Kayako
Zendesk
| Feature | Kayako | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $30/mo | From $55/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 3.9 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | ecommerce, saas-companies, support-teams, mid-size-companies | enterprise, customer-support-teams, saas-companies, e-commerce |
| Founded | 2001 | 2007 |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ticketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customer Journey | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Service | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sla Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Knowledge Base | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Bots | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Kayako Pros
- Unified customer view
- Good live chat
- Journey tracking
- Multichannel
✗ Kayako Cons
- Dated interface
- Limited integrations
- Slow development pace
✓ Zendesk Pros
- Industry standard for support teams
- Omnichannel — email, chat, phone, social
- Powerful automation and triggers
- Extensive marketplace of integrations
✗ Zendesk Cons
- Expensive for small teams
- Complex setup and configuration
- UI can feel outdated
The Verdict
Kayako is built for ecommerce and saas companies, with a focus on live-chat and ticketing. Zendesk targets enterprise and customer support teams and leads with ticketing and live-chat.
On pricing, Kayako is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $30/mo compared to $55/mo for Zendesk. That $25/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
Zendesk 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.
Feature-wise, Zendesk offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Kayako takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for saas companies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Zendesk has a slight overall edge — but if unified customer view matters most to you, Kayako may still be the right call.