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Software · head to head

HelpCrunch vs Olark

HelpCrunch logo

HelpCrunch

Software

Live chat, helpdesk, and AI chatbot platform for customer support

From
On 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: HelpCrunch pricing is not fully transparent since it depends on email volume and AI usage tiers.; 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: HelpCrunch covers Live Chat Widget, Olark covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HelpCrunch and Olark actually diverge.

Attributes where HelpCrunch and Olark differ
AttributeHelpCrunchOlark
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
Platformsweb, ios, androidWeb
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 HelpCrunch

  • Live Chat Widget
  • Shared Team Inbox
  • AI Chatbot
  • Email Marketing Automation
  • Knowledge Base
  • Auto-resend by Email

Only in Olark

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

What people use each for

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

HelpCrunch

  • Real-time website customer supportnot Olark
  • Consolidating support and marketing email in one toolnot Olark
  • AI-automated first-line customer responsesnot Olark
  • Small business helpdesk ticketingnot Olark

Olark

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

Where each one falls short

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

HelpCrunch

  • Pricing is not fully transparent since it depends on email volume and AI usage tiers.
  • AI conversation add-ons become expensive at high volume, up to $8,000/month for 100,000 conversations.
  • Exact plan prices for Basic, Pro, and Unlimited are not published directly on the pricing page.
  • Smaller teams may find the tiered add-on system harder to predict than flat per-seat pricing.

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

HelpCrunch

On request
  • Basic$undefined/month
    • Live chat
    • Shared inbox
    • Email volume tiers
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • AI conversations included
    • AI data sources included
  • Unlimited$undefined/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Highest email volume
    • Priority 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 HelpCrunch if

  • You need live chat widget.
  • You work on web, ios, android.
  • You also want shared team inbox.
HelpCrunch 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 HelpCrunch or Olark better?
Neither clearly leads. HelpCrunch starts at On request and Olark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HelpCrunch or Olark?
Olark has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for HelpCrunch and Free for Olark.
Does HelpCrunch or Olark run on more platforms?
HelpCrunch runs on web, ios, android. Olark runs on Web.
Can I use Olark for free?
Yes. Olark has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HelpCrunch starts at On request.
What is HelpCrunch best used for?
HelpCrunch is most often used for real-time website customer support, consolidating support and marketing email in one tool, ai-automated first-line customer responses, small business helpdesk ticketing. Of those, real-time website customer support and consolidating support and marketing email in one tool are not what Olark is typically brought in for.
What can HelpCrunch do that Olark cannot?
HelpCrunch covers Live Chat Widget, Shared Team Inbox, AI Chatbot, Email Marketing Automation. Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HelpCrunch: Is there a free trial for HelpCrunch?

Yes, HelpCrunch offers a free trial with no credit card required, and includes free migration from competing tools.

Source
HelpCrunch: How does HelpCrunch charge for AI features?

Pro and higher plans include a free monthly limit of AI conversations and AI data sources; additional usage is purchased in blocks, for example 100 extra conversations for $29/month.

Source
HelpCrunch: Does annual billing save money?

Yes, HelpCrunch offers a 20% discount on plans and AI add-ons when billed annually instead of monthly.

Source
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Related pages

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