Kayako vs Supportbench (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Supportbench grades higher than Kayako: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kayako grades higher on platforms. Supportbench grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Supportbench
Help desk for B2B support teams, with SLAs and account context
Which one is for you
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
Pick Supportbench if
- Fits if you support business customers and want SLAs by account
- Works for teams of 15 or fewer on one flat per-agent price
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you pass 15 agents, as each extra adds $2.50 and per-agent cost is capped at $150
- Skip it if you need SSO, a sandbox or white labeling, because those are Enterprise at $100
- Watch out: accounts of 60 or more agents standardize on Enterprise
- Too light for a small consumer team, as it is built for B2B
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAKayakoWeak | 2.2GPASupportbenchFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$32 an agent a month billed yearly, between the middle of $29 and the dearer quarter of $45. Enterprise is $100. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial are on record, and the pages we read show nothing to try before paying. | CA free trial with no card. No free plan. |
| Features | 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. | BAccount-aware ticketing, SLAs, AI, a knowledge base, reporting and health scoring. The listing shows no gap in the core support job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and the page says Kayako's team sets up the platform for you. | CNo store rating on record. SLAs, escalations and a portal need setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 7 listed integrations. No phone or desktop app on record. | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | an AI agent paid per resolved ticket | a B2B help desk with SLAs and account context |
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: Kayako and Supportbench. How we grade
Where they differ
- Kayako also covers shared inbox, live chat and AI support agent.
- Supportbench also covers workflow automation, reports and chatbots.
At a glance
| Kayako | Supportbench | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $32 per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ESW Operations, LLC | Supportbench |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | supportbench.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Supportbench
- Both plans are priced per agent: after 15 agents each extra agent adds $2.50, and per-agent cost is capped at $150.
- The page says accounts of 60 or more agents standardize on Enterprise.
- SSO (SAML), sandbox, white labeling and unlimited custom roles are Enterprise-only.
- It is built for B2B teams, so it may be more than a small consumer-facing team needs.
Key features
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.
Supportbench
- Account-aware ticketing
- Cases carry company, contact, asset and history context, and arrive by email, chat, an AI bot or the API.
- Dynamic SLAs and escalations
- SLAs can be driven by any data point on the case, account or asset, with multi-level escalations and an audit trail.
- AI assistance
- Search, summaries, sentiment, prediction and deflection are included, and the page says there are no per-resolution AI fees.
- Knowledge base and portal
- Internal and customer-facing knowledge bases with a self-service portal; white labeling is on Enterprise.
- Reporting and surveys
- Dashboards with 35+ KPI scorecards, natural-language reporting, and CSAT, NPS and CES surveys.
- Customer health scoring
- Health scores for customer accounts sit alongside the support data, from the Professional plan.
Plans
Kayako
Pricing could not be confirmed. See kayako.com.
Supportbench
Professional$32
per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly)
Ticketing, dynamic SLAs and escalations, knowledge base and portal, health scoring, 35+ KPI scorecards, surveys and AI features.
Enterprise$100
per agent / month, billed annually ($125 billed monthly)
Everything in Professional, plus sandbox, white labeling, SAML SSO, unlimited custom roles, an enterprise API and a dedicated success manager.
Ways to pay less
Kayako
No public discounts listed.
Supportbench
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Professional is $32 per agent per month billed annually against $40 billed monthly; Enterprise is $100 against $125.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Kayako or Supportbench?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kayako has no price we could confirm, and Supportbench starts at $32 per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Kayako or Supportbench?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Kayako nor Supportbench has a free plan. Supportbench 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.