AI Helpdesk Software
Front
SF 8.4Shared inbox customer communication platform
From $19/moPaid plans start at $19 per seat per month annual
AI Helpdesk Software
Hiver
SF 7.9Gmail focused shared inbox helpdesk platform
From $19/moPaid plans start at $19 per user per month annual
Quick decision guide
Choose based on your workflow
Front may fit better if...
- Knowledge Base
- Run shared inbox email support
- Run internal collaboration across inbox
Hiver may fit better if...
- Gmail Native
- Run Gmail shared inbox support
- Run shared inboxes Gmail workflow
Overview
How each tool is described
Front
What is Front?
Front is a customer operations platform that combines shared inbox management, customer communication, workflow automation, and AI assistance in a collaborative workspace. It helps customer-facing teams manage conversations from email, SMS, chat, and other channels while maintaining clear ownership, internal collaboration, and customer context throughout the resolution process.
- Shared inbox operations: Front organizes customer conversations into shared inboxes where teams can assign ownership, collaborate internally, set workflows, and track responses without relying on traditional ticket-based support systems. It is designed for teams managing relationship-driven communication rather than only high-volume support queues.
- AI assistance: Front AI provides tools such as Copilot for drafting replies, summarizing conversations, and helping agents understand customer context. AI-powered workflows can also assist with automated responses, conversation classification, and quality reviews through features such as Autopilot and Smart QA.
- Collaboration workflows: teams can comment internally on conversations, assign responsibility, automate routing rules, and coordinate responses across departments while keeping customer communication in one shared workspace.
- Business integrations: Front connects with CRM, productivity, and business applications through integrations and APIs, allowing teams to combine customer conversations with relevant account information and operational workflows.
Front is most suitable for customer-facing teams that need collaborative communication management, shared accountability, and automation around customer conversations, especially where a traditional help desk ticketing model does not match the way teams work.
Hiver
What is Hiver?
Hiver is an email-based customer support and collaboration platform that turns shared Gmail and Outlook inboxes into structured support workflows. It helps teams manage customer conversations, assign ownership, automate repetitive tasks, and track support performance while working inside the email environments they already use.
- Email-first support workflows: Hiver adds help desk capabilities to shared inboxes, allowing teams to assign conversations, track ownership, add internal notes, create email-based workflows, and manage customer requests without moving to a separate ticketing system.
- AI-assisted support: Hiver’s AI features help teams draft responses, summarize conversations, suggest replies, and assist agents with customer queries while keeping human teams involved in reviewing and managing interactions.
- Shared inbox collaboration: teams can manage customer support, sales, operations, and internal requests through shared inboxes with features such as conversation assignments, approvals, tags, automation rules, and service-level tracking.
- Reporting and integrations: Hiver provides analytics for monitoring response times, team performance, and inbox activity, while integrations connect support workflows with tools such as CRM, collaboration, and business applications.
Hiver is most suitable for organizations that want to extend their existing email workflows with help desk functionality, automation, and collaboration features rather than adopting a separate traditional customer support ticketing platform.
Side-by-side
Key differences
Criteria
AI Helpdesk SoftwareFront
AI Helpdesk SoftwareHiver
Best for
AI Helpdesk Software
AI Helpdesk Software
Score
8.4/10
7.9/10
Pricing
From $19/mo
From $19/mo
Category / audience
AI Customer Support Software › AI Helpdesk Software
- helpdesk
- shared inbox
- email support
AI Customer Support Software › AI Helpdesk Software
- shared inbox
- smb support
- ai features
OVERLAP
Where Front and Hiver are similar
Both tools cover similar catalog signals. The deciding factor is usually workflow fit, implementation needs, and ecosystem fit.
5 capabilities1 workflows
Shared capabilities
Capability overlap
Shared workflows
Workflow overlap
Feature check
Side-by-side feature check
Feature
Front
Hiver
Knowledge BaseKnowledge base across self service customer documentation
-
Gmail NativeGmail native shared inbox across the workflow
-
Shared InboxesShared email inboxes across the team workflow
AI FeaturesAI features across the agent reply workflow
Internal CollaborationInternal collaboration across the shared inbox workflow
Workflow AutomationWorkflow automation across the email support program
7 capabilities compared.2 differentiating rows are shown first.
Use cases
Who they're built for
Front
- Run shared inbox email supportRun shared email inboxes across the team workflow
- Run internal collaboration across inboxRun internal collaboration across the shared inbox workflow
- Run workflow automation email supportRun workflow automation across the email support program
Hiver
- Run Gmail shared inbox supportRun Gmail native shared inbox across the workflow
- Run shared inboxes Gmail workflowRun shared inboxes across the Gmail support workflow
- Run internal collaboration across GmailRun internal collaboration across the Gmail inbox workflow
The trade-offs
Pros & cons of each tool
Trade-offs
Front
Pros
- Loved by teams that work in shared email
- Strong internal collaboration across the shared inbox workflow
- Modern shared inbox experience across customer communication today
Cons
- Best fit for shared inbox first communication workflows
- Limited ticket workflow depth relative to helpdesk competitors
- AI features are layered, not deeply AI native
Trade-offs
Hiver
Pros
- Gmail native shared inbox across the workflow today
- Loved by Google Workspace SMB teams in practice
- Affordable platform relative to standalone helpdesk alternatives
Cons
- Best fit for Gmail and Google Workspace teams
- Limited depth relative to standalone helpdesk competitors today
- Smaller public review base relative to Zendesk competitor
Final verdict
Best fit depends on your workflow
Current catalog data shows meaningful overlap between Front and Hiver. Use the signals below to decide based on workflow, ecosystem, pricing, and implementation fit.
Shared catalog overlap
Front and Hiver share 6 catalog signals, so the decision should focus on fit rather than broad capability alone.
Differentiators available
Front has 4 visible decision signals and Hiver has 4.
Score signal
Front has the higher SoftFinders Score in the current catalog data.
Choose Front if…
- Run shared inbox email support
- Run internal collaboration across inbox
- Run workflow automation email support
- Knowledge Base
Choose Hiver if…
- Run Gmail shared inbox support
- Run shared inboxes Gmail workflow
- Run internal collaboration across Gmail
- Gmail Native