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Freshdesk vs Hiver

Freshdesk logo

Freshdesk

All industries

Delight your customers, effortlessly

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hiver logo

Hiver

Customer Support

Gmail-based help desk

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Hiver has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Freshdesk growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards; 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: Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Hiver covers Shared inbox.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshdesk and Hiver actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshdesk and Hiver differ
AttributeFreshdeskHiver
Starting price$19/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Chrome-extension
CategoryAll industriesCustomer Support
Founded20102011

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Freshdesk

  • Ticketing
  • Automation
  • Self-service
  • Team collaboration
  • Multi-channel support
  • SLA management
  • Reporting
  • Mobile apps

Only in Hiver

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

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Jira
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001
  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Freshdesk

  • Help desk and ticketing systemnot Hiver
  • Customer support portal and knowledge basenot Hiver
  • Multi-channel support coordinationnot Hiver
  • AI-assisted support agent interactionnot Hiver

Hiver

  • Shared inbox managementnot Freshdesk
  • Customer support via Gmailnot Freshdesk
  • Team email collaborationnot Freshdesk

Where each one falls short

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

Freshdesk

  • Growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards
  • Skill-based routing available only on Enterprise tier
  • Freddy AI Copilot requires separate £29/agent/month add-on on Pro and Enterprise plans
  • AI agent sessions charged beyond initial 500 sessions: £49 per additional 100 sessions
  • Day passes for non-agents vary by tier: £2 (Growth), £7 (Pro), £12 (Enterprise)

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

Freshdesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Freshdesk review.

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 Freshdesk if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You also want automation.
Freshdesk 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 Freshdesk or Hiver better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshdesk starts at $19/month and Hiver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshdesk or Hiver?
Hiver has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Freshdesk and Free for Hiver.
Does Freshdesk or Hiver run on more platforms?
Freshdesk runs on Web. Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension.
Can I use Hiver for free?
Yes. Hiver has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshdesk starts at $19/month.
What is Freshdesk best used for?
Freshdesk is most often used for help desk and ticketing system, customer support portal and knowledge base, multi-channel support coordination, ai-assisted support agent interaction. Of those, help desk and ticketing system and customer support portal and knowledge base are not what Hiver is typically brought in for.
What can Freshdesk do that Hiver cannot?
Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Automation, Self-service, Team collaboration. Hiver covers Shared inbox, Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes. Both handle Slack, Jira, SOC2, ISO27001.
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Related pages

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