Revenue intelligence AI — records, analyzes, and coaches every customer call across your sales org.
VoiceRAGMemoryTool use
Demo · hover to playPeople.ai vs Shortwavewhich AI sales agent should you pick in 2026?
Revenue intelligence platform — captures all sales activity automatically and feeds pipeline analytics.
Tool useRAGMemory
AI email client — natural-language search, summary, scheduled send, and AI-drafted replies grounded in your inbox.
RAGMemoryTool use
People.ai vs Shortwave — specs
| Spec | People.ai | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 72 / 100 (A) | 73 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Assistant | Assistant |
| Pricing | Subscription · Free tier | Freemium · from $9 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Tool use, RAG, Memory | RAG, Memory, Tool use |
| Integrations | 5 apps | 3 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Jun 2024 | Feb 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
People.ai
Agent Rank
72/ 100
- Autonomy fit
- 7
- Capabilities
- 6
- Integrations
- 8
- Pricing value
- 9
- Polish & maturity
- 6
- Verifiability
- 7
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Shortwave
Agent Rank
73/ 100
- Autonomy fit
- 7
- Capabilities
- 6
- Integrations
- 6
- 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?
Pros & cons
People.ai
Shortwave
Pros
- +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
Cons
- −Gmail-only — no Outlook support
- −AI assistant is helpful but not yet revolutionary
- −Smaller user base means fewer integrations than Gmail/Outlook ecosystems
Pricing
People.ai
Shortwave
Free
Free
Personal
- +Basic AI summary
- +90-day search
Recommended
Plus
$9/mo
Individuals
- +Unlimited search
- +AI assistant
- +Scheduled send
Business
$14/seat/mo
Teams
- +Shared inboxes
- +Send delegation
- +Admin controls
Which one should you pick?
Shortwave
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 People.ai or Shortwave in 2026?+
Pick People.ai if cost is the main constraint. Pick Shortwave if its specific capabilities (RAG, Memory) match what you need. Most working teams running both can use People.ai for primary work and Shortwave for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between People.ai and Shortwave?+
People.ai starts at Subscription · Free tier; Shortwave starts at Freemium · from $9. People.ai 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, People.ai or Shortwave?+
Both People.ai and Shortwave are Assistant agents — neither has a meaningful autonomy advantage over the other. The decision should hinge on capabilities and pricing instead.
Readers comparing People.ai and Shortwave also picked
Adjacent agents in the same category with overlapping capabilities — worth a side-by-side glance before you commit.
- Demo · hover to play
Competitive intelligence platform — tracks competitor moves and feeds sales teams winning battle cards.
RAGTool useMemoryDemo · hover to playAI digital workers for sales — Alice (SDR), Mike (SDR), and Jordan (CSM) handle full-cycle outbound.
BrowserTool useMemoryRAGDemo · hover to play
See more alternatives: alternatives to People.ai · alternatives to Shortwave
Want the real monthly cost at your volume? Run the TCO calculator →
← Build your own comparison