Top 12 Kayako Alternatives:

Saufter

Being a cloud-based and unified customer service platform, Saufter allows you to support customers through multiple customer support channels, be it live chat, phone, email, and social media.

Saufter offers all the basic features and automation that help desk usually provide. But… it’s the ONLY platform in this industry that offer Automated Agent Training based on YOUR past customer interactions/tickets.

Additionally, the marketing automation feature is a huge plus in this tool. If you’re in e-commerce, Saufter is a must-have tool!

Pros:

• You will have access to an e-commerce marketplace where you can hire tested customer service professionals.
• Detects delays and problems with your customers’ orders automatically.
• View all customer interactions and information in a single window using the helpdesk.
• Native Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce integration.
• Voice integration
• Marketing Automation – Collection of reviews and UGC.

Cons:

• Automated Agent Training is a Pro plan feature.
• All plans include access to up to 3 users, you need to pay +$29/month for each extra user.

Saufter Pricing: Custom

You can try it for 15-days for free.

Gorgias (Overall ratings: 4.6/5⭐, 471 reviews )

Gorgias is a good Kayako alternatives that enables your team to manage your entire support system from one tool. This helpdesk is mainly built to cater needs of e-commerce businesses.

Moreover, configuring Gorgias was a simple and quick process for us. Another noteworthy feature is – with all of the Gorgias integrations available, agents will not have to switch between tools.

Pros:

• Manage multiple channels, such as SMS and social media.
• Gorgias can integrate a wide range of e-commerce apps with Gorgias.
• Comprehensive reporting section that displays volume, agent details, tags, channels, and satisfaction.

Cons:

• Ticket-based pricing can become expensive. You would need to pay $40 to get extra 100 tickets.
• Gorgias’ Voice integration is not an out-of-the-box feature. You would need to contact their team for that.
• Automated reply is an add-on feature.
• User have reported downtime online.

Gorgias Pricing: Starts at $50/mo

Gorgias includes ticket-based pricing starting from $50/month for 300 tickets, and +$40 for every extra 100 tickets.

It also has a demo to try the tool.

Freshdesk (Overall ratings: 4.4/5⭐, 2,670 reviews)

Are you are looking for a multifunctional but simple helpdesk and ticketing system software? Then Freshdesk might be the platform for you.

The platform puts customers in charge by providing the support they expect through their preferred channel. 

Furthermore, their ticket dispatch function, which uses keywords to automatically assign tickets to appropriate agents, is a standout feature. Freshdesk’s helpdesk system also includes knowledge base management capabilities.

Pros:

• Easily set up automation rules on frequent use cases.
• Excellent cost-performance ratio.
• Free version provides enough bandwidth to easily run complex operations.

Cons:

• Knowledge-addition process is slightly more labor-intensive than other options on the market.
• Ability to integrate into multiple channels is somewhat limited.
• Steep learning curve and can be difficult to use for inexperienced users.

Freshdesk Pricing: Starts at $15/mo

Basic plan costs $15/agent/month with a foundational email support channel only. For omnichannel support features, pricing starts at $29/agent/month.

Freshdesk has a 21-day free trial.

Userlike (Overall ratings: 4.4/5⭐, 437 reviews)

Userlike is also a decent Kayako alternatives that consolidates all of your customer interactions into a single location. Unlike most helpdesk software, Userlike is packed with features such as AI-powered automatic language translation, integration with various third-party platforms, smart notifications, and so on.

On top of that, you can also use Userlike to filter and search for customers, post customer ratings, and view comparative analytics.

Pros:

• Userlike offers more customization options than other customer service apps.
• Advanced data privacy and GDPR features.
• They have a sticky chat rule that connects you with previous users in order to strengthen customer relationships.

Cons:

• Risk of missing messages because there is no mobile integration.
• Pricing structure is quite steep.
• Option for analytics is missing in the starter plan.
• Only one channel can be integrated with the starter plan.
• The platform is limited to chat channels only. No email and voice integration.
• Doesn’t offer much documentation or video tutorials available, it may take more than usual time to complete the setup.

Userlike Pricing: Start at $90/mo

Userlike offers a freemium plan with one chat widget and one user. Paid plans start from $90/month including 4 chat widgets, 4 seats, and 1 channel only.

Userlike has a 14-day free trial.

Zoho Desk (Overall ratings: 4.4/5⭐, 3,977 reviews)

Do you want to streamline, customize and automate your customer conversational support? Zoho Desk can be the tool for you.

With Zoho Desk, you can assign tickets to specific teams on various channels to enable the efficient resolution of customer issues.

Additionally, Zoho’s website chat widget also allows users to provide feedback, letting you know whether or not the canned response was helpful.

Pros:

• A lifetime free plan with basic features.
•  Zoho allows you to set up Rooms or Channels for specific discussions.
• Easier to create and export CRM reports.
• Custom bots can be built to automate tasks.

Cons:

• The initial setup can be challenging to implement.
• You can’t put another user in the middle of a call with someone else.
• Live chat is a feature available in the enterprise plan

Zoho Desk Pricing: Starts at $14/mo

Zoho Desk has a free plan with basic features like email ticketing and a help center, up to 3 agents can use this plan. Paid plans start from $14/agent/month billed annually.

Zoho Desk also offers a free trial to test the paid plans.

PureChat (Overall ratings: 4.3/5⭐, 204 reviews)

With PureChat, you can manage multiple requests in real-time with a seamless platform.

Moreover, it also allows you to customize the appearance of the chatbox, the option to have questions emailed to you, the mobile vs. desktop appearance, and so on.

Also, the PureChat customer support team is extremely knowledgeable and is always available to assist you with any onboarding issues that can arise. 

Pros:

• Pure Chat is simple to configure and works well on both desktop and mobile devices.
• You can use canned responses to communicate with customers more quickly.
• It saves a record of each chat session so you can go back and review or improve on responses.

Cons:

• No Tracking and analytics in the free plan.
• Agents are automatically signed out if they are inactive for an extended period of time.
• There is no option to email users back through the platform using your own email address.

Pure Chat Pricing: Starts at $39/mo

The basic plan costs $39/mo with one website integration and up to 4 users.

A 30-day free trial is also available.

LiveChat (Overall ratings: 4.5/5⭐, 742 reviews)

LiveChat is another chat support platform that includes a wide range of tools that allow your service agents to quickly resolve customer inquiries. This platform’s standout feature is the ability to send personalized greetings to your customers based on their time spent, location, and pages visited in your store.

You can also initiate integrations with third-party CRM, email, and many more applications.

Pros:

• Allows email integration
• Can be embedded in mobile apps
• Saves time by automatically assigning inquiries and support requests to the appropriate team members.
• It includes dashboards and analytics tools for gaining valuable customer insights.
• The Traffic feature displays a live list of all visitors to your site.

Cons:

• Only a 60-day chat history with the starter plan.
• There is no work scheduler feature available with the basic subscription.
• The platform isn’t very scalable, so it won’t be able to serve a large number of customers.
• When dealing with multiple sites, the URL rules console is inefficient to manage.

LiveChat Pricing: Starts at $20/month

LiveChat’s basic plan costs $20/agent/month when billed annually. A 14-day free trial is also available.

Olark (Overall ratings: 4.3/5⭐, 221 reviews)

Olark’s is also primarily a live chat software that is designed to provide your website visitors with a consistent experience.

It is an all-in-one platform that also allows you to use data to better understand customer behavior.

Moreover, it includes real-time dashboards on chat metrics and customer feedback, as well as analytical reports. Another standout feature of Olark is the ability to customize the appearance of your live chat box to match the theme of your company.

Pros:

• When compared to other customer service solutions, it is less expensive.
• Olark includes the ability to program auto-responses.
• Can be integrated with e-commerce platforms – Magento and Bigcommerce.
• Live chat translation supporting 100+ languages.
• Personalized starter messages can be created based on the user’s behavior, location, and even search history.

Cons:

• The platform has been reported to display the incorrect activity status at times. 
• No email integration is available.

Olark Pricing: Starts at $29/mo

Olark offers two plans – Basic one costs $29/user/month including enough AI and reporting features. Another one called OrarkPro offers customized pricing. It also offers a free trial.

Intercom (Overall ratings: 4.5/5⭐, 2,384 reviews)

Intercom is a customer service tool that provides an all-in-one solution for customer interaction through chat that can be integrated well with email.

Other than the customer support tool, Intercom can also serve you with engagement and sales tools.

It has been shortlisted as an “Established Player” by Capterra in the categories of Live Chat Software and Customer Engagement Software in 2022.

Pros:

• Their chatbot, ‘Resolution Bot’ comes with the feature of sentiment detection.
• Create a self-service portal for customers in multiple languages.
• Provides the feature of data import/export.

Cons:

• Does not provide a free version, and the free trial option is available only for very small businesses.
• The “Complaint Monitoring” feature is not available.

Intercom Pricing: Starts at $74/mo

• Support/ Engage/ Convert – Custom pricing
• Plan for Startups – $74/month (2 seats and up to 1000 people can be reached)

Intercom also offers a free trial.

HelpScout (Overall ratings: 4.4/5⭐, 359 reviews)

Helpscout is a power-pack Kayako Alternative that provides live chat, shared inbox, knowledge base, and in-app messaging as well.

This Kayako alternative has been voted for Best ROI by G2 many times.

Pros:

• Content management options.
• Customizations are available for fields and templates.
• Knowledge base management options.

Cons:

• It does not initiate proactive chats like Saufter.
• No chatbot feature is available.
• Real-time notifications are not provided.

Help Scout Pricing: Starts at $20/mo

Help Scout pricing plans are categorized as follows:

• Standard– $20/agent/month.
• Plus-$35/agent/month.
• Company-$60/agent/month.

It provides a 15-day free trial.

Zendesk (Overall ratings: 4.3/5⭐, 5,485 reviews)

Zendesk offers complete customer service solutions ranging from multichannel support to automation. It won the G2 Best Software award in 2023 under the category Top 100 Software Products.

Pros

• Multichannel Support – Zendesk provides support over live chat, email, voice, messaging, and social media.
• Self-service – Build and manage your own help center, community forums, and knowledge base. Also, it supports AI and bots.
• Agent-related Features – Has agent workspace and collaboration tools.
• Automation – Built-in routing and intelligence features to automate your workflows. 
• Analytics – Gather customer insights and monitor your agents’ performance. Plus, get real-time and custom reports. 

Cons

• Complex Setup – It is difficult to set up the software.
• Requires Training – You need the training to use Zendesk to its full potential.
• Expensive – Cost per agent is expensive for small businesses.

Pricing: Starts at $49/mo

For everyone, Zendesk has 3 plans.

• Suite Team: $ 55/month
• Suite Growth: $89/month
• Suite professional: $115/month

Additionally, you can sign up for a 14-day free trial.

LiveAgent (Overall ratings: 4.5/5⭐, 1,425 reviews)

Another best Kayako alternative is the LiveAgent. It is a cloud-based helpdesk ticketing software that delivers omnichannel support. Currently, you can natively integrate with 200+ applications.

Pros

• Ticketing System – Manage all your user requests in the form of tickets.
• Live Chat – Add a live chat widget to your site to provide fast customer service.
• Call Center – LiveAgent allows you to provide customer service via phone by setting up a call center.
• Social Media – Reply to your followers directly from LiveChat.
• Knowledge Base – Create a knowledge base with content-rich articles in multiple languages.
• Analytics – Review your usage statistics by channel, CSAT ratings, and performance reports.

Cons

• Slow Load Times – Some users complained about slow load times when using LiveAgent.
• Limited Reporting Capability – LiveAgent doesn’t provide detailed or customized reports you need to fully understand your support operations.

Pricing:

• Small: $9/agent
• Medium: $29/agent
• Large: $49/agent
• Enterprise: $69/agent

A 7-day free trial is available with a personal email and a 30-day free trial with a company email.

Bottom Line

A customer service tool must fulfill your business requirements and align with your company’s objectives. While Kayako is one of the good helpdesks for small businesses, its services and features may not align with your company’s best interests.

So before choosing a Kayako alternatives, you need to be aware of your own business goals and objectives. Once you’re clear about your aims, figure out which out of these top Kayako alternatives checks out the most boxes and aligns with your business needs. 

In case you are in a dilemma, Stand out from your competitors, by providing exceptional customer service to your clients with Saufter.

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