Kayako Pricing (2026)

Pricing for Kayako begins at $15/agent/mo. That's on the budget end compared to the rest of the help desk space. Our review gives it a 5.8/10. Below is the tier-by-tier breakdown, the math for different team sizes, and the parts of the pricing model that deserve closer scrutiny before you commit.

The quick read on Kayako: Once a strong contender, now struggling to keep up. The product has stagnated while competitors have innovated. Hard to recommend over Freshdesk or Help Scout at any price point.

Breaking down every Kayako plan, what's included, and who should pay for it.

Essential — $15/agent/mo

Essential at $15/mo is the minimum paid commitment. It unlocks Kayako's core feature set and moves you past any free-plan limits. For a small team that knows it will use the product daily, this tier usually earns its keep inside the first month.

Growth — $30/agent/mo

At $30/mo, Growth is the tier Kayako wants you to pick. It fills the gaps in the entry plan and adds the integrations and automation that most teams discover they need in week two. Budget for this from day one if you're serious about using Kayako.

Enterprise — Custom

The custom-quote tier means you're into sales-led territory. Expect discovery calls, annual contracts, and a price that scales with your seat count and feature needs. If you're here, build a spreadsheet of alternatives before the first call.

Kayako's Growth plan is a flat $30/mo regardless of team size. That changes the math dramatically compared to per-seat tools:

These numbers assume list pricing on the Growth tier. Annual prepay usually saves 15-20%, and enterprise seats often get volume discounts. Ask sales for a quote before you commit to more than 10 seats.

Every plan includes the core Kayako feature set. Here's what you get access to on paid tiers:

• Ticketing
• Live chat
• Help center
• Customer journey view
• Automations
• Reporting

Feature depth grows with the tier. Entry plans cap on automation, integrations, or usage limits. Upper plans unlock the heavier features that mid-market teams actually need. Read the vendor's feature matrix before picking a tier, especially if one specific feature is the reason you're buying.

The most common pricing complaints buyers raise about Kayako:

• Product development has stagnated
• Missing modern features (AI, advanced automation)
• Support quality has declined

None of these are deal-breakers on their own. They're the things you want to negotiate or plan around before you sign a contract. The worst time to discover an add-on fee is month three.

Price alone is a bad way to pick tools. But it's a useful sanity check. Here's how Kayako's starting price lines up against the other help desk tools we rate:

If Kayako's sticker shock is real for you, run the math on the cheaper options in this table. Some of them cover 80% of what Kayako does at half the price. Others are meaningfully weaker and not worth the saving. Our category guide on best help desk breaks down the trade-offs in detail.

Kayako scores 5.8/10, which is a reminder that the price tag isn't the whole picture. You're paying $15/agent/mo for a product with real limitations, and the cons matter. Before committing, check the alternatives above. At this score, you need a specific reason to pick Kayako over the leaders in help desk.

The fit test is simple. Kayako is built for existing kayako users evaluating whether to migrate. If that's you, the pricing is worth it. If it's not, you'll end up paying for features you never touch while missing features you actually need. Buy the tool that fits your motion, not the one with the best pricing page.

The bottom line: Kayako's pricing is defensible if you actually use what it's good at. Its biggest strength is clean conversation view, and that's where the money goes. If that strength maps to a real pain point in your business, pay the price. If not, walk away and pick something cheaper.