Kayako

kayako.com
Customer Support
Weekend Project

Customer service software for modern support teams

How to Replace Kayako

Overview

Kayako is a unified customer service platform that combines help desk, live chat, and self-service capabilities. It enables businesses to deliver personalized support across multiple channels with AI-powered automation.

Features

42 features across 8 categories

Analytics(4)

Chat Ratings

Allow customers to rate individual chat conversations for quality feedback.

CSAT Surveys

Post-interaction surveys to measure customer satisfaction and collect feedback.

Reports & Analytics

Customizable dashboards showing team performance, resolution times, and satisfaction metrics.

Sentiment AnalysisAIPremium

AI analyzes customer messages to detect emotion and priority level automatically.

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Smartsheet

Automation(4)

AI-Powered ChatbotAIPremium

Intelligent bot that handles routine inquiries and automates initial customer interactions.

Article RecommendationsAIPremium

AI suggests relevant knowledge base articles to agents and customers automatically.

Macros

Automated workflows that trigger actions based on ticket conditions.

Workflow BuilderPremium

Visual tool to create complex automation workflows without coding.

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Communication(12)

Chat Pre-Chat Forms

Collect visitor information before chat starts to qualify leads and route appropriately.

Chat Transfer

Seamlessly transfer live chats between agents or to another department.

Co-browsingPremium

Screen-sharing capability for agents to guide customers through website features.

Live Chat

Real-time chat widget for engaging customers directly on your website.

Multi-Channel Support

Support customers via email, chat, social media, and messaging apps in one interface.

Offline Messages

Collect customer messages when agents are offline and respond when available.

Proactive Invitations

Automatically trigger chat invitations based on visitor behavior and page rules.

Social Media Integration

Monitor and respond to Facebook and Twitter messages directly within Kayako.

Typing Indicators

Real-time display showing when agents are typing a response in live chat.

Video ChatPremium

Enable face-to-face communication between agents and customers via video.

Visitor MonitoringPremium

See real-time website visitor activity and offer proactive chat invitations.

WhatsApp IntegrationPremium

Receive and respond to customer messages via WhatsApp Business API.

Also in: Jobber, Jira, Insightly

Customization(1)

Custom BrandingPremium

Apply company branding to chat widget, portal, and customer-facing interfaces.

Also in: monday.com, Obsidian, Smartsheet

Integration(2)

API AccessPremium

REST API for custom integrations and building solutions on top of Kayako.

WebhooksPremium

Real-time event notifications to trigger actions in external systems.

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Productivity(5)

Bulk Actions

Perform operations on multiple tickets simultaneously for improved efficiency.

Canned Responses

Pre-written response templates to accelerate agent reply times.

Collision Detection

Real-time alerts when multiple agents are working on the same ticket.

Mobile App

Native iOS and Android apps for managing support tickets on the go.

Search & Filters

Advanced search and filtering capabilities to quickly find specific tickets and conversations.

Also in: Insightly, Dashlane, Obsidian

Security(3)

Audit Logs

Complete record of all system activities for compliance and security monitoring.

Role-Based Access Control

Granular permission settings to control what different user roles can access.

Two-Factor Authentication

Enhanced security with optional two-factor authentication for user accounts.

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Airtable

Support Management(11)

Agent Groups

Organize agents into teams with specific permissions and workload distribution.

Community ForumPremium

Moderated community space where customers can help each other and share solutions.

Custom Fields

Tailor ticket forms with custom fields to capture company-specific information.

Customer Profiles

Comprehensive view of customer history, preferences, and interactions across all channels.

Email Forwarding

Convert customer emails into support tickets automatically via email forwarding.

Help Desk

Centralized ticket management system for organizing and tracking customer inquiries.

Internal Notes

Add private notes to tickets visible only to support team members.

Knowledge Base

Create and organize internal and external documentation for support resources.

Self-Service Portal

Customer-facing knowledge base and ticket tracking portal for empowering users.

SLA Management

Define and track service level agreements to maintain response and resolution time standards.

Ticket Assignment

Automatic or manual assignment of tickets to appropriate agents based on rules.

Pricing

Free

Free
  • Up to 3 agents
  • basic help desk and live chat

Starter

$35/mo
  • Up to 5 agents
  • live chat and email support

Team

Popular
$70/mo
  • Up to 15 agents
  • all core features

Professional

$120/mo
  • Unlimited agents
  • AI features and advanced analytics

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Kayako

Monthly$35/mo
Yearly$420/yr
5-Year Total$2.1k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~3 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $180
SaaS
$420
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $540
SaaS
$1.3k
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $900
SaaS
$2.1k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 42 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Kayako alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 42 features.

Buy Kayako

Better Value
Monthly cost$350/mo
3-year total$12,600
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$24,000
Maintenance$360/mo
3-year total$36,960
Dev time~2 months

Buying Kayako saves ~$24,360 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 42 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

30 known integrations