Shortwave vs ProWritingAid

Tagline

Automate your email with agentic AI

The Storyteller's Toolkit: A grammar checker, style editor, and writing mentor in one package.

Category

Pricing

Rating

Platforms

API

Open source

Description

Shortwave is an AI-powered email client designed to manage, organize, search, and automate your inbox. Utilizing advanced LLMs, it offers conversational AI assistance, custom AI filters, context-aware writing in your voice, scheduling integration, email bundle triage, and secure, private team collaboration.

ProWritingAid is a comprehensive writing assistant and developmental editor designed for storytellers and writers. It offers grammar checking, style editing, paraphrasing, and deep manuscript analysis. The platform helps writers refine their plots, bring characters to life, get virtual beta feedback, and edit chapters natively inside popular writing applications.

Key features

• AI Assistant for conversational email management and delegation
• AI Search to query your email using plain natural language
• Custom AI Filters written in plain English to automatically label, star, or archive
• Inbox Splits to divide your inbox into custom, focused tabs
• Email Bundles to group promotions, updates, or custom labels as single items
• Delivery Schedules to control when emails arrive in your inbox
• Private Team Comments and mentions to discuss emails directly in the app
• Shared Live Threads and read statuses to coordinate with teammates
• Voice Learning AI to draft replies that sound like your unique writing style
• Keyboard Shortcuts to process email workflows entirely without a mouse
• Tasklet Integration to connect to 3,000+ apps and automate workflows
• Google Workspace and Advanced Protection Program support

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Manuscript Analysis
• Plot Analysis
• Character Analysis
• Virtual Beta Reader
• Chapter Critique
• Marketability Analysis
• Story Canvas
• Write Mode
• Sparks Content Suggestions
• 25+ Writing Reports

Pros

• Available across multiple platforms including iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.
• Employs third-party security reviews and undergoes annual CASA Tier 2 verification audits.
• Saves time by grouping mailing lists, newsletters, and promotional emails into bundled rows.
• Adapts and learns the user's specific voice and style based on sent emails.
• Allows team members to privately comment on live email threads and collaborate without forwarding.
• Guarantees that customer data is never used to train third-party LLMs.
• Enables delivery schedules so you can control exactly when non-urgent emails enter your inbox.
• Provides a clear 14-day full refund policy for paid subscriptions.

• Integrates directly into favorite writing apps like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Scrivener.
• Protects your privacy with bank-level security and guarantees never to use your text to train its algorithms.
• Generates over 25+ comprehensive reports analyzing cliches, overused words, structure, and pacing.
• Capable of analyzing long-form manuscripts of up to 300,000 words in just minutes.
• Features a Virtual Beta Reader that provides modeled first-person reader reactions and emotional high/low maps.
• Analyzes story arcs and plot holes automatically against standard structures like the Three Act Structure.
• Offers Sparks Edit and Sparks Inspire tools to help rewrite passages and break through writer's block.
• Allows adding new dictionary terms and creating customizable, personal grammar and style rules.

Cons

• Longer conversations inside the AI assistant process entire chat history, rapidly consuming daily quota limits.
• Refunds are strictly unavailable once the initial 14-day payment period expires.
• The Business paid plan limits users to roughly 150-300 standard AI requests per day.
• Premium tiers can be expensive, with the Max tier scaling up to $120 per user.
• Compliance options like SOC 2 Type II or GDPR are not self-serve and require manually contacting support.

• The free plan is subject to a strict 500 word count limit.
• Refunds are not available under any circumstances for monthly paid subscription plans.
• Refund requests for yearly or lifetime paid plans must be made within a tight three-day window of purchase.
• Purchased Story Credits are completely nonrefundable.
• No developer API documentation or pricing is listed on the main informational pages.
• No references to dedicated iOS or Android mobile applications are listed on the main site.

Pricing plans

• BusinessUSD30/month
  • • Standard intelligence
  • • AI autocomplete, summaries & attachment analysis
  • • Read statuses, link tracking, snippets & more
  • • Full standard search history
• PremierUSD45/month
  • • Everything in Business, plus Advanced intelligence
  • • 2x more usage
  • • 100 threads per AI search
  • • 2x context tokens
• MaxUSD120/month
  • • Everything in Premier, plus Expert intelligence
  • • 6x more usage
  • • 150 threads per AI search
  • • 3x context tokens

• FreeGBP0
  • • Grammar, spelling, punctuation
  • • Word Explorer & Thesaurus
  • • Document type setting
  • • 100% data security and privacy
• PremiumGBP30/month
  • • Everything in Free
  • • Unlimited word count
  • • Unlimited Rephrases
  • • Unlimited report runs
• PremiumGBP10/month
  • • Everything in Free
  • • Unlimited word count
  • • Unlimited Rephrases
  • • Unlimited report runs
• PremiumGBP399/one_time
  • • Everything in Free
  • • Unlimited word count
  • • Unlimited Rephrases
  • • Unlimited report runs
• Premium ProGBP36/month
  • • Everything in Premium
  • • Advanced style improvements
  • • Custom style guide
  • • Discount on Story Credits
• Premium ProGBP12/month
  • • Everything in Premium
  • • Advanced style improvements
  • • Custom style guide
  • • Discount on Story Credits
• Premium ProGBP699/one_time
  • • Everything in Premium
  • • Advanced style improvements
  • • Custom style guide
  • • Discount on Story Credits

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