HubSpot
Kayako
| Feature | HubSpot | Kayako |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $20/mo | From $30/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 3.9 / 5 |
| Best For | growing-businesses, marketing-teams, sales-teams, b2b-companies | ecommerce, saas-companies, support-teams, mid-size-companies |
| Founded | 2006 | 2001 |
| Crm | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Marketing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sales Pipeline | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reporting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ticketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Customer Journey | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Service | ✗ | ✓ |
| Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sla Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ HubSpot Pros
- CRM is completely free forever
- All-in-one marketing + sales + service
- Excellent onboarding and academy
- Massive integration ecosystem
✗ HubSpot Cons
- Paid hubs are very expensive
- Contracts are annual
- Can be overkill for small teams
✓ Kayako Pros
- Unified customer view
- Good live chat
- Journey tracking
- Multichannel
✗ Kayako Cons
- Dated interface
- Limited integrations
- Slow development pace
The Verdict
HubSpot is built for growing businesses and marketing teams, with a focus on crm and email-marketing. Kayako targets ecommerce and saas companies and leads with live-chat and ticketing.
On pricing, HubSpot is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $20/mo compared to $30/mo for Kayako. That $10/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
HubSpot 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.
HubSpot 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.
Feature-wise, HubSpot offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Kayako takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: HubSpot has a slight overall edge — but if unified customer view matters most to you, Kayako may still be the right call.
