Hiver vs Intercom

Hiver and Intercom represent different philosophies in customer support. Hiver (G2 4.6/5) transforms Gmail into a collaborative help desk, while Intercom (G2 4.5/5) provides a comprehensive customer engagement platform with advanced automation and live chat capabilities.

This comparison examines their unique approaches, pricing models, and ideal use cases to help you choose the right solution for your team.

Hiver's unique strength lies in its Gmail integration, allowing teams to manage customer support directly within their existing email workflow. It offers shared inboxes, collision detection, email templates, and basic automation while maintaining the familiar Gmail interface.

Intercom provides a comprehensive customer communication platform with advanced live chat, automated messaging sequences, customer segmentation, sophisticated bot capabilities, and product tours. It extends beyond support into marketing automation and customer success.

The choice often depends on whether you prefer working within Gmail's familiar environment or need a dedicated platform with advanced engagement features.

Hiver offers Gmail-based pricing starting at $15/user/month for basic shared inbox functionality up to $59/user/month for advanced features like analytics and automation. The pricing is straightforward with no hidden costs.

Intercom's pricing ranges from $29-$132 per seat monthly, with additional costs for advanced features, higher message volumes, and premium integrations. The total cost can escalate quickly as you scale.

For a 5-person team, Hiver costs $75-$295/month while Intercom ranges from $145-$660/month, making Hiver more cost-effective for Gmail-centric teams.

Choose Hiver if your team relies heavily on Gmail and wants seamless email-based support ($15-$59/user) with minimal learning curve. Choose Intercom if you need advanced customer engagement tools and multi-channel support despite higher costs ($29-$132/seat).

Choose Hiver if: Your team is Gmail-centric, prefers email-based support workflows, and wants to maintain familiar interfaces while adding collaboration features. Ideal for teams that don't need live chat or complex automation.

Choose Intercom if: You need comprehensive customer engagement tools, live chat capabilities, and advanced automation. Best for businesses requiring multi-channel support and sophisticated customer journey management.

Consider Converge as an alternative with flat $49/month pricing for up to 15 agents, offering excellent value for teams seeking comprehensive support tools without per-user limitations.