Kayako vs Whelp
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Kayako | Whelp |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $79/seat/mo | From $79/seat/mo |
| Best For | Traditional businesses focused on email and phone support | SMEs and businesses needing comprehensive omnichannel support with AI automation |
| Standout Feature | Comprehensive knowledge base with customer portal | AI-powered chatbot that can automate up to 60% of customer inquiries with advanced sentiment analysis |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✓ |
| G2 Rating | 4.2 | N/A |
Kayako and Whelp both target modern customer service teams but with different strengths. Kayako emphasizes customer journey mapping and proactive support, while Whelp focuses on real-time omnichannel communication and team collaboration.
Both platforms have evolved significantly, with Kayako's recent transformation into a more conversation-focused platform and Whelp's expansion into AI-powered automation making this comparison particularly relevant for growing support teams.
Feature Comparison
Kayako's strength lies in its customer journey tracking and proactive messaging capabilities. The platform excels at providing context about customer interactions across touchpoints, helping agents deliver more personalized support experiences.
Whelp shines in real-time collaboration with features like agent-to-agent chat, screen sharing, and collaborative ticket handling. Its omnichannel inbox supports WhatsApp Business, Instagram DMs, and Facebook Messenger with native integrations.
Both platforms offer mobile apps, but Whelp's mobile experience is more comprehensive, allowing full ticket management and real-time notifications that keep remote teams connected.
Pricing Comparison
Kayako's pricing starts at $15/agent/month for basic features, scaling to $45/agent/month for advanced customer journey and automation features. The platform includes unlimited contacts and conversations at all tiers.
Whelp begins at $39/agent/month with full omnichannel access and collaboration features included from the start. While higher per-agent, this eliminates the need to upgrade tiers for essential functionality.
Kayako
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive multi-channel support
- ✓ Strong knowledge base functionality
- ✓ Good reporting capabilities
Cons
- ✗ Per-agent pricing gets expensive
- ✗ Limited social media integrations
- ✗ Complex setup for advanced features
Whelp
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive omnichannel support across major platforms
- ✓ Strong AI automation capabilities with up to 60% inquiry automation
- ✓ Free plan available for small teams
Cons
- ✗ Per-agent pricing can become expensive for larger teams
- ✗ Limited G2 reviews and ratings for social proof
- ✗ Additional fees for some integrations like WhatsApp on lower tiers
Verdict
Choose Kayako if you need customer journey insights, proactive support capabilities, and prefer a conversation-centric approach to customer service. Choose Whelp if real-time collaboration, comprehensive omnichannel support, and advanced automation are your priorities.
Choose Kayako if: Customer journey mapping is crucial to your support strategy, you need proactive messaging capabilities, and prefer lower entry-level pricing with upgrade flexibility.
Choose Whelp if: Real-time team collaboration is essential, you need comprehensive omnichannel support from day one, and can invest in higher per-agent costs for full functionality.
Alternative consideration: Teams looking for powerful customer communication without complex per-agent calculations might find Converge's flat $49/month pricing more predictable and cost-effective as they scale.
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