What is Olark?
Olark is a website live chat tool that combines human chat with an AI agent trained on your own site and documentation. It is built mainly for marketers and small teams who want to answer visitor questions, capture and qualify leads, and route good prospects to sales, without building complex chatbot logic trees.
Olark has been around since 2009 and is a Y Combinator-backed, certified B Corporation. You can buy plain human live chat on its own, or add the Standard AI Website Agent, which reads your live website, engages visitors based on what they are doing, and passes the chat to a person when asked. Integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce and other tools send lead data where your team already works.
Olark at a glance
How does Olark work?
- Add Olark to your site
Install the chat box with a snippet or a plugin for platforms like WordPress, Shopify or BigCommerce, and match its colors to your brand.
- Train the AI agent
If you use the AI plan, point it at your site so it learns your content in about a minute, then adjust behavior with plain-English instructions.
- Set engagement triggers
Choose when to start conversations, based on pages viewed, time on site, scroll depth, return visits or UTM source.
- Capture and route leads
Collect contact details through pre-chat or offline forms and send qualified leads to your CRM or sales team.
- Review transcripts and reports
Search past conversations and check campaign-level reports to see which traffic sources lead to chats.
Olark key features
Standard AI Website Agent
Answers questions from your live site content, qualifies leads and hands off to humans, with no token limits.
Human live chat
Full-featured chat for agents with saved responses, team management and visitor context.
Visitor insights
Shows location, pages viewed and visit history before an agent replies.
Proactive engagement
Starts conversations based on behavior triggers instead of waiting for visitors to click.
Searchable transcripts
Logs every conversation so teams can search and export them for analysis.
Campaign reporting and AI Analyst
Reports chats by UTM source, and a beta AI Analyst answers plain-English questions about chat data.
Accessible chat box
Offers ADA-accessible live chat with custom branding and pre-chat forms.
Pre-chat and offline forms
Custom forms collect names, emails and questions before a chat starts or when no agent is online, so leads are not lost after hours.
Why use Olark?
- You can start with low-cost human chat and add AI only when it makes sense.
- The AI agent is set up with plain-English instructions rather than flowcharts.
- Campaign-level reporting helps marketers see which ads and sources drive conversations.
- CRM integrations move lead details to HubSpot or Salesforce without copying and pasting.
- A 14-day trial on the live chat plan needs no credit card.
- Visitor context such as pages viewed and referral source helps agents tailor every reply.
Who is Olark best for?
A good fit for
- Marketing teams using chat to generate and qualify leads
- Small B2B companies with a few sales or support agents
- Businesses that want simple human live chat at a low per-seat price
- Organizations that need an accessible chat widget
Less suited to
- Small budgets that want AI, since the AI plan costs $400 per month billed annually
- Teams wanting a free plan or a full help desk suite
- Teams that need native mobile apps for agents, which the product pages do not describe
Olark pricing
| Pricing model | Subscription |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | 14 days (Live Chat plan) |
| Starting price | $29/agent/month (Live Chat) |
The Standard AI Website Agent costs $400 per month billed annually and includes one human seat, with more agents at $29 each. Custom plans add SSO, regional routing and custom SLAs.
Prices checked October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official Olark pricing page before you buy.
Olark pros and cons
Pros
- Simple, affordable human live chat plan
- AI agent configured in plain English
- Marketing-focused reporting by traffic source
- Long track record since 2009
Cons
- AI plan has a high entry price and annual billing
- No free plan
- Fewer omnichannel features than larger support suites
Olark integrations and platforms
Works with
Available on
Olark alternatives
See the full shortlist in Best Live Chat Software.
Olark FAQ
Is Olark free?
Olark does not have a free plan. The Live Chat plan costs $29 per agent per month and comes with a 14-day free trial that does not require a credit card. Olark also offers a free preview that shows how its AI agent would answer questions on your own website.
How much does Olark cost?
Human-only live chat costs $29 per agent per month. The Standard AI Website Agent costs $400 per month billed annually and includes one human seat, and each extra agent adds $29 per month. Custom plans for larger organizations are priced through sales.
What is Olark used for?
Olark is used to chat with website visitors. Teams use it to answer product questions, capture and qualify leads, route prospects to sales and support customers. Its AI agent can handle common questions at any hour and hand conversations to a person when a visitor asks.
Olark vs LiveChat: what's the difference?
Olark focuses on marketers and lead generation, with low-cost human chat and a separate AI agent plan priced as a flat monthly fee. LiveChat charges per user and adds stronger ecommerce tools, ticketing and native desktop and mobile apps. Olark suits lead-focused B2B sites, while LiveChat suits online stores.
Does Olark integrate with HubSpot?
Yes. Olark integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce and ActiveCampaign, and it supports webhooks for other tools. Chat transcripts and lead details can flow into your CRM, so sales teams see conversation context without switching apps. It also connects with Google Analytics for event tracking.
Sources
This overview is based on Olark's official website and documentation, checked October 2026.