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Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head

Olark vs tawk.to

Olark logo

Olark

Live Chat & Chatbots

Make your business human

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
tawk.to logo

tawk.to

Live Chat & Chatbots

100% free live chat software

From
Free
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; tawk.to removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: Olark covers Chat transcripts, tawk.to covers Ticketing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Olark and tawk.to actually diverge.

Attributes where Olark and tawk.to differ
AttributeOlarktawk.to
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac
Founded20092013

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

  • Chat transcripts
  • Visitor insights
  • Customization
  • Offline messaging
  • Shortcuts
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Slack

Only in tawk.to

  • Ticketing
  • Knowledge base
  • CRM
  • Video chat
  • Screen sharing
  • WordPress
  • Shopify
  • Wix

Both cover

  • Live chat
  • GDPR
  • 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 tawk.to
  • Running an AI agent on website conversations with human handoffnot tawk.to

tawk.to

  • Budget-conscious sites wanting free core live chat and paying only for specific add-ons like AI or staffed agentsnot 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

tawk.to

  • Removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
  • Enhanced AI Assist chatbot is a paid add-on starting at $29/month rather than included free
  • Human staffed chat agents are billed at $1/hour as a separate add-on

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

tawk.to

Free
  • Free ForeverFree
    • Unlimited agents
    • Unlimited history
    • Mobile apps
  • Hired Agent$1/hour
    • Professional agents
    • 24/7 coverage
    • Quality assured
  • Remove Branding$19/month
    • White label
    • Custom branding

Which should you pick?

Choose Olark if

  • You need chat transcripts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want visitor insights.
Olark review

Choose tawk.to if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
  • You also want knowledge base.
tawk.to review

Questions people ask

Is Olark or tawk.to better?
Neither clearly leads. Olark starts at Free and tawk.to at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Olark or tawk.to?
Olark starts at Free and tawk.to at Free.
Does Olark or tawk.to run on more platforms?
Olark runs on Web. tawk.to runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
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 tawk.to is typically brought in for.
What can Olark do that tawk.to cannot?
Olark covers Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization, Offline messaging. tawk.to covers Ticketing, Knowledge base, CRM, Video chat. Both handle Live chat, GDPR, SSL, Web support.
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