UserlikeKayakoUserlike vs Kayako

Userlike vs Kayako: AI billing, channels and seats compared

A customer messaging platform against a help desk: one prints a price and one quotes. What decides between Userlike and Kayako, and a third option for small teams.

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

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The short answer

Pick Userlike if you are in Europe and want a German-hosted messenger with WhatsApp campaigns. Pick Kayako if you want an AI agent billed only per resolved ticket, with no seat fee. For five people it is $475 a month on Userlike, and a quote on Kayako, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. Userlike and Kayako both include website chat in the price; only Userlike has WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram; only Kayako has email. Between them Userlike and Kayako cover every channel Sellio ships. A team of two to ten choosing between Userlike and Kayako for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceUserlikeUserlikeKayakoKayako
Built aroundThe website messenger · now Lime ConnectTickets and a customer journey · AI billed per resolution
Entry plan$0 · Free: 1 seat, 200 conversationsQuote · Kayako One
Chat in the priceAbout $95/seat/mo · Pro, three-seat minimum, yearlyQuote · widget included
AI agentFrom about $108/mo · AI Agent, 100 conversations$1 per resolution · Kay AI Agent
Copilot for agentsAbout $21/seat/mo · AI CopilotIn Kay
Free planYes · 1 seat, website onlyNone · 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

    UserlikeUserlike

    As a message in the website messenger, or from WhatsApp, in one message center. Kayako raises a ticket where Userlike keeps a conversation.

    KayakoKayako

    As a ticket that shows the customer's journey across the site and past conversations. Userlike has no ticket queue behind its conversations.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    UserlikeUserlike

    The free plan is one seat on the website; Pro is priced per seat in euros (about $95) with a three-seat minimum. $475 for five people; Kayako prints no figure to set beside it.

    KayakoKayako

    No seat price is printed for Kayako One; older plans were $15 to $60 per agent. No figure for five people here; Userlike prints $475.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    UserlikeUserlike

    The AI Agent starts around $108 a month for 100 conversations; the AI Copilot is about $21 per seat. 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. Userlike meters AI (from about $108/mo) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    UserlikeUserlike

    Website messenger, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS and email on Pro. WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram are here and not on Kayako.

    KayakoKayako

    Email, live chat, Messenger and X; no WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. email is here and not on Userlike.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    UserlikeUserlike

    Live translation, video calls and WhatsApp campaigns; a German company under Lime Technologies. Kayako is a help desk instead.

    KayakoKayako

    A help center, SLAs, automation rules and reporting. Userlike is a customer messaging platform instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    UserlikeUserlike

    An hour: paste the messenger, connect WhatsApp through their onboarding. Kayako is a sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding.

    KayakoKayako

    A sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding. Userlike is an hour.

Sources: Userlike 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 Userlike message center: the conversation list with channel badges and the chat
UserlikeUserlike. The Userlike message center: the conversation list with channel badges and the chat
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: Userlike pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Kayako pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13; needs verification). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Userlike, 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.

FeatureUserlikeUserlikeKayakoKayakoSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per seat in euros; three-seat minimum
Quote; AI per resolution
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
1 seat, 200 conversations
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

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

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI Agent add-on
Kay
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From about $108 a month
$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
Conversations only
Ticket-first
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Workflows add-on
Automation rules
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Analytics on Pro
Reporting
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick Userlike if

  • You are in Europe and want a German-hosted messenger with WhatsApp campaigns.
  • Telegram and Instagram must be in the same inbox.
  • You need WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram in the price, which Kayako does not include outright.
  • You want a free plan to start on; Kayako offers no trial.

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.
  • You need email in the price, which Userlike does not include outright.
  • You need a ticket queue, which Userlike does not have.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $475 a month on Userlike, and a quote on Kayako for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: Userlike meters AI (from about $108/mo) above the seats and Kayako meters AI ($1 per resolution) above the seats, where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Userlike nor Kayako includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Userlike: $475 a month for five (5 seats × about $95, billed yearly); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. 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, $430 less than Userlike 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

Userlike is a customer messaging platform built around the website messenger; Kayako is a help desk built around tickets and a customer journey. Only Userlike has a free plan (1 seat, website only); Kayako offers no trial. Userlike and Kayako both include website chat in the price; only Userlike has WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram; only Kayako has email. Between them Userlike and Kayako cover every channel Sellio ships. Userlike (from about $108/mo) and Kayako ($1 per resolution) both meter AI above the seats. Kayako has tickets and Userlike does not, and neither Userlike nor Kayako ships a desktop app. Userlike is an hour; Kayako is a sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding.

What each price leaves out

Userlike: AI Agent from about $108 a month for 100 conversations; AI Copilot about $21 per seat. Kayako: Kay AI Agent $1 per resolved ticket; escalations and deflections are free. Beside Userlike's from about $108/mo 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 Userlike'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
    UserlikeUserlikeSee 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.

    UserlikeUserlike · 14-day trial of Pro
    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

Userlike vs Kayako: the questions people ask

Userlike is a customer messaging platform built around the website messenger; Kayako is a help desk built around tickets and a customer journey. Kayako has tickets and Userlike does not, and neither Userlike nor Kayako ships a desktop app.

  • Entry plan: Userlike $0 (Free: 1 seat, 200 conversations); Kayako Quote (Kayako One).
  • Chat in the price: Userlike About $95/seat/mo (Pro, three-seat minimum, yearly); Kayako Quote (widget included).
  • Sellio: all five channels on every paid plan, where Userlike and Kayako each include only some.

Sellio's side of the Userlike and Kayako rows is on the shared inbox page.

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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