Your Gmail inbox is full of customer questions, but you don’t know who is working on what. Colleagues accidentally answer the same email twice, or worse: nobody responds. Hiver transforms your Gmail (or Outlook) into a helpdesk without needing a separate tool. Everything stays right in your mailbox.
Who is behind Hiver?
Hiver started in 2011 as GrexIt, founded by Niraj Ranjan Rout and Nitesh Nandy in San Jose. The original idea was simple: share Gmail labels between colleagues. Anyone who has ever tried to work from one Gmail account with a team knows the chaos. Nobody knows who is picking up what, emails disappear in the tangle of labels, and everyone works past each other.
That frustration led to a complete shared inbox solution. Instead of building a separate helpdesk tool, they decided to integrate it directly into Gmail. The idea caught on. Companies like Flexport and Harvard University now use Hiver, and the tool has raised $ 46.2 million from investors like K1 Investment Management and Kalaari Capital. More than 10,000 teams work with it daily, all from their familiar Gmail interface.
What started as a label problem has grown into a full-fledged collaboration tool that works completely within your mailbox. No separate login, no new interface to learn.
Who is Hiver for?
Hiver targets teams that already work with Gmail or Outlook and don’t want to switch. Customer service departments that don’t want a complex ticketing tool, operations teams that need to collaborate quickly, or sales teams that want to distribute leads without endless discussions.
It works best for small to mid-sized companies looking for a simple way to collaborate on emails. You don’t need to involve an IT department to set it up. Install the extension, and you’re ready.
Hiver is less suitable for large enterprises with complex on-premise requirements or specific compliance rules. If you need an extensive enterprise helpdesk with thousands of users and advanced workflows, there are better options.
What can Hiver do?
Hiver works as a layer on top of Gmail or Outlook. Your inbox stays the same, but gets extra features for collaboration. The free version offers basic triage and shared inboxes. For automations, analytics, and SLA management, you need a paid plan.
- Shared Inboxes: Turn any Gmail or Outlook address into a shared inbox. The whole team sees all emails, and everyone knows what’s going on without endless forwarding.
- Email Assignment: Assign emails to colleagues with one click. No more confusion about who’s handling what. The assigned person gets a notification and can get started right away.
- Collision Detection: If two people reply to the same email at the same time, you get a warning. Prevents duplicate work and confusing situations with customers.
- Internal Notes: Add notes to emails that only your team sees. Useful for sharing context or asking questions without involving the customer.
- Shared Drafts: Write a response together before sending it. One person starts, another adds to it, and someone else checks it one more time.
- SLA Management: Set deadlines for response times. Hiver alerts you if an email sits too long. This way you maintain control over your service levels.
- Automations: Automate repetitive tasks like assigning emails based on keywords, tagging topics, or sending standard responses.
- Analytics: Get insight into response times, resolved emails, and team performance. The reports are fairly basic, but do provide an overview of the key metrics.
- Tags and Labels: Organize emails with tags that the entire team can use. Think “urgent”, “invoice”, or “bug”. Everyone immediately sees what an email is about.
- Templates: Save frequently used responses as templates. Saves time with standard questions that keep coming back.
The mobile apps for iOS and Android offer the main features, but are more limited than the web version. You can read, assign, and reply to emails, but advanced settings are better changed on desktop.
What does Hiver cost?
Hiver has a free plan with unlimited users, but you do miss important features like automations and analytics. It’s mainly suitable for trying out the tool and seeing if it fits your team.
Paid plans start at $ 19 per user per month with annual billing, or $ 24 per month if you pay monthly. That’s the Lite plan, with basic features like email assignment and collision detection. For automations and SLA management, you move up to Growth ($ 29/$ 34 per month). The Pro plan ($ 49/$ 59) adds analytics and integrations. The Elite plan ($ 69/$ 79) is designed for larger teams with advanced needs.
You get 7 days to test the tool for free, including all features. That’s enough to see if Hiver fits your workflow. Prices can add up quickly as your team grows, especially if you need the higher plans for analytics and advanced automations.
What should you watch out for?
Hiver works best with smaller to medium-sized inboxes. With large email volumes, users report slow loading. The tool can lag if you’re processing thousands of emails per day, which is frustrating when you need speed.
The reporting is fairly basic. You do get insights into response times and resolved emails, but in-depth analytics are missing. If you need detailed data about customer behavior or team performance, you’ll fall short.
Synchronization issues occur. Sometimes assignments or notes don’t immediately appear for all team members, which leads to confusion. Not daily, but often enough to be annoying.
The mobile app has limitations. You can perform basic tasks, but advanced features like setting up automations or customizing workflows must be done on desktop. For teams that work on the go a lot, that’s a drawback.
Costs add up quickly with larger teams. If you have ten people and need the Pro plan, you’re already paying $ 490 per month with annual billing. For small businesses with limited budgets, that can be too much.
Hiver alternatives
Hiver isn’t the only tool that offers shared inboxes. Depending on your needs, there are alternatives that may fit better.
- Front: A standalone app instead of a Gmail extension. Choose Front if you want a separate interface apart from your mailbox, with more control over the layout and workflows.
- Help Scout: Traditional helpdesk software with a classic ticketing interface. Suitable if you’re looking for a full-fledged customer service tool with extensive knowledge base features.
- Zendesk: Much more complex and comprehensive than Hiver. Choose Zendesk if you need enterprise-level features, such as advanced workflows, AI support, and integrations with dozens of tools.
Frequently asked questions
Below are the most frequently asked questions about Hiver.
Does Hiver work with Outlook?
Yes, Hiver now also supports Microsoft Outlook in addition to Google Workspace. You can use the same features as in Gmail, including shared inboxes and email assignment.
Do customers see that I’m using Hiver?
No, to the customer it looks like a normal email. No ticket numbers appear in the subject line unless you set that up yourself. All collaboration features remain invisible to the recipient.
Where is my data stored?
Hiver stores data in the United States on AWS servers. Your emails remain on Google or Microsoft servers, Hiver only stores metadata like assignments and notes.
Conclusion
Hiver is a smart choice if your team already works with Gmail or Outlook and doesn’t want a separate helpdesk tool. The integration is simple, the learning curve is minimal, and you can collaborate immediately without overhauling your workflow. For small to medium-sized teams that primarily handle email, it works well.
The limitations are mainly in scalability and advanced features. With large volumes, the tool can become slow, and the analytics are basic. If you’re looking for a comprehensive enterprise solution or need detailed reporting, there are better alternatives.
Try the free version or the 7-day trial to see if Hiver fits your team. It’s not revolutionary, but it is a practical solution for teams that simply want to collaborate on emails without hassle.
