Spiceworks
An IT-media brand whose feed is journalism, not a product changelog
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Plain and Hatz AI — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
| Feature | Plain | Hatz AI |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Support | Support |
| Velocity score | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Sparks · 30d | 1 | 1 |
| Top themes | customer-support, ai-agents, automation, slack | msp, model-gateway, governance, phone-agents |
| Last editorial update | 1d ago | 1d ago |
| Website | Visit → | — |
Plain is rebuilding customer support around autonomous agents Ari and Sidekick
Plain has moved from a support inbox into an AI-native platform anchored by two agents: Ari, which drafts and sends grounded replies, and Sidekick, an assistant that now takes actions across connected tools. Recent releases center almost entirely on expanding what these agents can do and where they run, with inbox mechanics playing a supporting role.
Hatz AI is building a governed, white-label AI layer for managed service providers
Hatz AI's recurring themes are multi-tenant governance, a broad model gateway, and voice/phone agents. Recent releases added Claude Sonnet 5 and seven more models, per-role model restrictions, usage-based billing, and agents embedded in workflows, alongside steady phone-agent features like multi-department routing and post-call workflows. Model availability also swings with external compliance — Fable 5 was added, then disabled under a US government directive.
Plain has moved from a support inbox into an AI-native platform anchored by two agents: Ari, which drafts and sends grounded replies, and Sidekick, an assistant that now takes actions across connected tools. Recent releases center almost entirely on expanding what these agents can do and where they run, with inbox mechanics playing a supporting role.
The arc is consistent: Plain is pushing its agents from suggestion toward action, and from the Plain UI outward into Slack and third-party tools. Each release widens the agent's authority (drafting to acting) and its surface (composer to Slack to connected tools).
Expect Sidekick's action-taking to deepen with more tools and more autonomous workflows, and Ari's autonomous handling to keep expanding, consistent with the steady cadence of agent-capability releases in these entries.
Hatz AI's recurring themes are multi-tenant governance, a broad model gateway, and voice/phone agents. Recent releases added Claude Sonnet 5 and seven more models, per-role model restrictions, usage-based billing, and agents embedded in workflows, alongside steady phone-agent features like multi-department routing and post-call workflows. Model availability also swings with external compliance — Fable 5 was added, then disabled under a US government directive.
The direction is a governed, white-label AI layer for MSPs: admins control which models and integrations each tenant and role can use, billing is moving to usage-based, and agents are being pushed into both workflows and phone channels. The sustained phone-agent investment suggests voice is a growing pillar next to chat and workflow automation.
Expect more tenant- and role-level governance, deeper phone-agent automation, and continued rapid model onboarding gated by admin controls.
Other Support products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Plain or Hatz AI.
An IT-media brand whose feed is journalism, not a product changelog
Supportbench's feed is all helpdesk-migration and competitor-comparison content, not product news
Sleekplan bets its relaunch on feedback that triages itself
Richpanel is racing to make its inbox the only tab a support agent ever needs.
LiveAgent wires up paid AI usage while running a heavy fix-and-security cadence
Twilio is hardening messaging into regulated-industry infrastructure — consent, compliance, HIPAA.
See all Plain alternatives → · See all Hatz AI alternatives →
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Plain and Hatz AI are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Plain and Hatz AI are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Support products to evaluate alongside.
Top Plain alternatives in Support are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Plain alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/plain for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
Top Hatz AI alternatives in Support are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Hatz AI alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/hatz-ai for the full list with editorial commentary on each.