# Shortwave vs OrbMail

The clearest difference is update cadence: OrbMail at daily against Shortwave's every 3 weeks. Shortwave's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Shortwave ships an update every 3 weeks, OrbMail daily. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shortwave | OrbMail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (749 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortwave-ai-email/id1559784681/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **749** | — |
| Positive reviews | 65.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 26 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shortwave Communications, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1502603969) | [Julio Aris Serey](https://appshunter.io/developer/6806903578) |

## What reviewers say

### Shortwave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortwave-ai-email/id1559784681)

This AI-powered email client streamlines your inbox with intelligent organization, writing assistance, and team collaboration tools. It helps you manage emails, schedule meetings, and turn messages into actionable tasks, all while learning your unique style.

**Highlights:** AI-powered email writing and drafting, Intelligent inbox organization and clutter removal, Real-time team collaboration and email assignment, AI-assisted meeting scheduling, Email to-do list conversion, Customizable AI prompts and automations, Management of multiple Gmail accounts

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent email management
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Efficient email processing
- 💡 Innovative AI features
- 👍 Helpful email bundling and scheduling

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent mobile app experience
- 🔒 Privacy concerns around data collection
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
- 💻 Lack of support for non-Gmail accounts
- 🔧 Missing key features like delete and landscape mode

**Reported bugs**

- Unreliable email bundling and threading
- Inconsistent performance and stability issues
- Bugs with email forwarding and attachment handling

**Requested features**

- Add support for more email providers
- Improve iPad and tablet optimization
- Enhance customization options for labels and actions
- Integrate with more productivity apps and services
- Provide better transparency around data usage and privacy


### OrbMail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbmail/id6806903576)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shortwave free?

Shortwave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is OrbMail free?

OrbMail is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Shortwave or OrbMail have ads?

Neither Shortwave nor OrbMail shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shortwave or OrbMail?

Shortwave ships an update every 3 weeks, and OrbMail daily. Most recently, Shortwave was updated on October 22, 2026 and OrbMail on October 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*