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Kayako vs Tidio

Kayako logo

Kayako

Live Chat

Effortless customer service

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tidio logo

Tidio

Live Chat

Customer service platform driven by live chat

From
$24.17/month
Rated
-
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; Tidio free tier limited to 50 billable conversations per month; exceeding this requires paid plan upgrade
  • They diverge on capability: Kayako covers Unified inbox, Tidio covers Chatbots.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kayako and Tidio actually diverge.

Attributes where Kayako and Tidio differ
AttributeKayakoTidio
Starting price$30/month$24.17/month
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidCloud-based SaaS
Founded20012013

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 Tidio

  • Chatbots
  • Visitor tracking
  • Email marketing
  • Mobile apps
  • Canned responses
  • WordPress
  • Wix
  • BigCommerce

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 Tidio
  • Resolving support tickets automatically with an AI agentnot Tidio

Tidio

  • Live chat customer support across web and mobilenot Kayako
  • AI-powered customer service automation with Lyro AI Agentnot Kayako
  • Ticketing and conversation management for support teamsnot Kayako
  • Multi-agent support with team collaboration featuresnot 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

Tidio

  • Free tier limited to 50 billable conversations per month; exceeding this requires paid plan upgrade
  • Advanced analytics, user permissions, and macros excluded from Free and Starter tiers
  • Custom branding, multiproject, and department features only available in Plus tier ($300+/month)
  • Guaranteed AI resolution rates (50% minimum) only in Premium tier; Premium pricing requires contacting sales

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

Tidio

$24.17/month
  • Starter$24.17/month
    • 100 billable conversations
    • 50 Lyro AI Agent conversations
    • 100 Flows visitors reached
  • Growth$49.17/month
    • 250+ billable conversations
    • Advanced analytics
    • User permissions
  • Plus$300/month
    • Custom billable conversations
    • Premium support
    • Dedicated Success Manager
  • Premium$null/custom
    • 3000+ Lyro AI conversations
    • Guaranteed 50% Lyro AI resolution rate
    • Pay-per-resolution billing option

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 Tidio if

  • You need chatbots.
  • You work on Cloud-based SaaS.
  • You also want visitor tracking.
Tidio review

Questions people ask

Is Kayako or Tidio better?
Neither clearly leads. Kayako starts at $30/month and Tidio at $24.17/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kayako or Tidio?
Kayako starts at $30/month and Tidio at $24.17/month.
Does Kayako or Tidio run on more platforms?
Kayako runs on Web, Ios, Android. Tidio runs on Cloud-based SaaS.
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 Tidio is typically brought in for.
What can Kayako do that Tidio cannot?
Kayako covers Unified inbox, Help center, Customer journey, Automation. Tidio covers Chatbots, Visitor tracking, Email marketing, Mobile apps. 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
Tidio: What is the cheapest way to start with Tidio?

The Starter plan at $24.17/month (annual billing) includes 100 billable conversations, live chat, ticketing, and basic analytics. Annual billing provides 2 months free compared to monthly billing.

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
Tidio: Does Tidio offer a free trial?

Yes, Tidio provides a 7-day free trial that does not require a credit card and automatically downgrades to the free plan unless you upgrade after the trial ends.

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
Tidio: How much does Lyro AI Agent cost?

Lyro AI Agent is an add-on starting at $32.50/month for 50 conversations. It is available on all plans and can be added separately from the base subscription.

Source
Tidio: What are Tidio's billable conversation limits?

Starter includes 100 billable conversations per month. Growth includes 250+. Plus and Premium have custom limits. Each plan tier includes conversations for the AI Agent feature separately.

Source
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