Is Botpress or Olark better?

Neither clearly leads. Botpress 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, Botpress or Olark?

Botpress has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Botpress and $29/month for Olark.

Does Botpress or Olark run on more platforms?

Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). Olark runs on Web.

Can I use Botpress for free?

Yes. Botpress has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Olark starts at $29/month.

What is Botpress best used for?

Botpress is most often used for ai customer support ticketing and refund processing, multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalation, self-service account updates and order corrections, proactive customer outreach and retention. Of those, ai customer support ticketing and refund processing and multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalation are not what Olark is typically brought in for.

What can Botpress do that Olark cannot?

Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Both handle Slack.

Live Chat · head to head

Botpress vs Olark

Botpress

Live Chat

Open-source chatbot platform and framework

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Olark

Live Chat

Make your business human

From: $29/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Botpress has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Botpress dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs; 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: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, Olark covers Live chat.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Botpress and Olark actually diverge.

Attributes where Botpress and Olark differ
Attribute	Botpress	Olark
Starting price	Free	$29/month
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud)	Web
Founded	2016	2009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Botpress

Visual bot builder
NLU integration
Multi-channel support
Analytics
Teams
Messenger
WhatsApp
On-premise support

Only in Olark

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

Both cover

Slack

What people use each for

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

Botpress

AI customer support ticketing and refund processingnot Olark
Multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalationnot Olark
Self-service account updates and order correctionsnot Olark
Proactive customer outreach and retentionnot Olark

Olark

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

Where each one falls short

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

Botpress

Dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs

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

Botpress

Free

Standard$9000/year
- Up to 4 seats
- 1,200 conversations per month
- No per-seat cost

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 Botpress if

You need visual bot builder.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
You also want nlu integration.

Botpress review

Choose Olark if

You need live chat.
You also want chat transcripts.

Olark review

Questions people ask

Is Botpress or Olark better?: Neither clearly leads. Botpress 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, Botpress or Olark?: Botpress has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Botpress and $29/month for Olark.
Does Botpress or Olark run on more platforms?: Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). Olark runs on Web.
Can I use Botpress for free?: Yes. Botpress has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Olark starts at $29/month.
What is Botpress best used for?: Botpress is most often used for ai customer support ticketing and refund processing, multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalation, self-service account updates and order corrections, proactive customer outreach and retention. Of those, ai customer support ticketing and refund processing and multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalation are not what Olark is typically brought in for.
What can Botpress do that Olark cannot?: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Both handle Slack.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Botpress: How much does Botpress cost?

Botpress charges $9,000 per year for the standard plan supporting 4 seats with 1,200 conversations monthly. No per-seat cost is applied when adding team members or expanding usage, and AI capabilities are included in the subscription.

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

Botpress: Is there a free Botpress plan?

Yes, Botpress offers a free tier with no credit card required. You can try the platform for free and test it on your own support tickets before upgrading.

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

Botpress: What does Botpress include compared to Zendesk or Intercom?

Botpress saves $25,500 per year compared to Zendesk and Intercom for a 4-seat team handling 1,200 monthly conversations, delivering the same AI-powered support without separate AI billing.

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

Botpress vs Olark

Botpress

Olark

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Botpress

Only in Olark

Both cover

What people use each for

Botpress

Olark

Where each one falls short

Botpress

Olark

Pricing, plan by plan

Botpress

Olark

Which should you pick?

Choose Botpress if

Choose Olark if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Botpress

More on Olark

Keep looking

Other head to heads