Kayako
Help desk platform with journey-based customer support and multichannel inbox.
Overview
Kayako is a help desk platform with journey-based customer support and multichannel inbox. It handles journey tracking, live chat, shared inbox, and collaborators, and it's best suited for support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking. It has been around since 2001, giving it a 25-year head start in building out integrations and refining the product.
Paid plans start at $15/agent/mo, which unlocks the full feature set. It works well for mid-size teams that need more structure than a basic tool but less overhead than enterprise platforms.
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
Pricing estimate
$150
/month
$1800/year
Quick info
- Category
- Customer Support
- Starting price
- $15/agent/mo
- Free tier
- No
- Open source
- No
- Best for
- Mid-size teams
- Founded
- 2001
Last updated 2026-04-12
Top alternatives to Kayako
Kayako comparisons
Intercom vs Kayako
Intercom is built for saas companies that want unified customer messaging. Kayako is built for support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking. Pick the one that fits.
Crisp vs Kayako
Crisp is the free option; Kayako charges $15/agent/mo but may offer more polish. Here is how they compare.
Zendesk vs Kayako
Zendesk is built for mid-to-large support teams needing a full help desk. Kayako is built for support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking. Pick the one that fits.
Freshdesk vs Kayako
Freshdesk is the free option; Kayako charges $15/agent/mo but may offer more polish. Here is how they compare.
Help Scout vs Kayako
Help Scout is built for teams that want email-like support conversations. Kayako is built for support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking. Pick the one that fits.
Chatwoot vs Kayako
Chatwoot is the free option; Kayako charges $15/agent/mo but may offer more polish. Here is how they compare.
More Customer Support tools
Intercom
Customer messaging platform with live chat, bots, help center, and product tours.
Crisp
All-in-one business messaging platform with live chat, chatbot, help desk, and CRM.
Zendesk
Enterprise help desk platform with ticketing, live chat, knowledge base, and AI-powered automation.
Freshdesk
Cloud-based help desk with ticketing, automation, and multichannel support at accessible pricing.
Help Scout
Help desk that feels like email — shared inboxes, knowledge base, and live chat without the ticket numbers.
Chatwoot
Open-source customer engagement platform with live chat, email, social channels, and chatbots.
Stay sharp
New customer support tools, price changes, and honest takes — weekly.