Crisp vs Hiver
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Crisp | Hiver |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $95/mo | From $35/seat/mo |
| Best For | SMBs wanting comprehensive messaging with chatbot automation | Organizations heavily invested in Gmail who primarily handle email support |
| Standout Feature | Built-in video calls and screen sharing for support | Native Gmail integration and shared mailbox management |
| Free Plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| G2 Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.6 |
Crisp and Hiver target different aspects of customer communication. Crisp provides a traditional chat-focused platform with workspace pricing, while Hiver transforms Gmail into a collaborative customer service hub.
Hiver's impressive 4.6/5 G2 rating slightly edges out Crisp's 4.5/5, reflecting its specialized approach to Gmail-based customer support workflows.
Feature Comparison
Crisp offers traditional customer support features: live chat widgets, chatbots, knowledge base, and video calls. Their automation includes triggers, canned responses, and routing rules.
Hiver's unique approach turns Gmail into a shared inbox with collision detection, email templates, and SLA tracking. They excel at email delegation, internal notes, and Gmail-native workflows that feel natural to existing Gmail users.
While Crisp covers multiple channels (chat, email, social), Hiver focuses intensively on email excellence with some chat capabilities through their newer live chat feature.
Pricing Comparison
Crisp's workspace model ($0-$295/month) allows up to 15 agents on their free plan, making it cost-effective for larger teams. You pay for features and workspace capacity, not headcount.
Hiver's per-user pricing ($15-$59/month per user) can become expensive quickly but includes all features at each tier. Their Gmail integration eliminates the need for separate email hosting costs.
For a 5-person team, Crisp's Basic plan ($25/month) significantly undercuts Hiver's Lite plan ($75/month), though Hiver includes more email-specific features.
Crisp
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive omnichannel support
- ✓ Good WhatsApp and Telegram integration
- ✓ Generous free tier for testing
Cons
- ✗ Interface can feel cluttered
- ✗ Plugin system adds costs
- ✗ Limited CRM compared to dedicated tools
Hiver
Pros
- ✓ Seamless Gmail integration
- ✓ Easy setup for Gmail users
- ✓ Good email management features
Cons
- ✗ Limited to Gmail ecosystem
- ✗ No modern messaging channels
- ✗ Expensive per-user pricing
Verdict
Choose Crisp if you want a dedicated customer support platform with chat widgets, automation, and video calling. Choose Hiver if your team lives in Gmail and you want to transform it into a collaborative support system.
Choose Crisp if: You need a comprehensive customer support platform with chat widgets, automation, and don't want to be locked into Gmail.
Choose Hiver if: Your team already uses Gmail extensively and you want to enhance it with collaboration features rather than adopting a new platform.
For teams wanting modern customer support without Gmail dependency or per-user fees, Converge provides up to 15 agents at $49/month with contemporary features and transparent pricing.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Crisp comparisons and all Hiver comparisons.