Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Notion vs Shortwave vs Smartsheet
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: 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.
Pick it if: Operations, PMO and project teams who think in spreadsheets and need Gantt charts, reports and approvals.
Overview
| Attribute | Notion | Shortwave | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Spreadsheet-style project tracking with AI for formulas, summaries and dashboards. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $10/member/mo | $18/mo | $9/member/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Notion | Shortwave | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3Winner | 4.2 | 3.7 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Notion | Shortwave | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| 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 | – | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | – | – |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | No | Yes | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 13/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 8/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Notion | Shortwave | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free One person getting organised. | Free Free Trying it on your Gmail inbox. | Pro $9/member/mo billed yearly ($12 monthly) Individuals and small teams of up to 10. |
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 $19/member/mo billed yearly ($24 monthly) Teams running several projects together. | |
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 organisations needing admin and security controls. | |
Enterprise Custom Larger companies with security and compliance needs. | Premier $45/seat/mo Heavy users with complex email workflows. | Advanced Work Management Custom PMOs managing large portfolios. | |
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. | Business is where Smartsheet's reporting and approvals pay off for a team. Pro suits one person or a very small team. Use the 30-day trial on a real project before you commit to a yearly plan. |
Key features
| Attribute | Notion | Shortwave | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Notion | Shortwave | Smartsheet |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Notion | Shortwave | Smartsheet |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Notion, Shortwave or Smartsheet?
Notion scores highest overall in our ratings (Notion 4.3/5, Shortwave 4.2/5 and Smartsheet 3.7/5). 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. Smartsheet is best for Replacing Excel project trackers and gantt charts with dependencies.
Which is cheaper, Notion, Shortwave or Smartsheet?
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. Smartsheet: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $9/member/mo.
Which is easier to use, Notion, Shortwave or Smartsheet?
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.
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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