Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Help Scout vs Hiver

Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hiver logo

Hiver

Customer Support

Gmail-based help desk

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Help Scout the free plan caps contacts at 100 a month, so it is a volume trial rather than a standing free tier; 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: Help Scout covers Knowledge base, Hiver covers Email assignment.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Help Scout and Hiver actually diverge.

Attributes where Help Scout and Hiver differ
AttributeHelp ScoutHiver
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Chrome-extension

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Customer Support), founded (2011).

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 Help Scout

  • Knowledge base
  • Live chat
  • Customer profiles
  • Workflows
  • Reporting
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Shopify

Only in Hiver

  • Email assignment
  • Collision detection
  • Email notes
  • Templates
  • Analytics
  • Gmail
  • Google Workspace
  • Asana

Both cover

  • Shared inbox
  • Slack
  • Jira
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Help Scout

  • Shared inbox and help desk for customer support teamsnot Hiver
  • Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Hiver

Hiver

  • Shared inbox managementnot Help Scout
  • Customer support via Gmailnot Help Scout
  • Team email collaborationnot Help Scout

Where each one falls short

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

Help Scout

  • The free plan caps contacts at 100 a month, so it is a volume trial rather than a standing free tier
  • Inboxes are rationed by plan, at 1 on free, 5 on Plus and 10 on Pro
  • Each plan also caps users, at 25 on Standard and 50 on Plus
  • The Pro plan at $75 per user per month carries a 10 user minimum, so the entry cost is $750 a month
  • SSO, SAML and HIPAA compliance are Pro only
  • AI Answers is billed separately at $0.75 per resolution on top of the seat price

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

Help Scout

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 5 users
    • 1 Inbox
    • 1 Docs site
  • Standard$25/month
    • Multiple inboxes
    • Live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger
    • Multiple knowledge bases
  • Plus$45/month
    • Standard features plus advanced workflows
    • Two advanced SLAs
    • Secure portal
  • Pro$75/month
    • Plus features plus unlimited workflows
    • Unlimited SLAs
    • SSO/SAML

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 Help Scout if

  • You need knowledge base.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want live chat.
Help Scout review

Choose Hiver if

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

Questions people ask

Is Help Scout or Hiver better?
Neither clearly leads. Help Scout 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, Help Scout or Hiver?
Help Scout starts at Free and Hiver at Free.
Does Help Scout or Hiver run on more platforms?
Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android. Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension.
Can I use Help Scout for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Help Scout best used for?
Help Scout is most often used for shared inbox and help desk for customer support teams, publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat support. Of those, shared inbox and help desk for customer support teams and publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat support are not what Hiver is typically brought in for.
What can Help Scout do that Hiver cannot?
Help Scout covers Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles, Workflows. Hiver covers Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes, Templates. Both handle Shared inbox, Slack, Jira, SOC2.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Help Scout: How much does Help Scout cost?

Help Scout offers a free plan for up to 5 users. Paid plans start at $25/user/month (Standard), $45/user/month (Plus), and $75/user/month (Pro).

Source
Help Scout: What is included in the Pro plan?

Help Scout Pro at $75/user/month includes unlimited workflows, unlimited SLAs, SSO/SAML, HIPAA compliance, up to 50 light users, dedicated onboarding, and a strategic account manager.

Source
Help Scout: Does Help Scout offer a free trial?

Yes, Help Scout offers a 15-day free trial for Standard and Plus plans with no credit card required. Pro plan requires booking a demo.

Source
Help Scout: What is the cost of Help Scout's AI Answers add-on?

Help Scout's AI Answers add-on costs $0.75 per resolution with a 3-month free trial included.

Source
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