Gorgias vs Kayako
Gorgias 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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Gorgias
Helpdesk and AI agent aimed at driving sales. Ecommerce-native (Shopify).
Best for Ecommerce brands, especially Shopify.
2015 · Paris, France (plus San Francisco).
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
- GorgiasTicket-volume-based (not per-seat) plus AI per resolution.
- KayakoHybrid: flat platform fee (Kayako One) plus $1 per AI-resolved ticket.
- Free plan
- GorgiasNo
- KayakoNot offered
- Free trial / guarantee
- Gorgias7 days, no payment.
- Kayako90-day AI Agent Pilot with refund guarantee; 14-day trial also cited.(3rd-party)source
- Price
- GorgiasStarter $10/mo (50 tickets, 3 seats); Basic $60/mo (300 tickets). · Pro $360/mo (2,000 tickets); Advanced $900/mo (5,000). · Enterprise custom (5,000+ tickets).
- Kayako$79/mo flat (Kayako One). · Single platform tier. · Enterprise/custom via sales.(3rd-party)source
- Seat minimum
- GorgiasNone. Starter 3 seats; others up to 500.
- KayakoNone stated (legacy Cloud 5, On-Prem 10).(3rd-party)source
- Unlimited agents
- GorgiasNo. Starter 3; others up to 500.
- KayakoKayako One flat fee implies unlimited agents, though not stated explicitly.(claimed)source
- Implementation fee
- GorgiasNot disclosed (enterprise includes implementation).
- KayakoWhite-glove onboarding included.
- Transparency
- GorgiasStarter to Advanced public; Enterprise custom.
- KayakoLow. No plan prices listed publicly; directs to Talk to an Expert. The $1/resolution rate is the only public figure.
- Pricing last verified
- Gorgias2026-06-02
- Kayako2026-06-02
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- GorgiasNative
- KayakoNative
- Live chat
- GorgiasNative
- KayakoNative
- Voice
- GorgiasNative (add-on, $0.40–1.20/ticket).
- KayakoListed as a channel (native voice is contested).
- SMS
- GorgiasNative (add-on, $0.41–0.80/ticket).
- KayakoListed as a channel (native SMS is contested).
- Social
- GorgiasNative (Instagram, Facebook).
- KayakoNative. X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn.(claimed)source
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- GorgiasNative. Gorgias Voice add-on; IVR, queues, call flows.
- KayakoVoice channel listed; native voice/IVR is contested (Twilio suggested as an alternative).
- Voice AI / transcription
- GorgiasYes. Voicemails and recorded calls; transcripts on tickets.
- KayakoNot disclosed
- Telephony billed separately
- GorgiasYes. $0.40–1.20/ticket, not in base plan.
- KayakoNot disclosed
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- GorgiasYes. AI Agent (Support Agent and Shopping Assistant).
- KayakoYes. Kay triages, drafts, processes refunds, updates shipping, creates users, and closes cases.(claimed)source
- Copilot / Assist mode
- GorgiasAI Coaching (real-time tips). No separate Copilot product.
- KayakoYes. Response suggestions, sentiment coaching, auto-translation, duplicate detection, field autofill.(claimed)source
- Claimed automation rate
- Gorgias60% resolved instantly; enterprise '50% in 50 days' guarantee.(claimed)source
- Kayako80%+ of repetitive tickets resolved within 90 days; 68% AI resolution rate.(claimed)source
- AI channel coverage
- GorgiasEmail, live chat, SMS. WhatsApp and social via rules (AI not confirmed).
- KayakoEmail, chat, voice, social (X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, WhatsApp), SMS.(claimed)source
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- GorgiasActions-capable. Cancels, returns, subscriptions, refunds and discounts via connected apps.
- KayakoActions via API. Refunds, shipping updates, and user creation through external APIs.(claimed)source
- Knowledge sources
- GorgiasShopify order and customer data, store content, Help Center, custom URLs and docs, Guidance.
- KayakoKnowledge base, ticket history and resolution data, company docs, customer profile data.(claimed)source
- Underlying model
- GorgiasOpenAI, Anthropic, internally fine-tuned.
- KayakoNot disclosed
- Trains on past tickets
- GorgiasNo. Ticket data does not train LLMs; per-ticket feedback coaching.
- KayakoYes. Continuous Learning trains on resolved tickets.(claimed)source
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- GorgiasYes. Test conversations (new vs. returning) across channels.
- KayakoNo named simulation mode. No-code builder tests rules against historical data.
- Multilingual
- GorgiasYes. Any LLM-supported language, auto-detect.
- KayakoYes. Multi-language with auto-translation.(claimed)source
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- GorgiasNative only.
- KayakoBoth. Kay can layer onto Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, or Kayako's own helpdesk.(claimed)source
- AI pricing model
- GorgiasOutcome-based. Per resolved automated conversation; handoffs not billed.
- KayakoPer resolved ticket (counts only when Kay solves without a human).
- AI unit price
- Gorgias$1.00/resolved (monthly); $0.90 (annual); overage $1.50.
- Kayako$1 per AI-resolved ticket.
- Copilot / Assist price
- GorgiasNo separate price (coaching included).
- KayakoBundled into the platform.
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Gorgias 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
- GorgiasSOC 2 Type II (since 2020).
- KayakoAWS infrastructure holds SOC 1/2/3; Kayako does not claim its own SOC 2 certification.
- GDPR
- GorgiasYes. DPA; EU data on EU GCP servers.
- KayakoGDPR referenced; certified under EU-US DPF, UK Extension, and Swiss-US DPF.
- HIPAA / PCI
- GorgiasSupported (enterprise compliance feature).
- KayakoListed as an evaluation criterion, not a confirmed certification.
- SSO / SAML
- GorgiasSSO (Google, MS365); SAML enterprise; 2FA.
- KayakoSSO supported; SAML SSO via connectors; 2FA.
- Data residency
- GorgiasEU data on EU GCP; broader options not disclosed.
- KayakoNot disclosed (data may be stored in the EEA, US, or other countries).
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Gorgias100+ marketplace; 300+ on features page (incl. Recharge, Klaviyo, Yotpo).
- KayakoNo native marketplace; hundreds via Zapier (Integrately lists 554). Native connectors: Salesforce, Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, Shopify, Stripe, Jira, GitHub.
- Shopify depth
- GorgiasDeep native. Order history, profiles, catalogs, tags; Shopify and Plus; AI reads live data and actions orders.
- KayakoPre-built connector syncing order and customer data into the SingleView timeline; bi-directional.(claimed)source
- Open / public API
- GorgiasYes. REST API on all Helpdesk plans; Basic Auth; Postman.
- KayakoYes. RESTful API plus webhooks (developer.kayako.com).
- Developer SDK / MCP
- GorgiasNo official SDK; developers.gorgias.com API reference.
- KayakoDev docs exist; no dedicated SDK package named.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- GorgiasYes. Rules engine (auto-assign, tag, close, respond).
- KayakoYes. No-code builder: describe rules in natural language, AI drafts them, test on historical data, approval gates.(claimed)source
- Triggers / automations
- GorgiasYes. Event-based Rules (creation, reply, tags, channel, keywords).
- KayakoYes. Triggers/monitors with conditions, time-based, and AI-triggered (e.g. sentiment drop escalates).(claimed)source
- Routing
- GorgiasYes. Auto-assign plus AI-assisted routing.
- KayakoYes. AI triage auto-classifies and routes; custom SLAs per channel.(claimed)source
- Macros / canned responses
- GorgiasYes. Macros (AI-sorted), all plans.
- KayakoYes. Prewritten responses and macros.(claimed)source
- SLA management
- GorgiasYes. All plans, per channel; SLA report; business-hours pause.
- KayakoYes. Custom SLAs per channel; performance across intents, channels, and regions.(claimed)source
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Collision detection
- GorgiasYes. Banner when another agent is viewing or editing.
- KayakoYes. Helps prevent duplicate effort.(claimed)source
- Side conversations
- GorgiasNot disclosed
- KayakoNo named feature; collaboration with experts/vendors referenced.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- GorgiasYes. Help Center on all plans, Shopify-embeddable.
- KayakoYes. Semantic search, freshness scoring, content gaps, multilingual.(claimed)source
- Help center
- GorgiasYes. External and internal KB.
- KayakoYes. Public help center in Kayako One.(claimed)source
- Community forum
- GorgiasGorgias Community is product updates, not a peer-support forum.
- KayakoNot offered
- AI answers from knowledge base
- GorgiasYes. AI Agent uses Help Center; Article Recommendations (Automation add-on).
- KayakoYes. AI drafts KB articles from resolved tickets; AI chat widget; 80%+ deflection claimed.(claimed)source
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- GorgiasYes. 70+ metrics, up to 10 dashboards x 20 charts.
- KayakoYes. Prebuilt dashboards (volume, handle time, FCR, CSAT/NPS, deflection, SLA).(claimed)source
- Custom reports
- GorgiasYes. Filterable, revenue attribution, AI analytics.
- KayakoCustom-report builder not confirmed (legacy product had 100+ reports).
- Included in lowest tier
- GorgiasReporting on all plans; Pro adds live monitoring plus revenue stats.
- KayakoPrebuilt reports in the Kayako One base.(claimed)source
- CSAT surveys
- GorgiasYes. CSAT 2.0; Simplesat and Surveywell integrations.
- KayakoYes. CSAT tracked (76%-90% in a case study).(claimed)source
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- GorgiasSelf-serve (Starter, Basic); guided implementation (Enterprise); '50% in 50 days' guarantee.
- KayakoWhite-glove, expert-led onboarding included; phased 2-4 week implementation; 90-day AI Pilot with refund guarantee.(claimed)source
- Support channels
- GorgiasEmail and chat; tiered by revenue (Standard up to $3M, Specialist $3–20M, Dedicated $20M+).
- KayakoHelp center (support.kayako.com), Talk to an Expert, email; reviews note responsiveness gaps.(claimed)source
- Dedicated CSM
- GorgiasYes. Dedicated CSM at $20M+ tier.
- KayakoYes. CSM as a single point of contact (appears standard).(claimed)source
- Implementation partners
- GorgiasYes. App Partner program plus agencies.
- KayakoNo partner directory; ESW/Trilogy implies internal services only.