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Kayako vs Kustomer

Kayako logo

Kayako

Live Chat

Effortless customer service

From
$30/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Kustomer logo

Kustomer

Customer Support

The future of customer service

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Kustomer pricing not published; requires customised sales assessment and quote for exact costs
  • They diverge on capability: Kayako covers Unified inbox, Kustomer covers Unified customer view.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kayako and Kustomer actually diverge.

Attributes where Kayako and Kustomer differ
AttributeKayakoKustomer
Starting price$30/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Cloud
CategoryLive ChatCustomer Support
Founded20012015

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Kayako

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

Only in Kustomer

  • Unified customer view
  • AI automation
  • Omnichannel
  • Workflow automation
  • Knowledge base
  • Analytics
  • Magento
  • Facebook

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

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 Kustomer
  • Resolving support tickets automatically with an AI agentnot Kustomer

Kustomer

  • Large B2C and B2B organisations managing 600+ customer support interactions across omnichannel platformsnot Kayako
  • Retail, financial services, travel and hospitality sectors requiring integrated AI-powered supportnot Kayako
  • Enterprises seeking customer 360 views and advanced workflow automationnot 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

Kustomer

  • Pricing not published; requires customised sales assessment and quote for exact costs
  • Voice (call), SMS, and WhatsApp support operate on separate pay-as-you-go pricing models
  • Customisation-based pricing structure means no transparent cost comparison with competitors

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

Kustomer

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Kustomer 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 Kustomer if

  • You need unified customer view.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want ai automation.
Kustomer review

Questions people ask

Is Kayako or Kustomer better?
Neither clearly leads. Kayako starts at $30/month and Kustomer at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kayako or Kustomer?
Kayako starts at $30/month and Kustomer at On request.
Does Kayako or Kustomer run on more platforms?
Kayako runs on Web, Ios, Android. Kustomer runs on Web, Cloud.
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 Kustomer is typically brought in for.
What can Kayako do that Kustomer cannot?
Kayako covers Unified inbox, Live chat, Help center, Customer journey. Kustomer covers Unified customer view, AI automation, Omnichannel, Workflow automation. Both handle Shopify, SOC2, GDPR, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Kustomer: How much does Kustomer cost?

Kustomer uses a custom, quote-based pricing model and does not publish standard rates. Every CX team setup is different, so pricing varies based on company size, number of support agents, and monthly conversation volume.

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
Kustomer: How do I get a Kustomer pricing quote?

Complete a 2-minute ROI calculator assessment that gathers information about your industry, company size, agent count, and monthly conversation volume. Results provide directional pricing estimates before sales connects with you.

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
Kustomer: Are there add-on costs for Kustomer features?

Yes, add-on services include HIPAA Enabled Subscription, implementation services, Voice, SMS, and WhatsApp support on a pay-as-you-go model.

Source
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