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Customer Support · head to head

Hiver vs Kylas

Hiver logo

Hiver

Customer Support

Gmail-based help desk

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Kylas logo

Kylas

CRM

Indian sales CRM sold at a flat monthly rate with unlimited users instead of per seat

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Kylas unlimited users only moves the meter rather than removing it: records are capped, and expanding beyond one hundred thousand costs 500 INR per twenty thousand, which becomes the real cost driver for any business with a large lead database.
  • They diverge on capability: Hiver covers Shared inbox, Kylas covers Unlimited users on every plan.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hiver and Kylas actually diverge.

Attributes where Hiver and Kylas differ
AttributeHiverKylas
Pricing modelsubscriptionFlat rate per month, unlimited users
PlatformsWeb, Chrome-extensionWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded2011Unknown

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 Hiver

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

Only in Kylas

  • Unlimited users on every plan
  • Lead and deal management
  • Record based limits
  • Workflow automation
  • Quotation management
  • Telephony integrations
  • WhatsApp and SMS
  • BI analytics add-on

What people use each for

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

Hiver

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

Kylas

  • A twenty five person Indian inside sales team where per seat CRM pricing would cost several times a flat monthly ratenot Hiver
  • A company that wants every employee including support and delivery staff to see customer records without buying them seatsnot Hiver
  • A business with high sales headcount turnover that does not want to renegotiate licence counts every quarternot Hiver
  • An Indian SME needing native WhatsApp, IndiaMART and local telephony connections rather than a Western CRM with adaptersnot 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

Kylas

  • Unlimited users only moves the meter rather than removing it: records are capped, and expanding beyond one hundred thousand costs 500 INR per twenty thousand, which becomes the real cost driver for any business with a large lead database.
  • Core functionality such as workflows, email templates and email tracking is sold as separate add-ons from 500 to 800 INR a month, so the advertised flat rate is not what an automated sales operation actually pays.
  • The free Embark plan caps records at ten thousand and explicitly cannot be expanded, so it is a trial with no upgrade path in place rather than a workable long term free tier.
  • Kylas is built around Indian sales practice and its integration marketplace is dominated by Indian telephony, payments and lead sources, which makes it a poor fit for companies selling primarily into Europe or North America.
  • Onboarding is charged at 25,000 INR one-off with training at 5,000 INR per three hour session, so first year cost is meaningfully above twelve months of subscription.

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

Kylas

Free
  • EmbarkFree
    • Free for life
    • Unlimited users
    • Ten thousand records, not expandable
  • Elevate$12999/month
    • Flat rate for unlimited users, not per seat
    • One hundred thousand records, expandable
    • Quarterly, half-yearly and annual billing terms
  • Exceed$undefined/month
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited users
    • Around 1.1 million records, adjustable

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 Kylas if

  • You need unlimited users on every plan.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want lead and deal management.
Kylas review

Questions people ask

Is Hiver or Kylas better?
Neither clearly leads. Hiver starts at Free and Kylas at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hiver or Kylas?
Hiver starts at Free and Kylas at Free.
Does Hiver or Kylas run on more platforms?
Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension. Kylas runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Hiver for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Kylas is typically brought in for.
What can Hiver do that Kylas cannot?
Hiver covers Shared inbox, Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes. Kylas covers Unlimited users on every plan, Lead and deal management, Record based limits, Workflow automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kylas: What does Kylas cost?

The Elevate plan is a flat rate of about 12,999 INR per month for unlimited users, with quarterly, half-yearly and annual terms. There is a free Embark plan and a custom Exceed tier.

Kylas: Does unlimited users really mean unlimited?

Yes for seats. The limit is on records: ten thousand on the free plan, one hundred thousand on Elevate, expandable at 500 INR per twenty thousand.

Kylas: What is not included in the flat rate?

Workflows, email templates, email tracking, the security module and BI analytics are add-ons from 500 to 5,000 INR per month. Onboarding is 25,000 INR one-off.

Kylas: Is it usable outside India?

It works, but the integration marketplace and sales workflows are built for the Indian market and the pricing is quoted in rupees.

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