7 Best Open Source Shortwave Alternatives
A curated collection of the 7 best open source and self-hosted alternatives to Shortwave in 2026.
Looking for a free, privacy-friendly, or self-hosted replacement for Shortwave in 2026? The top open-source alternative is Macro Mail — AI-powered unified inbox for faster email management.
Other highly rated open-source Shortwave alternatives include Inbox Zero, Tuta and Twake Mail.
AI-powered unified inbox for faster email management
Macro Mail combines the speed of Superhuman, the multitasking of Outlook, the intelligence of Claude, and the simplicity of Gmail in one keyboard-first inbox. It intelligently ranks emails, learns your priorities, and helps you reach inbox zero faster with AI-powered drafting and automation. - Unified Inbox: Triage all your email accounts in a single view with split-second search and AI-powered organization. - AI Drafting: Automatically draft replies in your voice, scanning prior threads to maintain consistency. - Keyboard-First: Full keyboard shortcuts for triage, composition, and navigation—no mouse required. - Agent Automations: Set up agents to send daily summaries, fire custom notifications, and clear your inbox on a schedule. - Contextual Compose: Type @ to quickly add recipients and files without context switching. - Instant Search & Sync: Fast search, send, and sync across all accounts. - Signal/Noise Filtering: Intelligently ranks emails to highlight what matters most to you. - Multi-Account Support: Connect and manage multiple email accounts in one unified interface. Macro Mail is a cloud-hosted SaaS with no self-hosting option. The platform is built for speed and AI integration, requiring centralized infrastructure for real-time sync and machine learning features. For teams or individuals seeking privacy-focused alternatives, consider self-hosted email clients like Mailspring or Thunderbird.
AI email assistant to reach inbox zero fast
Inbox Zero is your AI executive assistant designed to help you reach inbox zero quickly and efficiently. It organizes your inbox, drafts replies in your unique tone, and automates tedious email tasks like bulk unsubscribing and blocking cold emails. - Automated Inbox Organization: AI labels and prioritizes emails automatically, so you never miss important messages. - Pre-written Drafts: Every email requiring a response gets a pre-drafted reply in your tone, ready to send. - Bulk Unsubscribe & Blocking: Easily unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters and block cold emails to keep your inbox clean. - Analytics Dashboard: Track your email activity and inbox zero progress with detailed analytics. - Calendar Integration: Syncs with your calendar to manage meetings and deadlines seamlessly. - Open-Source: Fully transparent and customizable, with a community-driven codebase. Inbox Zero is open-source and can be self-hosted for full control over your data. The project is built with modern web technologies and is designed for scalability and ease of deployment.
Privacy-first encrypted email, calendar & contacts
Tuta is a privacy-first email service that provides secure communication through end-to-end encryption, ensuring your data remains private and protected. Built with quantum-resistant encryption, Tuta offers a seamless experience for email, calendar, and contacts management without ads or tracking. - Quantum-resistant encryption for maximum data protection - End-to-end encrypted email with intuitive design for fast workflows - Zero-knowledge calendar that respects your privacy - Ad-free and tracking-free interface - Cross-platform support with apps for Android, iPhone, and web - Custom domain support for professional email addresses - Push notifications for calendar events on all devices - Open-source with transparent security practices Tuta is open-source and available as a self-hosted solution. The project is developed in TypeScript and can be deployed on your own infrastructure for full control over your data. Visit the GitHub repository for deployment instructions and technical details.
Open source secure professional email solution
Twake Mail is a next-generation secure email client built on the JMAP protocol, offering superior performance, advanced encryption, and built-in threat detection. Unlike traditional IMAP-based clients, JMAP consolidates requests for 30x efficiency while maintaining compatibility with existing email services. - JMAP Protocol: Modern messaging protocol replacing outdated IMAP with 30x better resource efficiency - End-to-End Encryption: PGP-based encryption for all emails ensuring maximum privacy - Advanced Spam Shield: Customizable filters to block phishing, hacking attempts, and other threats - Energy Efficient: Significantly reduces server load and energy consumption compared to IMAP - Flexible Search: Enhanced search capabilities with custom criteria across mailboxes - Cross-Platform: Available as mobile apps (iOS/Android) and web client - On-Premise Option: Self-hostable solution for complete data control - Threat Detection: Built-in cyber attack protection and data security measures Twake Mail is built on the JMAP protocol and is available as: - Mobile Apps: iOS and Android applications - Web Client: Browser-based access - Self-Hosted: Can be deployed on your own infrastructure for maximum control - Open Source: Full source code available on GitHub The platform emphasizes security, privacy, and performance while providing a familiar email experience with modern enhancements.
Host and collaborate on code with Git
GitHub is the industry-standard platform for version control and collaborative software development. Built around Git, it provides a centralized hub for hosting repositories, tracking issues, managing pull requests, and automating workflows through GitHub Actions. - Git Repository Hosting: Secure and scalable hosting for Git repositories with unlimited private and public projects - Collaboration Tools: Built-in issue tracking, project boards, and code review workflows - GitHub Actions: Native CI/CD pipelines for automated testing, building, and deployment - Code Security: Integrated vulnerability scanning, secret detection, and dependency management - Project Management: Kanban-style boards, milestones, and wikis for team coordination - Package Registry: Host and share software packages (npm, Docker, etc.) directly from repositories - Community Features: Discover and contribute to open-source projects with stars, forks, and discussions - Enterprise Solutions: Advanced security, compliance, and self-hosting options for organizations GitHub is primarily a cloud-based SaaS platform, but GitHub Enterprise Server offers self-hosted solutions for organizations requiring on-premises control. The platform is built on open-source components and follows industry-standard security practices.
All-in-one business stack for modern founders
Midday is an all-in-one business management platform designed for modern founders. It consolidates invoicing, time tracking, transaction reconciliation, and financial exports into one unified system, eliminating the need for multiple disjointed tools. - Automated Invoicing: Send invoices and track payments with real-time updates. - Transaction Reconciliation: Automatically sync and categorize transactions from connected accounts. - Time Tracking: Log billable hours and project time directly within the platform. - Receipt Management: Match receipts to transactions and automate expense tracking. - Financial Insights: Generate clean financial reports and exports for accountants. - Customer Management: Track customer performance and payment history in one place. - Document Storage: Centralize files and documents related to projects or clients. - AI Integrations: Connect with external tools via AI-powered workflows. Midday is a cloud-based SaaS platform with no self-hosting option. The service is designed for ease of use with automatic syncing to financial accounts (e.g., Stripe, AWS) and supports modern web browsers. While the platform leverages AI for integrations, the core functionality does not require AI models for operation.
Free open-source desktop accounting software
Frappe Books is a free, open-source desktop accounting application designed for simplicity and efficiency. Built with a modern UI, it eliminates the complexity of traditional accounting software by offering features like fuzzy search for quick invoice creation and a powerful template builder for customizable invoices. - Desktop-first accounting: Runs locally on your computer with all data stored in a single SQLite database file. - Fuzzy search shortcut: Press Ctrl+K to quickly create invoices or navigate to any feature from anywhere in the app. - Customizable invoice templates: Build invoices from scratch using HTML or choose from pre-built templates. - Comprehensive reporting: Includes Profit & Loss, General Ledger, and Balance Sheet reports. - Offline functionality: No internet connection required to use the software. - Open-source license: Released under AGPL-3.0, ensuring transparency and community contributions. - No subscription fees: Completely free with no hidden costs or cloud dependencies. Frappe Books is a desktop application built with Electron and uses SQLite for data storage. The entire application is self-contained, making it easy to install and run on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No server or cloud infrastructure is required, ensuring full data ownership and privacy.
About Shortwave
Shortwave is an AI-powered email assistant designed to automate and enhance your email workflow. It helps you organize, write, search, and schedule emails effortlessly using natural language prompts.
Key Features of Shortwave
- AI-Powered Email Organization: Identify important emails and todos with a single click, sweep away clutter, and categorize emails automatically.
- Custom AI Filters: Write plain English scripts to label, star, archive, or prioritize emails based on your needs.
- Smart Email Writing: AI learns your writing style to draft emails that sound like you, saving time and maintaining consistency.
- AI-Powered Search: Find emails instantly or analyze your team's emails and attachments for answers using natural language queries.
- Intelligent Autocomplete: Get personalized suggestions while typing, including real links, facts, and phrases from your email history.
- Calendar Integration: Ask the AI to check availability, create calendar events, and draft scheduling emails automatically.
- Split Inbox: Divide your inbox into tabs for important emails, specific senders, labels, or custom queries to focus your attention.
- Bulk Triage with Bundles: Control promotions, newsletters, and updates to reach inbox zero faster.
- Email to Todo Conversion: Transform emails into actionable todos with notes, prioritization, and grouping directly in your inbox.
- Scheduled Email Delivery: Avoid interruptions by scheduling when emails arrive in your inbox.
- Read Status Tracking: See when people read your emails to prioritize follow-ups and improve collaboration.
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Navigate and manage emails entirely via keyboard with markdown support.
- Team Collaboration: Share live email threads, comment privately, assign tasks, and create shared AI-searchable email archives.
- Prompt & Template Sharing: Share common content and automation prompts with your team to streamline workflows.
Tech / Self-Hosting
Shortwave is a cloud-based SaaS application available on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows. It does not offer self-hosting options. The platform emphasizes privacy and security with enterprise-grade encryption and compliance standards.