Groove HQ vs Hiver
Groove HQ is simple help desk software for small businesses. Best suited for small businesses needing simple email-based customer support. Known for its collision detection to prevent duplicate responses.
Hiver is gmail-based customer service platform. Best suited for organizations heavily invested in Gmail who primarily handle email support. Known for its native Gmail integration and shared mailbox management.
Groove HQ HiverGroove HQ starts at $12/user/month for a standalone shared inbox, while Hiver starts at $25/user/month (annual) and installs as a layer inside Gmail. Both are shared-inbox tools built around email, but the architectures are opposites: Groove HQ is a dedicated help desk you log into, while Hiver lives inside the Gmail interface your team already uses. Groove holds a 4.6/5 rating from ~193 G2 reviews (G2, 2026); Hiver holds 4.6/5 from 1,278 G2 reviews (G2, 2026).
Groove HQ targets small businesses that want a clean, email-client-like help desk separate from their personal inbox — its standout feature is collision detection to prevent duplicate replies. Hiver targets Google Workspace organizations that want to extend their existing Gmail mailboxes into shared, collaborative inboxes without forcing agents to learn a new interface. Channel coverage differs substantially: Groove supports email, live chat, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram DMs; Hiver supports email, live chat, WhatsApp (Pro tier and above), and voice via Aircall.
Side-by-side screenshot composite showing the Groove HQ standalone inbox (left, four-panel layout with left nav, conversation list, conversation view, customer sidebar — branded green) next to Hiver's Gmail overlay (right, Gmail interface with Hiver sidebar showing assignment dropdown, status pills, and collision indicator). Use the same demo conversation on both sides so the architectural difference is the visual focus, not the content.
What features does Groove HQ offer?
Groove HQ's feature set is built around its target customer base, a key differentiator against Hiver. It uses a per seat pricing model starting at From $12/seat/mo, a different approach from Hiver's per seat structure. The features split across channel coverage, automation depth, AI tooling, and team management. Converge ($49/month flat for up to 15 agents) covers all of these in its base subscription.
What features does Hiver offer?
Hiver's feature set is built around its target customer base, a key differentiator against Groove HQ. It uses a per seat pricing model starting at From $25/seat/mo, a different approach from Groove HQ's per seat structure. The features split across channel coverage, automation depth, AI tooling, and team management. Converge ($49/month flat for up to 15 agents) covers all of these in its base subscription.
How do Groove HQ and Hiver compare on features?
Groove HQ and Hiver compete in the same category but tune their feature sets for different team profiles. The material differences cluster around channel coverage, automation depth, reporting, and team management. The side-by-side below draws on aggregated G2 and Capterra reviews. A flat-rate alternative like Converge ($49/month for up to 15 agents) may sidestep the trade-off entirely.
Hiver wins on channel coverage at the top tier (WhatsApp + voice), while Groove HQ wins on knowledge base flexibility and a lower entry price. The feature comparison turns on whether you need messaging channels and how deeply your team is committed to Gmail.
Groove HQ includes the core shared-inbox feature set on every tier: collision detection, canned responses (called Instant Replies), internal notes, @mentions, round-robin assignment, rule-based automations, satisfaction ratings, and a built-in knowledge base. Standard ($12/user/month) gives you 2 shared inboxes and 1 knowledge base. Plus ($20/user/month) raises this to 5 inboxes and adds AI Summarize, AI Sentiment & Tagging, AI Writing Assist, SLA management, business hours, and premium integrations (HubSpot, Jira, Salesforce). AI Draft credits cost $0.25 each on top of the subscription — a team sending 50 AI-assisted replies per day pays an extra ~$375/month in AI fees. The channel list ends at email, live chat, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram DMs.
Hiver works as a Chrome/Firefox extension and Gmail add-on that adds shared-mailbox functionality inside Gmail. Free ($0, unlimited users) provides shared inboxes, email, live chat, and a knowledge base with no automations, no SLAs, and no AI. Growth ($25/user/month annual) adds AI Compose, AI Summarizer, round-robin assignment, rule-based automations, custom fields, and conversation analytics. Pro ($55/user/month annual) is the tier most teams end up on: it unlocks WhatsApp, voice via Aircall, AI Agents, AI Copilot, SLA management, CSAT surveys, the customer portal, and premium integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier). Elite ($85/user/month annual) adds AI QA, skill-based routing, HIPAA compliance, and OKTA SSO (hiverhq.com, 2026).
The architectural difference matters in daily use. Groove HQ agents work inside a dedicated four-panel interface — left nav, conversation list, conversation view, customer sidebar. Hiver agents work inside Gmail with shared mailboxes appearing as labels in the Gmail sidebar; assignment, status, and SLA badges overlay each thread. Hiver requires Google Workspace; Groove works with any email provider. Neither tool natively supports Telegram, Discord, or Zalo at any tier.
How much do Groove HQ and Hiver cost?
Groove HQ starts at From $12/seat/mo (per seat); Hiver starts at From $25/seat/mo (per seat). Converge is $49/month flat for up to 15 agents with all channels and AI included.
Groove HQ costs $12–$35/user/month across three tiers; Hiver costs $0–$85/user/month across four tiers, with WhatsApp gated behind the $55/user/month Pro plan. Both require annual billing for advertised rates and both charge per seat.
Groove HQ (groovehq.com, 2026): Standard $12/user/month, Plus $20/user/month, Pro $35/user/month. Monthly billing runs roughly 50% higher per Woodpecker's 2025 review ($24, $36, $56). Data exports are locked behind the Pro tier — Standard and Plus users cannot bulk-export their own conversation data. AI Draft credits cost $0.25 each on Plus and Pro. Hiver (hiverhq.com, 2026): Free $0 (unlimited users, no automations or SLAs), Growth $25/user/month annual, Pro $55/user/month annual, Elite $85/user/month annual. Hiver's paid plans start at a 2-seat minimum and scale in increments of 5 after 5 seats — a team of 6 must pay for 10 seats.
Real cost scenarios at annual billing:
- 5 agents, mid-tier (most common): Groove Plus $100/month vs. Hiver Pro $275/month — Hiver is 2.75× the cost because WhatsApp requires Pro.
- 5 agents, entry tier: Groove Standard $60/month vs. Hiver Growth $125/month — Hiver more than doubles Groove's price for similar feature scope.
- 10 agents, mid-tier: Groove Plus $200/month vs. Hiver Pro $550/month.
- 10 agents, full-feature: Groove Pro $350/month vs. Hiver Elite $850/month.
The pricing gap reflects what's included. Hiver Pro at $55/user includes WhatsApp, voice (Aircall), AI Copilot, SLAs, CSAT surveys, and a customer portal — features Groove either gates separately, charges per credit for (AI Draft $0.25 each), or doesn't offer at all (no WhatsApp at any Groove tier). Groove's lower price reflects narrower scope, not better value per dollar. Both platforms penalize team growth: every new hire adds $12–$85/month to the bill on top of fixed overhead.
Groove HQ Pricing
Hiver Pricing
What are Groove HQ's strengths and limitations?
Groove HQ's biggest strengths cluster around what reviewers consistently single out as its standout capability, which is what makes it a strong fit for small businesses needing simple email-based customer support. Its limitations cluster around pricing-model fit at smaller team sizes and around channel coverage gaps relative to a messaging-first inbox. The detailed lists below come from aggregated G2 and Capterra reviews plus our own internal customer-pipeline reports — teams that are using Groove HQ today as their primary inbox, plus teams that evaluated and ultimately rejected it during their selection process. Read them carefully side-by-side with Hiver's breakdown lower on this page to decide which of the two platforms fits where your team is heading next quarter — or whether a flat-rate alternative like Converge ($49/month, up to 15 agents, all channels and AI included) is a better path entirely, sidestepping both vendors.
Strengths
- Simple, clean interface
- Good for small teams
- Affordable entry-level pricing
- Easy setup and onboarding
Limitations
- Limited advanced features
- No modern messaging integrations
- Basic automation capabilities
- No WhatsApp, Telegram, or social media support
What are Hiver's strengths and limitations?
Hiver's biggest strengths cluster around what reviewers consistently single out as its standout capability, which is what makes it a strong fit for organizations heavily invested in gmail who primarily handle email support. Its limitations cluster around pricing-model fit at smaller team sizes and around channel coverage gaps relative to a messaging-first inbox. The detailed lists below come from aggregated G2 and Capterra reviews plus our own internal customer-pipeline reports — teams that are using Hiver today as their primary inbox, plus teams that evaluated and ultimately rejected it during their selection process. Read them carefully alongside Groove HQ's breakdown earlier on this page to decide which of the two platforms fits where your team is heading next quarter — or whether a flat-rate alternative like Converge ($49/month, up to 15 agents, all channels and AI included) is a better path entirely, sidestepping both vendors.
Strengths
- Seamless Gmail integration
- Easy setup for Gmail users
- Good email management features
- Familiar interface
Limitations
- Limited to Gmail ecosystem
- No modern messaging channels
- Expensive per-user pricing
- Lacks WhatsApp and social messaging
Groove HQ or Hiver: which should you pick?
Pick Groove HQ if your primary need maps to its standout capability and its pricing model works at your team size. Pick Hiver if your team profile maps to its strengths instead. If neither fits — for example, a 3-15 agent team handling messaging channels (WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Instagram, Discord, Zalo) wanting flat-rate pricing — Converge is $49/month flat for up to 15 agents, with all channels and AI tooling included.
Choose Groove HQ if your customers contact you exclusively through email and you want the lowest per-seat help desk price. Groove Standard at $12/user/month is among the cheapest dedicated help desks on the market and includes the core shared-inbox features small teams need: collision detection, canned responses, round-robin assignment, satisfaction ratings, and a knowledge base. The interface resembles an email client, onboarding takes minutes, and the Shopify, Stripe, and HubSpot integrations surface order and CRM data inside conversations. Groove works with any email provider — no Google Workspace requirement.
Choose Hiver if your team runs on Google Workspace and you want help-desk features without leaving Gmail. The zero-learning-curve advantage is real: agents handle support inside the interface they already use for everything else. Hiver Pro ($55/user/month annual) adds WhatsApp, voice via Aircall, AI Copilot, SLA management, and a customer portal — channels and features Groove can't match at any tier. Hiver's free plan offers unlimited users for teams testing the model, though paid plans start at a 2-seat minimum with 5-seat increments.
When should you choose Groove HQ or Hiver?
The Groove HQ vs. Hiver decision comes down to two questions: do you use Google Workspace, and do you need WhatsApp or voice? Teams committed to Gmail with a need for messaging channels should pay the Hiver Pro premium ($55/user/month annual). Teams that only need email support with the lowest per-seat price should pick Groove Standard ($12/user/month). Neither platform supports Telegram, Discord, or Zalo at any tier, and both penalize team growth via per-seat pricing — a 10-agent team pays $200–$350/month on Groove or $550–$850/month on Hiver.
For teams that need messaging-first support across WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and Zalo, Converge offers all channels at $49/month flat for up to 15 agents — removing the per-seat cost calculations that make both Groove HQ and Hiver expensive as teams grow.
Three-column pricing comparison table screenshot: leftmost column Groove HQ tiers ($12 Standard / $20 Plus / $35 Pro), middle column Hiver tiers ($0 Free / $25 Growth / $55 Pro / $85 Elite), right column showing what's included at each price (channels, AI, SLAs, WhatsApp). Bold the WhatsApp row to visually highlight that it's only available on Hiver Pro+. Bottom row totals: "5 agents/month" with Groove Plus $100, Hiver Pro $275.
Looking for more options? Browse all platform comparisons, or see all Groove HQ comparisons and all Hiver comparisons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Groove HQ is best for Small businesses needing simple email-based customer support. Hiver is best for Organizations heavily invested in Gmail who primarily handle email support. Groove HQ's standout feature is Collision detection to prevent duplicate responses, while Hiver offers Native Gmail integration and shared mailbox management.
Groove HQ starts at From $12/seat/mo. Hiver starts at From $25/seat/mo. Hiver offers a free plan. For flat-rate pricing, consider Converge at $49/month for up to 15 agents.
Groove HQ does not offer a free plan. Hiver offers a free plan. Both are established platforms in the customer support space.
Groove HQ pros: Simple, clean interface; Good for small teams. Hiver pros: Seamless Gmail integration; Easy setup for Gmail users. Each platform has distinct strengths depending on your use case.
Choose Groove HQ for Small businesses needing simple email-based customer support. Choose Hiver for Organizations heavily invested in Gmail who primarily handle email support. If you need messaging-first support with flat pricing, consider Converge as an alternative at $49/month for up to 15 agents.
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