--- title: "Best Kayako Alternatives 2026 | Capterra" description: "Looking for alternatives to Kayako? Find out how Kayako stacks up against its competitors with real user reviews, pricing information, and what features they offer." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/80775/Kayako/alternatives/" page_type: "alternatives" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- # Kayako alternatives Last updated on October 19th, 2026 The best Kayako alternatives are Supportbench (best overall), Tidio (best free plan), Zoho Desk (best budget option), and Zendesk Suite (most reviewed). Together they hold 7,053 verified Capterra reviews, with overall ratings from 4.4 to 4.8 out of 5. Kayako itself holds 4.0 out of 5 across 176 reviews. ### Kayako - Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (176 reviews) - Ease of use: 3.9 out of 5 - Starting price: Not available - Key features: 5 of 5 top category features --- ## Top alternatives Kayako alternatives compared | Product | Rating difference | Ease of use | Starting price | Key features | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,116 reviews) | Rated 0.4 higher than this product | 4.3 out of 5 | $55.00 /user/mo | 5 of 5 top category features | | [monday service](https://www.capterra.com/p/10023357/monday-service/) — 4.6 out of 5 (111 reviews) | Rated 0.6 higher than this product | 4.6 out of 5 | $31.00 /mo | 2 of 5 top category features | | [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (2,216 reviews) | Rated 0.5 higher than this product | 4.4 out of 5 | $9.00 /user/mo | 5 of 5 top category features | | [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) — 4.7 out of 5 (1,788 reviews) | Rated 0.7 higher than this product | 4.6 out of 5 | $15.00 /user | 5 of 5 top category features | | [Tidio](https://www.capterra.com/p/144040/Tidio-Chat/) — 4.7 out of 5 (590 reviews) | Rated 0.7 higher than this product | 4.7 out of 5 | $24.17 /mo | 5 of 5 top category features | | [Supportbench](https://www.capterra.com/p/155934/Supportbench/) — 4.8 out of 5 (131 reviews) | Rated 0.8 higher than this product | 4.7 out of 5 | $32.00 /user/mo | 5 of 5 top category features | | [Freshchat](https://www.capterra.com/p/158117/Freshchat/) — 4.2 out of 5 (178 reviews) | Rated 0.2 higher than this product | 4.3 out of 5 | ₹69.00 /user/mo | 3 of 5 top category features | | [Wati](https://www.capterra.com/p/204314/WATI/) — 4.6 out of 5 (207 reviews) | Rated 0.6 higher than this product | 4.6 out of 5 | $59.00 /mo | 2 of 5 top category features | | [Yonyx](https://www.capterra.com/p/130406/AGI-Self-Service/) — 4.7 out of 5 (259 reviews) | Rated 0.7 higher than this product | 4.8 out of 5 | $25.00 /user/mo | 3 of 5 top category features | | [Kapture CX](https://www.capterra.com/p/266354/Kapture/) — 4.2 out of 5 (40 reviews) | Rated 0.2 higher than this product | 4.4 out of 5 | $39.00 /user/mo | 4 of 5 top category features | --- ## Top alternatives with AI capabilities The Kayako alternatives with the strongest AI features are Zoho Desk, LiveAgent, and Tidio, based on verified feature data and Capterra reviews. ### [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (2,216 reviews) - AI features: AI Copilot, Chatbot, Natural Language Processing ### [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) — 4.7 out of 5 (1,788 reviews) - AI features: AI Copilot, AI/Machine Learning, AI Summarization, AI Text Generation, AI Text Summarization, Artificial Intelligence, Chatbot, Conversational AI, Generative AI, Natural Language Processing ### [Tidio](https://www.capterra.com/p/144040/Tidio-Chat/) — 4.7 out of 5 (590 reviews) - AI features: AI, AI Copilot, AI/Machine Learning, AI Summarization, AI Text Generation, AI Text Summarization, AI Text-to-Speech, Chatbot, Conversational AI, Generative AI, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing --- ## Top Free alternatives to Kayako The best free alternatives to Kayako are Zendesk Suite, monday service, and Zoho Desk — all three offer a free plan alongside paid tiers. ### [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,116 reviews) - Free options: Free trial - Starting price: $55.00 /user/mo ### [monday service](https://www.capterra.com/p/10023357/monday-service/) — 4.6 out of 5 (111 reviews) - Free options: Free trial - Starting price: $31.00 /mo ### [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (2,216 reviews) - Free options: Free trial, Free version - Starting price: $9.00 /user/mo --- ## Top alternatives for SMBs Among reviewers from companies with 1-200 employees, the highest-rated Kayako alternatives are Supportbench (4.8), Yonyx (4.8), and LiveAgent (4.7). ### [Supportbench](https://www.capterra.com/p/155934/Supportbench/) - 94 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.8 out of 5 across 94 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.7 out of 5 across 94 SMB reviews > "I finally got to stop wasting my morning asking frustrated buyers which exact street address they are actually emailing us about." — Callum F., Support Executive (September 7, 2026) ### [Yonyx](https://www.capterra.com/p/130406/AGI-Self-Service/) - 48 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.8 out of 5 across 48 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.7 out of 5 across 47 SMB reviews > "The interface is intuitive and customer service is excellent." — Nicole M., Management (December 1, 2025) ### [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) - 1,088 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.7 out of 5 across 1,088 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.6 out of 5 across 1,082 SMB reviews > "For us, it is an essential tool: it enables us to manage tickets, live chats, and client requests in a well-organised and professional manner." — Jacopo R., CEO (May 6, 2026) --- ## Why do teams switch from Kayako? Of the 12 Capterra reviewers who reported switching away from Kayako, the most common destinations were LiveAgent, Zendesk Suite, and Zoho Desk. ### What users preferred ### [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) - 4.7 out of 5 (1,788 reviews) — 5 reviewers switched here > "Huge price increase which made us have to perform the switch" — George V., Managing Director (May 8, 2025) ### [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) - 4.4 out of 5 (4,116 reviews) — 4 reviewers switched here > "I switched from Kayako Classic because a company we acquired was already using Zendesk and we were led to believe we would have assistance, internally and from Zendesk support, in implementing and learning the system. We already went over budget and couldn't afford the outrageous training costs or costs of add-ons that we were told would be included. I have since switched to Freshdesk and i love it!! Highly recommend Freshdesk over this garbage!!" — Danielle O., Senior Support & Product Specialist (September 15, 2022) ### [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/) - 4.5 out of 5 (2,216 reviews) — 3 reviewers switched here > "Pour avoir le meilleur logiciel adapté à mes besoins." — Anschaire Gildas N., Ingénieur Informaticien (September 21, 2023) --- ## Find software for your specific use case ### Customer Support - [Text](https://www.capterra.com/p/10031687/Text/) — 4.7 out of 5 (32 reviews) - [SparrowDesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/10033352/SparrowDesk/) - [Fin](https://www.capterra.com/p/10031266/Fin/) — 4.5 out of 5 (1,153 reviews) ### Customer Experience - [Adobe Real-Time CDP](https://www.capterra.com/p/250209/Adobe-Real-Time-CDP/) — 4.2 out of 5 (5 reviews) - [Stonly](https://www.capterra.com/p/202805/Stonly/) — 4.3 out of 5 (12 reviews) - [Birdeye](https://www.capterra.com/p/152997/BirdEye/) — 4.7 out of 5 (709 reviews) ### Help Desk - [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,116 reviews) - [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (2,216 reviews) - [Freshdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/124981/Freshdesk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (3,494 reviews) ### Live Chat - [Freshdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/124981/Freshdesk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (3,494 reviews) - [Text](https://www.capterra.com/p/10031687/Text/) — 4.7 out of 5 (32 reviews) - [Fin](https://www.capterra.com/p/10031266/Fin/) — 4.5 out of 5 (1,153 reviews) ### Issue Tracking - [HappyFox Help Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/83211/HappyFox/) — 4.6 out of 5 (93 reviews) - [BugHerd](https://www.capterra.com/p/224784/BugHerd/) — 4.7 out of 5 (65 reviews) - [AuditFindings.com](https://www.capterra.com/p/156900/AuditFindings-com/) — 4.8 out of 5 (8 reviews) ---