ElevenLabs vs Shortwave

ElevenLabs and Shortwave sit in the same category. The verdict below is calculated for each role from the tasks, the role fit and the price.

Short answer

Shortwave wins for 10 of 20 roles in our data. ElevenLabs starts at $5/mo; Shortwave publishes no fixed price.

Verdict by role

Role	Better choice	Why
Accountant	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Lawyer	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 1; works for free
HR manager	ElevenLabs	built for this role
Finance manager	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Manager	ElevenLabs	covers 4 tasks relevant to this role against 2
Marketer	ElevenLabs	covers 4 tasks relevant to this role against 2
Sales manager	ElevenLabs	covers 4 tasks relevant to this role against 2
Data analyst	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Teacher	ElevenLabs	covers 4 tasks relevant to this role against 2; part of the role's core toolkit
Executive assistant	ElevenLabs	covers 4 tasks relevant to this role against 2
Logistics manager	Shortwave	works for free
Procurement manager	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Secretary	Shortwave	works for free
Recruiter	ElevenLabs	built for this role
HR administrator	Either one	even on tasks, Shortwave is cheaper to start
Tax consultant	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Auditor	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Economist	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Project manager	ElevenLabs	covers 4 tasks relevant to this role against 2
Social media manager	ElevenLabs	covers 4 tasks relevant to this role against 2

Side by side

	ElevenLabs	Shortwave
Vendor	ElevenLabs	Shortwave
Category	Other tools	Other tools
Free plan	Yes: 10,000 credits a month (about 10 minutes of speech), non-commercial use only with attribution, no voice cloning	Yes: A free plan with a shorter AI search history
Cheapest paid plan	Starter, $5/mo	price on request
Top plan	Business, $1320/mo	price on request
Tasks covered	4	2

ElevenLabs: Natural-sounding text to speech in dozens of languages, video dubbing and transcription.

Shortwave: Email client for Gmail with an AI assistant that searches and answers across all your mail.

Only ElevenLabs covers

Only Shortwave covers

Pitfalls to watch at work

ElevenLabs

Cloning someone else's voice without their written consent is prohibited by the terms of service and creates legal risk
On the free plan generated audio is allowed only for non-commercial use with attribution
The model guesses stress in surnames and technical terms: listen to the voiceover before publishing

Shortwave

It works only with Gmail and Google Workspace; Outlook mail cannot be connected
The assistant indexes emails on the service's servers: for mailboxes with HR and banking mail, clear this with the company
Check a date or amount from the assistant in the email it cites

FAQ

Is ElevenLabs or Shortwave better for work?

In our data Shortwave is the better choice for 10 of 20 roles. The table above shows the reason for each role.

Which is cheaper, ElevenLabs or Shortwave?

ElevenLabs starts at $5/mo; Shortwave publishes no fixed price.

Do ElevenLabs and Shortwave have free plans?

ElevenLabs: Yes. 10,000 credits a month (about 10 minutes of speech), non-commercial use only with attribution, no voice cloning. Shortwave: Yes. A free plan with a shorter AI search history.

Compare ElevenLabs with

Compare Shortwave with

Alternatives to ElevenLabs · Alternatives to Shortwave · ElevenLabs pricing · Shortwave pricing