Live Chat · head to head
Olark vs SupportBee

SupportBee
Customer Support
Simple email ticketing for small teams
- From
- $13/month
- 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; SupportBee email-only ticketing, no live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features
- They diverge on capability: Olark covers Live chat, SupportBee covers Shared inbox.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Olark and SupportBee actually diverge.
| Attribute | Olark | SupportBee |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month | $13/month |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Mobile Browser |
| Category | Live Chat | Customer Support |
| Founded | 2009 | 2010 |
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 SupportBee
- Shared inbox
- Email ticketing
- Snippets
- Customer portal
- Knowledge base
- Reports
- Trello
- Asana
Both cover
- Slack
- SSL
- 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 SupportBee
- Running an AI agent on website conversations with human handoffnot SupportBee
SupportBee
- Email supportnot Olark
- Ticket managementnot Olark
- Team collaborationnot 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
SupportBee
- Email-only ticketing, no live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features
- Basic reporting and analytics, lacking advanced dashboards and customizable metrics
- No SLA management capabilities
- Limited workflow customization compared to enterprise platforms
- No dedicated mobile app (web interface only)
- Confusing navigation and UI issues reported by some users
- Cannot select and snooze multiple emails at once
- Occasional performance delays
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
SupportBee
$13/month- Startup$13/month
- Unlimited tickets and inboxes
- Team inbox with ticket assignment
- Knowledge base integration (KBee)
- Enterprise$17/month
- All Startup features
- Advanced integrations
- Custom roles and permissions
Which should you pick?
Choose SupportBee if
- You need shared inbox.
- You work on Web, Mobile Browser.
- You also want email ticketing.
Questions people ask
- Is Olark or SupportBee better?
- Neither clearly leads. Olark starts at $29/month and SupportBee at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Olark or SupportBee?
- Olark starts at $29/month and SupportBee at $13/month.
- Does Olark or SupportBee run on more platforms?
- Olark runs on Web. SupportBee runs on Web, Mobile Browser.
- 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 SupportBee is typically brought in for.
- What can Olark do that SupportBee cannot?
- Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. SupportBee covers Shared inbox, Email ticketing, Snippets, Customer portal. Both handle Slack, SSL, Web support.
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.
SourceSupportBee: How much does SupportBee cost?
SupportBee offers Startup plan at $13/user/month and Enterprise at $17/user/month, both with unlimited tickets and inboxes. No per-ticket charges. A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required.
SourceOlark: 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.
SourceSupportBee: Does SupportBee offer live chat or phone support?
No. SupportBee focuses on email ticketing and does not include native live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features. It is designed for email-based customer support.
SourceOlark: 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.
SourceSupportBee: What platforms can SupportBee run on?
SupportBee is a web-based platform accessible on desktop and mobile browsers. It does not offer a dedicated desktop or mobile app, but the web interface is responsive and works on phones. Integration with email clients is available.
SourceSupportBee: Does SupportBee integrate with Slack?
Yes. SupportBee integrates with Slack to send real-time notifications for new tickets, replies, assignments, and internal comments. Teams can configure which events trigger alerts and organize notifications into dedicated channels.
SourceRelated pages
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