HubSpot Service Hub vs Kayako

HubSpot Service Hub scores 4.4/5 on G2 from 2,800+ reviews, while Kayako holds 4.0/5 from 219 reviews. Both are per-agent helpdesks, but they target different buyers — HubSpot locks you into its CRM ecosystem at $20–$150/seat/month, while Kayako offers a simpler single-plan model at $79/agent/month with $1-per-AI-resolution fees.

Your decision comes down to whether you need CRM-integrated service management (HubSpot) or a streamlined helpdesk with AI ticket automation (Kayako). If your team already runs HubSpot for marketing and sales, Service Hub is the natural add-on. If you want a standalone support tool without the CRM overhead, Kayako keeps things simpler.

G2 Category Scores

CRM & Customer Context

HubSpot Service Hub's biggest advantage is lifecycle visibility. Every support ticket links to the contact's marketing history, sales deals, and previous interactions. Your agents see the full customer journey before replying. Kayako offers a "SingleView" timeline that tracks conversations across channels, but it doesn't connect to marketing or sales data the way HubSpot does.

Ticketing & Automation

HubSpot provides up to 15 ticket pipelines on Professional, skill-based routing, SLA tracking, and workflow automation with conditional branching. Kayako focuses on shared inbox simplicity — unified ticketing, pre-built reports, and team inboxes. HubSpot gives you more power; Kayako gives you less complexity.

AI Capabilities

HubSpot includes AI-powered insights and chatbots on higher-tier plans, with Breeze Copilot for agent assistance. Kayako charges $1 per AI-resolved ticket, which means your automation costs scale directly with volume. A team resolving 500 tickets per month through AI adds $500/month on top of Kayako's base price.

Channel Coverage

Both platforms handle email, live chat, and basic social media. Neither offers native support for WhatsApp Business API, Telegram, Discord, or Zalo — channels that growing businesses increasingly need for customer communication.

HubSpot Service Hub Pricing

HubSpot charges per seat across four tiers. Free supports 2 users with basic ticketing. Starter costs $20/seat/month with help desk automation and 2 pipelines. Professional jumps to $90/seat/month and adds SLA management, customer portal, and service analytics — plus a mandatory $1,500 onboarding fee. Enterprise runs $150/seat/month with a $3,500 onboarding fee and 10-seat minimum.

Kayako Pricing

Kayako simplified to a single plan: Kayako One at $79/agent/month. It includes shared inbox, ticketing, knowledge base, help center, and multilingual support. AI ticket resolution is billed separately at $1 per successfully resolved ticket. No free tier, no trial mentioned on their current pricing page.

Real Cost for a 5-Agent Team

HubSpot Starter is the cheapest option but lacks SLA management and advanced automation. Once you need those features, Professional's $450/month for 5 agents plus the onboarding fee makes it comparable to Kayako. Kayako's AI pricing is the wild card — high automation volume can push costs above HubSpot Professional.

Choose HubSpot Service Hub if you're already in the HubSpot ecosystem and need CRM-connected service with SLA management, workflow automation, and reporting dashboards. Choose Kayako if you want a focused helpdesk with unified inbox, knowledge base, and AI ticket resolution without committing to an enterprise CRM platform.

Choose HubSpot Service Hub if: You already use HubSpot CRM, need deep customer lifecycle visibility across marketing-sales-support, and want enterprise workflow automation. Be prepared for per-seat costs that scale linearly and mandatory onboarding fees on higher tiers.

Choose Kayako if: You want a standalone helpdesk without CRM lock-in, prefer a single pricing tier, and your AI automation volume stays manageable. Watch the $1-per-resolution fee — it can quietly double your bill.

If neither per-seat model fits your budget, Converge offers a $49/month flat rate for up to 15 agents with native WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and Zalo support — channels both HubSpot and Kayako lack. No per-seat fees, no per-resolution charges, no onboarding costs.