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Email Marketing · head to head

Omnisend vs Shortwave

Omnisend logo

Omnisend

Email Marketing

Email, SMS and push marketing automation for ecommerce

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shortwave logo

Shortwave

Email Marketing

AI-powered email assistant for intelligent inbox management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Omnisend free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails per month; Shortwave per-seat pricing increases team costs compared to flat-rate email solutions
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Omnisend and Shortwave actually diverge.

Attributes where Omnisend and Shortwave differ
AttributeOmnisendShortwave
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWebiOS, Android, macOS, Windows

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Email Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Omnisend

Nothing recorded that Shortwave does not also cover.

Only in Shortwave

  • AI Email Filtering
  • Intelligent Autocomplete
  • Voice-Style Composition
  • Meeting Scheduling
  • Email-to-Todo Conversion
  • AI-Powered Search
  • Team Collaboration
  • Email Summaries

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Omnisend

  • Sending cart abandonment recovery emails with product recommendationsnot Shortwave
  • Segmenting customers by purchase history for targeted SMS campaignsnot Shortwave
  • Creating browse abandonment sequences triggered by browsing behaviornot Shortwave
  • Generating personalized product recommendations in email messagesnot Shortwave

Shortwave

  • Reducing inbox overload through AI-powered organizationnot Omnisend
  • Drafting professional emails using natural languagenot Omnisend
  • Scheduling meetings without back-and-forth coordinationnot Omnisend
  • Searching email archives using conversational queriesnot Omnisend
  • Converting emails to tasks for team task trackingnot Omnisend

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Omnisend

  • Free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails per month
  • Standard plan is limited to 500 contacts and 6,000 emails per month before an upgrade is required
  • SMS is billed separately starting at $0.007 per message and varies by country and volume
  • Custom pricing only begins above 150,001 contacts, requiring a sales conversation at that scale

Shortwave

  • Per-seat pricing increases team costs compared to flat-rate email solutions
  • AI features may require higher tier plans, limiting value for smaller teams
  • Dependency on third-party integrations for full feature depth
  • Learning curve for effective use of AI-powered features
  • Limited customization for AI filter behavior compared to manual rules

Pricing, plan by plan

Omnisend

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 250 contacts
    • 500 emails/month
    • 500 web push/month
  • Standard$11.2/month
    • Up to 500 contacts
    • 6,000 emails/month (12x list size)
    • Unlimited web push
  • Pro$41.3/month
    • Up to 2,500 contacts
    • Unlimited emails
    • Unlimited web push
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • 150,001+ contacts
    • Custom pricing with dedicated account expert

Shortwave

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Email search and organization
    • Basic inbox tools
    • Limited AI features
  • Business$30/month
    • Full standard search history
    • 5 years AI search history
    • Max 50 threads per AI search
  • Premier$45/month
    • Everything in Business
    • 2x more AI usage
    • Unlimited AI search history
  • Max$120/month
    • Everything in Premier
    • 6x more AI usage
    • Max 150 threads per AI search

Which should you pick?

Choose Omnisend if

  • You want to start without paying.
Omnisend review

Choose Shortwave if

  • You need ai email filtering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want intelligent autocomplete.
Shortwave review

Questions people ask

Is Omnisend or Shortwave better?
Neither clearly leads. Omnisend starts at Free and Shortwave at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Omnisend or Shortwave?
Omnisend starts at Free and Shortwave at Free.
Does Omnisend or Shortwave run on more platforms?
Omnisend runs on Web. Shortwave runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Omnisend for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Omnisend best used for?
Omnisend is most often used for sending cart abandonment recovery emails with product recommendations, segmenting customers by purchase history for targeted sms campaigns, creating browse abandonment sequences triggered by browsing behavior, generating personalized product recommendations in email messages. Of those, sending cart abandonment recovery emails with product recommendations and segmenting customers by purchase history for targeted sms campaigns are not what Shortwave is typically brought in for.
What can Omnisend do that Shortwave cannot?
Shortwave covers AI Email Filtering, Intelligent Autocomplete, Voice-Style Composition, Meeting Scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Omnisend: What is Omnisend's pricing model?

Omnisend uses contact-based tiered pricing. Free plan includes 250 contacts, Standard tier covers 500 contacts at $11.20/month, Pro tier covers 2,500 contacts at $41.30/month. Monthly or 3-month subscriptions available with 30% discount on quarterly billing.

Source
Shortwave: Is there a free trial for Shortwave?

Yes, Shortwave offers a 14-day free trial for all paid plans with no credit card required.

Source
Omnisend: Does Omnisend charge for SMS?

Yes, SMS is an add-on with volume-based pricing starting at $0.007 per message for orders of 10,000+ messages, up to $0.009 per message for smaller volumes.

Source
Shortwave: What platforms does Shortwave support?

Shortwave is available on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows for full cross-platform email management.

Source
Omnisend: Is there a free version of Omnisend?

Omnisend offers a free tier for up to 250 contacts with 500 emails/month, 500 web push/month, and basic automation features.

Source
Shortwave: How much AI usage do I get per plan?

Business plan includes 3 AI-powered filters and standard AI usage. Premier (2x more AI) and Max (6x more AI) plans provide increasing levels of AI feature access.

Source
Omnisend: What is included in the Pro plan?

The Pro plan at $41.30/month covers up to 2,500 contacts with unlimited emails, unlimited web push, AI personalization, and SMS starting at $0.007 per message.

Source
Shortwave: What integrations does Shortwave support?

Shortwave integrates with Slack, Calendar, Notion, Asana, HubSpot, and 3,000+ apps via Tasklet.

Source
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