Groove
Hiver
| Feature | Groove | Hiver |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $16/mo | Free / from $19/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | small-businesses, startups, small-support-teams, saas-companies | small-teams, gmail-users, support-teams, startups |
| Founded | 2012 | 2011 |
| Shared Inbox | ✓ | ✗ |
| Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Assignments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collision Detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reporting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shared Inboxes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Email Assignment | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sla Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Groove Pros
- Very simple to use
- Feels like email not a ticket system
- Good for small teams
- Knowledge base included
✗ Groove Cons
- Limited automation
- Basic reporting
- Not suitable for large teams
✓ Hiver Pros
- Works inside Gmail
- Easy adoption
- Shared inboxes
- Good for email teams
✗ Hiver Cons
- Gmail-only
- Limited outside email
- Fewer features than full helpdesks
The Verdict
Groove is built for small businesses and startups, with a focus on shared-inbox and knowledge-base. Hiver targets small teams and gmail users and leads with shared-inboxes and email-assignment.
Pricing is close: Groove starts at $16/mo versus $19/mo for Hiver — not a deciding factor on its own.
Hiver has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Groove requires a paid subscription from day one.
Both tools are a solid fit for startups — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.