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Software · head to head

Kayako vs Botpress

Kayako logo

Kayako

Software

Effortless customer service

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Botpress logo

Botpress

Software

Open-source chatbot platform and framework

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Botpress has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kayako the AI agent is billed at $1 per resolved ticket, so support cost scales with ticket volume rather than being a fixed subscription; Botpress managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure
  • They diverge on capability: Kayako covers Unified inbox, Botpress covers Visual bot builder.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kayako and Botpress actually diverge.

Attributes where Kayako and Botpress differ
AttributeKayakoBotpress
Starting price$30/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidOpen-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud)
Founded20012016

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Kayako

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

Only in Botpress

  • Visual bot builder
  • NLU integration
  • Multi-channel support
  • Analytics
  • Teams
  • Messenger
  • WhatsApp
  • On-premise support

Both cover

  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Kayako

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

Botpress

  • Development teams building chatbots and conversational AI using MIT-licensed open-source frameworknot Kayako
  • Organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via SDK/CLInot Kayako

Where each one falls short

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

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

Botpress

  • Managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure
  • Dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Botpress

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Botpress review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Kayako if

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

Choose Botpress if

  • You need visual bot builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
  • You also want nlu integration.
Botpress review

Questions people ask

Is Kayako or Botpress better?
Neither clearly leads. Kayako starts at $30/month and Botpress at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kayako or Botpress?
Botpress has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $30/month for Kayako and Free for Botpress.
Does Kayako or Botpress run on more platforms?
Kayako runs on Web, Ios, Android. Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
Can I use Botpress for free?
Yes. Botpress has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kayako starts at $30/month.
What is Kayako best used for?
Kayako is most often used for help desk ticketing with a unified inbox and knowledge base, resolving support tickets automatically with an ai agent. Of those, help desk ticketing with a unified inbox and knowledge base and resolving support tickets automatically with an ai agent are not what Botpress is typically brought in for.
What can Kayako do that Botpress cannot?
Kayako covers Unified inbox, Live chat, Help center, Customer journey. Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Both handle Slack.
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Related pages

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