Kapa.ai alternative: hiy vs Kapa.ai.
Pick Kapa.ai for developer-tool companies with large technical docs, code and API specs. Pick hiy if you want answers tied to the passage they came from, a plain “I don’t know” when your docs run out, and that question handed to you.
We make hiy, so read this knowing that. Every Kapa.ai fact here comes from its own pages, checked 16 October 2026.
Side by side, row by row.
Each Kapa.ai cell says only what its own pages say. Where they’re silent, we don’t guess.
| Kapa.ai | hiy | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Not published on kapa.ai. | Starter, $40/mo, flat: no overage and no per-resolution fee. |
| Free plan or trial | No free plan; a 14-day trial, no card, with up to 1,000 answers. | A 14-day free trial, no card needed, one per account. The free plan is for an Expert Twin, not a Support Agent. |
| Shows its sources | Yes: kapa.ai says every answer links inline to its sources. | Yes, by default: an answer cites the passage it used, and a visitor can open it. On every plan; you can hide sources. |
| When the docs don’t cover it | Declines rather than guessing, kapa.ai says, and logs the question as a coverage gap. | It says so plainly and, by default, offers to hand the question to a person. |
| Handing over to a person | A support-form deflector, and a Zendesk agent that drafts replies for your team. | The visitor leaves an email and the conversation lands in your Inbox, or opens a ticket in Zendesk or Intercom. The question waits on Unanswered, where your answer becomes a correction. |
| What it learns from | Docs sites, PDFs, Zendesk tickets, wikis, code repositories, community threads and API specs. | Your site’s pages by address, pasted text, PDF, Word and Markdown files, YouTube transcripts and lists. |
| Where it answers | A website widget, Slack, Discord, Zendesk, a public MCP server and a retrieval API. | A bubble, bar or inline chat on your own site, and the chat API. Email and WhatsApp are in test, and voice in a pilot, for some workspaces. |
Where Kapa.ai is ahead.
hiy is new and small. If one of these is what you need, it’s the better pick today.
- Deep focus on developer docs, including code and API specs.
- Gap analytics, plus SOC 2, SSO, zero data retention and EU hosting.
- An MCP server, so coding agents can search your docs.
hiy and Kapa.ai: what differs.
From each product’s own pages. Prices are theirs, as published.
- Kapa.ai is built for developer-tool companies’ docs and code; hiy is for any site’s help content.
- hiy publishes its price; Kapa.ai doesn’t.
- Both say so rather than guessing when the docs don’t cover a question.
Pricing side by side
- Kapa.ai, Pricing: not published on kapa.ai
- Kapa.ai, Trial: 14 days, no card, up to 1,000 answers
- hiy: Starter, $40/mo, flat: no overage and no per-resolution fee.
Checked 16 October 2026 from kapa.ai/pricing and hiy.ai/pricing.
Where hiy is different.
What hiy is built around, whichever plan you’re on. Citations, the honest gap, the AI label and the report link are on every plan.
Answers show their source
An answer cites the passage it used, and a visitor can open it to check.
It says when it doesn’t know
When your material doesn’t cover a question, it says so rather than guessing, and offers a person.
Each miss is taught once
Handovers land in your Inbox. The question waits on Unanswered; answer it with Teach it and every similar question is covered.
One line on your site
Switch on Open on your site and paste one script tag, with no server. Signed-in visitors can get a token from your server instead.
Questions people ask first.
Is hiy a good Kapa.ai alternative?
It is if what matters most is answers your customers can check: hiy cites the passage behind its answers, says so when your docs don’t cover a question, and hands that question to a person. Kapa.ai is the better fit for developer-tool companies with large technical docs, code and API specs.
How much does Kapa.ai cost compared with hiy?
Kapa.ai doesn’t publish its prices on kapa.ai. It offers a 14-day trial with no card. hiy’s Starter plan is $40 a month, flat, with a 14-day free trial and no card needed. What each plan includes, and how to start, is on the pricing page.
Does Kapa.ai show where its answers come from?
Yes. Kapa.ai says every answer carries inline links to the passages it came from. hiy cites the passage behind its answers by default, on every plan, and a visitor can open it; an owner can hide sources.
Does Kapa.ai have a free plan or trial?
No free plan; a 14-day trial, no card, with up to 1,000 answers. hiy: A 14-day free trial, no card needed, one per account. The free plan is for an Expert Twin, not a Support Agent.
How does Kapa.ai hand a chat to a person, compared with hiy?
Kapa.ai: A support-form deflector, and a Zendesk agent that drafts replies for your team. hiy: The visitor leaves an email and the conversation lands in your Inbox, or opens a ticket in Zendesk or Intercom. The question waits on Unanswered, where your answer becomes a correction.
Try hiy on your own docs. Start free; the paid plan is free for 14 days.
- 14-day free trial
- No card needed
- Paste a URL to start