Alternatives · Help Desks
Olark alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the best Olark alternative for most people is Tidio (3.2 GPA), second in our ranking of help desk and live chat tools. It's also the best free one.
Olark compared with 8 alternatives: Text by LiveChat, tawk.to, Crisp, Tidio, Smartsupp and 3 more.
Olark is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $29 per agent / month. 5 of the 8 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 3 more offer a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a Olark sale?
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| OlarkThis tool | Free trial · from $29/mo | Trial only | Web, iOS, Android |
| Text by LiveChat | Free trial · from $19/mo | Trial only | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| tawk.to | Free plan · from $29/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Crisp | Free plan · from $45/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Tidio | Free plan · from $24.17/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Smartsupp | Free plan · from $17/mo | Yes | Web, iOS, Android |
| Acquire | Free trial | Trial only | Web |
| Chaport | Free plan · from $29/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Pure Chat | Free trial · from $39/mo | Trial only | Web, iOS, Android |
Price against what you get
Olark starts at $29 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 2 of the 7 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Text by LiveChat and Tidio.
Crisp and Chaport score higher without starting lower. Smartsupp starts lower without scoring higher.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Olark
Text by LiveChat
Website chat, ticketing and an AI agent from the LiveChat team
- Text by LiveChat starts at $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
- Text by LiveChat also lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Text by LiveChat also covers help desk.
- Text by LiveChat does not cover sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and chatbots, which Olark does.
Suits: Online stores, especially on Shopify, that sell through chat
tawk.to
Free live chat, ticketing and help center, with paid add-ons
- tawk.to starts at $29 per month for the AI Assist or Whitelabel add-on.
- tawk.to has a free plan, which Olark lacks.
- tawk.to also lists Windows and macOS apps.
- tawk.to also covers help desk and help center.
- tawk.to does not cover sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and chatbots, which Olark does.
Suits: Small businesses that want website chat without paying per seat
Crisp
Live chat and shared inbox priced per workspace, not per seat
- Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats.
- Crisp has a free plan, which Olark lacks.
- Crisp also lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Crisp also covers shared inbox and help center.
- Crisp does not cover sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and chatbots, which Olark does.
Suits: Small teams that want chat and email support at a flat monthly price
Tidio
Live chat, ticketing and the Lyro AI agent priced by conversations
- Tidio starts at $24.17 per month for 100 conversations, billed annually ($29 monthly).
- Tidio has a free plan, which Olark lacks.
- Tidio also lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Tidio also covers help desk.
- Tidio does not cover sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and chatbots, which Olark does.
Suits: Small online stores, especially on Shopify or WordPress
Smartsupp
Live chat, WhatsApp and email inbox with the Mira AI shopping agent
- Smartsupp starts at $17 per month for 1 operator, billed annually ($24 billed monthly).
- Smartsupp has a free plan, which Olark lacks.
- Smartsupp also covers shared inbox.
- Smartsupp does not cover sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and chatbots, which Olark does.
Suits: Small online stores, especially in Europe
Acquire
Customer support platform with live chat, SMS, email and video
- Acquire lists no iOS and Android apps, which Olark has.
- Acquire also covers shared inbox, workflow automation and video calls.
- Acquire does not cover AI support agent, sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and chatbots, which Olark does.
Suits: Support teams that want chat, SMS and email in one workspace
Chaport
Live chat with a free plan, chatbots and a knowledge base
- Chaport starts at $29 per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly), with 4 operators.
- Chaport has a free plan, which Olark lacks.
- Chaport also lists Windows and macOS apps.
- Chaport also covers shared inbox and help center.
- Chaport does not cover AI support agent, sMS marketing and whatsApp messaging, which Olark does.
Suits: Small sites that want live chat for two people at no cost
Pure Chat
Live chat for websites with a flat price per plan
- Pure Chat starts at $39 per month for 1 website and 4 operators, billed annually ($49 billed monthly).
- Pure Chat also covers reports.
- Pure Chat does not cover AI support agent, sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and chatbots, which Olark does.
Suits: Small business websites that want chat without per-contact pricing
Limits worth knowing in Olark
- The AI agent starts at $400 a month, billed annually, which is far above the $29 live chat seat price.
- The pricing page does not say whether the $29 seat price is monthly or annual billing.
- Olark is a chat product; the pages here show no full ticketing or help center product.
- SSO, regional routing and custom SLAs are only in the sales-only Custom package.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Olark?
The alternatives to Olark in this directory are Text by LiveChat, tawk.to, Crisp, Tidio, Smartsupp, Acquire, Chaport and Pure Chat. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Olark.
Is there a free alternative to Olark?
Yes. tawk.to, Crisp, Tidio, Smartsupp and Chaport have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which Olark alternatives work on Windows?
The Olark listing does not include a Windows app. Text by LiveChat, tawk.to, Crisp, Tidio and Chaport list one.
Which Olark alternatives work on macOS?
The Olark listing does not include a macOS app. Text by LiveChat, tawk.to, Crisp, Tidio and Chaport list one.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 17, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.