Make.com Agents vs Shortwave: 2026 comparison
Visual workflow automation with AI agents — drag-and-drop scenarios across 2,000+ apps.
AI email client — natural-language search, summary, scheduled send, and AI-drafted replies grounded in your inbox.
Make.com Agents vs Shortwave — specs
| Spec | Make.com Agents | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 83 / 100 (A) | 72 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Semi-autonomous | Assistant |
| Pricing | Freemium · from $9 | Freemium · from $9 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Tool use, Memory, Multi-agent | RAG, Memory, Tool use |
| Integrations | 8 apps | 3 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Feb 2025 | Feb 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
- Autonomy fit
- 8
- Capabilities
- 6
- Integrations
- 10
- Pricing value
- 8
- Polish & maturity
- 8
- 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
- +Visual scenario builder is the most accessible automation tool besides Zapier
- +Cheapest AI-agent automation tier on the market ($9)
- +Strong on multi-step branching scenarios where Zapier feels limiting
- −Operations math is opaque at first — every step costs ops
- −Smaller AI feature set than Lindy / Relay built-from-scratch agent platforms
- −European data residency only on paid tiers
- +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
- +1,000 operations/mo
- +No agent features
- +2 active scenarios
- +10,000 ops/mo
- +AI agent nodes
- +Webhooks + schedules
- +10,000 ops base + add-ons
- +Priority queue
- +Custom variables
- +Shared scenarios
- +Roles + admin
- +Higher ops base
- +Basic AI summary
- +90-day search
- +Unlimited search
- +AI assistant
- +Scheduled send
- +Shared inboxes
- +Send delegation
- +Admin controls
Which one should you pick?
Pick Make.com Agents if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place or if your stack spans many tools and integration depth is the constraint.
Try Make.com Agents →Pick Shortwave if its specific capabilities (RAG, Memory) match what you need.
Try Shortwave →Affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked
Should I pick Make.com Agents or Shortwave in 2026?+
Pick Make.com Agents if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place or if your stack spans many tools and integration depth is the constraint. Pick Shortwave if its specific capabilities (RAG, Memory) match what you need. Most working teams running both can use Make.com Agents for primary work and Shortwave for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Make.com Agents and Shortwave?+
Both Make.com Agents and Shortwave start in the same pricing range (Freemium · from $9 vs Freemium · from $9). Total cost of ownership depends on your team size and volume — see the TCO calculator for your specific math.
Which is more autonomous, Make.com Agents or Shortwave?+
Make.com Agents is the more autonomous of the two (Semi-autonomous vs Assistant). Higher autonomy ships throughput faster but requires verification loops in place — see our autonomous-vs-copilot framing for when each tier wins.