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Customer Support · head to head

HelpCrunch vs Kayako

HelpCrunch logo

HelpCrunch

Customer Support

Live chat, helpdesk, and AI chatbot platform for customer support

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: HelpCrunch pricing is not fully transparent since it depends on email volume and AI usage tiers.; 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: HelpCrunch covers Live Chat Widget, Kayako covers Unified inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HelpCrunch and Kayako actually diverge.

Attributes where HelpCrunch and Kayako differ
AttributeHelpCrunchKayako
Starting priceOn request$30/month
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat
FoundedUnknown2001

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 HelpCrunch

  • Live Chat Widget
  • Shared Team Inbox
  • AI Chatbot
  • Email Marketing Automation
  • Knowledge Base
  • Auto-resend by Email

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.

HelpCrunch

  • Real-time website customer supportnot Kayako
  • Consolidating support and marketing email in one toolnot Kayako
  • AI-automated first-line customer responsesnot Kayako
  • Small business helpdesk ticketingnot Kayako

Kayako

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

Where each one falls short

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

HelpCrunch

  • Pricing is not fully transparent since it depends on email volume and AI usage tiers.
  • AI conversation add-ons become expensive at high volume, up to $8,000/month for 100,000 conversations.
  • Exact plan prices for Basic, Pro, and Unlimited are not published directly on the pricing page.
  • Smaller teams may find the tiered add-on system harder to predict than flat per-seat pricing.

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

HelpCrunch

On request
  • Basic$undefined/month
    • Live chat
    • Shared inbox
    • Email volume tiers
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • AI conversations included
    • AI data sources included
  • Unlimited$undefined/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Highest email volume
    • Priority support

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 HelpCrunch if

  • You need live chat widget.
  • You work on web, ios, android.
  • You also want shared team inbox.
HelpCrunch 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 HelpCrunch or Kayako better?
Neither clearly leads. HelpCrunch 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, HelpCrunch or Kayako?
HelpCrunch starts at On request and Kayako at $30/month.
Does HelpCrunch or Kayako run on more platforms?
HelpCrunch runs on web, ios, android. Kayako runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is HelpCrunch best used for?
HelpCrunch is most often used for real-time website customer support, consolidating support and marketing email in one tool, ai-automated first-line customer responses, small business helpdesk ticketing. Of those, real-time website customer support and consolidating support and marketing email in one tool are not what Kayako is typically brought in for.
What can HelpCrunch do that Kayako cannot?
HelpCrunch covers Live Chat Widget, Shared Team Inbox, AI Chatbot, Email Marketing Automation. Kayako covers Unified inbox, Live chat, Help center, Customer journey.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HelpCrunch: Is there a free trial for HelpCrunch?

Yes, HelpCrunch offers a free trial with no credit card required, and includes free migration from competing tools.

Source
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
HelpCrunch: How does HelpCrunch charge for AI features?

Pro and higher plans include a free monthly limit of AI conversations and AI data sources; additional usage is purchased in blocks, for example 100 extra conversations for $29/month.

Source
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
HelpCrunch: Does annual billing save money?

Yes, HelpCrunch offers a 20% discount on plans and AI add-ons when billed annually instead of monthly.

Source
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
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