Software · head to head
LiveAgent vs Hiver
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; 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: LiveAgent covers Ticketing system, Hiver covers Shared inbox.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which LiveAgent and Hiver actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 LiveAgent
- Ticketing system
- Live chat
- Call center
- Social media
- Knowledge base
- Customer portal
- WordPress
- Shopify
Only in Hiver
- Shared inbox
- Email assignment
- Collision detection
- Email notes
- Templates
- Analytics
- Gmail
- Google Workspace
Both cover
- Slack
- GDPR
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
LiveAgent
- Multichannel help desk covering email, chat, calls and social messagesnot Hiver
- Ticketing and shared inbox for customer support teamsnot Hiver
Hiver
- Shared inbox managementnot LiveAgent
- Customer support via Gmailnot LiveAgent
- Team email collaborationnot LiveAgent
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
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
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 LiveAgent if
- You need ticketing system.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want live chat.
Choose Hiver if
- You need shared inbox.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Chrome-extension.
- You also want email assignment.
Questions people ask
- Is LiveAgent or Hiver better?
- Neither clearly leads. LiveAgent starts at Free and Hiver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, LiveAgent or Hiver?
- LiveAgent starts at Free and Hiver at Free.
- Does LiveAgent or Hiver run on more platforms?
- LiveAgent runs on Web, Ios, Android. Hiver runs on Web, Chrome-extension.
- Can I use LiveAgent for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is LiveAgent best used for?
- LiveAgent is most often used for multichannel help desk covering email, chat, calls and social messages, ticketing and shared inbox for customer support teams. Of those, multichannel help desk covering email, chat, calls and social messages and ticketing and shared inbox for customer support teams are not what Hiver is typically brought in for.
- What can LiveAgent do that Hiver cannot?
- LiveAgent covers Ticketing system, Live chat, Call center, Social media. Hiver covers Shared inbox, Email assignment, Collision detection, Email notes. Both handle Slack, GDPR, Web support.