Help Scout
Hiver
| Feature | Help Scout | Hiver |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $25/mo | Free / from $19/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | small-businesses, saas-companies, remote-teams, customer-focused-brands | small-teams, gmail-users, support-teams, startups |
| Founded | 2011 | 2011 |
| Shared Inbox | ✓ | ✗ |
| Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✗ |
| Beacon | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Workflows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Customer Profiles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reporting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shared Inboxes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Email Assignment | ✗ | ✓ |
| Collision Detection | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sla Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Help Scout Pros
- Feels like email to customers (no ticket numbers)
- Excellent knowledge base (Docs)
- Beacon widget for contextual help
- Simple and fast — minimal training needed
✗ Help Scout Cons
- Limited automation compared to Zendesk
- No built-in phone or video support
- Reporting less advanced on lower plans
✓ 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
Help Scout is built for small businesses and saas companies, with a focus on shared-inbox and knowledge-base. Hiver targets small teams and gmail users and leads with shared-inboxes and email-assignment.
On pricing, Hiver is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $19/mo compared to $25/mo for Help Scout. That $6/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Help Scout offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Hiver takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
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.