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Amazon Lex vs Olark

Amazon Lex logo

Amazon Lex

Live Chat

AWS conversational AI service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Olark logo

Olark

Live Chat

Make your business human

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Amazon Lex has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Lex pay-as-you-go model with no standard free tier, only AWS free credits for new customers (6 months, $200 limit); Olark the AI website agent is a $400 a month flat plan billed annually at $4,800, which is a large step from the $29 per agent human only plan
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Lex covers Speech recognition, Olark covers Live chat.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Lex and Olark actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Lex and Olark differ
AttributeAmazon LexOlark
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, AWS CloudWeb
Founded20062009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Live Chat).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amazon Lex

  • Speech recognition
  • Natural language understanding
  • Voice and text
  • Lambda integration
  • AWS services
  • Lambda
  • DynamoDB
  • SNS

Only in Olark

  • Live chat
  • Chat transcripts
  • Visitor insights
  • Customization
  • Offline messaging
  • Shortcuts
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amazon Lex

  • Chatbot developmentnot Olark
  • Voice-based conversational AInot Olark
  • Natural language understandingnot Olark

Olark

  • Live chat on a website with a small support teamnot Amazon Lex
  • Running an AI agent on website conversations with human handoffnot Amazon Lex

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amazon Lex

  • Pay-as-you-go model with no standard free tier, only AWS free credits for new customers (6 months, $200 limit)
  • Speech requests cost $0.004 each, text requests $0.00075 each, training costs $0.50 per minute
  • Variable costs can accumulate quickly for high-volume applications

Olark

  • The AI website agent is a $400 a month flat plan billed annually at $4,800, which is a large step from the $29 per agent human only plan
  • That flat price covers only one human seat, with each additional seat at $29 a month
  • Regional routing, SSO and custom SLAs require a custom enterprise plan with no published price

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Lex

Free
  • Standard Usage$0.004/per speech request
    • Speech requests at $0.004 each
  • Text Requests$0.00075/per text request
    • Text requests at $0.00075 each

Olark

$29/month
  • Standard AI Website Agent$400/month
    • One human agent seat included
    • Unlimited AI conversations
    • Automatic FAQ and knowledge updates
  • Live Chat Only$29/month
    • Human operators only
    • No AI component
    • Upgradeable to AI later
  • Custom Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Regional routing
    • Advanced integrations
    • Custom workflows

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Lex if

  • You need speech recognition.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, AWS Cloud.
  • You also want natural language understanding.
Amazon Lex review

Choose Olark if

  • You need live chat.
  • You also want chat transcripts.
Olark review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Lex or Olark better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Lex starts at Free and Olark at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Lex or Olark?
Amazon Lex has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amazon Lex and $29/month for Olark.
Does Amazon Lex or Olark run on more platforms?
Amazon Lex runs on Web, AWS Cloud. Olark runs on Web.
Can I use Amazon Lex for free?
Yes. Amazon Lex has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Olark starts at $29/month.
What is Amazon Lex best used for?
Amazon Lex is most often used for chatbot development, voice-based conversational ai, natural language understanding. Of those, chatbot development and voice-based conversational ai are not what Olark is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Lex do that Olark cannot?
Amazon Lex covers Speech recognition, Natural language understanding, Voice and text, Lambda integration. Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon Lex: How much does Amazon Lex cost?

Amazon Lex charges $0.004 per speech request and $0.00075 per text request with no upfront commitments or minimum fees required.

Source
Olark: How much does Olark's Standard AI plan cost?

Olark's Standard AI Website Agent plan costs $400 per month when billed annually ($4,800/year). This includes one human agent seat, unlimited AI conversations, automatic FAQ updates, lead capture, and white glove support with no token limits or overages.

Source
Amazon Lex: Is there a free tier for Amazon Lex?

Yes, new AWS customers receive 10,000 text requests and 5,000 speech requests per month free for the first year. Additional $200 in AWS Free Tier credits are available for new customers as of July 15, 2025, with all credits expiring within 12 months.

Source
Olark: What is the cost for additional agent seats on Olark?

Additional human agent seats on Olark cost $29 per agent per month. This rate applies when upgrading from the Standard AI plan.

Source
Amazon Lex: What is the example monthly cost for Amazon Lex?

For 8,000 speech requests ($32) and 2,000 text requests ($1.50), the approximate monthly total is $33.50, though actual costs vary based on usage volume.

Source
Olark: Does Olark charge based on token usage?

No, Olark explicitly states 'No token costs, ever.' The Standard AI plan charges per agent seat with no usage-based overages or token limits, avoiding unexpected cost spikes during peak traffic periods.

Source
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