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Kayako vs Slimchat

Kayako logo

Kayako

Live Chat

Effortless customer service

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

Slimchat

Live Chat

Lightweight live chat solution for websites

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Slimchat 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; Slimchat the vendor's own homepage as captured by the Internet Archive on 19 August 2018 (via Novosi, LLC) shows SlimChat was still pre-release at that date, offering an email signup for '3 months FREE' with an 'Expected release: summer 2018' notice and a $15 incentive to test a tour version; combined with the live site now serving a mismatched Squarespace certificate, this indicates the product likely never reached a stable commercial release
  • They diverge on capability: Kayako covers Unified inbox, Slimchat covers Live chat widget.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kayako and Slimchat actually diverge.

Attributes where Kayako and Slimchat differ
AttributeKayakoSlimchat
Starting price$30/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile responsive
Founded20012016

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

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 Slimchat

  • Live chat widget
  • Lightweight design
  • Fast loading
  • Visitor information
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • Mobile responsive support

Both cover

  • Zapier
  • Web 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 Slimchat
  • Resolving support tickets automatically with an AI agentnot Slimchat

Slimchat

  • Customer engagementnot Kayako
  • Lead generationnot Kayako
  • Customer supportnot Kayako
  • Sales 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

Slimchat

  • The vendor's own homepage as captured by the Internet Archive on 19 August 2018 (via Novosi, LLC) shows SlimChat was still pre-release at that date, offering an email signup for '3 months FREE' with an 'Expected release: summer 2018' notice and a $15 incentive to test a tour version; combined with the live site now serving a mismatched Squarespace certificate, this indicates the product likely never reached a stable commercial release

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

Slimchat

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Live chat
    • 1 agent
    • Basic features
  • Pro$20/month
    • Multiple agents
    • Advanced options
  • Business$50/month
    • Unlimited features
    • Priority support

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 Slimchat if

  • You need live chat widget.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile responsive.
  • You also want lightweight design.
Slimchat review

Questions people ask

Is Kayako or Slimchat better?
Neither clearly leads. Kayako starts at $30/month and Slimchat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kayako or Slimchat?
Slimchat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $30/month for Kayako and Free for Slimchat.
Does Kayako or Slimchat run on more platforms?
Kayako runs on Web, Ios, Android. Slimchat runs on Web, Mobile responsive.
Can I use Slimchat for free?
Yes. Slimchat 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 Slimchat is typically brought in for.
What can Kayako do that Slimchat cannot?
Kayako covers Unified inbox, Live chat, Help center, Customer journey. Slimchat covers Live chat widget, Lightweight design, Fast loading, Visitor information. Both handle Zapier, 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
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
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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