Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Kayako.
Want the closest match?
HappyFoxMost similar to Kayako in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens HappyFox in a new tab)Need a free plan?
UnleashHas a free plan, rated 3.9 out of 5. Kayako has none.
Visit (opens Unleash in a new tab)Want the lowest price?
OpenFrom $0.99/mo, the lowest starting price here.
Visit (opens Open in a new tab)Want the best rated?
DuckieRated 4.2 out of 5 in our review, against 3.8 for Kayako.
Visit (opens Duckie in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Kayako, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 KayakoBaseline | 3.8 | Not listed | No | Kay AI Agent triages, drafts replies, and learns from every human resolution - measured at 52% AI-resolved tickets and an 87.2% deflection rate. | |
| HappyFox | 3.8Same | Not listed | No | AI built into every help desk workflow - ticket summarization, draft replies, an AI Contact Center with voice, and a 24/7 self-service chatbot. | vs Kayako |
| Open | 4.1+0.3 | $0.99/mo | No | Charges 99 cents per resolved ticket instead of per seat. | vs Kayako |
 Letterbook | 3.8Same | $50/mo | No | AI-native customer support platform that drafts and resolves tickets using a company's own playbooks. | vs Kayako |
 Fini | 4.0+0.2 | Not listed | No | Customer support automation across voice, chat and email that improves from its own resolutions. | vs Kayako |
| Duckie | 4.2+0.4 | $725/mo | No | AI support agent that resolves B2B SaaS tickets end-to-end across Slack, Zendesk, and Intercom. | vs Kayako |
| Unleash | 3.9+0.1 | Free | YesKayako has none | AI service agents that resolve issues end to end rather than deflecting them. | vs Kayako |
 Unbabel | 4.2+0.4 | Not listed | No | Language Operations platform that translates customer service and business content with AI, routes work to human reviewers when needed, and scores output with AI quality estimation and an MT model comparison tool. | vs Kayako |
 QueryPal | 3.9+0.1 | Not listed | No | Three products - Intercept, Prism, Concierge - cut support costs ~60% with over 90% agent approval on AI-drafted ticket responses. | vs Kayako |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Kayako.
HappyFox
3.8Not listed
vs KayakoSame
AI built into every help desk workflow - ticket summarization, draft replies, an AI Contact Center with voice, and a 24/7 self-service chatbot.
- Ticket summarization and AI-drafted reply generation
- Mid-conversation knowledge surfacing for agents
- AI Contact Center with voice AI
Mid-conversation knowledge surfacing genuinely changes agent workflow speed
Pricing isn't disclosed on the homepage
Open
4.1$0.99/mo
vs Kayako+0.3
Charges 99 cents per resolved ticket instead of per seat.
- Agent 5 automation across voice, chat, email and messaging
- One training pass covering every channel
- Clean handoff to human agents
$0.99 per resolution aligns the vendor with the outcome, not headcount
Automation rate and accuracy are vendor figures with no stated method
Letterbook
3.8$50/mo
vs KayakoSame
AI-native customer support platform that drafts and resolves tickets using a company's own playbooks.
- Playbook-driven auto-resolution for common support scenarios
- Direct connections to inbox, product database, and Stripe
- Contact-center-style review interface for AI-drafted replies
Flat monthly pricing avoids the per-resolution fee structures competitors use
No permanent free tier, only a 7-day trial
Fini
4.0Not listed
vs Kayako+0.2
Customer support automation across voice, chat and email that improves from its own resolutions.
- Voice, chat and email in one system
- Learns from resolved conversations
- Reported two-week implementation
Covers voice, not only chat deflection
Pricing is not published
Duckie
4.2$725/mo
vs Kayako+0.4
AI support agent that resolves B2B SaaS tickets end-to-end across Slack, Zendesk, and Intercom.
- End-to-end ticket resolution across Slack, Zendesk, and Intercom
- Resolution Memory that reuses validated answers for repeat issues
- Action automation for refunds, order tracking, and account updates
Reports 71% ticket deflection and an 80% cut in resolution time for customers like Grid
Entry price of $725/month billed yearly prices out smaller support teams
Unleash
3.9Free
vs Kayako+0.1Free plan
AI service agents that resolve issues end to end rather than deflecting them.
- Agents that resolve issues rather than deflect tickets
- Actions performed in connected systems, not answers alone
- Aimed at service quality alongside speed and scale
Resolution is the right target; deflection flatters the metric
Resolution depends on depth of integration with your systems
Unbabel
4.2Not listed
vs Kayako+0.4
Language Operations platform that translates customer service and business content with AI, routes work to human reviewers when needed, and scores output with AI quality estimation and an MT model comparison tool.
- AI translation with human review where needed
- Workflows tuned for speed, quality or cost per market
- AI quality estimation with performance reporting
Combines machine translation and human reviewers in one workflow
No published pricing; demo required
QueryPal
3.9Not listed
vs Kayako+0.1
Three products - Intercept, Prism, Concierge - cut support costs ~60% with over 90% agent approval on AI-drafted ticket responses.
- Agentic email ticket deflection with 90%+ agent approval
- Enterprise analytics and sentiment analysis (Prism)
- Pre-escalation resolution chatbot (Concierge)
90%+ agent approval is a more trustworthy signal than a raw deflection rate
No self-serve pricing - requires an ROI calculator and demo process
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Kayako free?
Kayako does not list a free plan. Check its pricing page for current plans.
What is the best free alternative to Kayako?
Unleash is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (3.9 out of 5).
What is the cheapest alternative to Kayako?
Among paid plans, Open has the lowest starting price (from $0.99/mo). If you need it free, start with Unleash.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.