Shortwave vs Synthesia

Shortwave and Synthesia 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 14 of 20 roles in our data. Synthesia starts at $29/mo; Shortwave publishes no fixed price.

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	Synthesia	part of the role's core toolkit; built for this role
Finance manager	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Manager	Synthesia	higher total score on tasks and fit
Marketer	Either one	even on tasks, Shortwave is cheaper to start
Sales manager	Shortwave	works for free
Data analyst	Shortwave	covers 2 tasks relevant to this role against 0; built for this role; works for free
Teacher	Shortwave	works for free
Executive assistant	Shortwave	works for free
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	Synthesia	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	Shortwave	works for free
Social media manager	Either one	even on tasks, Shortwave is cheaper to start

	Shortwave	Synthesia
Vendor	Shortwave	Synthesia
Category	Other tools	Other tools
Free plan	Yes: A free plan with a shorter AI search history	Yes: Up to three minutes of video a month with a limited set of avatars
Cheapest paid plan	price on request	Starter, $29/mo
Top plan	price on request	Creator, $89/mo
Tasks covered	2	2

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

Synthesia: Training videos with an avatar and a script built from a document, for corporate learning.

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

The model shortens and simplifies a script taken from a document: check a safety briefing or a security policy against the original word for word
Plan minutes are counted per generated video, and every regenerated version uses them again
Employees' personal data in a script (names, positions, salaries) goes into a video only with their consent

In our data Shortwave is the better choice for 14 of 20 roles. The table above shows the reason for each role.

Synthesia starts at $29/mo; Shortwave publishes no fixed price.

Shortwave: Yes. A free plan with a shorter AI search history. Synthesia: Yes. Up to three minutes of video a month with a limited set of avatars.