Softwr

Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head

Kayako vs Tidio

Kayako logo

Kayako

Live Chat & Chatbots

Effortless customer service

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tidio logo

Tidio

Live Chat & Chatbots

Customer service platform driven by live chat

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tidio 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; 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.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kayako and Tidio actually diverge.

Attributes where Kayako and Tidio differ
AttributeKayakoTidio
Starting price$30/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidCloud-based SaaS
Founded20012013

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

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

  • E-commerce businesses deploying chatbots to handle customer inquiriesnot Kayako
  • Customer service teams seeking to automate 50%+ of routine support ticketsnot 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

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Tidio review.

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 want to start without paying.
  • 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 Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kayako or Tidio?
Tidio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $30/month for Kayako and Free for Tidio.
Does Kayako or Tidio run on more platforms?
Kayako runs on Web, Ios, Android. Tidio runs on Cloud-based SaaS.
Can I use Tidio for free?
Yes. Tidio 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 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.
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