Best Email Client · head-to-head
Spike vs Shortwave
A sourced, side-by-side comparison for email client. Spike has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
At a glance
- Price: Spike $0/mo vs Shortwave $0/mo — Spike is cheaper to start.
- Free tier: Spike Yes; Shortwave Yes.
- HIPAA: Spike —; Shortwave —.
Side by side
| Spike | Shortwave | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $0/mo (Teamspace Free) | $0/mo (Free) |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA) | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | — |
| GDPR | — | — |
| Best for | teams wanting chat-style email | Gmail power users |
Sources — Spike: spikenow.com (verified 2026-06-18). Shortwave: shortwave.com (verified 2026-06-18).
Key features
Spike: Conversational email threading (chat-like UI); Built-in video calls and team collaboration; Dual product tracks: Teamspace and individual Email App; WhatsApp shared inbox on team plans
Shortwave: AI-native inbox with executive assistant; Multi-tiered AI search over full email history; AI-powered filters and thread summarization; Contextual AI autocomplete