Kayako
Kayako is an AI help desk and customer support platform from a company founded in 2001.
What Kayako is
Kayako is an AI help desk and customer support platform from a company founded in 2001. Its Kay AI agent can read tickets, draft replies, take actions, and resolve cases automatically. Kayako One brings email, live chat, social, and voice into a shared queue, alongside a unified inbox, ticketing, knowledge base, live chat widget, automation rules, and reporting and analytics. The platform also lists SLA management, ticket automation, a help center, API access, and mobile offerings. Kay charges $1 only when it resolves an issue without human agent involvement; escalations and simple deflections are not counted as resolutions. Listed integrations include Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Shopify, Stripe, Chargebee, Jira, GitHub, LaunchDarkly, and Zapier. Custom integrations can use REST API access and real-time webhooks. Kayako describes security measures including single sign-in, two-factor authentication, access restrictions, encryption, backups, and DDoS mitigation. Its core infrastructure is hosted at facilities meeting listed compliance standards. Pricing for Kay AI agent and Kayako One is not provided.
Good
- Combines email, chat, social, and voice in one queue.
- Kay can resolve cases without human agent involvement.
- Includes ticket automation and SLA management.
- REST API and real-time webhooks support custom integrations.
- Mobile product offerings are listed.
Watch out
- Kay charges $1 for each qualifying resolved issue.
- Escalations and simple deflections do not count as resolutions.
Who it suits
Kayako suits businesses that need a shared support queue, ticket handling, help content, automation, or AI-assisted case resolution. Its stated customer range includes startups, large companies, charities, and governments.
Verdict
Kayako combines standard help desk tools with an AI agent that can act on and resolve tickets. Consider the resolution-based charge and the absence of listed plan prices when assessing its fit.
Plans and prices
From Kayako's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Kay AI Agent | $1, paid once | $1 per fully resolved issue · no charge for escalations or partial resolutions · no seat fees · no setup fees · Per Resolved Ticket |
| Kayako One | Priced on request | Full helpdesk platform · Kay AI agent at $1 per resolution · white-glove onboarding and setup · Contact sales |
The facts
Each one read from Kayako's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI agent
- Kay reads tickets, drafts replies, takes actions, and can resolve cases automatically.checked 11 Oct 2026
- API access
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Channels
- Kayako One brings email, live chat, social, and voice into one shared queue.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Compliance
- Kayako says its core infrastructure is hosted at data facilities compliant with SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and Cloud Security Alliance standards.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Custom integrations
- The integrations page says Kayako provides REST API access and real-time webhooks for custom integrations.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- Kayako says its team provides expert-led implementation and that most teams are live in days.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Existing help desks
- Kay says it can work with Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, Salesforce, or Kayako’s help desk without requiring migration.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Help center
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Help desk features
- Kayako One includes a unified inbox, ticketing system, knowledge base, live chat widget, automation rules, and reporting and analytics.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Kayako lists Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Shopify, Stripe, Chargebee, Jira, GitHub, LaunchDarkly, and Zapier integrations.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- Kayako says it serves businesses from startups and Fortune 100 companies to charities and governments.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Mobile
- Kayako has a mobile product page, and its site lists mobile among its product offerings.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Product
- Kayako describes itself as an AI help desk and customer support platform.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Resolution pricing
- Kayako charges $1 only when Kay resolves an issue without human agent involvement; escalations and simple deflections do not count as resolutions.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- Kayako’s security page describes single sign-in, two-factor authentication, role-based access restrictions, IP restrictions, HTTPS/TLS encryption, backups, and DDoS mitigation.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Shared inbox
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- SLA management
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Ticket automation
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
The company
- Company history
- Kayako says it started in 2001.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2001checked 28 Sep 2026
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