Front vs Kayako
Front and Kayako, side by side across AI, pricing, channels, security, and seven more categories. We pull every figure from public sources and don’t pick a winner.
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Front
AI customer operations platform for complex, multi-team coordination.
Best for B2B with cross-team customer ops (tech, logistics, professional services, finance).
2013 (Y Combinator S14) · San Francisco, CA.
Kayako
AI-first support platform. Kay AI agent positioned as an autonomous resolver, tagline "Scale Support Not Headcount."
Best for Mid-market to enterprise (retail/ecommerce, SaaS, financial services, healthcare) wanting managed, expert-led AI.
2001 (Jalandhar, India, by Varun Shoor). · London, UK (plus Gurgaon and Singapore).
Claimed: from the vendor, not independently verified.
3rd-party: sourced elsewhere, not on the vendor's site.
Everything else: from the vendor's own pages and verifiable.
Pricing
List prices, seat rules, trials, and pricing transparency.
- Pricing model
- FrontPer seat/mo.
- KayakoHybrid: flat platform fee (Kayako One) plus $1 per AI-resolved ticket.
- Free plan
- FrontNo
- KayakoNot offered
- Free trial / guarantee
- Front14-day, no card (Professional features).
- Kayako90-day AI Agent Pilot with refund guarantee; 14-day trial also cited.(3rd-party)source
- Price
- Front$25/seat/mo (Starter; up to 10 seats; single channel; annual). · $65/seat/mo (Professional; up to 50 seats; omnichannel; annual). · $105/seat/mo (Enterprise; unlimited seats; AI Copilot/QA/CSAT incl.; annual).
- Kayako$79/mo flat (Kayako One). · Single platform tier. · Enterprise/custom via sales.(3rd-party)source
- Seat minimum
- Front1 (Starter caps at 10; Professional 50; Enterprise unlimited).
- KayakoNone stated (legacy Cloud 5, On-Prem 10).(3rd-party)source
- Unlimited agents
- FrontEnterprise plan only.
- KayakoKayako One flat fee implies unlimited agents, though not stated explicitly.(claimed)source
- Implementation fee
- FrontSuccess Services required for contracts over $25,000; priced separately.
- KayakoWhite-glove onboarding included.
- Transparency
- FrontList prices public; Autopilot and Success Services contact-sales.
- KayakoLow. No plan prices listed publicly; directs to Talk to an Expert. The $1/resolution rate is the only public figure.
- Pricing last verified
- Front2026-06-02
- Kayako2026-06-02
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- FrontNative
- KayakoNative
- Live chat
- FrontNative (Front Chat)
- KayakoNative
- Voice
- FrontVia integration (Aircall, RingCentral, JustCall, Dialpad)
- KayakoListed as a channel (native voice is contested).
- SMS
- FrontNative
- KayakoListed as a channel (native SMS is contested).
- Social
- FrontNative (Facebook, Instagram DMs, Twitter/X)
- KayakoNative. X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn.(claimed)source
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- FrontVia integration (Aircall, RingCentral, JustCall, Dialpad, CallHippo)
- KayakoVoice channel listed; native voice/IVR is contested (Twilio suggested as an alternative).
- Voice AI / transcription
- FrontYes. Via Aircall; transcripts in inbox.
- KayakoNot disclosed
- Telephony billed separately
- FrontYes. Billed by provider.
- KayakoNot disclosed
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- FrontYes. Autopilot (Playbooks + Resolve); multi-step, multi-system workflows.(claimed)source
- KayakoYes. Kay triages, drafts, processes refunds, updates shipping, creates users, and closes cases.(claimed)source
- Copilot / Assist mode
- FrontYes. Copilot drafts replies and pulls CRM/billing context; agent review required.(claimed)source
- KayakoYes. Response suggestions, sentiment coaching, auto-translation, duplicate detection, field autofill.(claimed)source
- Claimed automation rate
- FrontResolves up to 70% of requests.(claimed)source
- Kayako80%+ of repetitive tickets resolved within 90 days; 68% AI resolution rate.(claimed)source
- AI channel coverage
- FrontEmail, live chat, Slack (Autopilot); translate is email-only.(claimed)source
- KayakoEmail, chat, voice, social (X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, WhatsApp), SMS.(claimed)source
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- FrontActions via API. Multi-step workflows across CRM, billing, and order systems.(claimed)source
- KayakoActions via API. Refunds, shipping updates, and user creation through external APIs.(claimed)source
- Knowledge sources
- FrontKB articles, past conversations, internal comments, connected systems (CRM, ERP, Gong, billing).
- KayakoKnowledge base, ticket history and resolution data, company docs, customer profile data.(claimed)source
- Underlying model
- FrontOpenAI and Azure OpenAI (GPT); Mistral via AWS.
- KayakoNot disclosed
- Trains on past tickets
- FrontYes. Autopilot learns from top agents via Copilot; per-customer isolation, zero data retention.(claimed)source
- KayakoYes. Continuous Learning trains on resolved tickets.(claimed)source
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- FrontYes. Simulations before go-live.(claimed)source
- KayakoNo named simulation mode. No-code builder tests rules against historical data.
- Multilingual
- FrontEnglish-only for Autopilot/KB; Translate (email-only) handles other languages.
- KayakoYes. Multi-language with auto-translation.(claimed)source
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- FrontNative only.
- KayakoBoth. Kay can layer onto Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, or Kayako's own helpdesk.(claimed)source
- AI pricing model
- FrontAdd-on per seat/mo (Autopilot: contact sales); Copilot, QA, and CSAT included on Enterprise.
- KayakoPer resolved ticket (counts only when Kay solves without a human).
- AI unit price
- FrontCopilot $20/seat/mo; Smart QA $20; Smart CSAT $10; QA + CSAT bundle $25.
- Kayako$1 per AI-resolved ticket.
- Copilot / Assist price
- Front$20/seat/mo (free on Enterprise).
- KayakoBundled into the platform.
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Front or Kayakoas an AI layer, or works as its own helpdesk. Here's where it lands on the same questions.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Both. Add it on top of the helpdesk you already run, or use it as your own inbox. Works with Zendesk, Intercom, Front, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365, Twilio Flex, and Creatio.
- Autonomous AI agent
- Yes. Autopilot resolves tickets end to end on its own, across every channel.
- AI pricing model
- Per resolution, so you pay for outcomes. Escalations to a human are free.
- Claimed automation rate
- 77% average automation; up to 80% (Trunkrs)(claimed)source
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data residency, and access controls.
- SOC 2 Type II
- FrontSOC 2 Type II.
- KayakoAWS infrastructure holds SOC 1/2/3; Kayako does not claim its own SOC 2 certification.
- GDPR
- FrontYes. DPA available.
- KayakoGDPR referenced; certified under EU-US DPF, UK Extension, and Swiss-US DPF.
- HIPAA / PCI
- FrontBAA available; not listed as a certification.
- KayakoListed as an evaluation criterion, not a confirmed certification.
- SSO / SAML
- FrontYes. SAML SSO.
- KayakoSSO supported; SAML SSO via connectors; 2FA.
- Data residency
- FrontUS or EU hosting options.
- KayakoNot disclosed (data may be stored in the EEA, US, or other countries).
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Front160+ integrations.
- KayakoNo native marketplace; hundreds via Zapier (Integrately lists 554). Native connectors: Salesforce, Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, Shopify, Stripe, Jira, GitHub.
- Shopify depth
- FrontNative. Syncs customer info, order details, refunds, and addresses in inbox; all paid tiers.
- KayakoPre-built connector syncing order and customer data into the SingleView timeline; bi-directional.(claimed)source
- Open / public API
- FrontYes. REST API (Core, Channel, Connectors); Postman.
- KayakoYes. RESTful API plus webhooks (developer.kayako.com).
- Developer SDK / MCP
- FrontPlugin SDK; Chat Widget SDK; MCP Server.
- KayakoDev docs exist; no dedicated SDK package named.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- FrontYes. Rule-based automations with tags, variables, and external data.
- KayakoYes. No-code builder: describe rules in natural language, AI drafts them, test on historical data, approval gates.(claimed)source
- Triggers / automations
- FrontYes. Starter 10 rules, Professional 20, Enterprise unlimited.
- KayakoYes. Triggers/monitors with conditions, time-based, and AI-triggered (e.g. sentiment drop escalates).(claimed)source
- Routing
- FrontYes. AI-powered, rules, and skill-based; workload balancing.(claimed)source
- KayakoYes. AI triage auto-classifies and routes; custom SLAs per channel.(claimed)source
- Macros / canned responses
- FrontYes. Macros (unlimited on Enterprise).
- KayakoYes. Prewritten responses and macros.(claimed)source
- SLA management
- FrontYes. Reply goals, follow-ups, and escalations.
- KayakoYes. Custom SLAs per channel; performance across intents, channels, and regions.(claimed)source
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Internal notes
- FrontYes. Comments with @mentions.(3rd-party)source
- KayakoYes. With @mentions.(claimed)source
- Collision detection
- FrontYes. Real-time indicators prevent duplicates.
- KayakoYes. Helps prevent duplicate effort.(claimed)source
- Side conversations
- FrontYes. Spin-off side threads with external partners.(3rd-party)source
- KayakoNo named feature; collaboration with experts/vendors referenced.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- FrontYes. Native, AI-assisted; internal and external; Notion/Google Docs integration.
- KayakoYes. Semantic search, freshness scoring, content gaps, multilingual.(claimed)source
- Help center
- FrontYes. Customer-facing, search-optimized.
- KayakoYes. Public help center in Kayako One.(claimed)source
- Community forum
- FrontYes. Community.front.com.
- KayakoNot offered
- AI answers from knowledge base
- FrontYes. 'Ask your knowledge base' AI search.
- KayakoYes. AI drafts KB articles from resolved tickets; AI chat widget; 80%+ deflection claimed.(claimed)source
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- FrontYes. Real-time agent, SLA, and omnichannel dashboards.(claimed)source
- KayakoYes. Prebuilt dashboards (volume, handle time, FCR, CSAT/NPS, deflection, SLA).(claimed)source
- Custom reports
- FrontYes. Advanced analytics (Professional+); Copilot and Autopilot reports.
- KayakoCustom-report builder not confirmed (legacy product had 100+ reports).
- Included in lowest tier
- FrontBasic on Starter; advanced from Professional.
- KayakoPrebuilt reports in the Kayako One base.(claimed)source
- CSAT surveys
- FrontSmart CSAT (AI-inferred) included on Enterprise; $10/seat/mo add-on on lower tiers; survey CSAT not disclosed.
- KayakoYes. CSAT tracked (76%-90% in a case study).(claimed)source
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- FrontSelf-serve (14-day); Success Services (contracts over $25k); Onboarding Managers; Front Academy.
- KayakoWhite-glove, expert-led onboarding included; phased 2-4 week implementation; 90-day AI Pilot with refund guarantee.(claimed)source
- Support channels
- FrontHelp Center, community, in-app; no public phone/chat hours.
- KayakoHelp center (support.kayako.com), Talk to an Expert, email; reviews note responsiveness gaps.(claimed)source
- Dedicated CSM
- FrontYes. CSM/Onboarding Manager for larger contracts; threshold not disclosed.(3rd-party)source
- KayakoYes. CSM as a single point of contact (appears standard).(claimed)source
- Implementation partners
- FrontPartner program exists; details not disclosed.
- KayakoNo partner directory; ESW/Trilogy implies internal services only.
Frequently asked questions
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