Skip to content
ProductArena

How Shortwave’s scores are calculated

The full audit trail, recomputed from the verdict data at build time through the same code that produced the leaderboard: verdict × quality × story weight per cell, cells sum to dimension scores, dimensions blend into the PA Score. Every number on the product page is reproducible from this page alone; for why the formula looks like this, see the methodology.

verdict factors: full ×1.0 · partial ×0.6 · disputed ×0.3 · none ×0.0 · n/a excluded from both sides · cell points = weight × quality × factor · cell max = weight × 10

PA Score22/100

Agent-ready 12.6 × 0.30 = 3.78

API quality 0.0 × 0.20 = 0.00

Openness 0.0 × 0.20 = 0.00

Built-in AI 77.8 × 0.15 = 11.67

Automation 41.3 × 0.15 = 6.19

(3.78 + 0.00 + 0.00 + 11.67 + 6.19) ÷ (0.30 + 0.20 + 0.20 + 0.15 + 0.15) = 21.64 ÷ 1.00 = 21.6

Scores are stored to 1 decimal; the product page’s pills round to whole numbers for display. Each dimension below shows the stories, verdicts, and cited evidence behind its number.

Agent-ready12.6/100×0.30 of the PA blend

Outside-in: can YOUR agent reach and drive this product — API, MCP, CLI, headless runs, agent docs.

Point an agent at llms.txt or agent-oriented docsweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

Run the product headlessly / in CI for automationweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

no evidence cited — the verdict rests on absence of evidence, re-checked on refresh

Plug MCP servers into this product so it can use their toolsweight 3

3 (weight) × 8 (quality) × 1.0 (full) = 24.0 of 30 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“You can connect virtually any application through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice — or even create your own.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice — or even create your own.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“AI Integrations for Shortwave—a powerful new feature that connects our AI Assistant to all your business applications, letting you accomplish complex workflows without ever leaving your inbox.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/pricing/“Connect the AI with your favorite apps and services for enhanced productivity workflows through built-in integrations or MCP”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“You can connect virtually any application through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice”
  • [community] https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/44492933“Security vendor blog highlighted that Shortwave's AI Email with MCP integration 'opens up rich capabilities—but also new attack surfaces,' framing it as a potential phishing target ('white whale').”

Connect an agent via an official MCP serverweight 3

3 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 30 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“You can connect virtually any application through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice — or even create your own.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice — or even create your own.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“You can connect virtually any application through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

Use an official CLIweight 2

n/a — not applicable to this product: excluded from numerator and denominator

no evidence cited — the verdict rests on absence of evidence, re-checked on refresh

Drive the product through a documented public APIweight 3

3 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 30 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“You can connect virtually any application through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice — or even create your own.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice — or even create your own.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/pricing/“Connect the AI with your favorite apps and services for enhanced productivity workflows through built-in integrations or MCP”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

Issue scoped/least-privilege API credentials for an agentweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”
  • [community] https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/30349243“User complaint: 'all these apps either want gmail way too many gmail permissions, and/or are hosted... I'm trying to get rid of gmail lol.'”

Build against official SDKsweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

Subscribe to events via webhooksweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Set up triggers to draft replies when emails arrive, add comments for your team, organize threads into todos, and connect to 3,000+ other apps.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“You can connect virtually any application through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice — or even create your own.”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

Agent-ready = 24.0 ÷ 190 × 100 = 12.6

API quality0.0/100×0.20 of the PA blend

The programmable surface once an agent is there — machine-readable spec, interactive docs, sandbox, versioning discipline.

Explore an interactive API reference with runnable examplesweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

Download a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI or equivalent)weight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”

Test against a sandbox environment without touching production dataweight 1

n/a — not applicable to this product: excluded from numerator and denominator

no evidence cited — the verdict rests on absence of evidence, re-checked on refresh

Rely on versioned APIs with a documented deprecation policyweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

API quality = 0.0 ÷ 60 × 100 = 0.0

Openness0.0/100×0.20 of the PA blend

Can you leave, inspect, or self-host — data export, open source, portability.

Do everything through the API that I can do in the UIweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

Export all of my data in open formats and leaveweight 3

3 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 30 max

  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”
  • [community] https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/30349243“'I must say I loved it. In 10min I cleared my inbox which I was postponing for a few weeks... it imported all my aliases and signatures.' User also liked that deleting the Shortwave account made switching back to Gmail low-risk.”

Read the product's source under an open licenseweight 2

2 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 20 max

no evidence cited — the verdict rests on absence of evidence, re-checked on refresh

Self-host the core productweight 3

3 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 30 max

  • [community] https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/30349243“Security-focused user: 'there is no way I could use a web mail client for security reasons (as a security consultant, we use PGP a lot and need a local email provider)... it only works with Google servers.'”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt“PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/llms.txt”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md“PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://www.shortwave.com/docs/.md”
  • [probe] https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json“PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://www.shortwave.com/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/swagger.json, https://www.shortwave.com/api/openapi.json, https://www.shortwave.com/.well-known/openapi.json)”

Openness = 0.0 ÷ 100 × 100 = 0.0

Built-in AI77.8/100×0.15 of the PA blend

Inside-out: how agentic the product itself is for its users — built-in assistants, autonomous features.

Get AI-generated insights and suggestions from my data inside the productweight 2

2 (weight) × 8 (quality) × 1.0 (full) = 16.0 of 20 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/instant-ai-summaries-every-email/“Instant Summaries show up at the very top of your email threads the instant you open them.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/instant-ai-summaries-every-email/“Instant Summaries show up at the very top of your email threads the **instant** you open them.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/meet-your-ai-email-executive-assistant/“it can read threads, write drafts, search your entire email history, check your calendar, and more”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/meet-your-ai-email-executive-assistant/“it can read threads, write drafts, search your entire email history, check your calendar, and more.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/ghostwriter-ai-email-autocomplete/“you’ll see suggestions presented to you automatically as you draft emails. Just press ‘tab’ to complete.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/ghostwriter-ai-email-autocomplete/“you’ll see suggestions presented to you automatically as you draft emails. Just press ‘tab’ to complete”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Take control of your inbox with custom AI filters. Automatically label, star, archive, and more with scripts you write in plain English.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Identify important emails & todos with a single click. Sweep away the rest.”

Set up automations that run autonomously in the backgroundweight 2

2 (weight) × 7 (quality) × 1.0 (full) = 14.0 of 20 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Set up triggers to draft replies when emails arrive, add comments for your team, organize threads into todos, and connect to 3,000+ other apps.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Take control of your inbox with custom AI filters. Automatically label, star, archive, and more with scripts you write in plain English.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Shortwave now integrates with Tasklet to take action on your emails automatically. Drafts appear right in Shortwave—not buried in Gmail.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“You can connect virtually any application through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Just click "Add custom integration" and point to an MCP server of your choice — or even create your own.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“connects our AI Assistant to all your business applications, letting you accomplish complex workflows without ever leaving your inbox”

Delegate tasks to a built-in AI assistant inside the productweight 3

3 (weight) × 8 (quality) × 1.0 (full) = 24.0 of 30 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/meet-your-ai-email-executive-assistant/“it can read threads, write drafts, search your entire email history, check your calendar, and more”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/meet-your-ai-email-executive-assistant/“it can read threads, write drafts, search your entire email history, check your calendar, and more.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Take control of your inbox with custom AI filters. Automatically label, star, archive, and more with scripts you write in plain English.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Set up triggers to draft replies when emails arrive, add comments for your team, organize threads into todos, and connect to 3,000+ other apps.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“connects our AI Assistant to all your business applications, letting you accomplish complex workflows without ever leaving your inbox”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“AI Integrations for Shortwave—a powerful new feature that connects our AI Assistant to all your business applications, letting you accomplish complex workflows without ever leaving your inbox.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Shortwave now integrates with Tasklet to take action on your emails automatically. Drafts appear right in Shortwave—not buried in Gmail.”

Operate the product with natural-language commandsweight 2

2 (weight) × 8 (quality) × 1.0 (full) = 16.0 of 20 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/meet-your-ai-email-executive-assistant/“it can read threads, write drafts, search your entire email history, check your calendar, and more”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Take control of your inbox with custom AI filters. Automatically label, star, archive, and more with scripts you write in plain English.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/meet-your-ai-email-executive-assistant/“it can read threads, write drafts, search your entire email history, check your calendar, and more.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“connects our AI Assistant to all your business applications, letting you accomplish complex workflows without ever leaving your inbox”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/integrate-ai-with-all-your-apps-mcp/“AI Integrations for Shortwave—a powerful new feature that connects our AI Assistant to all your business applications, letting you accomplish complex workflows without ever leaving your inbox.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Set up triggers to draft replies when emails arrive, add comments for your team, organize threads into todos, and connect to 3,000+ other apps.”

Built-in AI = 70.0 ÷ 90 × 100 = 77.8

Automation41.3/100×0.15 of the PA blend

Depth of automation primitives — rules, scheduling, bulk operations, webhooks.

Perform bulk operations across many items at onceweight 2

2 (weight) × 6 (quality) × 0.6 (partial) = 7.2 of 20 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Take control of your inbox with custom AI filters. Automatically label, star, archive, and more with scripts you write in plain English.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Identify important emails & todos with a single click. Sweep away the rest.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Set up triggers to draft replies when emails arrive, add comments for your team, organize threads into todos, and connect to 3,000+ other apps.”

Define rules that trigger actions automatically on eventsweight 3

3 (weight) × 7 (quality) × 1.0 (full) = 21.0 of 30 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Set up triggers to draft replies when emails arrive, add comments for your team, organize threads into todos, and connect to 3,000+ other apps.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Take control of your inbox with custom AI filters. Automatically label, star, archive, and more with scripts you write in plain English.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Shortwave now integrates with Tasklet to take action on your emails automatically. Drafts appear right in Shortwave—not buried in Gmail.”

Schedule recurring jobs or workflowsweight 2

2 (weight) × 4 (quality) × 0.6 (partial) = 4.8 of 20 max

  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Set up triggers to draft replies when emails arrive, add comments for your team, organize threads into todos, and connect to 3,000+ other apps.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com“Take control of your inbox with custom AI filters. Automatically label, star, archive, and more with scripts you write in plain English.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/blog/announcing-scheduled-send-and-undo-send/“Scheduled send gives you the ability to send an email at a future time.”
  • [claimed-docs] https://www.shortwave.com/changelog/“Shortwave now integrates with Tasklet to take action on your emails automatically. Drafts appear right in Shortwave—not buried in Gmail.”

Version, review, and roll back my automationsweight 1

1 (weight) × 0 (quality) × 0.0 (none) = 0.0 of 10 max

no evidence cited — the verdict rests on absence of evidence, re-checked on refresh

Automation = 33.0 ÷ 80 × 100 = 41.3