What is the difference between Olark and Tawk.to?

Olark is best for Small businesses wanting simple live chat, while Tawk.to is best for Businesses wanting completely free live chat. Olark starts at $29/seat/mo and Tawk.to starts at Free.

Is Olark or Tawk.to cheaper?

Olark starts at $29/seat/mo. Tawk.to starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Olark?

Yes, Tawk.to offers a free tier.

Olark vs Tawk.to

Olark is simple live chat software with automation rules, team management, and CRM integrations, while Tawk.to is 100% free live chat software with no limits on agents, chats, or contacts. The biggest difference up front: Tawk.to is free, while Olark starts at $29/seat/mo. Olark is built for small businesses wanting simple live chat, whereas Tawk.to targets businesses wanting completely free live chat.

At a glance

	Olark	Tawk.to
Best for	Small businesses wanting simple live chat	Businesses wanting completely free live chat
Starting price	$29/seat/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Automation Rules	✓	—
CRM Integration	✓	—
Free Live Chat	—	✓
Knowledge Base	—	✓
Live Chat	✓	—
Transcripts	✓	—
Unlimited Agents	—	✓
Video Chat	—	✓

Olark

Strengths

Includes Live Chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Includes Automation Rules as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Pricing starts at $29/seat/mo, which includes the full customer support feature set
Established product with 17+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $29/seat/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ticket volume can quickly overwhelm small teams without triage automation
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Olark → Full review

Tawk.to

Strengths

Includes Free Live Chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Includes Unlimited Agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Some advanced features require upgrading to a paid plan
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ticket volume can quickly overwhelm small teams without triage automation

Try Tawk.to → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Tawk.to is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Olark starts at $29/seat/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Olark offers Automation Rules, CRM Integration and Live Chat that Tawk.to lacks. Tawk.to brings Free Live Chat, Knowledge Base and Unlimited Agents that Olark does not have.

Team fit: Olark is geared toward small teams teams, while Tawk.to is aimed at any size teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Olark's biggest strengths are: includes live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. includes automation rules as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. Tawk.to's biggest strengths are: includes free live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. includes unlimited agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows.

Watch out for: With Olark, users commonly note that starts at $29/seat/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users. With Tawk.to, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Olark if...

You need a tool built for small businesses wanting simple live chat
You specifically need Automation Rules and CRM Integration
You care about includes automation rules as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Olark is designed for

Choose Tawk.to if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: businesses wanting completely free live chat
Budget is a hard constraint — Tawk.to is free, Olark is not
You specifically need Free Live Chat and Knowledge Base
You care about includes unlimited agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Your team size fits the any size profile Tawk.to is designed for