Groove HQ vs Olark
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Groove HQ | Olark |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $20/seat/mo | From $29/seat/mo |
| Best For | Small businesses needing simple email-based customer support | Small to medium businesses needing basic live chat |
| Standout Feature | Collision detection to prevent duplicate responses | Visitor insights and chat targeting |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.5 | 4.2 |
Groove HQ and Olark serve different segments of the customer support market. Groove HQ offers a streamlined help desk experience designed for small to medium businesses, emphasizing simplicity and ease of use. Olark specializes in live chat solutions with advanced visitor tracking and real-time engagement tools.
These platforms complement different support strategies - Groove HQ for teams wanting straightforward ticketing without complexity, and Olark for businesses prioritizing immediate customer interaction through chat.
Feature Comparison
Groove HQ provides clean ticket management with email integration, collision detection, and basic automation rules. Its interface prioritizes simplicity with features like shared inboxes, internal notes, and customer history tracking.
Olark delivers sophisticated chat functionality including visitor monitoring, chat routing based on skills or availability, and comprehensive chat analytics. It offers customizable chat widgets, automated triggers, and detailed reporting on chat performance.
Groove HQ integrates with popular tools like Slack, Zapier, and various CRMs, while Olark focuses on website integration with APIs for custom implementations and third-party app connections.
Pricing Comparison
Groove HQ starts at $16/agent/month for basic ticketing features, scaling to $36/agent/month for advanced functionality including automation and reporting. All plans include unlimited tickets and email integration.
Olark pricing begins at $29/agent/month for standard chat features, reaching $59/agent/month for enterprise capabilities. This includes unlimited chats, visitor insights, and integration options.
Groove HQ offers more affordable entry-level pricing, while Olark's specialized chat features justify its higher cost for chat-focused teams.
Groove HQ
Pros
- ✓ Simple, clean interface
- ✓ Good for small teams
- ✓ Affordable entry-level pricing
Cons
- ✗ Limited advanced features
- ✗ No modern messaging integrations
- ✗ Basic automation capabilities
Olark
Pros
- ✓ Easy setup and customization
- ✓ Good visitor tracking
- ✓ Reliable uptime
Cons
- ✗ Per-agent pricing gets expensive
- ✗ Limited mobile app functionality
- ✗ No social media integration
Verdict
Choose Groove HQ if you want simple, effective ticketing with email integration and team collaboration features. Choose Olark if live chat is central to your customer engagement strategy and you need detailed visitor analytics.
Choose Groove HQ if: You need straightforward ticketing with email integration and prefer simplicity over advanced features for small to medium support teams.
Choose Olark if: Live chat is essential to your customer experience and you want comprehensive visitor tracking and chat analytics.
Teams looking for unified communication might consider Converge at $49/month flat rate, combining multiple support channels without per-agent limitations.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Groove HQ comparisons and all Olark comparisons.