Freshdesk
Kayako
| Feature | Freshdesk | Kayako |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $15/mo | From $30/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 3.9 / 5 |
| Best For | small-businesses, startups, support-teams, growing-companies | ecommerce, saas-companies, support-teams, mid-size-companies |
| Founded | 2010 | 2001 |
| Ticketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Service Portal | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sla Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chatbot | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live Chat | ✗ | ✓ |
| Customer Journey | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Service | ✗ | ✓ |
| Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Freshdesk Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Good free tier
- Easy to set up
- Multichannel support
✗ Freshdesk Cons
- Limited customization on lower tiers
- Reporting could be better
- Some features feel dated
✓ Kayako Pros
- Unified customer view
- Good live chat
- Journey tracking
- Multichannel
✗ Kayako Cons
- Dated interface
- Limited integrations
- Slow development pace
The Verdict
Freshdesk is built for small businesses and startups, with a focus on ticketing and automation. Kayako targets ecommerce and saas companies and leads with live-chat and ticketing.
On pricing, Freshdesk is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $15/mo compared to $30/mo for Kayako. That $15/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Freshdesk has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Kayako requires a paid subscription from day one.
Freshdesk edges out on user ratings (4.4 vs 3.9). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Both tools are a solid fit for support teams — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Freshdesk has a slight overall edge — but if unified customer view matters most to you, Kayako may still be the right call.