Vision Helpdesk vs Kayako pricing: which is cheaper for your team?
Kayako's cheapest paid tier (Kay AI Agent) lists at $1/resolved ticket, which beats the other on entry pricing. Mid-tier and enterprise math can flip the answer — use the per-tier table below to see the real cost for your team size at each tier.
Calculate the cost for your team
Vision Helpdesk pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Help Desk (SaaS) | $15 | $12 | agent/month | Ticketing, knowledge base |
| Pro Help Desk (SaaS) | $25 | $20 | agent/month | Workflow, SLA |
| Satellite Help Desk (SaaS) | $30 | $24 | agent/month | Multi-brand/portal |
| Pro Service Desk (SaaS) | $40 | $32 | agent/month | ITIL change/release modules |
| Ent Service Desk (SaaS) | $60 | $48 | agent/month | Full ITSM + CMDB |
Kayako pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kay AI Agent | $1 | $1 | per resolved ticket | Pay-per-resolution, no seat or setup fee |
| Kayako One Platform | $1 | $1 | per resolved ticket + custom platform | Unified inbox + ticketing + KB + chat; custom annual contract |
Feature by feature
The non-pricing differences that drive the real decision.
| Capability | Vision Helpdesk | Kayako |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | agent/month | resolved ticket |
| Pricing model | Per-agent SaaS plus self-hosted recurring or one-time | Per-resolution AI agent plus custom-quoted platform |
| Cheapest paid tier | Starter Help Desk (SaaS) at $12/agent/month | Kay AI Agent at $1/per resolved ticket |
| Mid-tier benchmark | Satellite Help Desk (SaaS) at $24/agent/month | Kayako One Platform at $1/per resolved ticket + custom platform |
| Total paid tiers published | 5 | 2 |
| Last verified | 2026-05-17 | 2026-05-17 |
Best for…
Hand-picked use cases mapped to the winner.
| Use case | Winner |
|---|---|
| Lowest entry price (10-person team) | Kayako Kay AI Agent |
| Most pricing tiers (room to grow) | Vision Helpdesk (5 tiers) |
| Predictable per-seat billing | Neither (both flat/usage) |
| Most recently verified pricing | Vision Helpdesk |
Choose Vision Helpdesk when
- Per-agent helpdesk with five SaaS tiers from $12 to $48.
- Entry tier (Starter Help Desk (SaaS)) at $12/agent/month is your budget ceiling.
- Ent Service Desk tier publicly lists at $48 per agent annually; on-prem perpetual licenses go up to $800/agent one-time plus 20% annual support.
Choose Kayako when
- Kayako now anchors pricing on a $1 per resolved ticket AI Agent.
- Entry tier (Kay AI Agent) at $1/per resolved ticket is your budget ceiling.
- Enterprise buyers contract for Kayako One with negotiated resolution caps, SSO, and onboarding bundled.
Switching considerations
Watch the hidden fees on both sides. Vision Helpdesk: Self-hosted recurring license is 20-30% cheaper but requires infrastructure Kayako: Kayako One platform is sales-led so per-seat costs are not public Always confirm with the vendor before purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a 10-person team, Vision Helpdesk or Kayako?
At entry tier and 10 seats on annual billing: Vision Helpdesk Starter Help Desk (SaaS) comes to $120/mo; Kayako Kay AI Agent comes to $1/mo. Kayako is the cheaper entry-tier choice at this team size.
Does Vision Helpdesk have more pricing tiers than Kayako?
Vision Helpdesk publishes more paid tiers (5 vs 2). More tiers usually means more granular ways to grow without re-platforming.
Which pricing was verified more recently?
Vision Helpdesk's pricing was last verified 2026-05-17; Kayako's on 2026-05-17. Both pages link to the vendor's official pricing source so you can re-check before committing.