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Side-by-side comparison · Sales & Customer Support

Ada vs Hiver vs Sierra

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Ada

3.7

Free to start

Hiver

3.9

From $25/user/mo

Sierra

3.9

Free to start

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Ada3.7

Pick it if: Mid-sized and large businesses with high support volumes that want an AI agent on top of their existing helpdesk.

Best valueEasiest to use

Pick it if: Small and mid-sized teams who answer customers or suppliers from a shared Gmail address and want structure without leaving Gmail.

Pick it if: Large consumer brands that want an AI agent to handle a big share of their customer conversations end to end.

Overview

AttributeAdaHiverSierra
In one lineAI agents that resolve customer service requests across chat, email and phone.Shared inbox and helpdesk that runs inside Gmail, with AI that drafts and answers replies.Builds and runs AI customer service agents for big brands, across chat, email and phone.
Pricing modelPaidPaidPaid
Starting priceSee website$25/user/moSee website
Free plan No No No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeAdaHiverSierra
Overall rating3.73.93.9
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
4.5
3.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
3.5
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.0
4.0
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
3.5
4.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeAdaHiverSierra
Access & platform
Free plan No No No
Mobile app– Yes–
Desktop app–––
Browser extension– Yes–
API access Yes Yes–
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files–– Yes
Understands images–––
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code– No–
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes– Yes
Works in many languages Yes– Yes
Capabilities score7/ 177/ 177/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeAdaHiverSierra
Plans

CustomOur pick

Custom

Businesses with enough volume to justify an enterprise contract.

Growth

$25/user/mo billed yearly, or $35 monthly

Small teams running one or two shared inboxes.

EnterpriseOur pick

Custom

Large companies with high conversation volumes.

ProOur pick

$55/user/mo billed yearly, or $65 monthly

Support teams that need targets and connected tools.

Elite

$85/user/mo billed yearly, or $95 monthly

Larger teams wanting AI quality checks and tighter security.

Which plan to pickThere's only a custom quote. Ask whether you'll be charged per conversation or per resolution, since per-conversation pricing charges you even when the agent doesn't solve the problem.Growth is enough for a small team that just needs a tidy shared inbox with AI help. Choose Pro if you need response-time targets, CRM or Shopify data next to each email, or the API. Voice is an add-on at $30 per seat.There is one route: talk to Sierra's sales team. Agree clearly what counts as an outcome you pay for, and what setup and services cost, before you sign.

Key features

AttributeAdaHiverSierra
Standout features
  • AI agent
  • Playbooks
  • Voice, messaging and email
  • Coaching and testing
  • Reporting
  • Shared inbox in Gmail
  • AI agents
  • AI copilot
  • Collaboration
  • Hiver Omni
  • Agent Studio
  • Ghostwriter
  • One agent, every channel
  • Connected to your systems
  • Insights and testing

Pros and cons

AttributeAdaHiverSierra
Pros
  • Long track record and big-brand customers
  • Works across voice, messaging and email
  • Plain-English playbooks are easier to maintain than decision trees
  • Strong multilingual support
  • Almost no training: the team keeps working in Gmail
  • AI agents and copilot included from the cheapest plan
  • Good for non-support teams like finance and HR
  • Cheaper than Zendesk or Intercom for small teams
  • 24/7 support on every plan
  • Agents take real actions, not just answer questions
  • Covers voice as well as chat, SMS, WhatsApp and email
  • Outcome-based pricing means you pay for results, not seats
  • Proven at very large brands
Cons
  • No public pricing or trial; reported contracts start in the tens of thousands a year
  • Connecting back-end systems takes real setup work
  • End customers on review sites complain about lost context and trouble reaching a human
  • Billing model varies by contract, so costs can be hard to compare
  • Gmail add-on can be slow, lose connection or log users out
  • Search and formatting are weaker than in a full helpdesk
  • Key integrations and the API only start on Pro
  • Seats sold in blocks, with a two-seat minimum
  • No public pricing; estimates put it out of reach for most small and mid-sized businesses
  • No trial or self-serve option, so you are committing to a sales process and a project
  • Few independent reviews to check claims against
  • You depend on Sierra's team for much of the build

Who each one is for

AttributeAdaHiverSierra
Best for
  • Automating common support conversations
  • AI support across chat, email and voice
  • Multilingual customer service
  • Adding AI on top of an existing helpdesk
  • Running support@ or info@ as a team
  • Assigning and tracking customer emails
  • Finance and HR shared mailboxes
  • AI-drafted email replies
  • Teams that want to stay in Gmail
  • High-volume customer service at large brands
  • AI phone agents that take real actions
  • Returns, bookings and account changes
  • Saving cancellations and handling retention calls
You'll find it used by
  • Support teams
  • Ecommerce brands
  • Software companies
  • Fintech
  • Travel companies
  • Customer support teams
  • Finance and accounts teams
  • Operations teams
  • Logistics companies
  • Agencies
  • Enterprise support teams
  • Contact centres
  • Retail brands
  • Banks and insurers
  • Telcos

Questions people ask

Which is better, Ada, Hiver or Sierra?

They tie on our overall rating (Ada 3.7/5, Hiver 3.9/5 and Sierra 3.9/5). Ada is best for automating common support conversations and AI support across chat, email and voice. Hiver is best for running support@ or info@ as a team and assigning and tracking customer emails. Sierra is best for high-volume customer service at large brands and AI phone agents that take real actions.

Which is cheaper, Ada, Hiver or Sierra?

Ada: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote. Hiver: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $25/user/mo. Sierra: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote.

Which is easier to use, Ada, Hiver or Sierra?

Hiver rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small and mid-sized teams who answer customers or suppliers from a shared Gmail address and want structure without leaving Gmail.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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