Z
ZKayako vs PolyAI
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
K
Choose Kayako if…
- you're in its core audience: customer support teams, e-commerce and retail businesses
P
Choose PolyAI if…
- you need an API to build on
- you want to trial it before paying
- you're in its core audience: enterprise contact centers, customer service leaders
Side by side
Feature Kayako PolyAI
Pricing modelPaidContact for pricing
Starting price——
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
Security and complianceSOC 2 Type II, GDPR—
Omnichannel inbox—
Human handoff—
AI takes actions—
Shopify/ecommerce data—
Help center/portal—
PlatformsWebWeb, API
CategoryCustomer SupportVoice Agents
CompanyESW Operations, LLC · United States · since 2001PolyAI Ltd
Full feature lists
K Kayako
- AI agent that drafts replies and closes tickets
- Takes actions like refunds and account creation
- Omnichannel inbox for email, chat, social and voice
- No-code routing, assignment and escalation workflows
- Knowledge base with semantic search and help center
- SLA management and support analytics
- Works on top of Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, Salesforce
- SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, SSO/SAML and audit logs
P PolyAI
- Audio-native Dialog-RSN-1 voice model with sub-300ms latency
- Dialog Studio for no-code to full-code agent building
- Voice, SMS, WhatsApp, web chat and email channels
- Guardrails, PII redaction and human-in-the-loop controls
- Test calls, simulated conversations and A/B tests
- Pre-built connectors plus any API or MCP server
- Bring your own carrier over SIP at no charge
- Data residency in US, UK, EU and APAC
Their home pages
What each vendor shows first: the pitch, the plans and the sign-up.
Kayako · kayako.com
PolyAI · poly.aiWhat you'd pay
The cheapest plan that fits, per month, billed yearly where the plan offers it.
Kayako
Kay (AI support agent)$1 per resolved ticket
Kayako OneCustom
PolyAI
Dialog-RSN-1 API2¢ per connected minute
PlatformCustom
Price changes we've recorded
We re-read each pricing page every month and log what changed.
Kayako
No changes since we started tracking.
PolyAI
- Nov 8, 2026Pricing model: Contact for pricing → Free trial
Strengths and limitations
Kayako
- Kay is billed only for tickets it resolves without a human
- No seat or setup fees for Kay
- Works on top of existing help desks, so no migration is needed
- Lists SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and SSO/SAML support
- Kayako One pricing is only available through sales
- No free trial mentioned
- No public API is described on the site
PolyAI
- Published API price of 2¢ per connected minute, billed per second
- $100 free credit for new sign-ups for a limited time
- SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS and GDPR compliance
- No minimums on platform billing
- Platform pricing requires a sales quote
- API excludes telephony and orchestration
- API limited to 2 concurrent calls until a card is added
More comparisons
Other options to consider
ZZ
Free trial
F
FHelpdesk ticketing with AI agents and agent copilot for customer service teams
From $19/mo
F
From $19/mo
F
Helpdesk ticketing with AI agents and agent copilot for customer service teams
Customer Support
I
IAI customer agent that resolves support, sales and ecommerce conversations
From $49.50/mo
I
From $49.50/mo
I
AI customer agent that resolves support, sales and ecommerce conversations
Customer SupportAPI
G
GG
From $10/mo
T
TT
From $24.17/mo
T
AI customer service and live chat that answers questions and drives store sales
Customer SupportAPI
Y
YAI agents that resolve ecommerce support tickets, pre-sale questions and social DMs
From $1200/mo
Y
From $1200/mo
Y
AI agents that resolve ecommerce support tickets, pre-sale questions and social DMs
Customer Support
Facts from each vendor's public pages, prices checked Oct 26, 2026. Editorial policy