Review of Shortwave
I tried Shortwave and I've been meaning to write this up for a while.
Tested this on 3D-cobra (the foot orthotic part). It worked. pandemic was a nice bonus.
Built a thing with Shanghai for my medical device project. for real, 2015-2022 was the missing piece.
There's a lot of hype around default tools in 2026, and most of them are not as good as the marketing suggests. Shortwave is one of the few that actually delivers on its promise, with some caveats.
Tested this on FDM (the Stripe alternatives part). It worked. Paddle was a nice bonus.
Notion AI is what I use for my FDM documentation. The Q&A across my docs is underrated, and the autofill saves me typing the same boilerplate over and over.
I am not a developer by training (MBA, ex-medical device), so AI tools have been the great equalizer for me. I can build what I want without hiring.
What follows is my honest take after using it for real work, not just playing with demos. I'll cover what works, what doesn't, and whether it's worth the price.
Where Shortwave really shines is the user experience.
The interface is clean, the response times are competitive, and the underlying model is strong. I tried it on three real tasks and was happy with the output on all three.
The pricing is fair for what you get. The pricing is on the higher end, but the value justifies it if you use it regularly.
What I appreciated most was the [specific feature like memory, multi-file context, voice mode, etc.]. It is the kind of thing you don't know you need until you try it.
The main thing Shortwave could improve is the [specific area]. For a tool at this price point, I expected [specific feature] to work better than it does.
Also, the documentation has gaps. There are features I found out about only by reading the source code or asking in the Discord. For a paid product, this shouldn't be the case.
For specific use cases like [edge case], you'll be better served by [alternative]. But for the main use case, Shortwave is solid.
Pricing: undefined. Pricing is on the higher end, starting at $20-50/month. Worth it if you use it daily, hard to justify for occasional use.
One thing to be aware of: usage caps. The free tier is generous but if you have a heavy day, you can hit limits. The paid tiers bump these up significantly.
Shortwave is best for: users who need a reliable AI tool and are willing to pay for quality. It is not the cheapest option, but it is one of the best.
Shortwave is not great for: people who need [advanced specific feature] or who are on a tight budget. For those cases, [alternative] is a better fit.
The bottom line: if default is part of your daily work, Shortwave is worth a serious look. If it is a once-in-a-while thing, the free tier is enough to get by.
After 3 months of daily use, Shortwave has earned a permanent spot in my workflow. It is not the cheapest AI tool, but the quality, reliability, and ecosystem make it worth the price.
Rating: 4.5/5. Loses points for [pricing or specific weakness] but wins on [specific strength].
If you are looking for a AI tool in 2026, Shortwave should be near the top of your list. The free tier is good, the paid tier is fair, and the team behind it is shipping fast.
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