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.
Zammad
Zammad is an open-source help desk and customer support platform that centralizes communication from email, phone, chat, and social media into a single, organized web-based interface.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Hiver | Zammad |
|---|---|---|
| Website | hiverhq.com | zammad.org |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $15/month | $5/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 7 days free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2011 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, USA | Berlin, Germany |
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.
Zammad
Zammad is a flexible, open-source help desk system designed to help you manage customer communications without the clutter of multiple tabs. You can connect your email, phone, Slack, and social media accounts to one central dashboard where every inquiry becomes a trackable ticket. This ensures your team never misses a message and provides a clear history of every customer interaction across all channels.
The platform is built for teams of all sizes, from small support desks to large organizations requiring complex automation. You can choose between a managed cloud version for instant setup or a self-hosted installation if you need full control over your data. It solves the problem of fragmented communication by providing a unified workspace where you can collaborate with teammates and resolve issues faster.
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.
Zammad Features
- Omnichannel Support. Connect email, phone, chat, and social media channels to manage all customer conversations in one unified dashboard.
- Smart Search. Find any ticket, attachment, or customer detail instantly with a high-speed search engine that works across all attributes.
- Collision Detection. See in real-time when a colleague is editing a ticket so you never send duplicate responses to customers.
- Custom Fields. Add your own data fields to tickets and user profiles to track the specific information your business needs.
- Knowledge Base. Create a public or internal help center so your customers can find answers themselves and reduce your ticket volume.
- SLA Management. Set up service level agreements and escalation rules to ensure you always meet your response time commitments.
- Text Modules. Save time by creating reusable templates for common questions to ensure consistent and fast communication with your users.
- Task Planner. Automate repetitive actions like closing old tickets or sending reminders based on specific time-based triggers you define.
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
Zammad Pricing
- Unlimited organizations
- Web channels and email
- Basic reporting
- Knowledge base
- SSL encryption
- Daily backups
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Phone and chat channels
- Social media integrations
- SLA management
- Custom branding
- Advanced automation
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
Zammad
Pros
- Clean and modern user interface is easy to navigate
- Excellent real-time collision detection prevents duplicate work
- Flexible open-source foundation allows for deep customization
- Fast search functionality makes finding old tickets effortless
Cons
- Self-hosting requires technical expertise for setup and maintenance
- Mobile experience is less polished than the desktop version
- Reporting features can feel limited for complex enterprise needs