Pigeon vs Shortwave.
Shortwave puts AI at the centre and your mail in its cloud. Pigeon does the reverse: your mail stays on your Mac, and AI is your own Claude.
Shortwave is a capable AI-first client for Gmail, with a free plan and team features. It processes your mail on its own servers and with outside AI providers. Pigeon keeps the index on your Mac, adds Microsoft 365, and costs much less than Shortwave's paid plans.
Side by side
| Pigeon | Shortwave | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $69 a year or $8 a month. Free for 14 days first | Free plan with a Shortwave signature. Paid plans are per seat and start well above Pigeon's |
| Runs on | Mac (macOS 26 or later) | Web, Mac, iPhone and Android |
| Mailboxes it connects | Gmail and Microsoft 365, together in one inbox | Gmail and Google Workspace |
| Where your mail lives | On your Mac. Mail comes straight from Google or Microsoft, with no Pigeon server in between | Shortwave's servers, on Google Cloud, used for search, threading and AI |
| Search | Keywords and meaning together, with filters for sender, date and attachments. Answers as you type, newest first | Server-side and AI-assisted, with limits by plan |
| Search offline | Yes. The whole index is on your Mac | Not stated on their site |
| Works with Claude | Yes. Ask Claude to find mail or draft a reply, and the draft opens in Pigeon for you to send | Built-in AI with usage limits by plan. Sub-processors include OpenAI and Anthropic |
| Blocks tracking pixels | Yes, and remote images are off until you choose to load them for a message | Not stated on their site |
We make Pigeon, so read this with that in mind. Details about Shortwave were checked in September 2026; they change, so check Shortwave's own site before you decide.
Where Pigeon pulls ahead
Your mail stays yours
Shortwave processes your mail on its servers for search, threading and AI, using sub-processors including OpenAI, Anthropic and Pinecone. It says it does not use your data to train models. Pigeon has no servers to process anything on.
No usage limits on search
Shortwave limits AI search history by plan. Pigeon's search is local, so there is nothing to ration.
Microsoft 365 too
Shortwave is built for Gmail and Workspace. Pigeon puts Gmail and Microsoft 365 in one inbox.
A price that stays put
Pigeon is $69 a year with every feature. There is no tier to climb for the AI.
Fair is fair
What Shortwave does well
- Strong AI assistance for drafting and summarising.
- A free plan, and team features such as shared threads.
- It runs everywhere, including on the web.
Stay with Shortwave if
- You want AI built into the inbox itself.
- You are a Google Workspace team that shares threads.
- You want to read mail in a browser on any computer.
Questions
Does Shortwave store my email?
Shortwave says your data is stored in Google Cloud and processed on its servers for search, threading and AI. Its security page lists what is shared with its providers.
Can I use Claude with Pigeon?
Yes. Pigeon has a plugin that lets Claude search your mail and open drafts in Pigeon for you to send. It never sends anything itself.
Try Pigeon next to Shortwave
$69 a year, every feature, and your money back within 30 days.