Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head
Olark vs Pure Chat
Pure Chat
Live Chat & Chatbots
Simple and affordable live chat for any business
- 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; Pure Chat growth plan is capped at 4 users and 1 website, and PRO is capped at 10 users, with extra seats billed separately at $8 to $15/month per additional operator
- They diverge on capability: Olark covers Live chat, Pure Chat covers Live chat widget.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Olark and Pure Chat actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
- Visitor insights
- Customization
- Offline messaging
- Shortcuts
- Slack
- Zendesk
- Mailchimp
Only in Pure Chat
- Live chat widget
- Visitor information
- Department routing
- Zapier
- API
- Mobile app support
- IOS support
- Android support
Both cover
- Chat transcripts
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- 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 Pure Chat
- Running an AI agent on website conversations with human handoffnot Pure Chat
Pure Chat
- Small single-site teams needing live chat with SMS notificationsnot 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
Pure Chat
- Growth plan is capped at 4 users and 1 website, and PRO is capped at 10 users, with extra seats billed separately at $8 to $15/month per additional operator
- Monthly billing costs more than annual: Growth is $49/month monthly versus $39/month annual, and PRO is $99/month monthly versus $79/month annual
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
Pure Chat
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 1 agent
- Basic chat
- Premium$50/month
- Unlimited agents
- Advanced features
- Business$100/month
- White-label
- Premium support
Which should you pick?
Choose Olark if
- You need live chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want visitor insights.
Choose Pure Chat if
- You need live chat widget.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android.
- You also want visitor information.
Questions people ask
- Is Olark or Pure Chat better?
- Neither clearly leads. Olark starts at Free and Pure Chat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Olark or Pure Chat?
- Olark starts at Free and Pure Chat at Free.
- Does Olark or Pure Chat run on more platforms?
- Olark runs on Web. Pure Chat runs on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android.
- 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 Pure Chat is typically brought in for.
- What can Olark do that Pure Chat cannot?
- Olark covers Live chat, Visitor insights, Customization, Offline messaging. Pure Chat covers Live chat widget, Visitor information, Department routing, Zapier. Both handle Chat transcripts, Salesforce, HubSpot, Web support.