Groove vs Hiver: Complete Comparison (2026)
Choosing between Groove and Hiver is a common decision for customer support buyers in 2026. Both Groove and Hiver are established players, founded in 2012 and 2011 respectively. Groove serves 12K+ orgs users while Hiver has 10K+ orgs users globally. Groove differentiates with shared inbox and knowledge base, while Hiver leads with shared gmail inbox and email assignment. In this head-to-head comparison, Groove earns a higher hiltonsoftware.co score of 90/100 — but the right choice depends on your specific needs, budget, and team size.
Quick Comparison
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Pros & Cons at a Glance
After comparing Groove and Hiver across features, pricing, and user satisfaction, Groove takes the lead with a score of 90/100 versus Hiver's 90/100. Groove's key advantages include "dead-simple to use" and "very affordable for small teams". That said, Hiver has its own strengths — particularly "works inside gmail natively" — making it a viable alternative for specific use cases.
On pricing, there's a clear difference: Hiver offers a free plan, making it more accessible for individuals and small teams exploring customer support solutions. Groove starts at $4.80/user/mo with no free tier, but often justifies the cost with shared inbox and knowledge base.
Bottom line: Choose Groove if you need small businesses wanting a simple, affordable shared inbox help desk. Go with Hiver if your priority is gmail-first teams wanting shared inbox help desk without leaving gmail. Both are strong customer support tools — we recommend trying the free plan of each before committing.
Small businesses wanting a simple, affordable shared inbox help desk.
Gmail-first teams wanting shared inbox help desk without leaving Gmail.