Hiver vs Sendbird
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Hiver | Sendbird |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $35/seat/mo | From $399/mo |
| Best For | Organizations heavily invested in Gmail who primarily handle email support | Developers building custom in-app messaging experiences |
| Standout Feature | Native Gmail integration and shared mailbox management | Comprehensive SDK with voice, video, and messaging |
| Free Plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| G2 Rating | 4.6 | 4.3 |
Hiver converts Gmail into a collaborative customer service hub, while Sendbird provides chat and messaging APIs for building custom communication experiences. These solutions target fundamentally different use cases and technical approaches.
Hiver serves teams wanting to improve email-based customer service without leaving Gmail, while Sendbird enables developers to embed chat functionality into applications and websites.
Feature Comparison
Hiver operates entirely within Gmail, adding shared inbox management, email assignment, collision detection, and team collaboration features. It requires no technical implementation and works with existing Gmail accounts and workflows.
Sendbird provides chat SDKs and APIs for iOS, Android, web, and other platforms. It offers real-time messaging, group chats, file sharing, push notifications, moderation tools, and video calling through programmable interfaces.
The fundamental difference is deployment: Hiver enhances existing Gmail usage while Sendbird requires development resources to integrate chat features into custom applications.
Pricing Comparison
Hiver charges $15-39/user/month based on feature requirements, with straightforward per-seat pricing that includes all core email collaboration functionality.
Sendbird uses usage-based pricing starting at $399/month for up to 1,000 monthly active users, with additional costs for premium features like video calling, advanced moderation, and higher usage tiers.
Hiver offers predictable costs for email teams, while Sendbird pricing scales with user engagement and feature usage in your application.
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
Sendbird
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive SDK suite
- ✓ Excellent developer documentation
- ✓ Scalable infrastructure
Cons
- ✗ Expensive for small businesses
- ✗ Complex pricing structure
- ✗ Limited social media integrations
Verdict
Choose Hiver if you need immediate email collaboration improvements within Gmail's familiar interface. Choose Sendbird if you're building custom applications requiring embedded chat, messaging, or video calling capabilities.
Choose Hiver if: You're managing customer emails through Gmail and need better team collaboration without technical complexity or platform changes.
Choose Sendbird if: You're developing applications that need embedded chat functionality and have development resources for API integration and maintenance.
For teams seeking ready-to-use customer communication tools without development overhead, Converge provides complete multi-channel support at $49/month with no per-user fees or usage-based pricing surprises.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Hiver comparisons and all Sendbird comparisons.