Help Scout vs Hiver
We give Help Scout and Hiver the same GPA: 3.0 out of 4.0. Help Scout grades higher on the free plan. Hiver grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Help Scout
Shared inbox and help desk with a knowledge base and AI answers
Hiver
Shared inbox and AI help desk that runs inside Gmail or standalone
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAHelp ScoutVery good | 3.0GPAHiverVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStandard is $25 a user a month billed annually, or $30 monthly, nearly three times what email tools here typically start at. It's the dear end for shared inboxes too: Front and Hiver also start at $25, Missive at $14. Plus is $45, and AI Answers adds $0.75 per resolution. | CGrowth is $25 a user a month billed annually, or $35 monthly, well above the $9 that's typical for email tools here, and every plan starts at 2 seats. It does include the AI Agents and AI Copilot. But SLAs, CSAT surveys, the customer portal and API access start on Pro at $55. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for up to 5 users, with 1 Inbox and 1 Docs site. But it's capped at 100 contacts a month, 10 articles and 10 saved replies, and there are no AI tools. There's also a 15-day trial of Standard or Plus with no credit card required. | CNo free plan. The trial is 7 days of the Elite plan with no credit card, and the account is suspended when it ends unless you choose a paid plan. |
| Features | AEmail, live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger in one shared workspace, where conversations get assigned, tagged and discussed in internal notes. Add a hosted help centre, the Beacon widget, workflows and reports. AI Answers replies to routine questions from your own articles. | AShared inboxes where every conversation has an owner, tags, private notes and a history, plus ticketing and rule-based automations. AI agents triage and resolve requests and pause for approval on sensitive actions, and the Copilot drafts replies and sums up threads. Omni adds chat, Slack and voice. |
| Ease of use | C4.2 from about 320 App Store ratings, which is on the low side. That's the iPhone and iPad app, mind. The service itself runs in a browser, and the 15-day trial lets you see how your team takes to it. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. Hiver in Gmail is a Chrome extension on top of the Gmail account your team already has, so there isn't a new inbox to learn. Growth includes 24/7 support. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iPhone and Android, and it connects to Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira, Linear, Shopify, Slack and Zapier, with an API as well. Phone and voice only work through an integration. | AWeb, a Chrome extension for Gmail, and iPhone and Android apps. It connects to Slack, Salesforce, Shopify, Jira, Linear, Asana and Notion, and Pro adds API access. Hiver Omni works with Gmail, Outlook and other providers. Hiver in Gmail needs a Gmail or Google Workspace account. |
| Best for | support teams leaving a shared Gmail mailbox | a help desk your team runs from Gmail |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Help Scout and Hiver. How we grade
Where they differ
- Help Scout starts at $25 per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly). Hiver starts at $25 per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly).
- Help Scout has a free plan. Hiver does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Hiver lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| Help Scout | Hiver | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) | $25 per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Up to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site with 10 articles, 100 contacts per month, 10 saved replies and 30 days of report history. No AI tools are included. | None |
| Free trial | 15-day free trial of Standard or Plus, no credit card required | 7-day free trial of the Elite plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Help Scout | Hiver Inc. |
| Price read from | helpscout.com | hiverhq.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Help Scout
- Support teams moving off a shared Gmail or Outlook mailbox
- Small teams: the Free plan covers up to 5 users
- Companies that want a help center and live chat alongside email
- Non-profits and early-stage startups that qualify for its discounts
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
Worth knowing
Help Scout
- The Free plan is limited to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site and 100 contacts a month, and includes no AI tools.
- AI Answers is billed separately at $0.75 per resolution once its 3-month free trial ends.
- Pro has a 10-user minimum, and trying Pro means talking to the sales team.
- Extra Inboxes cost $10 a month each on annual billing ($12 monthly) and extra Docs sites $20 ($24 monthly). Phone and voice work only through an integration.
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.
Key features
Help Scout
- Shared Inbox
- Email, live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger conversations arrive in one shared workspace, where they can be assigned, tagged, snoozed and discussed in internal notes.
- Docs knowledge base
- Docs sites publish a searchable, branded help center. The Free plan includes 1 site with 10 articles, and paid plans allow unlimited articles.
- Beacon help widget
- An embeddable widget that offers suggested help articles, a contact form and live chat on any website page or inside an app.
- Workflows and routing
- Workflows organize, assign or reply to conversations automatically: 150 basic on Standard, 500 advanced on Plus and unlimited on Pro. Round robin routing starts on Plus.
- AI Answers and AI Drafts
- AI Answers replies to customers from knowledge base content at $0.75 per resolution. AI Drafts suggests replies based on past conversations on Plus and Pro.
- Reports
- Pre-built reports cover volume, responses and customer happiness for each channel, with 30 days of history on Free, 2 years on Standard and all-time history on Plus and Pro.
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.
Plans
Help Scout
Free$0
Up to 5 users, 1 shared email Inbox, 1 Docs site and 100 contacts per month, with limited saved replies and no AI tools.
Standard$25
per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Up to 25 users and 2 Inboxes, with live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, 1 basic SLA policy, 150 basic workflows and AI Assist.
Plus$45
per user / month, billed annually ($54 billed monthly)
Up to 50 users and 5 Inboxes, with 500 advanced workflows, unlimited AI Drafts, round robin routing, a customer portal, and Salesforce, Jira and HubSpot.
Pro$75
per user / month, billed annually ($90 billed monthly)
Unlimited users with a 10-user minimum and 10 Inboxes, plus unlimited workflows and SLA policies, SSO/SAML, HIPAA compliance and an account manager.
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.
Ways to pay less
Help Scout
- Annual discount
16% off with annual billing
The pricing page shows a 16% discount for annual billing: Standard is $25 per user a month against $30 billed monthly, Plus $45 against $54 and Pro $75 against $90.
- Nonprofit
10% lifetime discount for non-profits and B Corps
Help Scout for Good gives non-profits and B Corporations a 10% lifetime discount on application, and up to 100% off for groups working on human rights, sustainability or representation in tech.
- Startups
6 months free for early-stage startups
New customers that are incorporated tech startups less than two years old with under $1 million in annual recurring revenue can apply for six months of the Plus plan and AI Answers at no charge.
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.
