AI customer service agent — resolves tickets across chat, email, voice with measurable deflection rates.
RAGTool useMemoryVoice
Demo · hover to play
PolyAI vs Shortwavewhich AI support agent should you pick in 2026?
Enterprise voice assistants for call centers — natural conversations that resolve customer calls.
VoiceTool useMemoryRAG
AI email client — natural-language search, summary, scheduled send, and AI-drafted replies grounded in your inbox.
RAGMemoryTool use
PolyAI vs Shortwave — specs
| Spec | PolyAI | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 73 / 100 (A) | 73 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Autonomous | Assistant |
| Pricing | Subscription · Free tier | Freemium · from $9 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Voice, Tool use, Memory, RAG | RAG, Memory, Tool use |
| Integrations | 3 apps | 3 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Sep 2024 | Feb 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
PolyAI
Agent Rank
73/ 100
- Autonomy fit
- 9
- Capabilities
- 8
- Integrations
- 4
- Pricing value
- 9
- Polish & maturity
- 7
- 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
PolyAI
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
PolyAI
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?
PolyAI
Pick PolyAI if cost is the main constraint or if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place.
Try PolyAI →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 PolyAI or Shortwave in 2026?+
Pick PolyAI if cost is the main constraint or if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place. Pick Shortwave if its specific capabilities (RAG, Memory) match what you need. Most working teams running both can use PolyAI for primary work and Shortwave for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between PolyAI and Shortwave?+
PolyAI starts at Subscription · Free tier; Shortwave starts at Freemium · from $9. PolyAI 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, PolyAI or Shortwave?+
PolyAI is the more autonomous of the two (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.
Readers comparing PolyAI and Shortwave also picked
Adjacent agents in the same category with overlapping capabilities — worth a side-by-side glance before you commit.
Branded customer-facing agents from the founders of Salesforce + Google.
VoiceTool useMemoryRAGDemo · hover to playVoice agents for contact centers — handles tier-1 calls end-to-end.
VoiceTool useMemoryDemo · hover to play
See more alternatives: alternatives to PolyAI · alternatives to Shortwave
Want the real monthly cost at your volume? Run the TCO calculator →
← Build your own comparison