Notion Mail vs. Shortwave: A 2025 Showdown in AI-Powered Email

Notion Mail has launched as a minimalist email client for Notion users, focusing on AI-driven organization and integration with Notion Calendar, while Shortwave offers a robust, productivity-focused email experience with advanced features. Choose Notion Mail for a clean interface and Shortwave for powerful task management capabilities.

Apr 17, 2025

Notion Mail vs. Shortwave: A 2025 Showdown in AI-Powered Email

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview

Notion Mail: The Modular Inbox for Notion Enthusiasts

Shortwave: The Inbox Zero Powerhouse

Feature Comparison Table

Final Thoughts

Need help implementing either tool for your team?

Overview

As of 15 April 2025, Notion Mail has officially launched, entering the competitive arena of AI-enhanced email clients. It's stepping into a space already occupied by established players like Shortwave. Both aim to revolutionise how we interact with our inboxes, but they cater to different user needs and preferences.

Meanwhile, Google is steadily integrating its Gemini AI capabilities natively into Gmail, offering features like smart summarisation and contextual assistance. However, its rollout has been more incremental compared to third-party tools like Shortwave, which are innovating and shipping faster.

Notion Mail: The Modular Inbox for Notion Enthusiasts

Notion Mail is the latest addition to Notion's productivity suite, joining Notion Calendar and the original Notion workspace app. Publicly launched today, Notion Mail aims to centralise work communication with a minimalist, highly customisable email interface. I’ve been using it in testing for a couple of months, and here are my thoughts:

Key Features:

Gmail-only support (for now)

AI-driven email organisation via "Views"

Custom Views using natural language prompts

Notion-style slash commands for quick actions

Tight integration with Notion Calendar

Availability: Web, Mac (iOS in testing - I haven’t tried it yet)

Limitations:

No support for multiple accounts

No Windows or Android versions yet

Lacks polish in some interactions and AI behaviour

Missing deeper integration with the core Notion product, such as syncing individual emails into databases for collaborative tagging, commenting, or tracking. This would be a powerful addition for teams managing projects and workflows inside Notion.

Notably, Notion Mail’s clean and minimalist UI is a strong differentiator. It aligns with Notion’s broader design ethos and offers a calm, distraction-free interface—something that’s lacking in Shortwave, which often feels cluttered and visually overwhelming by comparison.

Shortwave: The Inbox Zero Powerhouse

Shortwave offers a mature, AI-powered email experience focused on speed and productivity. It's a modern Gmail client that feels like a to-do list with powerful automation and summarisation baked in.

Key Features:

Smart Bundles and Task-Oriented Inbox

AI Summarisation and Instant Smart Replies

Keyboard-first UX with command palette

Email translation and language understanding

Cross-platform support: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web

Pricing: Free plan with paid Pro tier at $9/month

Use Cases:

Perfect for professionals aiming for Inbox Zero

Ideal for teams needing triage workflows

Feature Comparison Table

Feature	Notion Mail	Shortwave
AI Capabilities	Auto-labelling, draft writing, custom views	Summarisation, replies, natural language search
Inbox Management	Custom Views, modular design	Bundles, triage, task conversion
Email Provider Support	Gmail only	Gmail only
Platform Support	Web, Mac (iOS beta)	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Best For	Notion-centric workflows	Productivity-driven professionals
Pricing	Free (but works best with a paid Notion AI add-on)	Free + $9/month for Pro

Final Thoughts

If you're deeply embedded in the Notion ecosystem, Notion Mail offers a fresh, integrated take on handling emails. Its UI is elegant and thoughtfully minimal, making it feel like a natural extension of your workspace.

By contrast, while Shortwave brings powerful features and fast workflows, its interface feels cluttered and less refined—something that may deter users who value clean aesthetics.

Bottom Line

Choose Notion Mail if you're all-in on Notion and its clean, minimalist aesthetic. I’d love to see deeper integration, such as syncing emails directly into Notion databases for collaboration and tracking.

Choose Shortwave if you need a robust, AI-first inbox that acts more like a task manager than a mail app (and if you’re willing to pay for a super-charged email client).