Hiver vs Mailbutler
We give Hiver a 3.0 GPA and Mailbutler a 3.4, out of 4.0. Mailbutler grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hiver
Shared inbox and AI help desk that runs inside Gmail or standalone
Mailbutler
Email tracking and team tools for Apple Mail, Gmail and Outlook
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAHiverVery good | 3.4GPAMailbutlerVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BPaid Starter is $4 a user a month billed yearly, but its feature list is the same as the free plan's. The useful stuff is Professional at $7, with templates, mail merge and assignments, and Smart at $11 with the AI. That's around the $9 that's typical here. Business jumps to $24. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BStarter is free for good, with first-open and first-click tracking, real-time notifications and signatures. But sent emails carry a visible Mailbutler watermark, and that's all you get. The 14-day trial of every feature needs no credit card. |
| Features | 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. | AOpen and link tracking, templates with placeholders, mail merge from your contacts or a CSV file, scheduled sending, notes and tasks on emails, and assigning mail in a shared inbox you already have. Automations tag things for you. For an add-on that's the full set. The AI Smart Assistant needs Smart. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. It adds itself to the mail app you already use, so there's no new inbox to learn. The iOS and Android apps are companions that need a desktop install. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | AIt runs inside Apple Mail, Gmail in Chrome, Safari or Edge, and Outlook, with companion apps for iPhone and Android. It connects to HubSpot, Salesforce, Asana, Todoist, Trello and Evernote. Custom SMTP is listed as coming soon. |
| Best for | a help desk your team runs from Gmail | tracking and templates inside the mail app you have |
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: Hiver and Mailbutler. How we grade
Where they differ
- Hiver starts at $25 per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly). Mailbutler starts at $4 per user / month, billed yearly (paid Starter).
- Mailbutler has a free plan. Hiver does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Hiver lists a web app.
- Only Mailbutler lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Hiver also covers AI agents and reports.
- Mailbutler also covers templates and tasks.
At a glance
| Hiver | Mailbutler | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly) | $4 per user / month, billed yearly (paid Starter) |
| Free plan | None | Free-forever Starter plan: first-open and first-click tracking, real-time notifications and email signatures. Sent emails carry a visible Mailbutler watermark. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of the Elite plan, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of all features, no credit card required; the account then moves to the free Starter plan |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Hiver Inc. | Mailbutler GmbH |
| Price read from | hiverhq.com | mailbutler.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Mailbutler
- People who want tracking and templates inside Apple Mail, Gmail or Outlook
- Teams sharing an info@ or sales@ inbox without moving to a new mail app
- Mixed teams whose members use different email clients
Worth knowing
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.
Mailbutler
- It is an add-on, not a mail client: it runs inside Apple Mail, Gmail in Chrome, Safari or Edge, and Outlook. The iOS and Android apps are companions that need a desktop install.
- The free Starter plan puts a visible Mailbutler watermark on sent emails and covers only basic tracking and signatures.
- The AI Smart Assistant, per-recipient tracking and full open history need the Smart plan at $11 per user / month, billed yearly.
- HubSpot and Salesforce tracking sync, a custom tracking subdomain and IP exclusion are limited to Business. Custom SMTP is listed as coming soon.
Key features
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.
Mailbutler
- Email tracking
- Shows when a message was first opened and its links first clicked, with real-time notifications. Full open history, device and location details and per-recipient tracking start at the Smart plan.
- Templates and mail merge
- Message templates with placeholders, and mail merge that fills them from Apple, Google or Outlook contacts, HubSpot, Salesforce or a CSV file. Both start at the Professional plan.
- Inbox collaboration
- On a shared inbox you already have, teammates can assign emails, see who is viewing or replying to a message, and share notes, tasks and color-coded tags.
- Automations
- Rules made of a trigger, optional conditions and actions can tag emails, add notes or tasks and apply signatures when a draft is created, an email is sent or opened, or a link is clicked.
- Smart Assistant
- The AI assistant drafts emails and replies from a few keywords, corrects and rephrases drafts, summarizes messages and finds to-dos in them. It is part of the Smart and Business plans.
- Email signatures
- Signature templates, custom HTML signatures, call-to-action buttons and team sharing are on every plan. UTM link personalization and dynamic content need Business.
Plans
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.
Mailbutler
Starter (free)$0
Basic open and link tracking, real-time notifications and email signatures with team sharing. Sent emails include a visible Mailbutler watermark.
Starter$4
per user / month, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)
The paid version of Starter with the same feature list. The pricing page attaches the watermark to the free-forever version.
Professional$7
per user / month, billed yearly ($9 billed monthly)
Adds message templates, mail merge, email assignments, collaborator status, shared notes and tasks, tags and automations.
Smart$11
per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)
Adds the AI Smart Assistant, full open and click history, device and location details, per-recipient tracking, Smart Follow-ups and Smart Timing.
Business$24
per user / month, billed yearly ($32 billed monthly)
Adds HubSpot and Salesforce tracking sync, a custom tracking subdomain, IP exclusion, UTM link personalization and dynamic signature content.
Ways to pay less
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.
Mailbutler
- Annual discount
Up to 25% off with yearly billing
The pricing page advertises up to 25% off for yearly billing: Professional is $7 a user a month against $9 monthly, Smart $11 against $14, and Business $24 against $32.
