What is the difference between Tawk.to and Kayako?

Tawk.to is best for Businesses wanting completely free live chat, while Kayako is best for Support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking. Tawk.to starts at Free and Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo.

Is Tawk.to or Kayako cheaper?

Tawk.to starts at Free and is free. Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo.

Is there a free alternative to Kayako?

Yes, Tawk.to offers a free tier.

Tawk.to vs Kayako

Tawk.to is 100% free live chat software with no limits on agents, chats, or contacts, while Kayako is help desk platform with journey-based customer support and multichannel inbox. The biggest difference up front: Tawk.to is free, while Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo. Tawk.to is built for businesses wanting completely free live chat, whereas Kayako targets support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking.

At a glance

	Tawk.to	Kayako
Best for	Businesses wanting completely free live chat	Support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking
Starting price	Free	$15/agent/mo
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Collaborators	—	✓
Free Live Chat	✓	—
Journey Tracking	—	✓
Knowledge Base	✓	—
Live Chat	—	✓
Shared Inbox	—	✓
Unlimited Agents	✓	—
Video Chat	✓	—

Tawk.to

Strengths

Includes Free Live Chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Includes Unlimited Agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Some advanced features require upgrading to a paid plan
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ticket volume can quickly overwhelm small teams without triage automation

Try Tawk.to → Full review

Kayako

Strengths

Includes Journey Tracking as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Includes Live Chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Pricing starts at $15/agent/mo, which includes the full customer support feature set
Established product with 25+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $15/agent/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ticket volume can quickly overwhelm small teams without triage automation
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try Kayako → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Tawk.to is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Tawk.to offers Free Live Chat, Knowledge Base and Unlimited Agents that Kayako lacks. Kayako brings Collaborators, Journey Tracking and Live Chat that Tawk.to does not have.

Team fit: Tawk.to is geared toward any size teams, while Kayako is aimed at mid-size teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Tawk.to's biggest strengths are: includes free live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. includes unlimited agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. Kayako's biggest strengths are: includes journey tracking as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows.

Watch out for: With Tawk.to, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Kayako, the main complaint is that starts at $15/agent/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users.

Choose Tawk.to if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: businesses wanting completely free live chat
Budget is a hard constraint — Tawk.to is free, Kayako is not
You specifically need Free Live Chat and Knowledge Base
You care about includes unlimited agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Your team size fits the any size profile Tawk.to is designed for

Choose Kayako if...

You need a tool built for support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking
You specifically need Collaborators and Journey Tracking
You care about includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Kayako is designed for