Kayako
6.1/10Kayako is an AI help desk whose Kay agent triages, drafts and resolves support tickets for customer service teams, billed per resolved ticket.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Kayako is a long-running customer service platform that now centres on Kay, an AI support agent. Kay can classify, prioritise and route incoming tickets, draft replies for agents to approve, and later resolve repetitive cases on its own. It can also take actions through APIs, such as issuing refunds, creating accounts, sending return labels, updating orders and resetting passwords. It works across chat, email and voice. Teams can run Kay inside Kayako One, which adds a unified inbox, ticketing, a knowledge base, a live chat widget, automation rules and reporting. Kay can also sit on top of Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom or Salesforce. Pricing is outcome-based: Kay costs 1 USD for each ticket it fully resolves, and escalations, partial resolutions, seats and setup are not charged. Kayako does not publish a platform fee for Kayako One, so buyers have to contact sales. Listed integrations include Slack, Stripe, Shopify, HubSpot, Twilio and custom APIs. Kayako says it holds SOC 2 Type II and supports SSO/SAML, role-based access and audit logs. It suits small and mid-sized support teams that want automation without paying per seat. The main concern is the vendor's reputation. ESW Capital has owned Kayako since 2018, and Trustpilot reviewers complain about billing after cancellation, slow support and price rises on the legacy Classic product.
Our Rating
Who Kayako is best for
Good fit
The product is built for support teams: an AI agent that triages and resolves tickets, plus a full help desk.
It integrates with Shopify and Stripe, and Kay can process refunds, update orders and send return labels.
Kay can reset passwords, create accounts and call any system with an API, which covers common SaaS tickets.
Less suited
Per-resolution pricing with no seat fees suits small teams, but the platform price is not public.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Kay is billed at 1 USD per fully resolved ticket, with nothing charged for escalations or seats.
- Kay can run on top of Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom or Salesforce, so teams do not have to migrate help desks.
- Kay can take real actions through APIs, such as refunds, order updates and password resets.
- The phased rollout starts with draft replies that agents approve, which reviewers say lowers risk.
- Kayako says it holds SOC 2 Type II and supports SSO/SAML, role-based access and audit logs.
Cons
- Kayako One has no public platform price, so buyers have to contact sales.
- Trustpilot reviewers report billing after cancellation and aggressive collections.
- Users report slow or unanswered support and steep renewal increases on the legacy Classic product.
- Reviewers say the mobile interface is cramped, reporting is hard to find, and the Snapchat integration is weaker than other channels.
- Reviewers say AI results take a few weeks to ramp up.
Key Features
Kayako Pricing
Kay (AI agent)
- Chat, email and voice
- No seat fees or setup fees
- Works on an existing help desk
- 1 USD per fully resolved ticket
- No charge for escalations or partial resolutions
Kayako One
- Knowledge base
- Automation rules
- Live chat widget
- White-glove onboarding
- Reporting and analytics
- Kay at 1 USD per resolution
- Unified inbox and ticketing
Frequently Asked Questions
Kay costs 1 USD for each ticket it fully resolves without a human. Escalations and partial resolutions are free, and there are no seat or setup fees.
No. Kay can run on Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom or Salesforce, as well as on Kayako's own platform.
Kayako says it holds SOC 2 Type II, complies with GDPR, and supports SSO/SAML, role-based access and audit logs.
Kay works across chat, email and voice.
Kayako One includes white-glove onboarding and setup. Kayako says most teams go live within days.
ESW Capital, a private equity firm based in Austin, Texas, acquired Kayako in February 2018.
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