Firstly—what is Olark?
Olark is a powerful live chat software designed to help businesses connect with customers in real time and improve customer engagement.
Some of its key features include customizable chat widget, automated messages, real-time chat monitoring, and reporting tools.
But—
This solution may not suit every business, as it’s relatively simple and can lack some functionality compared to competitors. If you’re seeking an alternative to Olark, this article is for you.
Here’s a comparison table for a quick overview of the top available platforms:
| Platform | Ratings | Free plan/trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tidio | 4.7/5 ⭐ | ✅ | AI capabilities |
| LiveAgent | 4.5/5 ⭐️ | 14-day free trial | Pre-chat survey |
| Chatbot | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | 14-day free trial | Ready-to-use templates |
| Crisp | 4.5/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Offline lead generation |
| Intercom | 4.5/5 ⭐️ | 14-day free trial | Simple flow builder |
| LiveChat | 4.5/5 ⭐️ | 14-day free trial | Intelligent chat routing |
| Freshdesk | 4.2/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Shared inbox |
| Zendesk | 4.3/5 ⭐️ | 14-day free trial | Ticketing system |
| Drift | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Chat-to-call function |
| Tawk.to | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Free web-chat tools |
Let’s start with—
Why look for an Olark alternative?
According to Enlyft, Olark has 1.58% of the customer service management market share. And while Olark is a great out-of-the-box tool for businesses looking for something simple, it has its limits.
The users of the platform point these as the most obvious drawbacks of the platform:
- Underwhelming live chat tool
- No built-in ticketing system
- Limited canned response features
- Limited multichannel support
- Unclear Olark pricing plans
So, if you’re one of many businesses looking for an Olark alternative, here are the top software worth checking out.
9 best Olark alternatives: detailed reviews
On top of live chat support, the platform you choose needs a range of advanced features, self-service portal, ticket automation, and iOS as well as Android apps. Let’s jump straight into the detailed reviews of Olark alternatives:
1. Tidio
Rating: 4.7/5 ⭐️ (1,560+ reviews)
Tidio is a customer service software that combines a helpdesk system, live chat functionality, and AI features. It focuses on automating workflows to speed up processes and boost client satisfaction.
You can embed a chat widget integrated with conversational AI, on your website for real-time support. This system also brings customer interactions from multiple channels into a shared inbox so you can keep track of all your conversations and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
Main features:
- AI-powered chatbots
- Shared inbox
- Ticketing system
- Helpdesk automation
- Live chat software
- 7-day free trial available
- Free version available
- Starter ($29/mo)
- Growth (starts at $59/mo)
- Plus (starts at $749/mo)
- Premium (starts at $2999/mo)
Choose a customizable and automated live chat for your business
Read more: Learn how to customize your Tidio widget. Also, check out how Gecko Hospitality used Tidio to automate 90% of its customer service.
2. LiveAgent
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (1,500+ reviews)
LiveAgent is an Olark alternative known for its fast-loading live chat. Automations with ChatGPT provide appropriate replies to customers. Users can also apply the proactive chat feature to capture leads and enhance customer communication.
Other available functions include the pre-set canned responses and a universal inbox that helps to manage all messages by automatically assigning as well as tracking support tickets. Businesses can also create a self-service knowledge base, FAQs, how-to guides, and community forums for customers.
Pros:
- Pre-chat surveys
- Canned responses
- Universal inbox
Cons:
- Mobile UX is not very intuitive
- Ineffective spam filtering
- Free 14-day trial available
- Starter ($20/mo/person)
- Team ($41/mo/person)
- Business ($59/mo/person)
- Enterprise → contact sales team
3. Crisp
Ratings: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (95+ reviews)
Crisp is a customer messaging platform popular among small businesses, helping them send fast feedback while collecting customer information. Crisp uses email, live chat, and social media channels to send communications to your clients and website visitors. This Olark alternative provides personalized support using knowledge base, chatbots, and a unified inbox functionality.
Pros
- Lead generation forms
- Customer journey map
- Ticketing system
Cons:
- Customization options restrictive on chatbot
- Complications during API integration
- Free version
- Pro ($25/mo/workspace)
- Unlimited ($95/mo/workspace)
Did you know that…
Customer service software is projected to grow to exceed $9.48 billion in 2024.
4. Intercom
Ratings: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (3,205+ reviews)
Intercom is a top-rated Olark alternative that uses AI for its chatbot, help desk software, and knowledge base. This software makes customer support teams spend less time on Q&A and more on personalized interactions that build long-term relationships.
Intercom is aimed at enterprise businesses, as it offers many complex features that require resources to utilize fully. As you plan for the future, reports from chat support, workflows, and team performance, come in handy.
Pros
- Built-in AI for knowledge base and chatbots
- Omnichannel support available
- Workflow automation tools
Cons
- Learning curve necessary
- Complex features overwhelm new users
- Free 14-day trial available
- Essential ($39/mo/seat)
- Advanced ($99/mo/seat)
- Expert ($139/mo/seat)
Read more: Discover the top Intercom alternatives and choose one that best suits your business.
5. LiveChat
Ratings: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (750+ reviews)
We have already mentioned this provider as they are also behind ChatBot software. So, let’s get a bit more in depth. LiveChat is a great alternative to Olark because they both offer popular chat tools that visitors love. With this messaging platform, potential customers can chat with support agents in real time and your service team can segment users, access reports and analytics, and connect with over 200 integrations including WhatsApp.
Pros
- Real-time reporting
- Customizable chatbox
- Intelligent chat routing
Cons
- Lacks AI-driven functionality
- Performance lags during high-traffic
- Starter ($20/mo/user)
- Team ($41/mo/user)
- Business ($59/mo/user)
- Enterprise → contact sales
Read more: Go through the detailed reviews of the best LiveChat alternatives.
6. Freshdesk
Ratings: 4.2/5 ⭐️ (3,220+ reviews)
Freshdesk stands out for its omnichannel help desk, AI, and ticketing system features. It offers team collaboration where conversations from live chat, email, phone calls, Twitter, and Facebook Messenger are converted into tickets for team members to collaborate on. The goal is to track all conversations across multiple channels in one place and organize leads. Freshdesk also offers features like ticket tagging, task automations, quick replies, and more.
Pros
- Advanced AI and chatbot capabilities
- Canned responses
- User-friendly design
Cons
- No integration for Instagram or SMS
- Limited automation functionality
- Free version available
- Growth ($18/mo/agent)
- Pro ($59/mo/agent)
- Enterprise ($95/mo/agent)
Read more: Compare Freshdesk alternatives to get the right tool for your business.
7. Zendesk
Ratings: 4.3/5 ⭐️ (5,900+ reviews)
While both Zendesk and Olark have real-time live chat, the former is a significantly superior tool with years of market experience and product maturity. It offers pre-chat forms that give context to a support agent before they engage the customer, increasing the likelihood of closing a sale.
On top of that, the platform offers automated ticket triggers and proactive messaging to answer questions in real time and reroute the complex queries to a human agent on auto-pilot. Zendesk also provides a CRM system and an omnichannel feature that centralizes communication across email, chat, and social media, into one panel.
Pros
- Pre-chat forms
- Customizable platform
- Trigger automations
Cons
- Slow response time from the support team
- Collapsing admin bar can be irritating
- No buttons to undo actions
- Free trial available
- Basic Plan ($19/mo/agent)
- Suite Team ($69/mo/agent)
- Suite Growth ($115/mo/agent)
- Suite Professional ($149/mo/agent)
- Suite Enterprise → contact sales
- Suite Enterprise Plus → contact sales
Read more: Check out the top Zendesk alternatives and select one that best suits your business.
8. Salesloft (formerly Drift)
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (1,250+ reviews)
Drift makes it to our list of Olark alternatives for its conversational approach when engaging customers. A powerful live chat solution and AI chatbot is what’s behind the human-like texting behind the tool. The platform enables website visitors to quickly receive answers to their queries, get recommendations, or schedule a meeting. Created with marketing and sales in mind, Salesloft is ideal for improving your conversion rates.
Pros
- Chat-to-call function
- Lead qualification forms
- Marketing automation tools
Cons
- Overwhelming range of features for new users
- Integration complications during implementation
- Advanced → contact sales
- Premier → contact sales
Read more: Check out the best Salesloft alternatives available on the market today.
9. Tawk.to
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (185+ reviews)
Tawk.to is a free Olark alternative with a customizable chat widget that can be embedded on any website. With Tawk.to, you can enable pop-up notifications and communicate with your website visitors in real time. A scheduler helps to turn the chat window on or off, based on the predetermined times. Messages pile in the inbox stack from most recent to oldest, showing which ones are opened and closed. Moreover, agents can turn messages into tickets based on the details of each query.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Customizable chat widget
- Chat history and chat transcripts
Cons
- Advanced customization or integration needs technical knowledge
- Limited capabilities on mobile app
- Free
- Hire agents ($1/hour/agent)
Read more: Discover the best Tawk.to alternatives and choose the right one for your business.
Olark alternatives: key takeaway
Basic tools are ideal for small businesses or startups needing simple chat and reporting features. However, larger companies may require more robust capabilities, such as multilingual support, advanced AI chatbots, and a unified inbox for omnichannel support.
The tools in this article increase customer satisfaction and agent productivity so your business can scale efficiently. And why not test conversational AI, ticketing system, and live chat features right away?
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