What is the difference between Zendesk and Kayako?

Zendesk is best for Mid-to-large support teams needing a full help desk, while Kayako is best for Support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking. Zendesk starts at $19/agent/mo and Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo.

Zendesk vs Kayako

Zendesk is enterprise help desk platform with ticketing, live chat, knowledge base, and AI-powered automation, while Kayako is help desk platform with journey-based customer support and multichannel inbox. Kayako comes in cheaper, but price alone does not tell the full story. Zendesk is built for mid-to-large support teams needing a full help desk, whereas Kayako targets support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking.

At a glance

	Zendesk	Kayako
Best for	Mid-to-large support teams needing a full help desk	Support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking
Starting price	$19/agent/mo	$15/agent/mo
Free tier	—	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	—
Open source	—	—
AI Bots	✓	—
Collaborators	—	✓
Journey Tracking	—	✓
Knowledge Base	✓	—
Live Chat	✓	✓
Shared Inbox	—	✓
Ticketing	✓	—

Zendesk

Strengths

Includes Ticketing 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 $19/agent/mo, which includes the full customer support feature set
Established product with 19+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $19/agent/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Enterprise-focused design means the interface can feel heavy for smaller teams
Ticket volume can quickly overwhelm small teams without triage automation
Overkill for freelancers or small teams who need something lightweight

Try Zendesk → 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: Zendesk starts at $19/agent/mo. Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo. Kayako is the more affordable option.

Feature gaps: Zendesk offers AI Bots, Knowledge Base and Ticketing that Kayako lacks. Kayako brings Collaborators, Journey Tracking and Shared Inbox that Zendesk does not have. Both share Live Chat.

Team fit: Zendesk is geared toward enterprise 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: Zendesk's biggest strengths are: includes ticketing as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. includes live chat 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 Zendesk, users commonly note that starts at $19/agent/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users. With Kayako, the main complaint is that starts at $15/agent/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users.

Choose Zendesk if...

You need a tool built for mid-to-large support teams needing a full help desk
You specifically need AI Bots and Knowledge Base
You care about includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Your team size fits the enterprise profile Zendesk is designed for

Choose Kayako if...

You need a tool built for support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking
You want to save on per-user costs — Kayako is $4.00/user/mo cheaper
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