Customer Support · head to head
Hiver vs LiveAgent
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; LiveAgent social and messaging channels are separately priced add ons rather than plan features, at $19 to $39 a month each on top of the seat price
- They diverge on capability: Hiver covers Shared inbox, LiveAgent covers Ticketing system.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hiver and LiveAgent actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), 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 LiveAgent
- Ticketing system
- Live chat
- Call center
- Social media
- Knowledge base
- Customer portal
- WordPress
- Shopify
Both cover
- Slack
- GDPR
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Hiver
- Shared inbox managementnot LiveAgent
- Customer support via Gmailnot LiveAgent
- Team email collaborationnot LiveAgent
LiveAgent
- Multichannel help desk covering email, chat, calls and social messagesnot Hiver
- Ticketing and shared inbox for customer support teamsnot 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
LiveAgent
- Social and messaging channels are separately priced add ons rather than plan features, at $19 to $39 a month each on top of the seat price
- The entry plan is limited to 3 email accounts, 2 live chat buttons and 3 contact forms
- WhatsApp numbers are rationed by plan, at 5 on Large Business and 20 on Enterprise
- The advertised prices require annual billing, and monthly billing raises the entry plan from $10 to $13 per agent
- Every published price is a discounted rate against a higher regular price
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
LiveAgent
Free- FreeFree
- 7-day ticket history
- 1 chat button
- 1 email account
- Small$9/month
- Unlimited ticket history
- 3 email accounts
- Customer portal
- Medium$29/month
- Call center
- 10 email accounts
- Advanced reporting
- Large$49/month
- Everything unlimited
- Senior account manager
- White glove setup
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.
Choose LiveAgent if
- You need ticketing system.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want live chat.
Questions people ask
- Is Hiver or LiveAgent better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hiver starts at Free and LiveAgent at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Hiver or LiveAgent?
- Hiver starts at Free and LiveAgent at Free.
- Does Hiver or LiveAgent run on more platforms?
- Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension. LiveAgent 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 LiveAgent is typically brought in for.
- What can Hiver do that LiveAgent cannot?
- Hiver covers Shared inbox, Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes. LiveAgent covers Ticketing system, Live chat, Call center, Social media. Both handle Slack, GDPR, Web support.