Vithos vs Shortwave
AI inbox versus keyboard-first Mac speed. Different products.
Shortwave sells an AI-first Gmail experience: assistant, AI search, filters, team seats. If that is what you want, it is coherent, and priced like Superhuman territory from Business up.
Vithos is not an AI email app. It is a keyboard-first Gmail client for Mac: local index, full offline, unified inbox, Pro at $14.99/mo, and a public API + MCP server so your tools (not ours) work the inbox. Same Gmail. Opposite product bet.
Side by side
Vithos and Shortwave, feature by feature. Last checked 2026-09-18.
Showing all rows
Sources: Shortwave.
Why people switch
Not an AI email app
Shortwave’s bet is the assistant. Vithos’s bet is the keyboard and the local index. Enrichment stays quiet; drafts and agents are yours via MCP if you want them.
Half the Superhuman-class price
Shortwave Business starts at $30/seat/mo. Vithos Pro is $14.99/mo: same Gmail, no AI seat tax.
Works when the network does not
Read, write, archive, and search with no network at all. Shortwave’s AI path assumes you are online.
Choose the other product if
Choose Shortwave if you want an AI-first Gmail inbox. Vithos is not an AI email app.
If you want an AI inbox, Shortwave is built for that. If you want a keyboard-first Gmail client for Mac that stays local and scriptable, that is Vithos.
Smarter, simpler email
Your fastest path through Gmail, designed around the keyboard and built to work locally.
macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon · Gmail · waitlist · 7-day trial after access