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About Kayako
What is Kayako?
Kayako is an AI-powered help desk and customer support platform that automates ticket resolution end-to-end. It connects to your existing tools (like Stripe, Slack, and Shopify) and takes real action—refunds, account updates, order changes—without human involvement. It solves the problem of rising support costs and agent turnover by deflecting tickets to AI, while keeping human agents for edge cases.
Who is it for?
Kayako is built for support leaders at growing companies (300+ businesses use it) who want to reduce ticket volume and improve CSAT. It's not for tiny teams with low ticket volumes, or for companies that need a simple email-based help desk without AI. It shines in high-volume environments where automation can pay off quickly.
Real use cases
Teams use Kayako to auto-route and triage incoming requests, generate accurate AI drafts for repetitive cases, and autonomously resolve issues like password resets, refunds, and shipping label generation. During peak periods, it clears backlogs and lowers average ticket age from 18 hours to under 5, with CSAT improving by 14 points.
Plans and pricing
Kayako offers transparent results-based pricing: $1 per resolved ticket, with no seat or setup fees. For full helpdesk features, the Kayako One plan includes unified inbox, ticketing, knowledge base, live chat, automation, analytics, and the AI agent—with white-glove onboarding. A free trial is not mentioned on the site, but you can book a strategy session and request a demo.
Key features
- AI Triage & Routing — Automatically classify, prioritize, and route tickets with 99% accuracy, reducing manual sorting.
- AI Answers & Drafting — Generate accurate replies based on your knowledge base, shortening handle time and improving CSAT.
- Continuous Learning — The AI improves over time by learning from human resolutions, increasing deflection rates.
- End-to-End Resolution — Kay takes real action: process refunds, create accounts, send labels, update orders, reset passwords, and more.
- Integration Stack — Connects to your existing tools (Slack, Stripe, Shopify, Zendesk, Salesforce, Twilio, HubSpot) via APIs.
- White-Glove Onboarding — Deployed for you by Kayako's expert team in three phases, ensuring safe adoption.
SaaSpartout Score
7.8
/10
Editorial score from our review methodology — not user ratings.
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Why are you looking at Helpdesk & Ticketing tools today?
Kayako Pricing
Kayako pricing: from $1/resolved ticket.
For comparison: the median starting price in Customer Support is $27.50/month, measured across 122 tools we track. See the full SaaS Pricing Index →
Pay-per-resolution
$1 per resolved ticket. You only pay when Kayako fully resolves a customer issue without human agent involvement. No seat fees, no setup fees. Escalations and simple deflections are free.
Kayako One
Includes the full helpdesk platform: unified inbox, ticketing, knowledge base, live chat, automation rules, reporting & analytics, and the Kay AI agent (with $1/resolution pricing). White-glove onboarding and setup included. Contact sales for pricing.
No free trial is mentioned, but you can book a strategy session and request a demo on the site.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Kayako cost?
Kayako costs $1 per resolved ticket, with no seat or setup fees. The full platform (Kayako One) includes the AI agent and helpdesk tools, but pricing for that plan is available on request.
Does Kayako have a free trial?
There's no mention of a free trial on the site, but you can book a free strategy session and request a demo to see it in action.
Who is Kayako best for?
Kayako is best for support teams at scaling companies that want to reduce ticket volume and costs without adding headcount. It's especially beneficial for e-commerce, SaaS, and other businesses with high repetitive ticket volumes.
What are top alternatives to Kayako?
Common alternatives include Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, and Help Scout. Kayako stands out with its transparent per-resolution pricing and its AI that takes real action (e.g., refunds, account updates) rather than just suggesting replies.
How does Kayako's AI resolution pricing work?
You pay $1 only when the AI fully resolves a customer issue without human help—whether by taking an action or providing a confirmed solution. Escalations and simple deflections don't cost anything.
What is Kayako's biggest limitation?
The per-resolution model may not suit businesses with very low ticket volumes, where fixed monthly pricing could be more predictable. Also, Kayako requires API connections to your tools to take action—so it works best with modern, integrated stacks.
