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Customer Support · head to head

HubSpot Service Hub vs Kayako

HubSpot Service Hub logo

HubSpot Service Hub

Customer Support

Customer service software for scaling companies

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Kayako logo

Kayako

Live Chat

Effortless customer service

From
$30/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only HubSpot Service Hub has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: HubSpot Service Hub the free tier is capped at 2 users; 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: HubSpot Service Hub covers Ticketing, Kayako covers Unified inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HubSpot Service Hub and Kayako actually diverge.

Attributes where HubSpot Service Hub and Kayako differ
AttributeHubSpot Service HubKayako
Starting priceFree$30/month
Free tierYesNo
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat
Founded20062001

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 HubSpot Service Hub

  • Ticketing
  • Knowledge base
  • Customer feedback
  • Conversational bots
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Zoom
  • Microsoft Teams
  • SSO

Only in Kayako

  • Unified inbox
  • Help center
  • Customer journey
  • Automation
  • Zapier
  • Stripe
  • Shopify
  • SSL

Both cover

  • Live chat
  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

HubSpot Service Hub

  • Shared inbox and ticketing for a support teamnot Kayako
  • Knowledge base and customer self-servicenot Kayako
  • Live chat and chatbots on a websitenot Kayako
  • Customer feedback surveys and CSATnot Kayako
  • Support reporting tied into the HubSpot CRMnot Kayako

Kayako

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

Where each one falls short

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

HubSpot Service Hub

  • The free tier is capped at 2 users
  • Professional carries a one-off onboarding fee of $1,500, and Enterprise $3,500, on top of the seat price
  • Seats are $90 a month billed monthly against $100 billed annually on Professional, so the annual commitment is not the cheaper option per month
  • AI features run on monthly credits, 500 on Starter and 3,000 on Professional, which do not roll over
  • Extra credits cost $0.010 each once the monthly allocation is spent

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

HubSpot Service Hub

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Contact management
    • Ticketing
    • Team email
  • Starter$10/month
    • Simple ticket automation
    • Multiple ticket pipelines
    • Live chat
  • Professional$100/month
    • Help desk workspace
    • Customer success workspace
    • Customer agent
  • Enterprise$150/month
    • Skill-based routing
    • Conditional SLAs
    • Customer journey analytics

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 HubSpot Service Hub if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want knowledge base.
HubSpot Service Hub review

Choose Kayako if

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

Questions people ask

Is HubSpot Service Hub or Kayako better?
Neither clearly leads. HubSpot Service Hub starts at Free and Kayako at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HubSpot Service Hub or Kayako?
HubSpot Service Hub has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for HubSpot Service Hub and $30/month for Kayako.
Does HubSpot Service Hub or Kayako run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use HubSpot Service Hub for free?
Yes. HubSpot Service Hub has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kayako starts at $30/month.
What is HubSpot Service Hub best used for?
HubSpot Service Hub is most often used for shared inbox and ticketing for a support team, knowledge base and customer self-service, live chat and chatbots on a website, customer feedback surveys and csat. Of those, shared inbox and ticketing for a support team and knowledge base and customer self-service are not what Kayako is typically brought in for.
What can HubSpot Service Hub do that Kayako cannot?
HubSpot Service Hub covers Ticketing, Knowledge base, Customer feedback, Conversational bots. Kayako covers Unified inbox, Help center, Customer journey, Automation. Both handle Live chat, Reporting, Slack, Salesforce.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HubSpot Service Hub: How much does HubSpot Service Hub cost per user?

Free plan at $0/month. Starter at $10/month per seat (new customers; regular $20/month), Professional at $100/month per seat, Enterprise at $150/month per seat.

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
HubSpot Service Hub: What is the free trial length for HubSpot Service Hub?

A 14-day free trial is available for evaluating Service Hub functionality before commitment to a paid plan.

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
HubSpot Service Hub: Does HubSpot Service Hub have a free permanent plan?

Yes, the free plan includes contact management, ticketing, and team email features at $0/month with no credit card required.

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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