Hiver
Hiver is a multi-channel customer service platform that transforms your Gmail interface into a collaborative help desk for managing shared inboxes, live chat, and voice support without leaving your email.
Intercom
Intercom is an AI-first customer service platform that provides automated support, help desk tools, and proactive messaging to help you scale your customer conversations and improve satisfaction.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Hiver | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| Website | hiverhq.com | intercom.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Starting Price | $15/month | $39/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 7 days free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2011 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, USA | San Francisco, USA |
Overview
Hiver
Hiver transforms your existing Gmail interface into a powerful customer service hub. Instead of jumping between different tools, you can manage shared inboxes like support@ or info@ directly from the email environment you already know. You can assign emails to team members with one click, track status in real-time, and write internal notes on email threads to collaborate behind the scenes without forwarding messages to colleagues.
Beyond just email, you can handle live chat, WhatsApp messages, and even voice calls from the same sidebar. It eliminates the need for complex help desk training because it lives right inside Gmail. You can also automate repetitive tasks, build custom reports to track team performance, and ensure no customer query ever falls through the cracks. It is ideal for teams that want professional support capabilities without the steep learning curve of traditional software.
Intercom
Intercom is an AI-first customer service platform designed to help you provide faster, more personalized support. You can manage all your customer interactions in one place, from automated AI chat to human-led help desk support. The platform uses Fin, an AI agent, to resolve common questions instantly while your team handles more complex issues through a shared inbox.
You can also send proactive messages to onboard new users or announce product updates directly within your app. It is built for companies of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises, looking to scale their support without losing the personal touch. By combining automation with human support, you can reduce response times and keep your customers happy throughout their entire journey.
Overview
Hiver Features
- Shared Inboxes Manage group aliases like support and sales directly from Gmail while keeping track of who is working on what.
- Email Notes Collaborate with your teammates through private notes on email threads instead of using messy forwards or external chat apps.
- Collision Detection See in real-time when another team member is replying to an email so you never send duplicate responses.
- Automated Workflows Set up rules to automatically assign emails based on keywords or sender, saving you hours of manual sorting every week.
- Multi-Channel Support Handle live chat, WhatsApp, and voice calls from a single sidebar without ever leaving your Gmail browser tab.
- Visual Analytics Track key metrics like first response time and resolution rate with built-in dashboards to improve your team performance.
- Email Templates Create and share canned responses with your team to answer common customer questions instantly and maintain a consistent voice.
- Customer Surveys Insert feedback surveys directly into your email signatures to measure customer satisfaction immediately after you resolve an issue.
Intercom Features
- Fin AI Agent. Resolve over half of your customer questions instantly with an AI agent that learns from your existing help articles.
- Omnichannel Shared Inbox. Manage conversations from email, chat, and social media in a single workspace to keep your team organized and efficient.
- Proactive Support. Send targeted in-app messages and banners to help customers before they even need to ask for support.
- Help Center. Create and manage a self-service knowledge base so your customers can find answers to common questions on their own.
- Visual Workflows. Build automated support paths with a drag-and-drop builder to route conversations and collect customer data without coding.
- Real-time Reporting. Track your team's performance and customer satisfaction with detailed analytics to identify areas where you can improve.
Pricing Comparison
Hiver Pricing
- Up to 10 users
- 2 Shared Inboxes
- Shared Labels
- Email Notes
- Collision Detection
- Slack Integration
- Everything in Lite, plus:
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited Shared Inboxes
- WhatsApp & Chat channels
- Automations
- Detailed Analytics
- CSAT Surveys
Intercom Pricing
- Shared inbox
- Help Center
- Fin AI Agent (usage fees apply)
- Basic reporting
- 250 people reached/month
- Email and chat support
- Everything in Essential, plus:
- Multiple help centers
- Multilingual support
- Advanced reporting
- Customizable workflows
- SLA management
Pros & Cons
Hiver
Pros
- Zero learning curve since it works entirely inside Gmail
- Eliminates duplicate replies with effective collision detection
- Internal notes keep team communication organized and private
- Setup is extremely fast compared to traditional help desks
Cons
- Requires a Google Workspace account to function
- Mobile app experience is more limited than desktop
- Can feel cluttered if managing many shared inboxes
- No forever-free tier for very small startups
Intercom
Pros
- Intuitive interface makes it easy for teams to learn
- Powerful AI agent resolves many tickets automatically
- Excellent in-app messaging for proactive customer engagement
- Seamless integration with many popular third-party tools
Cons
- Pricing can become expensive as you scale
- Complex setup required for advanced automation features
- Additional costs for AI usage can be unpredictable