Softwr

Live Chat · head to head

Amazon Lex vs Hiver

Amazon Lex logo

Amazon Lex

Live Chat

AWS conversational AI service

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Hiver logo

Hiver

Customer Support

Gmail-based help desk

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Lex pay-as-you-go model with no standard free tier, only AWS free credits for new customers (6 months, $200 limit); Hiver hiver tiers as captured 28 December 2023: Lite at $15/user/month capped at 2 shared inboxes (up to 10 users each), Pro at $39/user/month capped at 5 shared inboxes and 50 shared labels, Elite at $59/user/month, all annual pricing with higher month-to-month rates of $19/$49/$69
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Lex covers Speech recognition, Hiver covers Shared inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Lex and Hiver actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Lex and Hiver differ
AttributeAmazon LexHiver
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
PlatformsWeb, AWS CloudWeb, Chrome-extension
CategoryLive ChatCustomer Support
Founded20062011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amazon Lex

  • Speech recognition
  • Natural language understanding
  • Voice and text
  • Lambda integration
  • AWS services
  • Lambda
  • DynamoDB
  • SNS

Only in Hiver

  • Shared inbox
  • Email assignment
  • Collision detection
  • Email notes
  • Templates
  • Analytics
  • Gmail
  • Google Workspace

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amazon Lex

  • Chatbot developmentnot Hiver
  • Voice-based conversational AInot Hiver
  • Natural language understandingnot Hiver

Hiver

  • Shared inbox managementnot Amazon Lex
  • Customer support via Gmailnot Amazon Lex
  • Team email collaborationnot Amazon Lex

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amazon Lex

  • Pay-as-you-go model with no standard free tier, only AWS free credits for new customers (6 months, $200 limit)
  • Speech requests cost $0.004 each, text requests $0.00075 each, training costs $0.50 per minute
  • Variable costs can accumulate quickly for high-volume applications

Hiver

  • Hiver tiers as captured 28 December 2023: Lite at $15/user/month capped at 2 shared inboxes (up to 10 users each), Pro at $39/user/month capped at 5 shared inboxes and 50 shared labels, Elite at $59/user/month, all annual pricing with higher month-to-month rates of $19/$49/$69

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Lex

Free
  • Standard Usage$0.004/per speech request
    • Speech requests at $0.004 each
  • Text Requests$0.00075/per text request
    • Text requests at $0.00075 each

Hiver

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 users
    • Email management
    • Basic analytics
  • Lite$19/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Email templates
    • Notes & @mentions
  • Pro$49/month
    • CSAT surveys
    • SLA management
    • Custom reports
  • Elite$69/month
    • Round-robin
    • Skill-based routing
    • Okta SSO

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Lex if

  • You need speech recognition.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, AWS Cloud.
  • You also want natural language understanding.
Amazon Lex review

Choose Hiver if

  • You need shared inbox.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome-extension.
  • You also want email assignment.
Hiver review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Lex or Hiver better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Lex starts at Free and Hiver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Lex or Hiver?
Amazon Lex starts at Free and Hiver at Free.
Does Amazon Lex or Hiver run on more platforms?
Amazon Lex runs on Web, AWS Cloud. Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension.
Can I use Amazon Lex for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon Lex best used for?
Amazon Lex is most often used for chatbot development, voice-based conversational ai, natural language understanding. Of those, chatbot development and voice-based conversational ai are not what Hiver is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Lex do that Hiver cannot?
Amazon Lex covers Speech recognition, Natural language understanding, Voice and text, Lambda integration. Hiver covers Shared inbox, Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon Lex: How much does Amazon Lex cost?

Amazon Lex charges $0.004 per speech request and $0.00075 per text request with no upfront commitments or minimum fees required.

Source
Amazon Lex: Is there a free tier for Amazon Lex?

Yes, new AWS customers receive 10,000 text requests and 5,000 speech requests per month free for the first year. Additional $200 in AWS Free Tier credits are available for new customers as of July 15, 2025, with all credits expiring within 12 months.

Source
Amazon Lex: What is the example monthly cost for Amazon Lex?

For 8,000 speech requests ($32) and 2,000 text requests ($1.50), the approximate monthly total is $33.50, though actual costs vary based on usage volume.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Amazon Lex

More on Hiver

Keep looking

Other head to heads