Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Hiver.
Want the closest match?
ThenaMost similar to Hiver in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Thena in a new tab)Need a free plan?
Help ScoutHas a free plan, rated 4.5 out of 5.
Visit (opens Help Scout in a new tab)Want the best rated?
FrontRated 4.4 out of 5 in our review, against 4.2 for Hiver.
Visit (opens Front in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Hiver, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 HiverBaseline | 4.2 | $25/mo | Yes | Runs customer support from inside Gmail rather than in a separate helpdesk. | |
| Thena | 4.2Same | Not listed | No | B2B support conducted through shared Slack channels | vs Hiver |
 Answera | 3.2−1.0 | Free | Yes | Drafts customer support replies for copy-and-paste into whatever helpdesk you already use, with no integration to set up. | vs Hiver |
 Brandwise | 3.4−0.8 | Not listed | No | Obie, your AI agent, reads your catalog and policies to answer customers, track orders, and process exchanges directly in Shopify - not just draft replies. | vs Hiver |
 My AskAI | 4.0−0.2 | Free | Yes | Support agent that sits inside Intercom or Zendesk rather than replacing them. | vs Hiver |
 Hugo | 3.9−0.3 | Free | Yes | AI support agent that resolves tickets across ten channels around the clock | vs Hiver |
| Front | 4.4+0.2 | $25/moSame price | No | Customer operations platform with a shared inbox for support, sales and operations teams, plus Front AI: Autopilot agents that resolve requests, Copilot drafting and next steps, and Compass monitoring of agent performance. | vs Hiver |
| Help Scout | 4.5+0.3 | $25/moSame price | Yes | A shared inbox designed to feel like email, not enterprise ticketing | vs Hiver |
 Whelp | 4.1−0.1 | $29/mo$4 more | Yes | Customer support platform that pairs AI agents trained on your FAQs, policies and catalog with one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, SMS, email, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram. | vs Hiver |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Hiver.
Thena
4.2Not listed
vs HiverSame
B2B support conducted through shared Slack channels.
- AI-powered support automation built for Slack Connect
- Designed for B2B SaaS support conversations, not consumer web widgets
- Triage and resolution within existing Slack channels
Genuinely native to a common B2B support workflow other tools don't address directly
No free tier or transparent self-serve pricing
Answera
3.2Free
vs Hiver−1.0
Drafts customer support replies for copy-and-paste into whatever helpdesk you already use, with no integration to set up.
- Generates customer support replies from the incoming message
- Copy-and-paste delivery, no helpdesk integration required
- Works alongside any existing support system
No integration means it works with any helpdesk, including unsupported ones
No ticket context or customer history feeds the draft
Brandwise
3.4Not listed
vs Hiver−0.8
Obie, your AI agent, reads your catalog and policies to answer customers, track orders, and process exchanges directly in Shopify - not just draft replies.
- Obie AI agent trained on your own catalog, policies, and past replies
- Takes real actions - order tracking, exchanges, shipping updates in Shopify
- Unified multi-channel inbox (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Gmail)
Obie executes real actions (exchanges, shipping updates), not just canned replies
Volume-based pricing can scale unpredictably with conversation spikes
My AskAI
4.0Free
vs Hiver−0.2
Support agent that sits inside Intercom or Zendesk rather than replacing them.
- Works inside Intercom, Zendesk and other helpdesks
- No migration from the existing support stack
- Escalation to human agents
Layers onto the helpdesk a team already runs
The 75% deflection figure is a vendor claim
Hugo
3.9Free
vs Hiver−0.3
AI support agent that resolves tickets across ten channels around the clock.
- Ticket resolution across ten support channels
- Automation of repetitive support tasks
- 24/7 coverage without shift scheduling
Consistent answers across every support surface
Resolution rate depends on how repetitive the ticket mix is
Front
4.4$25/mo
vs HiverSame price+0.2
Customer operations platform with a shared inbox for support, sales and operations teams, plus Front AI: Autopilot agents that resolve requests, Copilot drafting and next steps, and Compass monitoring of agent performance.
- Autopilot AI agent that resolves requests across channels
- Copilot for account signals, next steps and reply drafts
- Compass monitoring and recommendations for AI agents
Human teams and AI agents work in the same threads
Copilot and Autopilot cost extra on Starter and Professional
Help Scout
4.5$25/mo
vs HiverSame price+0.3
A shared inbox designed to feel like email, not enterprise ticketing.
- Shared inbox designed to feel like personal email
- No visible ticket numbers shown to customers
- AI-drafted reply suggestions and conversation summaries
Genuinely lighter-weight and easier to adopt than enterprise ticketing platforms
Less suited to very high-volume or highly complex enterprise support operations
Whelp
4.1$29/mo
vs Hiver$4 more−0.1
Customer support platform that pairs AI agents trained on your FAQs, policies and catalog with one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, SMS, email, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram.
- AI Agents trained on FAQs, policies and catalog
- Order and booking lookups inside conversations
- Unified inbox for WhatsApp, chat, SMS, email and social
Free plan with unlimited conversations for one seat
AI Agents start at the $79 per seat plan
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Hiver free?
Hiver has a free plan, and paid plans start from $25/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Hiver?
Help Scout is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.5 out of 5). Other free options: Whelp, My AskAI, Hugo.
What is the cheapest alternative to Hiver?
Among paid plans, Front has the lowest starting price (from $25/mo). If you need it free, start with Help Scout.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.