Getting started

What is HiveThread and how do I get started?

HiveThread puts every customer message in one shared inbox: text messages, your website chat widget, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Your whole team works from the same threads, the AI drafts replies in your voice from your own website and FAQs, and on the Business and Pro plans you can book appointments straight from a conversation. It is available in Australia, the United States and Canada.

To get started, sign up at app.hivethread.io and follow the short setup: your business details, your SMS verification details (or tick the box to finish those later), then your plan and payment. We handle your text number and submit the carrier registration for you, so the next thing to do is connect Facebook and Instagram, invite your team, and add the widget to your website. Texting switches on once your number is approved.

Is there a free trial?

No, there is no free trial. You pick a plan, your subscription starts right away, and you get everything on that plan from day one. That is deliberate: no countdown and no half-features while you make up your mind.

You can cancel any time from Settings, then Billing, and you keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for. Annual billing saves 15% against paying monthly. Current prices for all three plans are on the pricing page.

How do I invite team members and what can each role do?

The account owner invites people from Settings, then Team, using Invite Member. The invite goes out by email and expires after 7 days, and you can resend or cancel a pending one from the same page. How many people you can add depends on your plan: 2 on Starter, 5 on Business, and no set limit on Pro.

• Owner: everything an admin can do, plus inviting people and approving anything that costs extra, like switching on SMS overage.
• Admin: the setup work: channels, verification, the subscription, templates, auto-responders, knowledge base, calendar settings and reviews.
• Team Member: works the inbox: replying, assigning conversations, notes, and viewing contacts. They do not change organisation settings.

Can I use HiveThread on my phone?

Yes. HiveThread runs in your phone browser and installs to your home screen like an app, so there is nothing to download from an app store.

• iPhone: open app.hivethread.io in Safari, tap the Share button, tap Add to Home Screen, then tap Add. Open HiveThread from the home screen icon after that, not from Safari, because that is what iOS requires before push notifications work.
• Android: open the site in Chrome and take the install prompt, or use the browser menu and choose Install app or Add to home screen.

Then turn on alerts in Settings, then Notifications, with Enable Push Notifications and allow the browser prompt when it appears.

How do I connect Facebook Messenger and Instagram?

Go to Settings, then Channels, choose Add channel, and pick Facebook and Instagram. You are sent to Facebook to authorise HiveThread, then you choose which Pages to connect. Each Page that has an Instagram account linked to it creates both a Facebook channel and an Instagram channel, and messages from both land in your shared inbox.

Two things need to be true first: you need to be able to manage the Facebook Page yourself, and your Instagram account needs to be a business account linked to that Page. These channels do not need carrier approval, so they are the quickest way to start talking to customers while your text number is still in review.