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IBM Watson Assistant vs Olark

IBM Watson Assistant logo

IBM Watson Assistant

Software

IBM's enterprise AI platform for conversational experiences

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: IBM Watson Assistant listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £112 per instance per month, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM watsonx Assistant; 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: IBM Watson Assistant covers NLU engine, Olark covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IBM Watson Assistant and Olark actually diverge.

Attributes where IBM Watson Assistant and Olark differ
AttributeIBM Watson AssistantOlark
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centersWeb
Founded19112009

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 IBM Watson Assistant

  • NLU engine
  • Dialogue management
  • Integration with Watson services
  • Multi-language
  • Teams
  • SAP
  • Mobile support
  • Messaging support

Only in Olark

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

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

IBM Watson Assistant

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

Olark

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

Where each one falls short

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

IBM Watson Assistant

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £112 per instance per month, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM watsonx Assistant

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

IBM Watson Assistant

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic chatbot
    • Limited interactions
  • Plus$140/month
    • Unlimited interactions
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Full customization
    • 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 IBM Watson Assistant if

  • You need nlu engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers.
  • You also want dialogue management.
IBM Watson Assistant 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 IBM Watson Assistant or Olark better?
Neither clearly leads. IBM Watson Assistant 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, IBM Watson Assistant or Olark?
IBM Watson Assistant starts at Free and Olark at Free.
Does IBM Watson Assistant or Olark run on more platforms?
IBM Watson Assistant runs on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers. Olark runs on Web.
Can I use IBM Watson Assistant for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is IBM Watson Assistant best used for?
IBM Watson Assistant 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 IBM Watson Assistant do that Olark cannot?
IBM Watson Assistant covers NLU engine, Dialogue management, Integration with Watson services, Multi-language. Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Both handle Slack, Salesforce, Web support.
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