Chatwoot vs Kayako
Chatwoot is open-source customer engagement platform with live chat, email, social channels, and chatbots, while Kayako is help desk platform with journey-based customer support and multichannel inbox. The biggest difference up front: Chatwoot is free, while Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo. Chatwoot is built for teams wanting open-source customer engagement, whereas Kayako targets support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking.
| Feature | Chatwoot | Kayako |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier available | ✓ | — |
| Open source | ✓ | — |
| Chatbots | ✓ | — |
| Collaborators | — | ✓ |
| Journey Tracking | — | ✓ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel | ✓ | — |
| Self-Hosted | ✓ | — |
| Shared Inbox | — | ✓ |
Pricing: Chatwoot is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.
Feature gaps: Chatwoot offers Chatbots, Omnichannel and Self-Hosted that Kayako lacks. Kayako brings Collaborators, Journey Tracking and Shared Inbox that Chatwoot does not have. Both share Live Chat.
Team fit: Chatwoot is geared toward small teams teams, while Kayako is aimed at mid-size teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.
Open source: Chatwoot is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Kayako is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.
Where each tool shines: Chatwoot's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. Kayako's biggest strengths are: includes journey tracking as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows.
Watch out for: With Chatwoot, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Kayako, the main complaint is that starts at $15/agent/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users.
choose Chatwoot if
- Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting open-source customer engagement
- Budget is a hard constraint — Chatwoot is free, Kayako is not
- You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
- You specifically need Chatbots and Omnichannel
- You care about includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
choose Kayako if
- You need a tool built for support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking
- You specifically need Collaborators and Journey Tracking
- You care about includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
- Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Kayako is designed for
frequently asked
What is the difference between Chatwoot and Kayako?
Chatwoot is open-source customer engagement platform with live chat, email, social channels, and chatbots, while Kayako is help desk platform with journey-based customer support and multichannel inbox. The biggest difference up front: Chatwoot is free, while Kayako starts at $15/agent/mo. Chatwoot is built for teams wanting open-source customer engagement, whereas Kayako targets support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking.
Should I use Chatwoot or Kayako?
Chatwoot is the free option; Kayako charges $15/agent/mo but may offer more polish. Here is how they compare.
When should I choose Chatwoot over Kayako?
Choose Chatwoot if Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting open-source customer engagement; Budget is a hard constraint — Chatwoot is free, Kayako is not; You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code; You specifically need Chatbots and Omnichannel; You care about includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows.
When should I choose Kayako over Chatwoot?
Choose Kayako if You need a tool built for support teams wanting unified customer journey tracking; You specifically need Collaborators and Journey Tracking; You care about includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows; Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Kayako is designed for.
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