Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Kustomer vs Hiver

Kustomer logo

Kustomer

Customer Support

The future of customer service

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hiver logo

Hiver

Customer Support

Gmail-based help desk

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Hiver has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kustomer pricing not published; requires customised sales assessment and quote for exact costs; 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: Kustomer covers Unified customer view, Hiver covers Shared inbox.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kustomer and Hiver actually diverge.

Attributes where Kustomer and Hiver differ
AttributeKustomerHiver
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, Chrome-extension
Founded20152011

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 Kustomer

  • Unified customer view
  • AI automation
  • Omnichannel
  • Workflow automation
  • Knowledge base
  • Shopify
  • Magento
  • Facebook

Only in Hiver

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

Both cover

  • Analytics
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Kustomer

  • Large B2C and B2B organisations managing 600+ customer support interactions across omnichannel platformsnot Hiver
  • Retail, financial services, travel and hospitality sectors requiring integrated AI-powered supportnot Hiver
  • Enterprises seeking customer 360 views and advanced workflow automationnot Hiver

Hiver

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

Where each one falls short

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

Kustomer

  • Pricing not published; requires customised sales assessment and quote for exact costs
  • Voice (call), SMS, and WhatsApp support operate on separate pay-as-you-go pricing models
  • Customisation-based pricing structure means no transparent cost comparison with competitors

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

Kustomer

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Kustomer review.

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 Kustomer if

  • You need unified customer view.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want ai automation.
Kustomer review

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

Questions people ask

Is Kustomer or Hiver better?
Neither clearly leads. Kustomer starts at On request and Hiver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kustomer or Hiver?
Hiver has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Kustomer and Free for Hiver.
Does Kustomer or Hiver run on more platforms?
Kustomer runs on Web, Cloud. Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension.
Can I use Hiver for free?
Yes. Hiver has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kustomer starts at On request.
What is Kustomer best used for?
Kustomer is most often used for large b2c and b2b organisations managing 600+ customer support interactions across omnichannel platforms, retail, financial services, travel and hospitality sectors requiring integrated ai-powered support, enterprises seeking customer 360 views and advanced workflow automation. Of those, large b2c and b2b organisations managing 600+ customer support interactions across omnichannel platforms and retail, financial services, travel and hospitality sectors requiring integrated ai-powered support are not what Hiver is typically brought in for.
What can Kustomer do that Hiver cannot?
Kustomer covers Unified customer view, AI automation, Omnichannel, Workflow automation. Hiver covers Shared inbox, Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes. Both handle Analytics, SOC2, GDPR, Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Kustomer

More on Hiver

Keep looking

Other head to heads