Softwr

Email Marketing · head to head

Resend vs Shortwave

Resend logo

Resend

Email Marketing

Email API for developers to send transactional and marketing email

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: Resend free tier is capped at 100 emails per day, which is restrictive for apps with bursty transactional volume.; Shortwave per-seat pricing increases team costs compared to flat-rate email solutions
  • They diverge on capability: Resend covers Email API and SDKs, Shortwave covers AI Email Filtering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Resend and Shortwave actually diverge.

Attributes where Resend and Shortwave differ
AttributeResendShortwave
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Platformsweb, apiiOS, 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 Resend

  • Email API and SDKs
  • Domain management
  • Audience and contacts
  • Automation workflows
  • Email analytics
  • Dedicated IPs

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.

Resend

  • Sending transactional emails from a web appnot Shortwave
  • Running marketing email campaigns to contact listsnot Shortwave
  • Automating onboarding or lifecycle email sequencesnot Shortwave
  • Tracking deliverability and engagement analyticsnot Shortwave

Shortwave

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

Where each one falls short

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

Resend

  • Free tier is capped at 100 emails per day, which is restrictive for apps with bursty transactional volume.
  • Marketing and transactional plans are billed and priced separately, so a product needing both must budget for two tiers.
  • Dedicated IPs are only available on the Scale plan and require a minimum daily send volume.

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

Resend

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3,000 emails/month
    • 100 emails/day
    • 3 domains
  • Pro$20/month
    • 50,000 emails/month
    • 10 domains
    • 100 AI credits/month
  • Scale$90/month
    • 100,000 emails/month
    • 1,000 domains
    • Slack and ticket support

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 Resend if

  • You need email api and sdks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want domain management.
Resend 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 Resend or Shortwave better?
Neither clearly leads. Resend 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, Resend or Shortwave?
Resend starts at Free and Shortwave at Free.
Does Resend or Shortwave run on more platforms?
Resend runs on web, api. Shortwave runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Resend for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Resend best used for?
Resend is most often used for sending transactional emails from a web app, running marketing email campaigns to contact lists, automating onboarding or lifecycle email sequences, tracking deliverability and engagement analytics. Of those, sending transactional emails from a web app and running marketing email campaigns to contact lists are not what Shortwave is typically brought in for.
What can Resend do that Shortwave cannot?
Resend covers Email API and SDKs, Domain management, Audience and contacts, Automation workflows. Shortwave covers AI Email Filtering, Intelligent Autocomplete, Voice-Style Composition, Meeting Scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Resend: What does Resend cost?

Transactional email starts free for 3,000 emails/month, then Pro is $20/month for 50,000 emails and Scale ranges from $90 to $1,150/month for up to 2.5M emails. Marketing email is priced separately by contact count, starting free for 1,000 contacts.

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
Resend: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the free transactional plan allows 3,000 emails per month capped at 100 per day across 3 domains, and the free marketing plan allows up to 1,000 contacts.

Source
Shortwave: What platforms does Shortwave support?

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

Source
Resend: How is usage metered?

Transactional plans are metered by number of emails sent, with overage billed per 1,000 emails. Marketing plans are metered by number of contacts rather than emails sent.

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
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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