Softwr

Live Chat · head to head

Olark vs Zendesk Answer Bot

Olark logo

Olark

Live Chat

Make your business human

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zendesk Answer Bot logo

Zendesk Answer Bot

Live Chat

AI-powered chatbot for automated customer support

From
$55/month per agent
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; Zendesk Answer Bot limited to Help Center articles only; cannot access customer account data, billing information, or external systems
  • They diverge on capability: Olark covers Live chat, Zendesk Answer Bot covers AI chatbot.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Olark and Zendesk Answer Bot actually diverge.

Attributes where Olark and Zendesk Answer Bot differ
AttributeOlarkZendesk Answer Bot
Starting price$29/month$55/month per agent
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb, Email, Slack, Mobile
Founded20092007

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

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 Zendesk Answer Bot

  • AI chatbot
  • Knowledge base integration
  • Intent recognition
  • Multi-language support
  • Zendesk Support
  • Zendesk Chat
  • API
  • Mobile support

Both cover

  • Slack
  • 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 Zendesk Answer Bot
  • Running an AI agent on website conversations with human handoffnot Zendesk Answer Bot

Zendesk Answer Bot

  • Customer engagementnot Olark
  • Lead generationnot Olark
  • Customer supportnot Olark
  • Sales automationnot 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

Zendesk Answer Bot

  • Limited to Help Center articles only; cannot access customer account data, billing information, or external systems
  • Fixed timeout limits on API calls prevent lookups to external systems from completing
  • Does not perform actions like refunds or account updates; only suggests documentation
  • Uses keyword matching rather than true natural language understanding, leading to mismatched suggestions on complex queries

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

Zendesk Answer Bot

$55/month per agent
  • Suite Team$55/month per agent
    • Answer Bot included
  • Suite Growth$89/month per agent
    • Answer Bot included
  • Suite Professional$115/month per agent
    • Answer Bot included

Which should you pick?

Choose Olark if

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

Choose Zendesk Answer Bot if

  • You need ai chatbot.
  • You work on Web, Email, Slack, Mobile.
  • You also want knowledge base integration.
Zendesk Answer Bot review

Questions people ask

Is Olark or Zendesk Answer Bot better?
Neither clearly leads. Olark starts at $29/month and Zendesk Answer Bot at $55/month per agent, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Olark or Zendesk Answer Bot?
Olark starts at $29/month and Zendesk Answer Bot at $55/month per agent.
Does Olark or Zendesk Answer Bot run on more platforms?
Olark runs on Web. Zendesk Answer Bot runs on Web, Email, Slack, Mobile.
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 Zendesk Answer Bot is typically brought in for.
What can Olark do that Zendesk Answer Bot cannot?
Olark covers Live chat, Chat transcripts, Visitor insights, Customization. Zendesk Answer Bot covers AI chatbot, Knowledge base integration, Intent recognition, Multi-language support. Both handle Slack, 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.

Source
Zendesk Answer Bot: Is Answer Bot included in my Zendesk plan?

Answer Bot functionality is now part of Zendesk AI agents included in Suite and Support plans, though Advanced AI features require the Advanced AI add-on. Legacy Essential tier Answer Bot was sunset on December 31, 2026.

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
Zendesk Answer Bot: What channels does Answer Bot support?

Answer Bot works in email autoresponses, Slack channels (free feature for Guide Enterprise or Professional plans), and the web widget. For Slack, it listens to selected channels and suggests relevant Help Center articles to users.

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
Zendesk Answer Bot: Does Answer Bot generate complete answers or just suggest articles?

Classic Answer Bot primarily suggests articles from your Help Center that might solve the issue, leaving the customer to read the article themselves. It does not generate a full response or summarize the article content.

Source
Zendesk Answer Bot: How is Answer Bot usage billed?

As of 2026, Zendesk charges for AI agent features using an automated resolutions model rather than monthly active users. The specific per-resolution pricing varies by plan and was transitioning during 2026.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Olark

More on Zendesk Answer Bot

Keep looking

Other head to heads