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Customer Support · head to head

Hiver vs Klaus

Hiver logo

Hiver

Customer Support

Gmail-based help desk

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Klaus logo

Klaus

Customer Support

AI-powered quality management for support teams

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Hiver has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; Klaus no longer available as standalone product after Zendesk acquisition
  • They diverge on capability: Hiver covers Shared inbox, Klaus covers AI-powered QA.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hiver and Klaus actually diverge.

Attributes where Hiver and Klaus differ
AttributeHiverKlaus
Starting priceFree$50/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Chrome-extensionWeb
Founded20112017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Customer Support).

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 Hiver

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

Only in Klaus

  • AI-powered QA
  • Conversation reviews
  • Scorecards
  • Coaching
  • Performance analytics
  • Calibration
  • Zendesk
  • Intercom

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • ISO27001
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Hiver

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

Klaus

  • Quality assurancenot Hiver
  • Agent coachingnot Hiver
  • Performance trackingnot Hiver

Where each one falls short

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

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

Klaus

  • No longer available as standalone product after Zendesk acquisition
  • Requires separate Zendesk subscription (not included in base plan)
  • Cannot be used with non-Zendesk help desk systems

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Klaus

$50/month
  • Workforce Engagement Bundle$50/month
    • Includes Zendesk QA (formerly Klaus)
    • Requires base Zendesk Support or Suite plan
    • 100% conversation review with AI

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Klaus if

  • You need ai-powered qa.
  • You also want conversation reviews.
Klaus review

Questions people ask

Is Hiver or Klaus better?
Neither clearly leads. Hiver starts at Free and Klaus at $50/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hiver or Klaus?
Hiver has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Hiver and $50/month for Klaus.
Does Hiver or Klaus run on more platforms?
Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension. Klaus runs on Web.
Can I use Hiver for free?
Yes. Hiver has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Klaus starts at $50/month.
What is Hiver best used for?
Hiver is most often used for shared inbox management, customer support via gmail, team email collaboration. Of those, shared inbox management and customer support via gmail are not what Klaus is typically brought in for.
What can Hiver do that Klaus cannot?
Hiver covers Shared inbox, Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes. Klaus covers AI-powered QA, Conversation reviews, Scorecards, Coaching. Both handle SOC2, GDPR, ISO27001, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Klaus: Is Klaus still available as a standalone product?

No. Klaus was acquired by Zendesk in February 2024 and is now integrated into Zendesk as Zendesk QA, requiring a paid Zendesk plan as the base.

Source
Klaus: What QA features does Klaus provide?

Klaus automatically reviews 100% of customer interactions using AI, provides immediate performance insights, reduces QA time by 80%, and improves CSAT scores through targeted coaching.

Source
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