Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes

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.

Best overall

Notion

4.3

From $10/member/mo

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Shortwave

4.2

From $18/mo

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Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Notion4.3

Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Anyone who wants one place for their notes, plans and team knowledge, from solo creators to whole companies.

Shortwave4.2

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.

Overview

Attribute	Notion	Shortwave
In one line	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	Freemium	Freemium
Starting price	$10/member/mo	$18/mo
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Works with Claude Code	Yes	No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

Attribute	Notion	Shortwave
Overall rating	4.3Winner	4.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.	3.5	4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.	5.0	4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.	4.5	4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.	4.5	4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.	4.0	4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

Attribute	Notion	Shortwave
Access & platform
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	Yes
Desktop app	Yes	Yes
Browser extension	Yes	–
API access	Yes	–
Teams & business
Team workspace	Yes	Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO	Yes	–
Connects to other apps	Yes	Yes
Open source or self-hosted	No	No
AI abilities
Works with your files	Yes	Yes
Understands images	Yes	–
Makes images	No	No
Makes video	No	No
Writes code	Yes	–
Runs agents or automations	Yes	Yes
Learns your brand or style	No	Yes
Works in many languages	Yes	Yes
Capabilities score	13/ 17	9/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

Attribute	Notion	Shortwave
Plans	Free Free One person getting organised.	Free Free Trying it on your Gmail inbox.
	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.
	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 Custom Larger companies with security and compliance needs.	Premier $45/seat/mo Heavy users with complex email workflows.
		Max $120/seat/mo People who live in email all day.
Which plan to pick	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	Notion	Shortwave
Standout features	Pages and databases Notion AI and Agent AI Meeting Notes Templates Sites and forms Claude connection	AI search Shortwave Agent Bundles and splits Writes like you Emails as tasks Team features

Pros and cons

Attribute	Notion	Shortwave
Pros	Replaces a handful of separate apps with one workspace Databases are flexible enough to model almost any business process Generous free plan for individuals Official Claude connection makes it a shared memory for your AI tools Huge template library and community	Excellent natural-language email search Assistant can act on your inbox, not just draft Real free plan, and cheaper than Superhuman Apps on every platform Useful team features for shared threads
Cons	No imposed structure, so workspaces get messy without discipline The useful AI is held back for the $20 Business plan Can feel slow with large databases and on patchy connections Offline support is still limited Easy to spend more time organising Notion than doing the work	Native support for Gmail and Google Workspace only AI quota on lower plans runs out for heavy users Means switching email apps, which takes adjustment Free plan adds a "Sent with Shortwave" signature and keeps only 90 days of search history

Who each one is for

Attribute	Notion	Shortwave
Best for	Team wikis and documentation Personal notes and planning Content calendars Lightweight project tracking A knowledge base Claude can read	Finding old emails by describing them Clearing a cluttered Gmail inbox quickly Drafting replies in your own style Small teams sharing and commenting on threads
You'll find it used by	Startups Marketers Agencies Solo founders Students	Founders Executives Consultants Sales people Small teams

Questions people ask

Which is better, Notion or Shortwave?

Notion scores highest overall in our ratings (Notion 4.3/5 and Shortwave 4.2/5). 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, Notion or Shortwave?

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.

Which is easier to use, Notion or Shortwave?

Shortwave rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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