Hiver is the worlds first Gmail-based help desk and shared inbox tool, trusted by over 10,000 companies to deliver better customer service without leaving Gmail. It turns Gmail into a collaborative inbox where teams can assign emails, track status, share notes, and measure performance, all without learning a new tool.
Pros
Cons
Hiver installs as a Chrome extension and adds help desk features directly to Gmails sidebar. No new app to learn, agents keep using the email interface they already know.
Turn support@, info@, or sales@ email addresses into shared inboxes where teammates can see, assign, and manage emails collaboratively from one place.
Assign emails to specific team members with a dropdown. See ownership clearly, track status, and rebalance workloads with visual indicators on every thread.
Hiver warns agents when someone else is viewing or replying to the same email, preventing duplicate replies and embarrassing customer experiences.
Discuss emails internally without sending anything to customers. Mention teammates with @mentions to loop them into conversations that need their input.
Save canned responses for common questions and build automation rules that auto-assign, tag, or route emails based on sender, subject, or content.
Track first response time, resolution time, team workload, CSAT scores, and SLA compliance with dashboards and reports that reveal what is working and what needs attention.
Hiver expanded beyond email to support WhatsApp, live chat, voice, and knowledge base, giving teams a unified experience across all their support channels.
Hiver brings professional help desk features directly into Gmail so teams can support customers where they already work:
Hiver is a Gmail-based shared inbox and helpdesk for teams. Pricing is per-user with a 2-seat minimum on all paid tiers. Annual billing saves about 25-30% versus monthly, and a free plan covers small teams getting started.
Hiver does not charge for add-ons — everything in each plan tier is included. A 7-day free trial covers all paid plans, and you can upgrade or downgrade anytime. Hiver natively integrates with Gmail, Google Workspace, Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and offers a full REST API on Pro+ plans.
Hiver is loved by Gmail-based support teams at companies like Flexport, Harvard University, and Vacasa. Here is what real users are saying:
While Hiver is ideal for teams wanting to keep working in Gmail, other options include Front (shared inbox across channels), Help Scout (inbox-first help desk), Freshdesk (full ticketing at low prices), Zendesk (enterprise customer support), and Missive (collaborative email and chat).
Tawk.to is a completely free live chat and customer messaging platform that lets businesses monitor and engage visitors on their websites in real time. In this Tawk.to review by IdealOnlineBusiness.com, we look at its pricing, features, real user ratings, and ease of use based on public G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot reviews. Whether you run an e-commerce store, SaaS business, or service company, Tawk.to provides unlimited chat, agents, and history at no cost, with optional paid add-ons.
Our analysis of Tawk.to live chat reviews shows the platform is widely loved for being genuinely free, easy to install, and feature-complete for small businesses. It holds a 4.6/5 rating on G2 with 300+ reviews and 4.6 on Capterra with thousands of reviews. Users call out the unlimited agents, knowledge base, mobile apps, and customization, while some flag occasional notification delays. For businesses wanting a robust free live chat platform, Tawk.to is hard to beat.
Explore More
Got questions about Hiver? Here are answers to the most common ones from Gmail teams considering the platform.
⚠️ Affiliate Disclosure: This site contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you purchase through our links at no extra cost to you. Results are not typical.
