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Amazon Lex vs Olark

Amazon Lex logo

Amazon Lex

Software

AWS conversational AI service

From
$0.00075/per text request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Olark logo

Olark

Software

Make your business human

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Olark 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.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Amazon Lex and Olark differ
AttributeAmazon LexOlark
Starting price$0.00075/per text requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, AWS CloudWeb
Founded20062009

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

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

  • Building conversational chatbots leveraging Alexa deep learning enginenot Olark
  • Voice and text-based NLU applications requiring automatic speech recognitionnot Olark
  • Custom conversational interfaces integrated into existing applicationsnot 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

$0.00075/per text request

No published plan breakdown. See the Amazon Lex review.

Olark

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 20 chats/month
    • 1 agent
    • Basic customization
  • Standard$29/month
    • Unlimited chats
    • Chat transcripts
    • Integrations
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Co-browsing
    • Chatbot
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Lex if

  • You need speech recognition.
  • You work on Web, AWS Cloud.
  • You also want natural language understanding.
Amazon Lex review

Choose Olark if

  • You need live chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want chat transcripts.
Olark review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Lex or Olark better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Lex starts at $0.00075/per text request and Olark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Lex or Olark?
Olark has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.00075/per text request for Amazon Lex and Free 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 Olark for free?
Yes. Olark has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amazon Lex starts at $0.00075/per text request.
What is Amazon Lex best used for?
Amazon Lex is most often used for building conversational chatbots leveraging alexa deep learning engine, voice and text-based nlu applications requiring automatic speech recognition, custom conversational interfaces integrated into existing applications. Of those, building conversational chatbots leveraging alexa deep learning engine and voice and text-based nlu applications requiring automatic speech recognition 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.
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