Help Scout vs Hiver
Help Scout scores 7.8 to Hiver's 7.4 among the helpdesks we rate, and is the better pick for 1 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Help Scout wins, 7.8 to 7.4
Help Scout has a free plan for up to 100 contacts a month; Hiver has none, starting at $35 a month per seat against Help Scout's $30 for Standard. Hiver bundles its AI Agents and Copilot into every plan with no separate charge; Help Scout sells AI Answers as an add-on billed per resolution, though with a 3 month free trial of that add-on. Hiver is also ISO 27001 certified, which Help Scout is not.
Pick Help Scout if you want to start free and try AI Answers free first.
Pick Hiver if you want AI bundled in and ISO 27001 certification.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Free plan: Help Scout yes, Hiver no
- Monthly price, cheapest paid plan: $30 against $35
- AI included in the price: Included against Per_resolution
- Channels it works in: Help Scout Email, live_chat, sms, whatsapp, instagram, messenger, Hiver Email, live_chat, slack, voice, whatsapp, sms
- ISO 27001: Hiver yes, Help Scout no
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other helpdesks we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. They split the criteria 2 each, with the rest level.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (12)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Help Scout
Hiver
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Help Scout
- The shared inbox is mature and feature-rich, including assignment, tagging, SLAs, snooze, saved replies, and workflow automation that requires no developer involvement.
- AI features are genuinely integrated rather than bolted on, with AI Answers acting as an autonomous agent inside Beacon and inbox AI handling drafting, editing, and translating.
- Help Scout has been profitable and largely bootstrapped for over a decade, resulting in deliberate, careful product decisions rather than trend-chasing.
- The platform is purpose-built for small to mid-sized support teams who need structure without the complexity of a full enterprise ticketing system.
- Custom AI training pulls from your own website or defined sources, giving teams control over the knowledge base powering automated responses.
- The Beacon chat widget, Docs knowledge base, and AI layer all sit cohesively on top of a single core inbox product, keeping the experience unified.
- With 12,000 companies using it and a founding date of 2011, Help Scout has a proven, stable track record rarely seen at this market segment.
- Help Scout is not designed for enterprise teams or solo operators, leaving those outside the small-to-mid-sized sweet spot underserved.
- AI features arrived later than at competing platforms, meaning early adopters looking for cutting-edge AI tooling may have already moved elsewhere.
- The platform deliberately avoids Zendesk-level complexity, which means teams that eventually need advanced ticketing features may outgrow it.
- The positioning as 'human-first' may translate to slower feature velocity compared to competitors more aggressively shipping new capabilities.
- The knowledge base and chat widget are add-ons layered over the inbox rather than standalone best-in-class products, which may limit flexibility.
- Being bootstrapped and independent, while a strength, can also mean fewer resources for rapid scaling or deep enterprise integrations.
Hiver
- Hiver lives inside Gmail and Outlook, eliminating the need for a separate helpdesk login or tab, which reduces friction for teams already working in email.
- Harvey AI is powered by OpenAI and can be trained on your own knowledge base, making suggestions more relevant than generic AI alternatives.
- Collision detection prevents two agents from replying to the same email simultaneously, reducing duplicate responses and confusion.
- The platform includes SLA policies with breach alerts, helping support teams stay accountable to response time commitments.
- Over 10,000 businesses use Hiver, indicating proven adoption for a narrowly focused tool in a competitive space.
- Built-in live chat widget, CSAT surveys, and a self-service knowledge base provide a reasonable support feature surface without requiring third-party add-ons.
- A REST API is available for teams that need to build custom integrations or extend the platform's functionality.
- Hiver is narrowly focused on Gmail and Outlook users, making it a poor fit for teams not already centered around those email clients.
- The product's tight niche means teams with more complex or multi-channel support needs will likely hit platform limitations quickly.
- Live chat is only available on higher-tier Growth and Elite plans, locking a key feature behind a more expensive subscription.
- It is not designed to compete with full-scale helpdesks like Zendesk, so teams needing advanced functionality may find it insufficient.
- The AI and automation features, while useful, are not exotic or differentiated enough to stand out against broader helpdesk competitors.
- Teams outside the specific shared-inbox-in-email use case may find the tool frustrating rather than helpful.
Help Scout vs Hiver: common questions
Which is better, Help Scout or Hiver?
Help Scout scores 7.8 and Hiver 7.4 out of 10 among the helpdesks we rate. Help Scout is ahead on pricing and support and branding. Hiver is ahead on aI that answers your customers and security and privacy.
Is Help Scout or Hiver cheaper?
Help Scout's cheapest paid plan is $30/user/mo and Hiver's is $35/user/mo. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Help Scout and Hiver have a free plan?
Help Scout does and Hiver does not.
What can Help Scout do that Hiver cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: free plan.
What can Hiver do that Help Scout cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: iSO 27001.
