Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head
Olark vs Botpress
Botpress
Live Chat & Chatbots
Open-source chatbot platform and framework
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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; Botpress managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure
- They diverge on capability: Olark covers Live chat, Botpress covers Visual bot builder.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Olark and Botpress actually diverge.
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 Olark
- Live chat
- Chat transcripts
- Visitor insights
- Customization
- Offline messaging
- Shortcuts
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
Only in Botpress
- Visual bot builder
- NLU integration
- Multi-channel support
- Analytics
- Teams
- Messenger
- On-premise support
Both cover
- Slack
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 Botpress
- Running an AI agent on website conversations with human handoffnot Botpress
Botpress
- Development teams building chatbots and conversational AI using MIT-licensed open-source frameworknot Olark
- Organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via SDK/CLInot 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
Botpress
- Managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure
- Dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs
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
Botpress
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Botpress review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Olark if
- You need live chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want chat transcripts.
Choose Botpress if
- You need visual bot builder.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
- You also want nlu integration.
Questions people ask
- Is Olark or Botpress better?
- Neither clearly leads. Olark starts at Free and Botpress at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Olark or Botpress?
- Olark starts at Free and Botpress at Free.
- Does Olark or Botpress run on more platforms?
- Olark runs on Web. Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
- 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 Botpress is typically brought in for.
- What can Olark do that Botpress cannot?
- Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Both handle Slack.