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Drag vs Hiver: the Gmail shared inbox that does the same job for less
Hiver is a capable, mature shared-inbox tool. But its pricing climbs from $25 to $85 a seat, AI is a $20-a-seat add-on, and it has a 2-seat minimum, so a ten-person team can pay $5,400 to $11,400 a year. Drag does the same core job inside Gmail, with AI included from $18, no seat blocks, standalone apps, and its own MCP server. Here is the honest, side-by-side comparison.
Table of contents
The verdict
For most Gmail teams, Drag is the better-value Hiver alternative: it delivers the same shared-inbox workflow, boards, assignments, automation, and AI, for roughly a third to half the price, with AI included rather than added on, no seat minimums, and its own MCP server. Hiver is the better fit if you need first-class multichannel (voice and SMS) inside the inbox, or you are standardised on Outlook.
Choose Drag if you…
- You want the same Gmail shared-inbox power for far less: $12 to $24 a seat, all in.
- You want AI included in the seat, not a $20-a-seat add-on.
- You do not want seat minimums or seat blocks; you pay for the seats you use.
- You want to run your inbox from Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor (Drag has its own MCP server).
- You want a standalone app as well as the Gmail extension, so you can scale without switching tools.
- You want a shared inbox that does not clutter Gmail with shared labels.
Choose Hiver if you…
- You need first-class multichannel support, voice, SMS, and live chat, built into the inbox.
- You are standardised on Outlook and want native Outlook support alongside Gmail.
- You need its specific automated-QA and analytics tooling for a large support operation.
Looking at more options? See our best Hiver alternatives for 2026 for a broader comparison.
Drag vs Hiver at a glance
| Feature | Drag | Hiver |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
| Starting price (per seat/mo, annual) | $12 | $25 (Growth) |
| Top standard plan | $24 (Pro) | $85 (Elite) |
| AI cost | Included from $18 | $20/seat add-on |
| Seat minimum | None | 2-seat minimum |
| Conversation limits | None | None |
| Platform & access | ||
| Works inside Gmail | check_circle | check_circle |
| Standalone web/desktop/mobile app | check_circle | cancel |
| Outlook support | cancel | check_circle |
| Adds shared labels to your Gmail | cancel | check_circle |
| Email duplication across mailboxes | No (permission-based) | Label sync + delegation |
| AI & automation | ||
| AI assistants included | 6, in the seat | Add-on / higher tiers |
| MCP server (run inbox from AI clients) | check_circle | cancel |
| Automation rules | check_circle | check_circle |
| Auto-tagging / sentiment | check_circle | Yes (AI tiers) |
| Support features | ||
| Customer-facing help center | check_circle | Add-on / higher tiers |
| Live chat widget | check_circle | Yes (multichannel tiers) |
| Yes (Pro) | check_circle | |
| Boards / Kanban view | check_circle | check_circle |
Pricing and features verified June 2026; confirm current details on each vendor’s site.
Why Gmail teams pick Drag
Pricing
The same shared inbox, for a fraction of the price.
Drag does the core job Hiver does, turns Gmail into a shared inbox with boards, assignments, automation, and AI, but at a much lower, flatter price. Hiver runs $25 (Growth), $55 (Pro), $85 (Elite) a seat, with a $20-a-seat AI add-on on top and a 2-seat minimum. Drag is $12 to $24 a seat across every plan, with AI included from $18 and no seat minimums.
- Drag: $12 to $24 a seat, AI included from $18, no seat blocks.
- Hiver: $25 to $85 a seat, plus $20-a-seat AI add-on, 2-seat minimum.
- A ten-person team: roughly $2,160/yr on Drag Plus vs $5,400/yr on Hiver Growth+AI.
Source: Drag and Hiver pricing pages, June 2026.
AI Platform
AI included, not added on.
Drag includes six AI assistants in the seat from $18: draft, tag, sentiment, compose, summarise, and co-pilot. One predictable bill, no separate AI tier. Hiver charges roughly $20 a seat for AI on top of its plan price.
See Drag AISix AI assistants, included
Run your inbox from your AI tools (MCP).
Drag publishes its own MCP server, @dragapp/mcp-server: 47 tools, including WhatsApp, full read+write across email, boards, assignments, labels, analytics, and the knowledge base. Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Code, set up in ~30 seconds. Tell Claude ‘summarise unread Support threads and assign billing to Sarah,’ and it does. Hiver has no MCP server, so you cannot drive your Hiver inbox from an AI tool.
Explore the MCP serverMCP Server
@dragapp/mcp-server
47
tools · read + write
ClaudeChatGPTGeminiCopilotCursor+ any MCP clientDrag Agent
Early AccessComing to Drag: an autonomous agent that classifies inbound email, retrieves context from your knowledge base and connected tools, takes action (refunds, ticket updates, CRM notes), drafts a sourced reply, and resolves the thread, all without a human in the loop. Currently rolling out in Early Access. Hiver has AI assistants for drafting and sorting, but no autonomous resolution agent of this kind.
09:41:02 CLASSIFY intent=billing, entity=invoice #4821
09:41:03 RETRIEVE stripe.invoices.get(4821) → $249.00 paid
09:41:04 RETRIEVE kb.search('refund policy') → 30-day window
09:41:05 ACT stripe.refunds.create(amount=249.00) → rf_8xK2
09:41:06 DRAFT confidence=0.96, sources=2, tokens=142
09:41:07 SEND thread_id=t_9f3a → resolved
Classify
Reads the email, identifies intent and extracts key entities.
Retrieve
Pulls context from your knowledge base, CRM, and previous conversations.
Act
Takes real action: issues a refund, updates a ticket, logs a note.
Resolve
Drafts a response, cites its sources, and sends or escalates.
Flexibility
One inbox, two ways to work, and not locked to the extension.
Hiver, like most Gmail shared inboxes, lives as an extension. Drag runs as a Chrome extension or as a full standalone web, desktop, and mobile app, same data, same boards. You start in Gmail and scale into a real app without changing tools or retraining your team.
- Drag: Chrome extension or standalone web, desktop, and mobile app, same data, same boards.
- Hiver: extension-based, no standalone app.
Support
A help center and live chat, included.
Drag includes a customer-facing, AI-grounded help center and a live-chat widget whose conversations land in your Gmail shared inbox as cards with the same boards, assignments, and AI. On Hiver, the customer-facing help center and full multichannel sit on higher tiers.
- AI-grounded help center that deflects repetitive questions with a current knowledge base.
- Live-chat widget whose conversations land in your Gmail shared inbox as cards.
- Hiver: customer-facing help center and full multichannel sit on higher tiers.
Security
A cleaner Gmail, and a cleaner security model.
Two things Hiver users notice when they switch. First, Drag does not clutter your Gmail with shared labels the way label-based tools do, your inbox stays clean. Second, Drag uses permission-based access rather than syncing shared labels into each member’s mailbox and relying on Gmail delegation: access is granted to a shared inbox and revoked instantly when someone leaves, with no email duplication and no emails stored on Drag’s servers. Drag is a Google Cloud Partner with CASA Tier 2 verification and GDPR compliance.
- Drag: permission-based access, revoked instantly with immediate effect. No email duplication.
- Does not store emails on its servers. Google Cloud Partner, CASA Tier 2, GDPR.
- Hiver: label sync + delegation through members’ own mailboxes; consider offboarding and data residency.
Source: Hiver shared-inbox documentation (label sync + delegation); Drag security/trust center.
Pricing: Drag vs Hiver
See the difference at your team size. Most Hiver teams start on Growth, and most want AI, so the realistic comparison is Drag Plus (AI included, $18) versus Hiver Growth plus the $20 AI add-on ($45).
AI features
Drag Plus (AI included)
$2,160/yr
$18/user/mo × 10 seats · AI included
Hiver Growth + AI add-on
from $5,400/yr+
$45/user/mo × 10 seats · AI is a $20/seat add-on on top of the plan price; Pro and Elite cost more ($55-$85/seat).
Your team saves at least $3,240/yr with Drag.
Estimate based on annual per-seat pricing, June 2026. Hiver shown on Growth; Pro ($55) and Elite ($85) cost more. Hiver has a 2-seat minimum. Confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Drag vs Hiver, feature by feature
The detail layer for evaluators. Each claim is backed by a Drag product screenshot and, where we state a Hiver limitation, a cited source.
Price and seat structure
Drag is $12 to $24 a seat with no minimums. Hiver runs $25 to $85 a seat, adds a $20-a-seat AI add-on, and requires a 2-seat minimum.
- Drag: $12 Starter, $18 Plus (AI included), $24 Pro. No seat minimums, no seat blocks.
- Hiver: $25 Growth, $55 Pro, $85 Elite, plus $20/seat AI add-on, 2-seat minimum.
Source: Drag pricing, Hiver pricing page.
AI
Drag includes six AI assistants in the seat from $18. Hiver charges roughly $20 a seat for AI as a separate add-on.
- Drag Plus $18: draft, tag, sentiment, compose, summarise, co-pilot.
- Hiver: AI is a ~$20/seat add-on on top of the plan price.
Source: Hiver pricing page (AI add-on); Drag product.
MCP server
Drag publishes a 47-tool MCP server. Hiver has no MCP server.
- 47 tools, full read and write from Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Cursor, or Claude Code.
- Hiver: no MCP server.
Source: Hiver integrations; MCP for customer support
Standalone apps vs extension
Drag runs in Gmail or as a standalone app. Hiver is extension-based.
- Drag: Chrome extension or standalone web, desktop, and mobile, same data.
- Hiver: extension-based, no standalone app.
A cleaner Gmail (no label clutter)
Drag does not add shared labels to your inbox. Hiver does.
- Drag: no shared labels cluttering your Gmail sidebar. Your inbox stays clean.
- Hiver: adds shared labels to your Gmail, which grows with every shared inbox.
Source: Hiver shared-inbox documentation.
Security and offboarding
Drag uses permission-based access with instant revocation. Hiver uses label sync and Gmail delegation.
- Drag: no email duplication, instant revocation, does not store emails on its servers. Google Cloud Partner, CASA Tier 2, GDPR.
- Hiver: label sync + delegation through members’ own Google accounts; consider offboarding and data residency.
Source: Hiver shared-inbox documentation; Drag trust center.
Help center and live chat
Drag includes both. Hiver gates the help center and full multichannel on higher tiers.
- Drag: AI-grounded help center plus a live-chat widget that lands in your inbox.
- Hiver: help center and multichannel sit on higher or add-on tiers.
Where Hiver fits better
To be straight about it, Hiver is the better choice for some teams:
- You need first-class multichannel in the inbox. Hiver offers voice, SMS, live chat, and WhatsApp as built-in channels; if phone and SMS support are core to your operation, that depth matters.
- You are on Outlook. Hiver supports Outlook natively alongside Gmail; Drag is Gmail and Google Workspace focused.
- You need its specific QA and analytics tooling for a large, structured support operation.
If those are central to how you work, Hiver is a reasonable choice. For most Gmail teams whose priority is the same shared-inbox workflow at a lower, flatter price, with AI included and an MCP server, Drag is the closer fit.
Switching from Hiver to Drag is quick
Drag installs in Gmail in minutes, no data migration project, no retraining on a new app. Import your shared inboxes, invite your team, and keep working where you already work.
What customers say
“What we like the most about Drag is the ability to see at a glance where a client is during their Onboarding process, through the use of columns, tasks, and tags. It has been crucial for us because Waste Logics is a growing business and this transparency allows us to work faster and smarter.”
“There really is no comparison when it comes to Drag. We have a great relationship with their team, it’s incredibly easy to use, addresses all of our needs, and the price is right!”
“Drag provided a lot of transparency and unified our team. It allowed us to bring the entire team together to manage emails and tasks collaboratively, as opposed to working in silos, across different tools.”
Frequently asked questions
Is Drag a good Hiver alternative?
Yes, for Gmail teams. Drag delivers the same shared-inbox workflow, boards, assignments, automation, and AI, at a much lower, flatter price ($12 to $24 a seat), with AI included rather than a $20-a-seat add-on, no seat minimums, and its own MCP server. Hiver fits better if you need first-class voice and SMS channels or native Outlook support.
How much cheaper is Drag than Hiver?
Substantially. Drag is $12 to $24 a seat with AI included from $18. Hiver runs $25 to $85 a seat plus a $20-a-seat AI add-on. For a ten-person team that wants AI, that is roughly $2,160 a year on Drag Plus versus about $5,400 on Hiver Growth with the add-on.
Does Drag work inside Gmail like Hiver?
Yes. Drag turns Gmail into a shared inbox directly, with boards, assignments, and AI. Unlike Hiver, it also offers standalone web, desktop, and mobile apps, and it does not clutter your Gmail with shared labels.
Does Hiver charge extra for AI?
Yes. Hiver’s AI is a roughly $20-a-seat add-on on top of its plan price. Drag includes six AI assistants in the seat from the $18 Plus plan, with no separate AI bill.
Does Drag have an MCP server and Hiver does not?
Correct. Drag publishes its own MCP server (47 tools, read and write), so you can run your inbox from Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Cursor. Hiver does not offer an MCP server.
What is Hiver’s pricing in 2026?
Hiver offers a free plan with limits, then Growth at $25, Pro at $55, and Elite at $85 a seat (annual), with a 2-seat minimum and a roughly $20-a-seat AI add-on.
Does Drag have a free trial?
Yes, a 7-day trial. Plans are Starter $12, Plus $18 (AI included), and Pro $24 a seat on annual billing.
Does Drag support Outlook?
No. Drag is focused on Gmail and Google Workspace. If your team is on Outlook, Hiver supports it natively, which is one case where Hiver is the better fit.
Will switching from Hiver disrupt my team?
No. Drag installs in Gmail in minutes with no data migration project and no retraining on a separate app. Your team keeps working in Gmail.
Does Drag add labels to my Gmail like Hiver?
No. Drag does not clutter your inbox with shared labels. It keeps Gmail clean while still giving you shared inboxes, boards, and assignments.
Is my data secure with Drag?
Yes. Drag uses permission-based access (revoked instantly when someone leaves), does not duplicate emails across mailboxes, and does not store your emails on its servers. It is a Google Cloud Partner with CASA Tier 2 verification and is GDPR compliant.
Does Drag have boards and Kanban like Hiver?
Yes. Drag organises shared inboxes into boards with columns and assignments, including a Kanban view, directly in Gmail.
Does Drag include a help center and live chat?
Yes, both are included: a customer-facing AI-grounded help center and a live-chat widget that flows into your Gmail shared inbox. On Hiver these sit on higher or multichannel tiers.
Does Drag do automation like Hiver?
Yes. Drag supports automation rules, auto-tagging, and assignment, the core automation a team leaving Hiver expects.
How many users does Drag support?
Any number, with no seat minimums or seat blocks. Drag is used by more than 200,000 users across 50+ countries.
Can I run support reports from Drag?
Yes, both in-app and, uniquely, through its MCP server. You can ask an AI client like Claude for response times and activity by prompt.
