Freshservice by Freshworks vs Hive
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Best for: Mid-sized IT teams (roughly 10–200 agents) replacing email- and spreadsheet-based ticketing with a structured service desk, Organizations that want ITIL-aligned processes and a CMDB without the cost and implementation weight of enterprise suites like ServiceNow
Read the full Freshservice by Freshworks reviewBest for: Marketing teams that plan campaigns, coordinate content, and need approval workflows in one place., Agencies and studios that manage multiple client projects and bill by the hour.
Read the full Hive reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Freshservice by Freshworks vs Hive: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Freshservice by Freshworks if
- You already use other Freshworks products.
- You need IT service management, not general project tracking.
Freshservice by Freshworks vs Hive: pros and cons
Freshservice by Freshworks
Freshservice gives IT teams a genuinely quick path from email chaos to structured, ITIL-aligned service management, with Freddy AI and no-code automation trimming manual triage. The trade-offs are real: the deepest features sit in higher tiers, and per-agent costs can climb as you scale. Overall, it's a strong pick for mid-sized teams that want ITIL discipline without enterprise-suite weight.
Pros
- Deploys quickly compared to legacy ITSM suites—configuration is form- and workflow-driven, so small teams can launch a functional service desk in days rather than months
- Freddy AI provides practical, time-saving assistance — automatic categorization, thread summarization, and suggested replies reduce per-ticket handling time
- The no-code Workflow Automator lets non-developer admins build approvals, conditional routing, and webhooks without scripting
Cons
- The most valuable modules—CMDB, Orchestration Centre, advanced analytics, and multi-workspace support—are restricted to upper tiers, so entry-level plans can feel constrained
- Enterprises with deeply customized processes or non-standard data models may hit customization ceilings compared to platforms like ServiceNow
- Per-agent subscription costs plus add-ons and premium support can climb meaningfully as headcount and module requirements grow
Hive bundles project views, native time tracking, proofing, and chat into one workspace, which can replace several separate subscriptions for agencies and creative teams. Setup takes real effort, though, and the most valuable features sit behind paid tiers with pricing that isn't fully published. Overall, it's a solid pick for teams that bill time or manage client approvals.
Pros
- Kanban, Gantt, calendar, and table views are available for the same project, so team members can work in the layout that suits them.
- Time tracking, proofing, chat, and email come built in, potentially replacing several standalone subscriptions.
- A free plan and free trial let teams evaluate the platform with a small group before paying.
Cons
- The most useful capabilities — advanced automations, deeper analytics, and full proofing — sit behind paid tiers, so the free plan works best as an evaluation tier.
- The breadth of features creates a real learning curve; teams must invest in setup and conventions to avoid a cluttered workspace.
- Notification volume can become noisy on busy projects without deliberate configuration.
Freshservice by Freshworks and Hive in detail
Freshservice by Freshworks
Freshservice is an IT Operations Platform delivered entirely from the cloud. At its core is a multi-channel ticketing system that consolidates requests from email, a self-service portal, and other intake points, with SLA policies, business hours, and escalation rules enforcing response commitments. Around that core sit modules for the service catalog, knowledge base, asset management and CMDB, change and release management, project tracking, and reporting. No-code automation and the Freddy AI assistant handle repetitive work like ticket categorization, routing, summarization, and suggested replies.
Standout features
- Ticketing and Incident Management
- Freddy AI and No-Code Automation
- Asset Management and CMDB
- Change, Release, and Service Catalog
- Reporting, Integrations, and Multi-Team Support
Use cases
- Modernizing an Overloaded IT Help Desk
- Employee Onboarding and Offboarding Across Departments
- Auditable Change Management for Compliance-Minded Teams
- Hardware and Asset Lifecycle Tracking
Hive
Hive is a cloud-based project management and productivity platform. Teams plan work in flexible layouts — Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendars, and table views — and manage tasks, files, conversations, and approvals from a single workspace. It runs in the browser and offers desktop and mobile apps for working across devices.
Standout features
- Flexible Project Views
- Built-In Time Tracking
- Proofing and Approvals
- Automations
- Dashboards and Reporting
Use cases
- Marketing Campaign Management
- Agency and Client Project Delivery
- Creative Production and Design Reviews
- Cross-Functional Project Coordination
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Freshservice by Freshworks | Hive |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $19/mo Freshservice for IT teams · per user | $5/mo Starter · per user |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Per user | Per user |
| Cost for 1 user | $19/mo Freshservice for IT teams plan, billed monthly | $5/moCheaper Starter plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 5 users | $95/mo Freshservice for IT teams plan, billed monthly | $25/moCheaper Starter plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 10 users | $190/mo Freshservice for IT teams plan, billed monthly | $50/moCheaper Starter plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 25 users | $475/mo Freshservice for IT teams plan, billed monthly | $125/moCheaper Starter plan, billed monthly |
| Plans | 5 | 2 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 12, 2026 | Checked Oct 13, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 5 users (billed monthly), Hive costs $25/mo vs Freshservice by Freshworks at $95/mo.
- Hive is cheaper at every team size we checked (1 to 25 users).
- For 1 user (billed monthly), Hive costs $5/mo vs Freshservice by Freshworks at $19/mo.
- For 10 users (billed monthly), Hive costs $50/mo vs Freshservice by Freshworks at $190/mo.
- For 25 users (billed monthly), Hive costs $125/mo vs Freshservice by Freshworks at $475/mo.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.