Softwr

Software · head to head

Freshchat vs Olark

Freshchat logo

Freshchat

Software

Modern messaging for customer engagement

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Olark logo

Olark

Software

Make your business human

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Freshchat the free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting; 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: Freshchat covers Chatbots, Olark covers Chat transcripts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshchat and Olark actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshchat and Olark differ
AttributeFreshchatOlark
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20102009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), 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 Freshchat

  • Chatbots
  • Campaigns
  • WhatsApp
  • Instagram
  • Apple Business Chat
  • Freshdesk
  • Freshsales
  • Shopify

Only in Olark

  • Chat transcripts
  • Visitor insights
  • Customization
  • Offline messaging
  • Shortcuts
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Mailchimp

Both cover

  • Live chat
  • Slack
  • Zendesk
  • GDPR
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Freshchat

  • Live chat on a website or in an appnot Olark
  • Shared inbox across chat, email and social messengersnot Olark
  • Chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agentnot Olark
  • Routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiersnot Olark

Olark

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

Where each one falls short

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

Freshchat

  • The free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
  • Reporting and social channels need Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually
  • Intelligent routing, multilingual support and custom dashboards require Pro at $49 per agent per month
  • Skill-based routing, audit logs and IP whitelisting are Enterprise only at $79 per agent per month
  • Freddy AI is charged on top of the seat price, at $49 per 100 agent sessions and $29 per agent per month for Copilot

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

Freshchat

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 contacts
    • Chatbot
    • Inbox views
  • Growth$19/month
    • 2000 contacts
    • WhatsApp
    • Instagram
  • Pro$49/month
    • 5000 contacts
    • Auto-resolve
    • Advanced routing
  • Enterprise$79/month
    • Unlimited contacts
    • Custom bots
    • User authentication

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 Freshchat if

  • You need chatbots.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want campaigns.
Freshchat review

Choose Olark if

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

Questions people ask

Is Freshchat or Olark better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshchat starts at Free and Olark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshchat or Olark?
Freshchat starts at Free and Olark at Free.
Does Freshchat or Olark run on more platforms?
Freshchat runs on Web, Ios, Android. Olark runs on Web.
Can I use Freshchat for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Freshchat best used for?
Freshchat is most often used for live chat on a website or in an app, shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers, chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agent, routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiers. Of those, live chat on a website or in an app and shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers are not what Olark is typically brought in for.
What can Freshchat do that Olark cannot?
Freshchat covers Chatbots, Campaigns, WhatsApp, Instagram. Olark covers Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization, Offline messaging. Both handle Live chat, Slack, Zendesk, GDPR.
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Related pages

More on Freshchat

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