Hiver vs Kayako: Complete Comparison (2026)
In comparing Hiver and Kayako in 2026, Hiver is the stronger choice for gmail-first teams wanting shared inbox help desk without leaving gmail due to works inside gmail natively. Kayako excels for smbs wanting affordable help desk with a unified customer interaction view with good unified customer journey view. Hiver offers Shared Gmail inbox, Email assignment, Collision alerts starting at $19/user/mo with a free plan. Kayako provides Unified customer view, Live chat, Help center from $30/agent/mo. For teams prioritizing value, Hiver delivers a hiltonsoftware Score of 70/100. Hiver and Kayako compete in the customer support segment of the SaaS market, where cloud-native solutions, API integrations, and workflow automation drive enterprise and SMB adoption. Other leading customer support tools include Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk. Hiver serves 10K+ orgs users globally (founded 2011) while Kayako reports 35K+ orgs active users (founded 2001).
Hiver vs Kayako at a Glance
What are the main differences between Hiver and Kayako?
Hiver and Kayako differ across ease of use, features, value, support, integrations, scalability, and learning curve. Hiver leads in 7 of 7 categories.
What are the pros and cons of Hiver vs Kayako?
Which is better, Hiver or Kayako?
After evaluating Hiver and Kayako across features, pricing, integrations, and user satisfaction, Hiver earns a higher hiltonsoftware Score of 70/100 versus Kayako at 65/100. Hiver stands out for "works inside gmail natively" and "no context switching needed". Kayako delivers competitive advantages in "good unified customer journey view", making Kayako a viable alternative.
On pricing, Hiver offers a free plan for SMBs and startups. Kayako starts at $30/agent/mo with no free tier, but justifies the cost with unified customer view and live chat and enterprise-grade scalability.
Bottom line: Choose Hiver for gmail-first teams wanting shared inbox help desk without leaving gmail. Choose Kayako for smbs wanting affordable help desk with a unified customer interaction view. Both Hiver and Kayako are established customer support platforms.
Gmail-first teams wanting shared inbox help desk without leaving Gmail.
SMBs wanting affordable help desk with a unified customer interaction view.
Hiver vs Kayako: Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by Elena Kowalski, Security & Enterprise Editor. Last updated: 2026-04-24. Pricing verified: March 2026.
Read our scoring methodology to understand how the hiltonsoftware Score is calculated.