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Business Starter From $5/user/mo billed yearly Small teams that just need file storage. | Free Free One person getting organised. | Free Free Trying it on your Gmail inbox. |
Business See website Teams wanting AI on one file at a time. | Plus $10/member/mo billed yearly Small teams who want shared docs without the AI. | ProOur pick $18/mo Individuals who use the AI daily. | |
Enterprise See website Companies with compliance needs and light AI use. | BusinessOur pick $20/member/mo billed yearly Teams who want the AI properly switched on. | 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 Larger companies with security and compliance needs. | 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. | Solo users can stay on Free for a long time. For a team the honest answer is Business, because Plus leaves out the AI that makes Notion interesting now. Note that yearly billing is what gets you the $10 and $20 prices, and monthly billing costs more. | 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 | Notion | Shortwave |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Box AI | Notion | Shortwave |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Box AI | Notion | Shortwave |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Box AI, Notion or Shortwave?
Notion scores highest overall in our ratings (Box AI 3.8/5, Notion 4.3/5 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. Notion is best for team wikis and documentation and personal notes and planning. Shortwave is best for finding old emails by describing them and clearing a cluttered Gmail inbox quickly.
Which is cheaper, Box AI, Notion or Shortwave?
Box AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $5/user/mo. Notion: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/member/mo. Shortwave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo.
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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