Otter.ai vs Shortwave: 2026 comparison
AI meeting agent that transcribes, summarizes, and extracts action items from every conversation.
AI email client — natural-language search, summary, scheduled send, and AI-drafted replies grounded in your inbox.
Otter.ai vs Shortwave — specs
| Spec | Otter.ai | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 70 / 100 (B) | 72 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Assistant | Assistant |
| Pricing | Freemium · from $16.99 | Freemium · from $9 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Voice, RAG, Memory | RAG, Memory, Tool use |
| Integrations | 4 apps | 3 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Jan 2025 | Feb 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
- Autonomy fit
- 7
- Capabilities
- 6
- 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
- +Best real-time caption experience in 2026
- +Strong personal note-taking experience — review and study-friendly
- +Reasonable English transcription accuracy on noisy audio
- −Weaker CRM integration than Fireflies for sales workflows
- −Limited language support (6 languages) vs Fireflies (60+)
- −Free tier is restrictive (30 min × 4 conversations)
- +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
- +30 min × 4 convos/mo
- +AI summary
- +1200 min/mo
- +Real-time captions
- +Custom vocabulary
- +6000 min/user
- +Team workspace
- +Admin features
- +SSO
- +OCR + advanced search
- +SOC 2
- +Basic AI summary
- +90-day search
- +Unlimited search
- +AI assistant
- +Scheduled send
- +Shared inboxes
- +Send delegation
- +Admin controls
Which one should you pick?
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Frequently asked
Should I pick Otter.ai or Shortwave in 2026?+
Pick Otter.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 Otter.ai for primary work and Shortwave for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Otter.ai and Shortwave?+
Otter.ai starts at Freemium · from $16.99; 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, Otter.ai or Shortwave?+
Both Otter.ai and Shortwave are Assistant agents — neither has a meaningful autonomy advantage over the other. The decision should hinge on capabilities and pricing instead.