HelpshiftKayakoHelpshift vs Kayako

Helpshift vs Kayako: in-app support or help desk

An in-app support for games and apps against a help desk: one prints a price and one quotes. Where Helpshift and Kayako split, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick Helpshift if you ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached. Pick Kayako if you want an AI agent billed only per resolved ticket, with no seat fee. For five people it is a quote on both Helpshift and Kayako, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. Helpshift and Kayako both include website chat and email in the price; only Helpshift has WhatsApp. Neither Helpshift nor Kayako includes Instagram and Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing Helpshift against Kayako, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceHelpshiftHelpshiftKayakoKayako
Built aroundIn-app support for games · SDK firstTickets and a customer journey · AI billed per resolution
Entry planQuote · priced by interaction volumeQuote · Kayako One
Chat in the priceQuote · in-app and webQuote · widget included
AI agentIn the quote · AI agents by volume$1 per resolution · Kay AI Agent
Copilot for agentsIn the quoteIn Kay
Free planNone · request pricingNone · talk to a pricing expert

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    As an issue raised inside the game or app through the SDK, with device and player data attached. Kayako raises tickets too, from tickets and a customer journey.

    KayakoKayako

    As a ticket that shows the customer's journey across the site and past conversations. Helpshift raises tickets too, from in-app support for games.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    There is no seat price; the quote is built from interaction volume, solutions and regions. Neither Helpshift nor Kayako prints a figure for five people.

    KayakoKayako

    No seat price is printed for Kayako One; older plans were $15 to $60 per agent. Neither Kayako nor Helpshift prints a figure for five people.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    AI agents are part of the modular quote, priced by the volume they handle. Kayako meters AI ($1 per resolution) above the seats as well.

    KayakoKayako

    Kay, the AI agent, is $1 per resolved ticket, with no seat fee; escalations are not charged. Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    In-app, web, email, WhatsApp and Discord; no Instagram or Telegram. WhatsApp is here and not on Kayako.

    KayakoKayako

    Email, live chat, Messenger and X; no WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. Helpshift adds WhatsApp, which Kayako lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    Player engagement, trust and safety, community, and outsourced human support. Kayako is a help desk instead.

    KayakoKayako

    A help center, SLAs, automation rules and reporting. Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    A sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers. Kayako is a sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding.

    KayakoKayako

    A sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding. Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

Sources: Helpshift pricing · Kayako pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data
HelpshiftHelpshift. The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data
The Kayako conversation view: the ticket with the customer journey timeline beside it
KayakoKayako. The Kayako conversation view: the ticket with the customer journey timeline beside it

Pricing references: Helpshift pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Kayako pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13; needs verification). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Helpshift, Kayako and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureHelpshiftHelpshiftKayakoKayakoSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Quote by interaction volume
Quote; AI per resolution
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
In-app and web
Widget included
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Included
Included
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Included
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Not offered
Messenger and X only
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Discord instead
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Discord as a customer channel
Slack integration
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI agents in the quote
Kay
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
By volume, quoted
$1 per resolution
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to an agent
Escalates free of charge
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Issues with states
Ticket-first
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Automations and bots
Automation rules
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reporting
Reporting
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser only
Browser only
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Helpshift if

  • You ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached.
  • Discord and WhatsApp are where players write.
  • You need WhatsApp in the price, which Kayako does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers here and a sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding on Kayako.

Pick Kayako if

  • You want an AI agent billed only per resolved ticket, with no seat fee.
  • A ticket view that shows the customer's journey matters to you.
  • Time to the first reply is a sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding here and a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers on Helpshift.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than Helpshift's: seat prices are not printed; the AI agent is $1 per resolution. Older plans ran $15 to $60 per agent.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against a quote on both Helpshift and Kayako for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats, Kayako meters AI ($1 per resolution) above the seats, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Helpshift nor Kayako includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Helpshift quotes per team, so two, five and ten people are three conversations with sales. Kayako quotes per team, so two, five and ten people are three conversations with sales. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, against a quote on Helpshift and against a quote on Kayako for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games; Kayako is a help desk built around tickets and a customer journey. Neither has a free plan: Helpshift offers no trial, Kayako no trial. Helpshift and Kayako both include website chat and email in the price; only Helpshift has WhatsApp. Neither Helpshift nor Kayako includes Instagram and Telegram outright. Helpshift (in the quote) and Kayako ($1 per resolution) both meter AI above the seats. Helpshift and Kayako both raise tickets, and neither Helpshift nor Kayako ships a desktop app. Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers; Kayako is a sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding.

What each price leaves out

Helpshift: AI agents are part of the modular quote. Kayako: Kay AI Agent $1 per resolved ticket; escalations and deflections are free. Beside Helpshift's in the quote and Kayako's $1 per resolution, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How these figures were read

Kayako does not print the figures above in a form a fetch can read (Seat prices are not printed; the AI agent is $1 per resolution. Older plans ran $15 to $60 per agent.), so they are marked unverified here beside Helpshift's, and Kayako's pricing page should be checked before you decide.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    HelpshiftHelpshiftSee vendorNot quoted
    KayakoKayakoSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    HelpshiftHelpshift · None; request pricing
    KayakoKayako · None printed; book a session
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Helpshift vs Kayako: the questions people ask

Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games; Kayako is a help desk built around tickets and a customer journey. Helpshift and Kayako both raise tickets, and neither Helpshift nor Kayako ships a desktop app.

  • Entry plan: Helpshift Quote (priced by interaction volume); Kayako Quote (Kayako One).
  • Chat in the price: Helpshift Quote (in-app and web); Kayako Quote (widget included).
  • Sellio's inbox: Instagram and Telegram, which neither Helpshift nor Kayako has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside Helpshift and Kayako on the same rows.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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