Fireflies.ai vs Shortwave: 2026 comparison
Conversation-intelligence agent for sales and CS — transcribes, scores, and syncs calls to your CRM.
AI email client — natural-language search, summary, scheduled send, and AI-drafted replies grounded in your inbox.
Fireflies.ai vs Shortwave — specs
| Spec | Fireflies.ai | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 73 / 100 (A) | 72 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Assistant | Assistant |
| Pricing | Freemium · from $10 | Freemium · from $9 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Voice, RAG, Memory, Tool use | RAG, Memory, Tool use |
| Integrations | 5 apps | 3 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Jan 2025 | Feb 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
- Autonomy fit
- 7
- Capabilities
- 8
- Integrations
- 4
- Pricing value
- 8
- Polish & maturity
- 7
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
- Autonomy fit
- 7
- Capabilities
- 6
- Integrations
- 6
- Pricing value
- 8
- Polish & maturity
- 6
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Pros & cons
- +Strongest conversation-intelligence and CRM integration in the category
- +60+ languages of transcription, leading the category for global teams
- +Generous free tier (800 min/mo) — easy to evaluate before buying
- −Less polished personal note-taking UX than Otter
- −Sentiment analysis still occasionally misclassifies sarcasm or context
- −Privacy controls require careful configuration per meeting
- +Best AI-native email client in 2026 — search, summarize, draft all natural-language
- +Built specifically for Gmail; faster + smarter than Gmail itself
- +Cheap relative to Superhuman with better AI features
- −Gmail-only — no Outlook support
- −AI assistant is helpful but not yet revolutionary
- −Smaller user base means fewer integrations than Gmail/Outlook ecosystems
Pricing
- +800 min/mo
- +AI summaries
- +8000 min/mo
- +60+ languages
- +CRM sync
- +Conversation intelligence
- +Topic tracking
- +Advanced analytics
- +Unlimited transcription
- +SSO
- +Dedicated CS
- +Basic AI summary
- +90-day search
- +Unlimited search
- +AI assistant
- +Scheduled send
- +Shared inboxes
- +Send delegation
- +Admin controls
Which one should you pick?
Pick Fireflies.ai if its specific capabilities (Voice, RAG) match what you need.
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Frequently asked
Should I pick Fireflies.ai or Shortwave in 2026?+
Pick Fireflies.ai if its specific capabilities (Voice, RAG) match what you need. Pick Shortwave if cost is the main constraint. Most working teams running both can use Fireflies.ai for primary work and Shortwave for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Fireflies.ai and Shortwave?+
Fireflies.ai starts at Freemium · from $10; Shortwave starts at Freemium · from $9. Shortwave is the cheaper entry option. For team deployments the TCO can differ — use the AI Agent Rank TCO calculator for your specific volume.
Which is more autonomous, Fireflies.ai or Shortwave?+
Both Fireflies.ai and Shortwave are Assistant agents — neither has a meaningful autonomy advantage over the other. The decision should hinge on capabilities and pricing instead.