HappyFox vs Kayako (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HappyFox grades higher than Kayako: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
HappyFox grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HappyFox
Ticketing help desk with SLAs, a knowledge base and add-on AI
Which one is for you
Pick HappyFox if
- Fits if one team has to run support, IT and HR requests with SLAs
- Works for a team of up to 5 that wants a ticketing desk from $24 an agent
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want chat or AI in the same bill, as both are separate products
- Tight if your team is over 5 agents, because Basic stops there and Team starts at $49
- Watch out: the trial is requested through the demo form, not started on the spot
- Watch out: flat unlimited-agent plans are priced apart from the per-agent plans we read
Pick Kayako if
- Fits if refunds and exchanges are most of your tickets and you want to pay per resolution
- Works for a team that wants the vendor to do the setup
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see a price for the help desk, as Kayako One's is not published
- Not for you if you want to sign up and start alone, since the vendor sets it up
- Watch out: only fully resolved tickets cost $1, and a resolution means Kay solved it with no human agent
- Watch out: no free plan or trial is on record
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAHappyFoxFair | 1.8GPAKayakoWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$24 per agent a month on annual billing sits between the cheapest quarter ($19) and the middle ($29). Team is $49 and Pro $99, and chat, AI and reporting cost extra. | CKay is $1 per resolved ticket with no seat fees, but no price is published for Kayako One, so it can't be set against the category's $29 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 14-day trial, but you ask for it through the demo form and the listing doesn't say it is card-free. There is no free plan. | FNo free plan and no trial are on record, and the pages we read show nothing to try before paying. |
| Features | CTickets from email, forms, chat, social and phone, SLAs, a knowledge base and a portal. The gap the listing names: web chat, AI, workflows and reporting are sold as separate products. | CA help desk with ticketing, shared inbox and knowledge base, plus Kay, which acts through connected systems. The listing says little about the help desk's own limits, and a resolution counts only if no human was needed. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and it's a help desk you configure: statuses, queues, SLAs and forms. Annual plans include migration from another help desk. | CNo store rating on record, and the page says Kayako's team sets up the platform for you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 8 listed integrations including Salesforce, Jira, Slack, Teams and WhatsApp. No phone or desktop app on record. | BWeb only, with 7 listed integrations. No phone or desktop app on record. |
| Best for | ticketing across support, IT and HR | an AI agent paid per resolved ticket |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HappyFox and Kayako. How we grade
Where they differ
- HappyFox also covers workflow automation and ticketing.
- Kayako also covers live chat and AI support agent.
At a glance
| HappyFox | Kayako | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $24 per agent / month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of HappyFox Help Desk, requested through the demo form | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | HappyFox Inc. | ESW Operations, LLC |
| Price read from | happyfox.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HappyFox
- Basic is capped at 5 agents; Team and above have no agent limit but every agent is billed.
- Web chat, AI, workflows and business intelligence are priced separately from Help Desk, per the pricing FAQ.
- Unlimited-agent plans are priced separately from the per-agent plans listed here; the pricing page was read in its agent-based view.
- The free trial is requested through the demo form rather than started on the spot.
Kayako
- Kay costs $1 per resolved ticket; escalations to humans and partial resolutions are not charged, and the page says there are no seat or setup fees.
- No price for Kayako One is published, so this listing records its pricing as unverified.
- A resolution means Kay solved the issue without a human agent, by acting or giving an answer the customer confirms.
- Kayako says its team sets up the platform for you, so it is less of a self-serve sign-up.
Key features
HappyFox
- Ticketing and SLAs
- Requests from email, forms, chat, social and phone become tickets with custom fields, statuses and priorities, plus SLA tracking.
- Knowledge base and portal
- A knowledge base and a customer portal let people find answers, submit requests and follow their progress.
- Use beyond customer support
- Separate forms, queues, SLAs and permissions let one account serve IT, HR and facilities teams as well as customer support.
- Agent-based or unlimited-agent pricing
- Plans are priced per agent, or as a flat annual fee with a yearly ticket allowance for larger teams.
- Free migration
- Every annual Help Desk subscription includes migration from another help desk, with 30 days of post-launch support.
- Add-on AI and automation products
- HappyFox AI, a chatbot, Autopilot agents, workflows and business intelligence are separate products with their own pricing.
Kayako
- Kay AI agent
- Resolves tickets end to end by acting through connected tools, for example processing a refund, sending a return label or resetting a password.
- Phased AI rollout
- Kayako's team introduces AI in three phases: ticket triage, drafted answers, then continuous learning with escalation to agents.
- Kayako One platform
- A full help desk with a unified inbox, ticketing system, knowledge base, live chat widget, automation rules and reporting.
- Works with your stack
- Kay connects to systems such as Slack, Stripe, Shopify, Zendesk, Salesforce, Twilio and HubSpot, or to any system with an API.
- Add Kay to an existing help desk
- Kayako says Kay can also run on top of a help desk you already use, instead of replacing it.
Plans
HappyFox
Basic$24
per agent / month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
Unlimited tickets, omnichannel ticket creation, SLA management, knowledge base and SSO. Capped at 5 agents.
Team$49
per agent / month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
Adds multi-brand help desk, custom email and domain, custom roles and permissions, custom ticket queues, 24/5 email support and an optional EU data center.
Pro$99
per agent / month, billed annually ($119 billed monthly)
Adds task and asset management, scheduled tickets, IP-based restriction, load-balanced ticket assignment, password policies, 24/7 email support and an uptime SLA.
Enterprise ProCustom
Adds agent scripting, 2 TB attachment store, all-time reporting history, advanced audit logs, 24/7 phone support and a customer success manager.
Kayako
Pricing could not be confirmed. See kayako.com.
Ways to pay less
HappyFox
- Annual discount
Two-year plan pricing
A two-year, paid-up-front term lowers the per-agent rate to $21 on Basic, $39 on Team and $89 on Pro.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit and education discount
Qualifying nonprofit and educational organizations can ask HappyFox to verify eligibility for a discount on every plan.
Kayako
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HappyFox or Kayako?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HappyFox starts at $24 per agent / month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly), and Kayako has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, HappyFox or Kayako?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither HappyFox nor Kayako has a free plan. HappyFox has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.