Hiri review

Hiri Inc was founded in 2012 by two entrepreneurs – David Power and Kevin Kavanaugh – that set out to create an alternative email client for desktop users. In addition to sending emails, they included features for managing calendars, contacts, and tasks. 

Unlike most email clients, Hiri doesn't support the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) or Post Office Protocol (POP). Hence, you can’t sync a non-Microsoft email service (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.) with the platform. 

For unclear reasons, according to the "What's New" log on the Hiri website, there haven't been any new updates for the Hiri app since August 2018.  

Hiri: Plans and pricing

Hiri is a premium product with no free plan. To use it, you must pay either $39 annually or a one-time payment of $119 for lifetime access. At times, Hiri provides discounts of up to 50% on the official price, so you may be lucky and snag a good deal. You can pay directly on the website using a credit or debit card.

If you want to test the software extensively before deciding whether to pay, you can take advantage of the 7-day free trial. 

Hiri: Features

The appeal of an email client is that you can use it to manage multiple email addresses from one location. Hiri lets you sync multiple addresses and send or receive emails with them effortlessly. You just need the valid credentials of your email account(s), and you can log in without difficulties. 

But, this app is exclusive to Microsoft email services (Outlook or an in-house Microsoft Exchange server). You can’t sync an email address from Gmail, Yahoo Mail, iCloud Mail, or any other non-Microsoft email provider. This situation makes Hiri best suited for professional settings that often have in-house mail servers. If you’re looking for an email client for personal use, Hiri is likely not for you.  

After syncing your email addresses with Hiri, it’s time to get to work. You can monitor all your emails in an uncluttered inbox that's easy to navigate. Click on an unread email to read it, and you can reply directly using the address you received it on. 

If you want to type a new email, look for the compose button at the top-left corner and click on it. Choose the email address you’re sending it from and the recipient address, then type whatever you want to send. Like all email providers, you can attach documents such as photos, videos, and music to your emails.

The Skills Center is a unique feature that sets Hiri apart from the competition. It's like a local application store from which you can add more functionality "skills" to the platform. For example, there’s an Action/FYI skill that lets you separate your emails into what’s urgent and what’s not. You can do this by treating emails from specific addresses as a priority and the others as not. 

You can also use the Reminders skill to set alarms for emails from specific email addresses. There’s a Task list skill that lets you turn your emails into tasks by clicking and dragging. These “skills” are aimed at helping you function better in the workplace.

The Hiri app includes a full-featured calendar that you can use to plan your professional schedule. You can set events on specific dates and reminders to ensure you don’t forget them. It works similarly to any calendar app you may be familiar with.

You can share calendars that you create with colleagues to ensure all of you are on the same page regarding work events. 

Hiri is compatible with Microsoft's Active Directory service, a database that stores information within a corporate network and makes it easy for users to find and use. If your company uses Active Directory, you can access their database from the Hiri app and find the information you want, e.g., contacts. 

Hiri: Interface and use

We found it pretty easy to download and set up Hiri. Head to the official website and select the installation package for your operating system– Windows or macOS. For Linux users, the installation process isn’t the same but is nonetheless not difficult.

The app has a minimal, uncluttered interface. There's a clear button to compose a new email and a pane to read all your existing emails. You can connect multiple email addresses and receive messages for all of them in one dashboard. 

The main drawback here is that Hiri doesn’t have a mobile app, but this is a common occurrence with third-party email clients.

Hiri: Support

Support is one area where Hiri lags compared to the competition. If you have an issue with the app, your only recourse is to visit the official Help page, which contains user guides and some written solutions to problems that users commonly encounter. Hiri doesn’t have a dedicated support team to respond to direct user inquiries. 

Hiri: The competition

Popular competitors to Hiri include Mailbird Pro, Superhuman, and eM Client. Hiri is a more affordable solution than these competitors. However, it only supports Microsoft-based emails, while these competitors support other email providers. 

Likewise, Hiri offers poor customer support compared to these alternatives.  

Hiri: Final verdict

Hiri is a suitable desktop email client if you use only Microsoft-based emails. It offers unique features that make the platform best suited for professional use, e.g., the “skills” and integration with Microsoft Active Directory. It’s also a relatively affordable desktop email client. 

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