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Email Marketing · head to head

Shortwave vs TinyLetter

Shortwave logo

Shortwave

Email Marketing

AI-powered email assistant for intelligent inbox management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TinyLetter logo

TinyLetter

News

The simplest way to send newsletters

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Shortwave per-seat pricing increases team costs compared to flat-rate email solutions; TinyLetter tinyLetter merged into Mailchimp; no longer offered as standalone product
  • They diverge on capability: Shortwave covers AI Email Filtering, TinyLetter covers Newsletter publishing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Shortwave and TinyLetter actually diverge.

Attributes where Shortwave and TinyLetter differ
AttributeShortwaveTinyLetter
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsiOS, Android, macOS, WindowsWeb
CategoryEmail MarketingNews
FoundedUnknown2011

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

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 Shortwave

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

Only in TinyLetter

  • Newsletter publishing
  • Email templates
  • Subscriber management
  • Archive creation
  • Email delivery
  • Simple editor
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

What people use each for

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

Shortwave

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

TinyLetter

  • Email newsletter distribution to subscribersnot Shortwave
  • Automated email marketing campaignsnot Shortwave
  • Customer communication and engagementnot Shortwave
  • E-commerce order notification systemsnot Shortwave

Where each one falls short

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

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

TinyLetter

  • TinyLetter merged into Mailchimp; no longer offered as standalone product
  • Free tier limited to 250 contacts maximum
  • Pricing varies significantly by contact volume tiers
  • Premium plan at $350/month may be cost-prohibitive for small newsletters

Pricing, plan by plan

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

TinyLetter

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 250 contacts
    • Basic email campaigns
    • Customer insights
  • Essentials$13/month
    • A/B testing
    • Scheduling
    • Limited templates
  • Standard$20/month
    • Automations
    • Personalization
    • Generative AI
  • Premium$350/month
    • Phone support
    • Priority support
    • Multivariate testing

Which should you pick?

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

Choose TinyLetter if

  • You need newsletter publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want email templates.
TinyLetter review

Questions people ask

Is Shortwave or TinyLetter better?
Neither clearly leads. Shortwave starts at Free and TinyLetter at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Shortwave or TinyLetter?
Shortwave starts at Free and TinyLetter at Free.
Does Shortwave or TinyLetter run on more platforms?
Shortwave runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. TinyLetter runs on Web.
Can I use Shortwave for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Shortwave best used for?
Shortwave is most often used for reducing inbox overload through ai-powered organization, drafting professional emails using natural language, scheduling meetings without back-and-forth coordination, searching email archives using conversational queries. Of those, reducing inbox overload through ai-powered organization and drafting professional emails using natural language are not what TinyLetter is typically brought in for.
What can Shortwave do that TinyLetter cannot?
Shortwave covers AI Email Filtering, Intelligent Autocomplete, Voice-Style Composition, Meeting Scheduling. TinyLetter covers Newsletter publishing, Email templates, Subscriber management, Archive creation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
TinyLetter: Is TinyLetter still available separately?

No, TinyLetter has been merged into Mailchimp and is no longer offered as a standalone product. Existing TinyLetter users were migrated to Mailchimp's marketing platform.

Source
Shortwave: What platforms does Shortwave support?

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

Source
TinyLetter: Does Mailchimp offer a free email plan?

Yes, Mailchimp's free plan supports up to 250 contacts and allows you to create email campaigns and learn customer insights at no cost.

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
TinyLetter: What discounts does Mailchimp offer for annual billing?

Mailchimp offers 15% off the first 12 months for accounts with 10,000 or more contacts.

Source
Shortwave: What integrations does Shortwave support?

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

Source
TinyLetter: Is there a free trial available for Mailchimp's paid plans?

Yes, a 14-day free trial is available for Standard and Essentials plans without requiring a credit card for the first 100 emails.

Source
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