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TalkingDot vs Olark

TalkingDot vs Olark

Looking for a free Olark alternative? Here is a fair, side-by-side look at pricing and features — including when Olark may be the better choice for you.

Plans checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Olark pricing page

TalkingDot

Live chat software with a shared inbox, chatbots, AI, a help center, proactive messages and reports. Free plan with every feature, unlimited teammates and 300 conversations a month (3 months of history). Starter is $19 a month per workspace: unlimited conversations, 3 teammates and light branding. Pro is $29 a month: unlimited conversations and teammates, unlimited of history and no branding.

Price: Every feature, 300 conversations / mo; $19 or $29 / mo per workspace — not per seat
3 agents: $0 on Free (300 conversations/mo) · $19/mo on Starter (unlimited)
Teammates: unlimited
AI: an assistant that reads your website, plus live translation — with your own key
Channels: website chat, hosted chat page, email, WhatsApp and Telegram

OOlark

A long-running (since 2009) live chat tool for sales and support teams, now offering a flat-priced AI website agent with unlimited conversations.

Free plan: No (14-day trial)
Pricing: Per agent, $29 / mo
3 agents: $87 / mo
Free trial: 14 days, no credit card

Olark pricing

No free plan. Live chat has a 14-day free trial with no credit card.

Live Chat (no AI)$29 / agent / moBilling term not stated on the page.

Standard AI Website Agent$400 / moBilled annually ($4,800 / yr). Unlimited AI conversations, one human seat included, +$29 per extra agent / mo.

CustomCustomTalk to sales: SSO, regional routing, custom SLAs.

AI & automation: Standard AI Website Agent: $400 / mo billed annually with unlimited conversations, no token or overage charges.

Removing "Powered by Olark" is the Non-Branded Chatbox PowerUp at $59 / mo. Co-browsing, visitor insights and chat translation are paid PowerUps (prices not shown).

Channels: Website chat with email follow-up; WhatsApp and SMS are mentioned only for "Olark Classic" (unverified).

Prices in USD as listed on olark.com/pricing, checked October 2026. Taxes may apply; prices can differ by region and change at any time.

Feature comparison

	TalkingDot	Olark
Free plan	Yes — every feature, 300 conversations / mo	No — 14-day free trial
Teammates on the free plan	Unlimited	No free plan
Paid pricing basis	$19 or $29 / mo per workspace — not per seat	Per agent per month; flat price for the AI agent
Shared inbox, assignment & teams	Yes, with macros, notes, tags, snooze and saved replies	Team live chat
Chatbot flows	Yes, included	AI website agent ($400 / mo)
AI / automation pricing	Chatbots, answer bot and an AI assistant that reads your website — with your own AI key, so no per-answer fees	$400 / mo flat, unlimited AI conversations
Help center / knowledge base	Yes, included	Not a separate product (the AI agent learns from your site and FAQs)
Proactive / targeted messages	Yes, plus popups and surveys — included	Proactive engagement listed for the AI agent
REST API & webhooks	Yes, included	JavaScript API (olark.com/api)
Remove "Powered by" branding	Lighter on Starter ($19/mo), removed on Pro ($29/mo)	Non-Branded Chatbox PowerUp, $59 / mo
Channels	Website messenger, hosted chat page, email, WhatsApp and Telegram (your own accounts), REST API	Website chat with email follow-up; WhatsApp and SMS are mentioned only for "Olark Classic" (unverified).
Voice, video & screen sharing	Voice messages; no video calls or screen sharing yet	Visitor co-browsing PowerUp (price unverified). No voice or video listed.
Mobile	Installable web app with push notifications for your team	Unverified
Conversation history	3 months on Free, unlimited on paid plans	Not stated (unverified)
Lifetime plan	Occasional lifetime deals	No
Self-hosting	Yes (plain PHP + MySQL)	No — cloud service

Sources: olark.com/pricing · olark.com/all-powerups/non-branded-chatbox · olark.com/all-powerups · olark.com/features

“Not verified” means we could not confirm it on Olark's public pages. Spotted something out of date? Let us know and we'll fix it.

When TalkingDot is a good fit

You want every feature on a free plan — and one flat price for the whole team when you outgrow it ($19 or $29/mo), not a bill per seat.
You want website chat, email, WhatsApp and Telegram in one shared inbox, with live translation.
You want an AI assistant on your own API key: you pay the provider for what you use, no per-resolution fees.
You want a REST API, webhooks, popups and a help center without upgrading — and the option to self-host.

When Olark may suit you better

You want a flat-priced AI agent with unlimited conversations and no usage bills.
You want a simple, long-established human live chat with co-browsing as an option.

Switching from Olark

1
Create a workspace
Sign up free and customize the messenger to match your brand.
2
Import contacts & history
Export from Olark as CSV and import contacts in Contacts — or past conversations with the CSV/JSON importer.
3
Swap the snippet
Replace the old chat snippet with yours. If you used a JavaScript API, see the JavaScript API.