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Kayako vs tawk.to

Kayako logo

Kayako

Live Chat

Effortless customer service

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
tawk.to logo

tawk.to

Live Chat

100% free live chat software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only tawk.to 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; tawk.to removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: Kayako covers Unified inbox, tawk.to covers Ticketing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kayako and tawk.to actually diverge.

Attributes where Kayako and tawk.to differ
AttributeKayakotawk.to
Starting price$30/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac
Founded20012013

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
  • Help center
  • Customer journey
  • Automation
  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Stripe

Only in tawk.to

  • Ticketing
  • Knowledge base
  • CRM
  • Video chat
  • Screen sharing
  • WordPress
  • Wix
  • Google Analytics

Both cover

  • Live chat
  • Zapier
  • Shopify
  • GDPR
  • SSL
  • 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 tawk.to
  • Resolving support tickets automatically with an AI agentnot tawk.to

tawk.to

  • Website live chat and visitor engagementnot Kayako
  • Customer support 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

tawk.to

  • Removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
  • Enhanced AI Assist chatbot is a paid add-on starting at $29/month rather than included free
  • Human staffed chat agents are billed at $1/hour as a separate add-on

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

tawk.to

Free
  • Free Core SoftwareFree
    • Live chat software with no feature limitations
    • Chat pages
    • Knowledge base (hosted help center)
  • Branding Removal$29/month
    • Remove Powered by tawk.to widget branding
  • AI Assist Premium$29/month
    • AI-powered chatbot automation
  • Hired Chat Agents$1/hour
    • Professional trained agents 24/7/365

Which should you pick?

Choose Kayako if

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

Choose tawk.to if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
  • You also want knowledge base.
tawk.to review

Questions people ask

Is Kayako or tawk.to better?
Neither clearly leads. Kayako starts at $30/month and tawk.to at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kayako or tawk.to?
tawk.to has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $30/month for Kayako and Free for tawk.to.
Does Kayako or tawk.to run on more platforms?
Kayako runs on Web, Ios, Android. tawk.to runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
Can I use tawk.to for free?
Yes. tawk.to 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 tawk.to is typically brought in for.
What can Kayako do that tawk.to cannot?
Kayako covers Unified inbox, Help center, Customer journey, Automation. tawk.to covers Ticketing, Knowledge base, CRM, Video chat. Both handle Live chat, Zapier, Shopify, GDPR.

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
tawk.to: How much does tawk.to cost?

tawk.to is free for core live chat, knowledge base, ticketing, and CRM. Premium add-ons start at $29/month for branding removal or AI Assist, and $1/hour for hired chat agents.

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
tawk.to: Is tawk.to free forever?

Yes, tawk.to's core software including live chat, knowledge base, ticketing, and contacts is free forever with no feature limitations.

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
tawk.to: How are tawk.to's hired chat agents priced?

Hired chat agents are billed at $1 per hour with professional trained staff providing 24/7/365 support.

Source
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