Best Kayako Alternatives

7 helpdesk software alternatives to Kayako, sorted by rating. Find a better fit for your workflow and budget.

Why Switch from Kayako?

No transparent pricing, requires demo/sales contact for evaluation
Legacy versions may need migration with potential disruption
Past security incident raises some concerns
Limited public details on enterprise scalability
Help center emphasizes migration over standalone features

Top Alternatives

Intercom

4.5(2,100)

$29/mo

Conversational customer platform with messaging, bots, and customer engagement tools.

SaaSProduct-led growthStartups

Full review Kayako vs Intercom

Freshdesk

4.5(2,800)

Free plan

Cloud-based customer support software with ticketing and omnichannel capabilities.

Small businessesStartupsBudget-conscious teams

Full review Kayako vs Freshdesk

Zendesk

4.4(3,600)

$19/mo

Customer service platform with ticketing, live chat, and knowledge base features.

SaaS companiesEnterpriseMulti-channel support

Full review Kayako vs Zendesk

AI-powered, multichannel customer support platform that automates approximately 50% of support tickets through no-code AI agents while centralizing communications from email, chat, social media, and messaging apps into a single inbox.

SaaS companies needing automated technical supportE-commerce businesses with high-volume customer inquiriesGrowing support teams scaling from manual to AI-assisted operations

Full review Kayako vs Crisp

Help Scout

4.3(850)

$25/mo

Help Scout is a subscription-based helpdesk platform that operates like a shared email inbox for customer support, including integrated knowledge base tools for efficient, customer-centric service management. Trusted by 12,000+ customers in 140+ countries, it emphasizes delightful, scalable support for remote teams.

Small to mid-sized remote teams handling email-based customer supportStartups and growing businesses needing quick-setup helpdeskCustomer-centric brands prioritizing knowledge base self-service

Full review Kayako vs Help Scout

Tidio

4.3(850)

Free plan

Tidio is an AI-powered omnichannel customer service platform offering live chat, help desk, ticketing, no-code chatbots (Flows), and Lyro AI agents to automate up to 70% of queries for e-commerce and SMBs. Founded in 2013 in Poland with offices in San Francisco, it targets micro/small businesses to drive sales via real-time support and analytics.

E-commerce stores needing live chat and order managementMicro/small businesses offering 24/7 AI-driven supportWebsites requiring visitor tracking and proactive sales chats

Full review Kayako vs Tidio

Zoho Desk

4.3(850)

Free plan

Zoho Desk is a cloud-based helpdesk software that provides context-aware ticket management across channels with AI-powered automation and analytics to boost agent productivity and customer satisfaction.

SMBs needing affordable omnichannel ticketing and self-serviceTeams requiring AI automation for high-volume supportBusinesses building customer communities with forums

Full review Kayako vs Zoho Desk

Quick Comparison

Tool	Rating	Starting Price	Free Tier	Pricing Model
Kayako	4.2/5	Free/mo	No	subscription
Intercom	4.5/5	$29/mo	No	subscription
Freshdesk	4.5/5	Free plan	Yes	freemium
Zendesk	4.4/5	$19/mo	No	subscription
Crisp	4.3/5	Free plan	Yes	freemium
Help Scout	4.3/5	$25/mo	No	subscription
Tidio	4.3/5	Free plan	Yes	freemium
Zoho Desk	4.3/5	Free plan	Yes	freemium