Hiver
LiveAgent
| Feature | Hiver | LiveAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $19/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | small-teams, gmail-users, support-teams, startups | small-businesses, ecommerce, support-teams, call-centers |
| Founded | 2011 | 2006 |
| Shared Inboxes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Assignment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collision Detection | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sla Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ticketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Live Chat | ✗ | ✓ |
| Call Center | ✗ | ✓ |
| Knowledge Base | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Media Support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Chat | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ LiveAgent Pros
- Feature-rich
- Affordable
- Built-in call center
- Fast live chat
✗ LiveAgent Cons
- Interface feels busy
- Setup takes time
- Mobile app limited
The Verdict
Hiver is built for small teams and gmail users, with a focus on shared-inboxes and email-assignment. LiveAgent targets small businesses and ecommerce and leads with ticketing and live-chat.
On pricing, LiveAgent is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $9/mo compared to $19/mo for Hiver. That $10/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.
Both tools are a solid fit for support teams — 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.