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Customer Support · head to head

Hiver vs tawk.to

Hiver logo

Hiver

Customer Support

Gmail-based help desk

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
tawk.to logo

tawk.to

Live Chat

100% free live chat software

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; tawk.to removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: Hiver covers Shared inbox, tawk.to covers Live chat.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hiver and tawk.to actually diverge.

Attributes where Hiver and tawk.to differ
AttributeHivertawk.to
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Chrome-extensionWeb, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat
Founded20112013

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 tawk.to

  • Live chat
  • Ticketing
  • Knowledge base
  • CRM
  • Video chat
  • Screen sharing
  • WordPress
  • Shopify

Both cover

  • GDPR
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Hiver

  • Shared inbox managementnot tawk.to
  • Customer support via Gmailnot tawk.to
  • Team email collaborationnot tawk.to

tawk.to

  • Website live chat and visitor engagementnot Hiver
  • Customer support automationnot 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

tawk.to

  • Removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
  • Enhanced AI Assist chatbot is a paid add-on starting at $29/month rather than included free
  • Human staffed chat agents are billed at $1/hour as a separate add-on

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

tawk.to

Free
  • Free Core SoftwareFree
    • Live chat software with no feature limitations
    • Chat pages
    • Knowledge base (hosted help center)
  • Branding Removal$29/month
    • Remove Powered by tawk.to widget branding
  • AI Assist Premium$29/month
    • AI-powered chatbot automation
  • Hired Chat Agents$1/hour
    • Professional trained agents 24/7/365

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 tawk.to if

  • You need live chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
  • You also want ticketing.
tawk.to review

Questions people ask

Is Hiver or tawk.to better?
Neither clearly leads. Hiver starts at Free and tawk.to at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hiver or tawk.to?
Hiver starts at Free and tawk.to at Free.
Does Hiver or tawk.to run on more platforms?
Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension. tawk.to runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
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 tawk.to is typically brought in for.
What can Hiver do that tawk.to cannot?
Hiver covers Shared inbox, Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes. tawk.to covers Live chat, Ticketing, Knowledge base, CRM. Both handle GDPR, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

tawk.to: How much does tawk.to cost?

tawk.to is free for core live chat, knowledge base, ticketing, and CRM. Premium add-ons start at $29/month for branding removal or AI Assist, and $1/hour for hired chat agents.

Source
tawk.to: Is tawk.to free forever?

Yes, tawk.to's core software including live chat, knowledge base, ticketing, and contacts is free forever with no feature limitations.

Source
tawk.to: How are tawk.to's hired chat agents priced?

Hired chat agents are billed at $1 per hour with professional trained staff providing 24/7/365 support.

Source
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