Relay Agents vs Shortwave: 2026 comparison
Human-in-the-loop workflow agents that connect 100+ apps with approvals.
AI email client — natural-language search, summary, scheduled send, and AI-drafted replies grounded in your inbox.
Relay Agents vs Shortwave — specs
| Spec | Relay Agents | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 72 / 100 (A) | 72 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Semi-autonomous | Assistant |
| Pricing | Freemium · from $18 | Freemium · from $9 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Tool use, Memory | RAG, Memory, Tool use |
| Integrations | 4 apps | 3 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Mar 2025 | Feb 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
- Autonomy fit
- 8
- Capabilities
- 4
- Integrations
- 8
- Pricing value
- 8
- Polish & maturity
- 5
- 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 human-in-the-loop pattern of any no-code agent
- +Connects 100+ apps with conditional logic and approval gates
- +Free tier is real — not a trial in disguise
- −AI features are lighter than purpose-built agent platforms
- −Per-seat pricing scales fast for larger teams
- −No native phone / voice support
- +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
- +200 runs/mo
- +All app integrations
- +2,000 runs/mo
- +Multi-step approvals
- +Conditional branching
- +Shared workflows
- +Audit log
- +Role-based access
- +Basic AI summary
- +90-day search
- +Unlimited search
- +AI assistant
- +Scheduled send
- +Shared inboxes
- +Send delegation
- +Admin controls
Which one should you pick?
Pick Relay Agents if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place.
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Frequently asked
Should I pick Relay Agents or Shortwave in 2026?+
Pick Relay Agents if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place. Pick Shortwave if cost is the main constraint. Most working teams running both can use Relay Agents for primary work and Shortwave for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Relay Agents and Shortwave?+
Relay Agents starts at Freemium · from $18; 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, Relay Agents or Shortwave?+
Relay 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.