Kayako
Kayako: Kayako combines multichannel ticketing with usage-based AI support. Ranked #17 of 100 in Help Desk Software by our editors (7.7/10); pricing: Paid; best for teams wanting usage-based AI support.
At a glance
- Editor score7.7 / 10
- PricingPaid
- Best forTeams wanting usage-based AI support
- SLA managementYes
- Founded2001
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Unified inbox covers email, chat, social, and voice conversations
- Includes ticketing, help center, chat, automation, reporting, and SLAs
- Kay AI Agent charges $1 per resolved ticket with no seat fees
Where it doesn't
- Kay AI Agent charges per resolved ticket rather than a flat subscription
- Kayako One pricing requires contacting a pricing expert
- The platform spans many functions, which may exceed simpler support needs
Our verdict on Kayako
Kayako is a customer service and help desk platform for support teams managing conversations across email, chat, social, and voice. Its core workspace brings those channels into a unified inbox alongside ticketing, a knowledge base, customer help center, live chat, automation rules, reporting, analytics, and SLA management. Teams can work from the web, iOS, Android, or API, while the included Kay AI Agent is designed to resolve customer issues automatically. This makes Kayako a fit for organizations that want a broad support workspace and a usage-based route to AI assistance.
Pricing is split between Kay AI Agent and Kayako One. Kay AI Agent costs $1 per resolved ticket, charges only when Kay resolves an issue, and has no seat fees or setup fees. Kayako One includes the unified inbox, ticketing system, knowledge base, live chat widget, automation rules, reporting, and analytics; its pricing is handled through a pricing expert. That structure favors teams that want to align AI costs with resolved issues, while organizations comparing conventional per-user help desk plans may find the pricing model less direct.
Kayako’s ecosystem includes Slack, Stripe, Shopify, Zendesk, Salesforce, Twilio, HubSpot, Zapier, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Chargebee, Jira, GitHub, and LaunchDarkly, with API access for further platform connections. The standout strength is breadth: support operations, self-service content, live chat, workflow automation, analytics, SLAs, and AI sit in one product. Teams seeking a focused ticketing tool or a simpler pricing model should consider a narrower alternative; teams that need broad channel coverage and usage-based AI support should pick Kayako.
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Kayako pricing
All 2 Kayako plans and prices →
Kayako fact sheet
| Free plan | Not verified |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Shared inbox | Yes |
| SLA management | Yes |
| Help center | Yes |
| Ticket automation | Yes |
| Customer portal | Not verified |
| API access | Yes |
| Included agent seats | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud, Mobile |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Compliance & security | SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA, PCI DSS, ISO 27001 |
| Support | Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 5,000+ integrations: Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Shopify, Stripe … See all → |
| Pricing | Paid (source) |
| Website | kayako.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Kayako integrations
Kayako lists 5,000+ integrations on its own site — the 11 named here are the ones its pages call out.
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Shopify
- Stripe
- Chargebee
- Jira
- GitHub
- LaunchDarkly
- Zapier
Alternatives to Kayako
- FreshdeskA mature omnichannel help desk with ticketing, automation, AI, and analytics.9.3
- Zoho DeskA broad help desk with a free plan, multichannel support, automation, SLAs, and self-service tools.9.2
- Salesforce Service CloudA deeply capable service platform whose higher tiers carry significant per-user costs.9.1
Also Ranked In
Kayako is ranked in 6 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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