Drag vs Hiver

Drag

• Gmail and Google Workspace teams sharing support@ or sales@ addresses
• Teams that like to see email as cards moving across a kanban board
• Growing teams, since no plan has a seat minimum or user cap

Hiver

• Support teams that want to keep working inside Gmail
• Teams handling email, chat, Slack and voice from one queue
• Companies that want AI agents to resolve routine requests

Drag

• It is built on Gmail and Google Workspace: shared inboxes are Gmail addresses or Google Groups, and sign-in runs through Google.
• There is no free plan; the 7-day trial is followed by a paid plan.
• AI is metered in credits. Starter includes none, Plus 1,000 per seat a month and Pro 2,000, and extra credits are sold from $10.
• WhatsApp, Varley Agents, the API and MCP server, SLA rules and round-robin assignment need Pro at $24 per user / month, billed yearly.

Hiver

• There is no free plan. An account is suspended when the 7-day trial ends unless a paid plan is chosen.
• All plans start at 2 seats, and seats are added in steps: 2, then 5, then increments of 5.
• SLAs, CSAT surveys, the customer portal and API access start on Pro; SSO, HIPAA-compliant handling and custom roles are Elite only.
• Hiver in Gmail needs a Gmail or Google Workspace account. On Hiver Omni, voice is an add-on at $30 per voice seat a month.

Drag

Shared inbox boards

A shared address becomes a board with kanban, list and preview views, where each email is a card with an owner, a status, tags and a due date. The emails themselves stay in Gmail.

Assignments, notes and shared drafts

Teammates assign emails, chat with @mentions on a thread, write shared drafts and reply as collaborators. Collision detection is included on every plan.

Varley AI

Copilot answers questions about the inbox and proposes actions to approve, Assists draft, summarize and classify mail, and on Pro, Agents resolve conversations or hand them to a person.

Automations

Rules route, tag and assign incoming mail. Starter allows 10 rules and the higher plans are unlimited; round-robin assignment, business hours and SLA rules are on Pro.

Help center, live chat and WhatsApp

A public help center and live chat, which is in early access, are on every plan. Pro adds WhatsApp conversations that sit beside email on the same boards.

API and MCP server

Pro includes a REST API and an MCP server with 47 tools, so assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot or Cursor can work in the inbox.

Hiver

Shared inbox and ticketing

Team addresses such as support@ become shared inboxes where every conversation has a clear owner, tags, private notes and a full history, and any request can be logged as a ticket.

Inside Gmail or standalone

Hiver in Gmail is a Chrome extension that works on top of a Gmail or Google Workspace account. Hiver Omni works with Gmail, Outlook and other providers and adds chat, Slack and voice.

AI Agents

AI agents triage and resolve requests, look up orders or update records in connected systems, and pause for approval on actions marked sensitive. They are listed on all plans.

AI Copilot

Drafts replies, summarizes long email threads, finds answers in connected knowledge sources and suggests next steps to the person handling a conversation.

Automations and routing

Rules trigger actions when set conditions are met and can assign conversations automatically. Skill-based routing and custom objects are part of the Elite plan.

Analytics, SLAs and CSAT

Growth includes pre-built analytics. Pro adds SLA targets, customer satisfaction surveys, and custom reports and dashboards.

Drag

• Starter$12

  per user / month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly)

  Shared inboxes in Gmail, boards, assignments, templates, notes, a help center and live chat. 10 automation rules, 3-month reporting, no AI credits included.

• Plus$18

  per user / month, billed yearly ($22 billed monthly)

  Adds Varley's Copilot, Intelligence and six AI assists with 1,000 AI credits per seat a month, unlimited automation rules, email sequences and custom views.

• Pro$24

  per user / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly)

  Adds the WhatsApp channel, Varley Agents, API and MCP access, SLA rules, round-robin assignment, custom fields and roles, and 2,000 AI credits per seat.

Hiver

• Growth$25

  per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)

  Shared inbox and ticketing, AI Agents, AI Copilot, rule-based automations, pre-built analytics, basic integrations such as Slack and 24/7 support.

• Pro$55

  per user / month, billed annually ($65 billed monthly)

  Adds a customer portal, SLAs, CSAT surveys, custom reports and dashboards, premium integrations such as Asana and Shopify, and API access.

• Elite$85

  per user / month, billed annually ($95 billed monthly)

  Adds AI QA, AI Insights, skill-based routing, custom objects, personal-to-shared inbox rules, SSO, HIPAA-compliant handling and custom roles.

Drag

• Annual discount

  Save up to 25% with yearly billing

  The pricing page shows Starter at $12 a user a month billed yearly against $16 monthly, Plus at $18 against $22, and Pro at $24 against $30.

• Nonprofit

  Program for non-profits and NGOs

  The pricing FAQ says Drag runs a dedicated program for non-profits and NGOs, arranged by contacting its team. The size of the discount is not published.

• Education

  Program for educational institutions

  The same program covers educational institutions, again on request by email and without a published discount.

Hiver

• Annual discount

  $10 less per user a month with annual billing

  On both pricing pages annual billing is $10 per user a month cheaper than monthly on every plan: Growth $25 against $35, Pro $55 against $65 and Elite $85 against $95.

• Nonprofit

  Discounted pricing for qualified nonprofits

  The pricing FAQ says Hiver offers discounted pricing for qualified nonprofit organizations, arranged by scheduling a demo. The size of the discount is not published.