Autologous CD19-specific CAR-T cells have demonstrated remarkable activity against several B-cell malignancies, facilitating the explosion of an entirely new field of therapeutics. However, surprising failures in their development have refocused the field on solving product manufacture delays and failures, and recognizing that the biologic properties of autologous products derived from heavily-treated patients may not be optimal. Moreover, the field continues to evolve in its understanding that the ideal phenotypes and effector functions may vary among disease indications. In parallel, our understanding of the biology and progress in manufacturing has progressed rapidly for alternative effector cell types to the classic αβ T cells. These alternative types - namely γδ T cells, NKT cells, and NK cells - possess similar effector function but with distinct cytokine profiles, metabolic pathways, and homing receptor repertoires, along with low GvHD potential when administered across HLA barriers. These properties may make them ideal candidates for specific indications and make them more amenable to implementation as off-the-shelf allogeneic cellular therapeutics. Here, we will compare and contrast these alternative cell types, describe the features that make them amenable to specific indications, and present new advances in the manufacturing, genetic modification, and clinical testing for hematologic cancers.