Looking for a Shift alternative?
Franz 6 is free to start.
Shift is a $199.99/yr customizable browser. Franz never set out to be a browser. It is one focused space for your work and messaging, free to start, with deeper AI than Shift, native to-dos, native Signal, and tracker blocking.
Shift positions itself as a fully customizable browser, and it asks $199.99/yr for the Advanced plan to unlock it properly. It does have AI. Shift AI can write and summarize, so this is not a question of AI versus no AI. The real difference is what each product chose to be. Shift’s answer is a browser: one window you run everything inside. Franz went the other way on purpose, and we have never wanted to be yet another browser. Franz is one focused space for your work and messaging, built for getting things done rather than for browsing. Franz also defined the every-messenger-in-one-app category back in 2016 and has kept pushing it forward. Franz 6 goes further than write-and-summarize: an assistant that catches you up across every app, email triage that sorts your inbox by what matters, voice-message transcription, action-item extraction, native to-dos, a native Signal client, and tracker and email-pixel blocking. There is a built-in browser too, so you can add any web app, but that is one feature inside a focused workspace, not the whole product. You choose where the AI runs: locally, on your own API key, or on EU cloud. With Shift, the AI is cloud-only and the price of entry is a $200 annual plan.
Why people switch from Shift to Franz
| Franz | Shift | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & access | ||
| Free for personal use | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Lowest paid plan | $6/mo Pro | $199.99/yr Advanced |
| Lifetime license | $169 | ✗ No |
| No account required | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| AI & intelligence | ||
| AI assistant (cross-app catch-me-up) | ✓ Yes | Partial |
| AI email triage & priority inbox | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Voice-message transcription | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Action-item & decision extraction | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| AI you control (local, your key, or EU cloud) | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Services & messaging | ||
| Services you can add | 70+ | 1,500+ |
| Native Signal client (not a web wrapper) | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Direct connections (no relay) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Workspaces | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Privacy | ||
| Tracker & email-pixel blocking | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Local-first by default | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| EU data residency | ✓ Yes | Unverified |
| Platform & longevity | ||
| Desktop platforms | Mac, Windows, Linux | Mac, Windows |
| Actively maintained | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Building since | 2016 | ~2015 |
What you might miss
Shift is a well-made product and a couple of things are genuinely better there. Its Google Workspace integration is deep: if your day is Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs in dedicated panels, Shift handles that with real polish. Its Builder UX for assembling and customizing Spaces is smooth and considered. Shift also advertises a large connector catalog of 1,500+ web apps, though with Franz 6’s built-in browser any web app works anyway, so the headline count is less of a deciding factor than it looks. If a refined, customizable browser is exactly the shape of tool you want, Shift delivers it.
Ready to try Franz?
Free for personal use, and you can install it without making an account. Add your services and see how it feels in a few minutes.
No cloud middleman. No tracking. No banner.
Franz connects each messaging service directly from your device. Your messages don't pass through our servers. We don't set tracking cookies, and we don't show you a consent banner because we don't need one. Privacy Shield goes further, blocking trackers and fingerprinting inside the services you use. Built in Vienna since 2016. Your AI is yours to choose: on-device, your own API key, or zero-retention Franz Cloud hosted in the EU.
Free for the basics. Pro when you want the AI.
Everything else, answered.
More about Shift
How much does Franz cost compared to Shift?
Franz is free for personal use. The free plan covers up to 3 services, one workspace, and basic on-device AI. Franz Pro is €6/mo and lifts those caps while adding the full Franz Assistant and cloud AI features, with a €169 lifetime option. Shift Advanced is $199.99/yr. Franz lets you get started, and keep using it, without that annual commitment.
Shift has AI too. What makes Franz 6 different?
Shift AI focuses on writing and summarizing. Franz 6 goes broader and deeper: cross-app catch-me-up, AI email triage and a priority inbox, voice-message transcription, and action-item extraction. Franz also reaches past AI, with natively integrated to-dos, a native Signal client, tracker blocking, and a built-in browser. And Franz lets you choose where the AI runs: locally, on your own key, or on EU cloud. Shift AI is cloud-only.
Does Franz support Gmail and Outlook like Shift?
Yes. Franz includes Franz Mail with full Gmail and Outlook support, plus IMAP. Shift goes deeper on Google Workspace panels specifically; Franz adds AI email triage on top, so your inbox sorts itself by what matters, and natively integrated to-dos so follow-ups do not slip.
Shift is a trademark of its respective owner. Franz is independent software and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Shift. Names and logos shown here are used for identification and comparison only.