Kayako
tawk.to
| Feature | Kayako | tawk.to |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $30/mo | Free / from $19/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 3.9 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | ecommerce, saas-companies, support-teams, mid-size-companies | startups, small-businesses, freelancers, budget-conscious-teams |
| Founded | 2001 | 2013 |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ticketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customer Journey | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Service | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sla Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Knowledge Base | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Chat | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screen Sharing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Chat Pages | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Kayako Pros
- Unified customer view
- Good live chat
- Journey tracking
- Multichannel
✗ Kayako Cons
- Dated interface
- Limited integrations
- Slow development pace
✓ tawk.to Pros
- 100% free
- No agent limits
- Feature-rich for free
- Good mobile app
✗ tawk.to Cons
- Branding on free plan
- Interface could be cleaner
- Limited integrations
The Verdict
Kayako is built for ecommerce and saas companies, with a focus on live-chat and ticketing. tawk.to targets startups and small businesses and leads with live-chat and ticketing.
On pricing, tawk.to is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $19/mo compared to $30/mo for Kayako. That $11/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
tawk.to 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.
tawk.to edges out on user ratings (4.3 vs 3.9). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: tawk.to has a slight overall edge — but if unified customer view matters most to you, Kayako may still be the right call.