Software · head to head
Olark vs Ada
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; Ada pricing is not published anywhere and requires a sales conversation
- They diverge on capability: Olark covers Live chat, Ada covers Conversational AI.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Olark and Ada actually diverge.
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 Olark
- Live chat
- Chat transcripts
- Visitor insights
- Customization
- Offline messaging
- Shortcuts
- HubSpot
- Mailchimp
Only in Ada
- Conversational AI
- Automatic resolution
- Multi-language support
- Analytics
- API
- Mobile support
- SMS support
- Messaging apps support
Both cover
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Zendesk
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Olark
- Live chat on a website with a small support teamnot Ada
- Running an AI agent on website conversations with human handoffnot Ada
Ada
- AI agents resolving customer queries over chat, voice and emailnot Olark
- Deflecting repetitive contacts before they reach an agentnot Olark
- Automating multi-step actions such as order lookups and returnsnot Olark
- Multilingual support across a global customer basenot Olark
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Ada
- Pricing is not published anywhere and requires a sales conversation
- Sold to enterprises rather than to small support teams
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Ada
Free- FreeFree
- Basic chatbot
- Single language
- Growth$100/month
- Advanced AI
- Multi-language
- Scale$undefined/month
- Enterprise features
- Dedicated support
Which should you pick?
Choose Olark if
- You need live chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want chat transcripts.
Choose Ada if
- You need conversational ai.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile, SMS, Messaging apps.
- You also want automatic resolution.
Questions people ask
- Is Olark or Ada better?
- Neither clearly leads. Olark starts at Free and Ada at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Olark or Ada?
- Olark starts at Free and Ada at Free.
- Does Olark or Ada run on more platforms?
- Olark runs on Web. Ada runs on Web, Mobile, SMS, Messaging apps.
- Can I use Olark for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Olark best used for?
- Olark is most often used for live chat on a website with a small support team, running an ai agent on website conversations with human handoff. Of those, live chat on a website with a small support team and running an ai agent on website conversations with human handoff are not what Ada is typically brought in for.
- What can Olark do that Ada cannot?
- Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Ada covers Conversational AI, Automatic resolution, Multi-language support, Analytics. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, Zendesk, Web support.