Hiver
Rocket.Chat
| Feature | Hiver | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $19/mo | Free / from $4/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | small-teams, gmail-users, support-teams, startups | developers, self-hosted-teams, enterprises, customer-support-teams |
| Founded | 2011 | 2015 |
| Shared Inboxes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Assignment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collision Detection | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sla Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Channels | ✗ | ✓ |
| Direct Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Conferencing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
| Federation | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Rocket.Chat Pros
- Fully open-source
- Self-hosted option
- Omnichannel customer support
- Highly customizable
✗ Rocket.Chat Cons
- Requires server resources to self-host
- Less polished than Slack
- Plugin quality varies
The Verdict
Hiver is built for small teams and gmail users, with a focus on shared-inboxes and email-assignment. Rocket.Chat targets developers and self hosted teams and leads with channels and direct-messaging.
On pricing, Rocket.Chat is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $4/mo compared to $19/mo for Hiver. That $15/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.
Hiver edges out on user ratings (4.4 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Hiver has a slight overall edge — but if fully open-source matters most to you, Rocket.Chat may still be the right call.