Softwr

Productivity · head to head

Kami vs LINE WORKS

Kami logo

Kami

Productivity

The ultimate document annotation and collaboration tool

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LINE WORKS logo

LINE WORKS

Communication

Business chat built on the LINE interface, aimed at Japanese firms whose staff and customers already use LINE

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Kami the free Basic plan exposes only about 10 of the 40 or more tools; LINE WORKS the external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.
  • They diverge on capability: Kami covers PDF annotation, LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kami and LINE WORKS actually diverge.

Attributes where Kami and LINE WORKS differ
AttributeKamiLINE WORKS
Pricing modelfreemiumPer user per month
PlatformsWeb, Chrome Extension, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
CategoryProductivityCommunication
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Kami

  • PDF annotation
  • Drawing tools
  • Text tools
  • Voice comments
  • Text-to-speech
  • OCR
  • Split/merge PDFs
  • Video embedding

Only in LINE WORKS

  • External LINE messaging
  • Chat and channels
  • Voice and video calls
  • Shared address book
  • Calendar and bulletin board
  • Drive
  • Business email
  • Admin controls

What people use each for

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

Kami

  • Free document collaboration for individualsnot LINE WORKS
  • Professional document management with advanced toolsnot LINE WORKS
  • Dedicated account management for workplace teamsnot LINE WORKS
  • K-12 and higher education document workflowsnot LINE WORKS

LINE WORKS

  • A Japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over LINE rather than emailnot Kami
  • A clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on LINE but under corporate retention and auditnot Kami
  • A Japanese SME under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tiernot Kami
  • The Japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standardnot Kami

Where each one falls short

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

Kami

  • The free Basic plan exposes only about 10 of the 40 or more tools
  • Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas and Microsoft Teams integrations require the Teacher plan at $149 per year
  • School and district licensing including domain wide deployment is custom priced and requires a quote
  • Non education users pay separate Workplace plans at $85 or $220 per year rather than the education rate
  • A dedicated account manager is only available on the School or District plan

LINE WORKS

  • The external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.
  • The free tier caps total storage at 5GB across the whole organisation, not per user, so a team sharing photos or documents exhausts it within weeks and is pushed onto a paid plan.
  • Business email is only on the Advanced plan at 800 yen per user, so an organisation wanting both chat and mail pays nearly double the Standard rate for every seat including staff who only chat.
  • Developer documentation, support and the integration catalogue are strongest in Japanese, which makes it awkward to administer from a non-Japanese IT function.
  • It has no serious developer or engineering workflow story, so organisations that also run Slack or Teams for technical teams end up maintaining two chat systems and two directories.

Pricing, plan by plan

Kami

Free
  • Basic (Free)Free
    • 10+ essential tools
    • Google Drive and OneDrive integration
    • Unlimited collaborators
  • Pro$12/month
    • All 40+ tools and features
    • Unlimited pages and document types
    • Priority support
  • Work$25/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Free onboarding and training
    • Dedicated Account Manager
  • Teacher Plan$149/year
    • All 40+ tools and features
    • Full LMS integrations (Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Teams)
    • Free onboarding and training

LINE WORKS

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 30 users
    • 5GB total storage
    • Chat, calls, calendar and address book
  • Standard$450/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1TB shared storage
    • Annual contract price, 540 yen monthly
  • Advanced$800/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Business email
    • 100TB shared storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Kami if

  • You need pdf annotation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome Extension, IOS, Android.
  • You also want drawing tools.
Kami review

Choose LINE WORKS if

  • You need external line messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want chat and channels.
LINE WORKS review

Questions people ask

Is Kami or LINE WORKS better?
Neither clearly leads. Kami starts at Free and LINE WORKS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kami or LINE WORKS?
Kami starts at Free and LINE WORKS at Free.
Does Kami or LINE WORKS run on more platforms?
Kami runs on Web, Chrome Extension, IOS, Android. LINE WORKS runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Kami for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Kami best used for?
Kami is most often used for free document collaboration for individuals, professional document management with advanced tools, dedicated account management for workplace teams, k-12 and higher education document workflows. Of those, free document collaboration for individuals and professional document management with advanced tools are not what LINE WORKS is typically brought in for.
What can Kami do that LINE WORKS cannot?
Kami covers PDF annotation, Drawing tools, Text tools, Voice comments. LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Chat and channels, Voice and video calls, Shared address book.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kami: Does Kami offer a free plan and what does it include?

Yes, Kami's free Basic plan includes 10+ essential tools, unlimited collaborators, Google Drive/OneDrive integration, and 1,000+ templates. Full feature access requires Pro or higher tiers.

Source
LINE WORKS: Can LINE WORKS really message ordinary LINE users?

Yes. That is its core differentiator and the reason Japanese customer-facing businesses buy it.

Kami: What is the cheapest paid plan for Kami and what does it cost?

Pro plan is $12/month ($85/year when billed annually) and includes all 40+ tools, unlimited pages, and priority support for workplace users.

Source
LINE WORKS: Is there a free plan?

Yes, up to 30 users with 5GB of total organisation storage.

Kami: Are there Kami plans designed specifically for educators?

Yes, the Teacher plan costs $149/year and includes all 40+ tools, full LMS integrations (Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Teams), free onboarding, and priority support with a 30-day free trial.

Source
LINE WORKS: Does the Standard plan include email?

No. Business email is Advanced only, at 800 yen per user per month on an annual contract.

Kami: How much do Kami School or District plans cost?

School and District plans do not publish pricing and require contacting Kami for custom quotes. These plans include domain-wide deployment, dedicated account managers, and full LMS integrations.

Source
LINE WORKS: Is it worth buying outside Japan?

Generally no. Without the consumer LINE bridge it competes poorly against Slack, Teams or Lark on features and ecosystem.

Share

Related pages

More on Kami

More on LINE WORKS

Keep looking

Other head to heads