Softwr

Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head

Google Dialogflow vs Olark

Google Dialogflow logo

Google Dialogflow

Live Chat & Chatbots

Google's conversational AI platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Olark logo

Olark

Live Chat & Chatbots

Make your business human

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Google Dialogflow google's own Dialogflow pricing page (cloud.google.com/dialogflow/pricing) prices Conversational Agents (CX) text requests at $0.007 per request, audio input at $0.0065 per 15 seconds and audio output from $4 per 1 million characters, all in USD, with a one-time $600 free credit for the first 12 months; Dialogflow ES (Essentials) is billed per request separately from CX and the two are not interchangeable, so a chatbot built on ES cannot simply switch to CX pricing without migration.; 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: Google Dialogflow covers NLU and NLG, Olark covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Dialogflow and Olark actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Dialogflow and Olark differ
AttributeGoogle DialogflowOlark
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistantsWeb
Founded19982009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Live Chat & Chatbots).

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 Google Dialogflow

  • NLU and NLG
  • Multi-language support
  • Integration with Google services
  • Webhooks
  • Google Cloud
  • Facebook
  • Telegram
  • Mobile support

Only in Olark

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

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Google Dialogflow

  • Customer engagementnot Olark
  • Lead generationnot Olark
  • Customer supportnot Olark
  • Sales automationnot Olark

Olark

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

Where each one falls short

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

Google Dialogflow

  • Google's own Dialogflow pricing page (cloud.google.com/dialogflow/pricing) prices Conversational Agents (CX) text requests at $0.007 per request, audio input at $0.0065 per 15 seconds and audio output from $4 per 1 million characters, all in USD, with a one-time $600 free credit for the first 12 months; Dialogflow ES (Essentials) is billed per request separately from CX and the two are not interchangeable, so a chatbot built on ES cannot simply switch to CX pricing without migration.

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

Google Dialogflow

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 100 requests/day
    • Basic NLU
  • Standard$0.005/month
    • Pay per request
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom SLAs
    • Dedicated support

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 Google Dialogflow if

  • You need nlu and nlg.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistants.
  • You also want multi-language support.

Choose Olark if

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

Questions people ask

Is Google Dialogflow or Olark better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Dialogflow 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, Google Dialogflow or Olark?
Google Dialogflow starts at Free and Olark at Free.
Does Google Dialogflow or Olark run on more platforms?
Google Dialogflow runs on Web, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistants. Olark runs on Web.
Can I use Google Dialogflow for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Google Dialogflow best used for?
Google Dialogflow is most often used for customer engagement, lead generation, customer support, sales automation. Of those, customer engagement and lead generation are not what Olark is typically brought in for.
What can Google Dialogflow do that Olark cannot?
Google Dialogflow covers NLU and NLG, Multi-language support, Integration with Google services, Webhooks. Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Both handle Slack, Web support.

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