Buyer’s guide Β· Sales
Best Shared Inbox Software in 2026: Pricing & Comparison
We compared four shared-inbox vendors on published seat prices, free plans, channel limits, and the main cap.
- A team that wants $0 first: Help Scout β free plan for 5 users and 1 inbox.
- Lowest published seat price: Missive β Starter at $14 per user/month billed yearly.
- Gmail-native shared inboxes: Gmelius β Meli at $19 per user/month yearly.
- Omnichannel with a list price: Hiver β Growth at $25 per user/month on annual billing, 2-seat minimum.
Shared inbox software lets several people work the same mailbox, assign owners, and keep internal notes off the customer thread. It overlaps help desks. This page stays on inbox collaboration, not full ITSM.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, free plan or trial, what the fee buys, and the main limitation. The order is not a quality ranking. Public $0 / published price first, quote-led last. Help Scout is first because it has a lasting $0 plan. Missive is next at $14 per user/month billed yearly. Gmelius is next at $19 per user/month yearly. Hiver is last among published prices at $25 per user/month annual. None of these four is quote-only at the entry tier.
Compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Meter | Best for | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help Scout | Free plan: $0, up to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site. Standard $25 per user/month on the page we loaded. Plus $45. Pro $75. Annual toggle said save 16%. | Per user; inbox caps | A lasting free shared inbox | Visit β |
| Missive | Starter $14 per user/month billed yearly. Productive $24. Business $36. 30-day trial, no credit card. No lasting $0 plan on the page. | Per user, yearly list | A low published seat price | Visit β |
| Gmelius | Meli $19 per user/month yearly. Growth $25. Pro $40 yearly or $50 monthly. Enterprise custom, minimum 50 users. 7-day trial. | Per user plus conversation caps | Gmail-native shared inboxes | Visit β |
| Hiver | Hiver Omni Growth $25 per user/month annual, $35 monthly. Pro $55/$65. Elite $85/$95. Plans start at 2 seats. Voice add-on $30 per voice seat/month. | Per user, 2-seat minimum | Omnichannel support with a published seat price | Visit β |
Prices checked on 8 October 2026 from each vendor’s official pricing or plan page. Figures are list prices in the currency shown. Free means a $0 plan or stated free allowance, trial means time-limited access, and quote means the dollar amount was not published. Confirm on the vendor page before you buy.
Front was not included. Its Starter dollar amount did not render on the pricing page we loaded, so we used vendors with a same-day published figure.
How shared inboxes are priced
Seat price is not the whole bill. Inbox caps, conversation caps, and channel type change the plan you actually need.
The companies in detail
Help Scout
Fit for a free shared inbox
Best for: teams that want one shared inbox and a docs site before they pay per user.
| Attribute | Help Scout |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Free $0. Standard $25 per user/month on the loaded page. Plus $45. Pro $75. Annual toggle said save 16%. |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan includes 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site, and 100 contacts a month. Paid plans offer Try for free. |
| Core focus | Shared inbox, knowledge base, and Beacon widget. Standard adds live chat, SMS, and WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. |
| Main limitation | Free is capped at 1 inbox, 10 saved replies, 10 tags, and 100 contacts a month. Pro has a 10-user minimum. |
- The free plan is a real $0 product, not a timed trial.
- Standard was listed at $25 per user/month next to an annual discount toggle.
- AI Answers is extra at $0.75 per resolution on the comparison table.
Missive
Fit for a low seat price
Best for: teams that want email, SMS, and social in one inbox and can accept annual billing for the listed rate.
| Attribute | Missive |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Starter $14 per user/month billed yearly. Productive $24. Business $36. Yearly toggle said 20% off. |
| Free plan or trial | 30-day trial. No credit card. No lasting free plan on the pricing page. |
| Core focus | Shared inboxes, conversations, and tasks. Starter is up to 5 users. Productive up to 50. Business unlimited. |
| Main limitation | Advertised rates are yearly. Rules, integrations, and analytics start on Productive, not Starter. |
- Starter was the lowest paid seat price in this set, at $14 per user/month billed yearly.
- The page says SOC 2 Type II on the plans we loaded.
- AI automations require a key; they are not a flat inclusion on the price card.
Gmelius
Fit for Gmail teams
Best for: teams that already live in Gmail and want shared inboxes without a separate desk.
| Attribute | Gmelius |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Meli $19 per user/month yearly. Growth $25. Pro $40 yearly, $50 if billed monthly. Enterprise is a custom quote, minimum 50 users. |
| Free plan or trial | 7-day trial and a free 30-minute onboarding call. No lasting $0 plan on the pricing page. |
| Core focus | Shared inboxes and labels inside Gmail. Meli caps email conversations at 5,000 a month and users at 5. |
| Main limitation | Users must have Gmail or Google Workspace accounts. All teammates must be on the same plan. |
- Shared inboxes are listed as unlimited on Meli, Growth, and Pro.
- Conversation caps rise with the plan: 5,000, 10,000, 100,000, then unlimited.
- Enterprise is quote-only and starts at 50 users, so it is not the entry price.
Hiver
Fit for a published omnichannel seat
Best for: support teams that want chat and email in one workspace and can start at two seats.
| Attribute | Hiver |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Growth $25 per user/month annual or $35 monthly. Pro $55/$65. Elite $85/$95. Voice add-on $30 per voice seat/month. |
| Free plan or trial | FAQ says no credit card to sign up and describes a trial that suspends if you do not upgrade. No $0 plan price was listed. |
| Core focus | Shared inbox and ticketing. Growth includes email, live chat, and AI agents on the plan card we loaded. |
| Main limitation | All plans start at 2 seats, then jump 2 to 5, then in steps of 5. Higher channels such as Slack sit on Pro. |
- Growth was $25 per user/month on annual billing, with the monthly figure at $35.
- Voice is an add-on at $30 per voice seat/month, with 1,000 pooled minutes.
- The page says GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, CCPA, and HIPAA.
Kurums Match
I want to start at $0One inbox, five users
I will pay annually for the lowest seatUp to 5 users
Missive listed Starter at $14 per user/month billed yearly, with a 30-day trial.
We already work in GmailShared labels and inboxes
Gmelius listed Meli at $19 per user/month yearly, with shared inboxes marked unlimited.
I need chat and email togetherTwo-seat minimum
Hiver Omni Growth was $25 per user/month annual. Plans start at 2 seats.
Buying tip
Price the seat minimum, not the per-user headline. Hiver starts at 2 seats. Help Scout Pro has a 10-user minimum. Gmelius Enterprise starts at 50. A two-person team should ignore tiers they cannot buy.
How this comparison was put together
FAQ
Is a shared inbox the same as a help desk?
Do these tools work with Outlook?
Help Scout, Missive, and Hiver Omni say they connect email providers beyond Gmail. Gmelius requires a Gmail or Google Workspace account for each user.
What did the Help Scout $25 figure assume?
The page showed a Monthly and Annual toggle and said save 16%. Standard was listed at $25 per user/month on that load. Confirm the toggle before you compare it with Missive’s yearly rate.
Is there a quote-only option in this set?
Entry tiers are published. Gmelius Enterprise is custom and requires 50 users. Hiver’s higher work still has a list price on the page we loaded.
Related comparisons
Last updated 8 October 2026. Pricing checked 8 October 2026.
Disclosure: Kurums is reader-supported. Some outbound links use rel sponsored nofollow. Those links do not change order or fit labels. We do not award Kurums Recommends, Top Pick, or Verified badges on this page.
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