Olark vs Provide Support (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Provide Support grades higher than Olark: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Provide Support grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Olark
Live chat for websites, with an optional flat-fee AI agent
Provide Support
Live chat for websites, priced by the number of agent seats
Which one is for you
Pick Olark if
- Fits if you want live chat answered by people, priced per seat
- Works for a site that wants an AI agent with unlimited conversations at a flat fee
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need ticketing or a help center, as the pages show neither
- Pricey if you add the AI agent, which starts at $400 a month billed annually
- Watch out: the page doesn't say whether the $29 seat price is monthly or annual
- Watch out: SSO, regional routing and custom SLAs are only in the sales-only Custom package
Pick Provide Support if
- Fits if you only want a chat box on your site, for one or a few agents
- Works for small teams that want every feature on every plan
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for support teams who need tickets, a help center or an AI agent
- Watch out: chat translation is $249 a year and a custom-domain chat link $49 a year per domain
- Watch out: after the 10-day trial, agent logins lock until you pay
- Not for you if you need bigger teams quickly, as the page shows prices for 1 and 3 seats only
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAOlarkFair | 2.4GPAProvide SupportFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$29 per agent a month is the middle of the category. The AI agent package is $400 a month billed annually, about 14 times that. | C$24 a month for 1 seat on monthly billing ($156 a year), above the $19 that ends the cheaper quarter of customer-support tools. Every feature is included, so there are no upgrades to buy. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day trial of Live Chat with no credit card. There is no free plan. | CA 10-day trial with all features and no card. There is no free plan, and logins lock when the trial ends. |
| Features | CLive chat with human agents, and an AI agent as a separate package. It does the chat job fully, but it is a smaller job: the pages show no ticketing or help center. | CChat does its job fully, with visitor monitoring, invitations and statistics. It is a smaller job, though: the pages describe no ticketing, help center or AI agent. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and the chat widget and AI answers need setting up. | CNo store rating on record. You add the chat code to your site and set up agents. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps, and 8 listed integrations. No desktop app on record. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android apps, with WordPress, Shopify, Wix and other plugins. |
| Best for | plain live chat on a website | website live chat with no extras |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Olark and Provide Support. How we grade
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. Provide Support starts at $24 a month and scores 2.7.
Provide Support scores higher and starts $5 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 19 score higher than Olark for less, and 2 score higher than Provide Support for less.
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
Where they differ
- Olark also covers AI support agent, sMS marketing and whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| Olark | Provide Support | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per agent / month | $24 per month for 1 seat, billed monthly ($156 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial for Live Chat, no credit card required | 10-day free trial with unlimited seats and all features, no card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Olark | Provide Support, LLC |
| Price read from | olark.com | providesupport.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Provide Support
- It is live chat only: the pages describe no ticketing, help center or AI agent.
- Automatic Chat Translation costs $249 a year and a chat link on a custom domain $49 a year per domain.
- After the free trial ends, agent logins are locked until you pay; the account and settings are kept.
- The page shows prices for 1 and 3 seats; larger teams are on the Enterprise pack or custom plans.
Key features
Olark
- AI website agent
- The agent answers visitor questions from your site content, keeps its knowledge in step with the site, and qualifies leads. The in-app name for it is AI Assistant.
- Human live chat
- Chat between visitors and your agents, with live handoff from the AI to a person in the same conversation thread.
- Proactive engagement
- Chats can be triggered by visitor behavior such as UTM source, return visits and time on page.
- Lead capture
- Buttons, in-chat contact forms and booking links appear when the agent decides they help.
- Assistant split tests
- Traffic can be split between two assistant configurations to compare tone, openers and qualification approach.
- Channels and customization
- The features page lists WhatsApp and SMS, and chatbox colors and position can be matched to the site.
Provide Support
- Same features on every plan
- The vendor says all paid plans include every feature and differ only in the number of agent profiles.
- Unlimited chats and domains
- Chats per agent are not limited, and the chat button can be added to multiple domains at no extra cost.
- Agent apps on every platform
- Agents can use a web app, desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux, and iOS and Android apps.
- Visitor monitoring and statistics
- Real-time visitor monitoring plus statistics on agent performance and on the pages where the chat button was clicked.
- Platform plugins
- Integration guides cover WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Joomla, BigCommerce, OpenCart, PrestaShop and other site builders and carts.
- Chat invitations
- Agents can send chat invitations, and an eye-catcher bubble can draw attention to the chat button automatically.
Plans
Olark
Live Chat$29
per agent / month, billing basis not shown
Full-featured live chat with human agents and no AI. The AI agent can be added later without reinstalling.
Standard AI Website Agent$400
per month, billed annually ($4,800 a year)
Unlimited AI conversations with no overages, lead capture and qualification, proactive engagement and one human agent seat. Extra human seats are $29 per agent a month.
CustomCustom
For power users and enterprise: regional routing, multiple teams, custom workflows and SLAs, and SSO. Sold through sales.
Provide Support
Small Business$24
per month for 1 seat, billed monthly ($156 billed yearly)
One agent seat with every feature included and no Provide Support branding.
Corporate$53
per month for up to 3 seats, billed monthly ($310 billed yearly)
Three agent seats with every feature included and no Provide Support branding.
Enterprise$108
per month for a seat pack, billed monthly ($713 billed yearly)
A bigger seat pack, with the FAQ listing packs of 1, 3 and 10; the pricing page shows no seat count.
Ways to pay less
Olark
No public discounts listed.
Provide Support
- Annual discount
Yearly billing costs less than 12 months
Yearly totals of $156, $310 and $713 are shown beside the monthly prices of $24, $53 and $108 on the pricing page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Olark or Provide Support?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Olark starts at $29 per agent / month, and Provide Support starts at $24 per month for 1 seat, billed monthly ($156 billed yearly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Olark or Provide Support?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Olark nor Provide Support has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Olark and Provide Support run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Provide Support lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.