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Olark vs Plain

Olark logo

Olark

Live Chat

Make your business human

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Plain logo

Plain

Customer Support

AI support infrastructure built for B2B teams

From
$35/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Plain foundation plan limited to 2,000 credits per month may be restrictive for high-volume teams
  • They diverge on capability: Olark covers Live chat, Plain covers Multi-channel consolidation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Olark and Plain actually diverge.

Attributes where Olark and Plain differ
AttributeOlarkPlain
Starting price$29/month$35/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionTiered pricing per seat with credit system
PlatformsWebWeb, API
CategoryLive ChatCustomer Support
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Plain

  • Multi-channel consolidation
  • AI agents
  • Workflow automation
  • Sidekick assistant
  • Insights engine
  • Linear and Jira integration
  • Help Center and Knowledge Base
  • API-first extensibility

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 Plain
  • Running an AI agent on website conversations with human handoffnot Plain

Plain

  • Consolidating support from multiple channels into one inboxnot Olark
  • Automating support workflows with AI agentsnot Olark
  • Extracting insights and trends from customer conversationsnot Olark
  • Building custom support solutions with API accessnot Olark
  • Implementing AI-assisted customer support at scalenot 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

Plain

  • Foundation plan limited to 2,000 credits per month may be restrictive for high-volume teams
  • Pricing increases significantly from Foundation to Horizon ($35 to $299 per month)
  • No published pricing for Frontier (custom) plan
  • Additional seat costs ($99 per seat) add up for larger teams
  • Credit-based system requires monitoring usage to avoid overages

Pricing, plan by plan

Olark

$29/month
  • Standard AI Website Agent$400/month
    • One human agent seat included
    • Unlimited AI conversations
    • Automatic FAQ and knowledge updates
  • Live Chat Only$29/month
    • Human operators only
    • No AI component
    • Upgradeable to AI later
  • Custom Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Regional routing
    • Advanced integrations
    • Custom workflows

Plain

$35/month
  • Foundation$35/month
    • 2,000 credits per month
    • Slack and email channels
    • Ari AI agent
  • Horizon$299/month
    • 15,000 credits per month
    • All Foundation features
    • Microsoft Teams integration
  • Frontier$null/custom
    • Custom credit allowance
    • All Horizon features
    • Discord channels

Which should you pick?

Choose Olark if

  • You need live chat.
  • You also want chat transcripts.
Olark review

Choose Plain if

  • You need multi-channel consolidation.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want ai agents.
Plain review

Questions people ask

Is Olark or Plain better?
Neither clearly leads. Olark starts at $29/month and Plain at $35/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Olark or Plain?
Olark starts at $29/month and Plain at $35/month.
Does Olark or Plain run on more platforms?
Olark runs on Web. Plain runs on Web, API.
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 Plain is typically brought in for.
What can Olark do that Plain cannot?
Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Plain covers Multi-channel consolidation, AI agents, Workflow automation, Sidekick assistant.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Olark: How much does Olark's Standard AI plan cost?

Olark's Standard AI Website Agent plan costs $400 per month when billed annually ($4,800/year). This includes one human agent seat, unlimited AI conversations, automatic FAQ updates, lead capture, and white glove support with no token limits or overages.

Source
Plain: What is included in the Foundation plan?

The Foundation plan ($35/month per seat) includes 2,000 credits per month, support for Slack and email, Ari AI agent, Linear and Jira integrations, and Help Center access. Up to 5 seats are included.

Source
Olark: What is the cost for additional agent seats on Olark?

Additional human agent seats on Olark cost $29 per agent per month. This rate applies when upgrading from the Standard AI plan.

Source
Plain: Can I use Plain with Microsoft Teams?

Yes, Microsoft Teams integration is available on the Horizon plan ($299/month) and higher.

Source
Olark: Does Olark charge based on token usage?

No, Olark explicitly states 'No token costs, ever.' The Standard AI plan charges per agent seat with no usage-based overages or token limits, avoiding unexpected cost spikes during peak traffic periods.

Source
Plain: Is there a free trial for Plain?

Yes, Plain offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. You can also get 50% discount through their startup program.

Source
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