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Customer Support · head to head

Calabrio ONE vs Kayako

Calabrio ONE logo

Calabrio ONE

Customer Support

Workforce management, quality and analytics suite for contact centres, now owned by Verint

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Kayako logo

Kayako

Live Chat

Effortless customer service

From
$30/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Calabrio ONE ownership changed in November 2025 when Thoma Bravo took Verint private and merged it with Calabrio, so the product is no longer the independent alternative to Verint that most shortlists put it on for, and roadmap priorities across two overlapping suites will be decided by one company.; Kayako the AI agent is billed at $1 per resolved ticket, so support cost scales with ticket volume rather than being a fixed subscription
  • They diverge on capability: Calabrio ONE covers Intelligent forecasting, Kayako covers Unified inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Calabrio ONE and Kayako actually diverge.

Attributes where Calabrio ONE and Kayako differ
AttributeCalabrio ONEKayako
Starting priceOn request$30/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat
FoundedUnknown2001

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Calabrio ONE

  • Intelligent forecasting
  • Automated scheduling
  • Intraday optimisation
  • Real-time adherence
  • Agent self-service
  • Call and screen recording
  • Quality management
  • Speech and desktop analytics

Only in Kayako

  • Unified inbox
  • Live chat
  • Help center
  • Customer journey
  • Automation
  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • Salesforce

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Calabrio ONE

  • A 1,200-seat contact centre on Amazon Connect needing forecasting and adherence that the native scheduling tools do not providenot Kayako
  • A multi-site operation replacing spreadsheet rostering that no longer copes with skills-based routing and part-time shift patternsnot Kayako
  • A retailer forecasting seasonal contact volume across voice, chat and email to decide temporary hiring numbers months aheadnot Kayako
  • A compliance-bound centre needing call and screen recording with retention and redaction controls independent of its telephony vendornot Kayako

Kayako

  • Help desk ticketing with a unified inbox and knowledge basenot Calabrio ONE
  • Resolving support tickets automatically with an AI agentnot Calabrio ONE

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Calabrio ONE

  • Ownership changed in November 2025 when Thoma Bravo took Verint private and merged it with Calabrio, so the product is no longer the independent alternative to Verint that most shortlists put it on for, and roadmap priorities across two overlapping suites will be decided by one company.
  • The combined business has run substantial layoffs following the buyout, which raises real questions about support responsiveness and module investment that a prospective buyer should press on in contract negotiation.
  • Pricing is quoted per agent per month, commonly cited from around 75 US dollars, with analytics and quality sold as separate modules, so the headline figure understates a full suite deployment considerably.
  • There is no free trial and no self-service tier, meaning evaluating the forecasting engine against your own historical data requires a sales-led proof of concept measured in weeks.
  • The forecasting and scheduling engine assumes an operations team that can configure shift rules, service level targets and skill routing correctly; deployed by a team without that expertise it produces schedules people override manually, which negates the reason to buy it.

Kayako

  • The AI agent is billed at $1 per resolved ticket, so support cost scales with ticket volume rather than being a fixed subscription
  • A resolution counts when the AI solves the issue without human involvement, so the definition of a billable event is set by the vendor's own system
  • No per agent monthly price is published for the full Kayako One platform
  • Full platform pricing requires talking to an expert

Pricing, plan by plan

Calabrio ONE

On request
  • Calabrio ONE$undefined/year
    • Workforce management forecasting and scheduling
    • Real-time adherence
    • Agent self-service and mobile app

Kayako

$30/month
  • Inbox$30/month
    • Email & live chat
    • Help center
    • Basic automation
  • Growth$60/month
    • Everything in Inbox
    • Customer journey
    • SLA management
  • Scale$100/month
    • Everything in Growth
    • Advanced reporting
    • Custom roles

Which should you pick?

Choose Calabrio ONE if

  • You need intelligent forecasting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automated scheduling.
Calabrio ONE review

Choose Kayako if

  • You need unified inbox.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want live chat.
Kayako review

Questions people ask

Is Calabrio ONE or Kayako better?
Neither clearly leads. Calabrio ONE starts at On request and Kayako at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Calabrio ONE or Kayako?
Calabrio ONE starts at On request and Kayako at $30/month.
Does Calabrio ONE or Kayako run on more platforms?
Calabrio ONE runs on Web, iOS, Android. Kayako runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Calabrio ONE best used for?
Calabrio ONE is most often used for a 1,200-seat contact centre on amazon connect needing forecasting and adherence that the native scheduling tools do not provide, a multi-site operation replacing spreadsheet rostering that no longer copes with skills-based routing and part-time shift patterns, a retailer forecasting seasonal contact volume across voice, chat and email to decide temporary hiring numbers months ahead, a compliance-bound centre needing call and screen recording with retention and redaction controls independent of its telephony vendor. Of those, a 1,200-seat contact centre on amazon connect needing forecasting and adherence that the native scheduling tools do not provide and a multi-site operation replacing spreadsheet rostering that no longer copes with skills-based routing and part-time shift patterns are not what Kayako is typically brought in for.
What can Calabrio ONE do that Kayako cannot?
Calabrio ONE covers Intelligent forecasting, Automated scheduling, Intraday optimisation, Real-time adherence. Kayako covers Unified inbox, Live chat, Help center, Customer journey.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Calabrio ONE: Is Calabrio still a separate product from Verint?

It is still sold and supported under the Calabrio name, but the companies merged under Thoma Bravo ownership in November 2025 and calabrio.com now redirects to verint.com.

Kayako: How much does Kayako charge?

Kayako uses results-based pricing where customers pay $1 per resolved ticket when Kay AI Agent solves the issue without human intervention. There are no seat fees or setup fees. Kayako One helpdesk platform pricing requires contacting sales.

Source
Calabrio ONE: Will Calabrio customers be forced to migrate to Verint?

Verint has publicly committed to supporting and enhancing Calabrio solutions with no forced migration. Get that commitment written into your contract term rather than relying on the statement.

Kayako: What counts as a resolved ticket for Kayako pricing?

A resolution occurs when Kay solves the customer's issue without human agent involvement, whether by taking action or providing an answer the customer confirms solves their problem. Escalations to humans and simple deflections do not count.

Source
Calabrio ONE: Does it replace my contact centre platform?

No. It sits on top of your CCaaS or telephony platform and handles workforce management, recording and quality.

Kayako: What is Kayako's AI resolution rate?

Kayako reports a 68 percent AI resolution rate for Kay AI Agent. The platform claims a cost advantage of $1 per resolution versus $4.60 for competitors, with reported CSAT improvement of 14 points.

Source
Calabrio ONE: What does it cost?

Nothing is published. Independent reporting puts the entry point near 75 US dollars per agent per month, rising with quality and analytics modules.

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