MailFellow vs Hiver
Both turn a mailbox into a team workflow. Hiver does it inside Gmail; MailFellow does it inside the chat platform your team already uses — and works with Outlook and IMAP too.
The short version
Hiver is a polished shared inbox that lives inside Gmail. Your team gets assignments, notes, SLAs, and analytics without leaving the Gmail interface. For teams deeply invested in Google Workspace who want to stay in Gmail, it is a natural fit.
MailFellow is for teams whose real-time work happens in chat, not in an inbox. It forwards email into Slack, Discord, Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, or Mattermost and lets anyone reply from a thread as a normal email. It is not tied to Gmail — connect Outlook or IMAP too — and teammates collaborate without each needing a mailbox seat.
Side by side
Comparison reflects MailFellow’s positioning and publicly described product capabilities. Always check each vendor’s site for current details.
Where Hiver shines
If your team is all-in on Gmail and Google Workspace and wants to stay in that familiar inbox, Hiver adds collaboration cleanly without changing where people work. It is a mature, Gmail-native experience.
Where MailFellow wins
If your team already talks in Slack or Discord, MailFellow puts email where the conversation is, works with any mailbox (not just Gmail), lets teammates reply without a mailbox seat, and adds AI plus a self-host option.
Frequently asked questions
How is MailFellow different from Hiver?
Hiver adds shared-inbox features inside Gmail, so your team collaborates in the Gmail interface. MailFellow moves email out to the chat tool your team already uses — Slack, Discord, Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, or Mattermost — so collaboration happens where conversations already do. If your team lives in Gmail, Hiver fits; if it lives in chat, MailFellow fits.
Does MailFellow only work with Gmail?
No. MailFellow connects to Gmail, Outlook, or any IMAP/SMTP mailbox, then forwards email into your chat platform. Hiver is built specifically for Gmail and Google Workspace.
Can my whole team collaborate without Gmail access?
Yes. With MailFellow, teammates reply from your chat platform, so they do not each need a seat in the mailbox. Hiver collaboration happens inside Gmail itself.
Email where your team already talks
Free for 7 days. No credit card. Works with Gmail, Outlook, and IMAP.