Zendesk vs Kayako: Helpdesk Comparison (2026)

An independent side-by-side comparison of Zendesk and Kayako for helpdesk buyers — pricing, features, integrations, and how often each is cited by major AI engines.

AI Citation Scorecard

How often each is cited by major AI engines when buyers ask helpdesk questions. Last 90 days across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot.

Too early to call — probes still building data.
ChatGPT
Zendesk
Tracking…
No data yet
Kayako
0 / 94 probes
0%
Invisible
Perplexity
Zendesk
Tracking…
No data yet
Kayako
4 / 568 probes
1%
Poor
Gemini
Zendesk
Tracking…
No data yet
Kayako
1 / 94 probes
1%
Poor
Claude
Zendesk
Tracking…
No data yet
Kayako
0 / 149 probes
0%
Invisible
Copilot
Zendesk
Tracking…
No data yet
Kayako
3 / 95 probes
3%
Poor
Scale:NoneLowFairStrongExcellent

Probes run hourly; each (engine × query) combo retests every ~3 days.

Pricing

Zendesk
Starting price
$19/agent/month
Free tier
zendesk.com
Kayako
Starting price
$1/resolved ticket
Free tier
kayako.com

Key Features

Zendesk
  • Email and ticketing system
  • Ticket routing
  • Prebuilt analytics dashboards
  • Pre-written responses
  • Customer context
  • Automations and triggers
  • Omnichannel routing
  • AI-powered resolutions
Kayako
  • AI resolves issues end-to-end
  • No seat or setup fees
  • Transparent pricing per resolved ticket
  • Integrates with multiple platforms

When to choose Zendesk

Choose Zendesk if your team prioritizes its strengths over Kayako's. Full guidance populates as Zendesk's feature data is indexed.

When to choose Kayako

Choose Kayako if your team prioritizes its strengths over Zendesk's. Full guidance populates as Kayako's feature data is indexed.

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