Olark vs Zendesk
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Olark | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $29/seat/mo | From $89/seat/mo |
| Best For | Small to medium businesses needing basic live chat | Large enterprises needing comprehensive ticketing with compliance requirements |
| Standout Feature | Visitor insights and chat targeting | Industry-leading ticketing system with 1000+ integrations |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.2 | 4.3/5 |
Olark and Zendesk represent two different approaches to customer support. Olark (G2 4.2/5) focuses on simple live chat for SMBs, while Zendesk (G2 4.3/5) offers comprehensive support infrastructure with enterprise features.
The choice between them often comes down to team size, budget, and feature requirements.
Feature Comparison
Olark excels at simplicity with easy setup and basic live chat functionality, making it ideal for small teams that need to get started quickly without complexity.
Zendesk provides comprehensive support infrastructure with 1000+ integrations, HIPAA/SOC2 compliance, and advanced automation capabilities for larger organizations.
The key difference: Olark is chat-only with limited automation, while Zendesk offers multi-channel support with robust enterprise features.
Pricing Comparison
Olark costs $29-$39 per seat per month, making it budget-friendly for small teams. Zendesk ranges from $55-$169 per agent monthly, with per-agent pricing that can become expensive as teams grow.
For larger teams, Zendesk's per-agent model can significantly increase costs, while Olark's simpler pricing remains predictable but offers fewer features.
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
Zendesk
Pros
- ✓ Industry-leading ticketing system with mature workflows
- ✓ Massive integration ecosystem with 1000+ apps
- ✓ Enterprise-grade security and compliance (HIPAA, SOC2)
Cons
- ✗ Per-agent pricing scales with team size
- ✗ Complex setup and configuration
- ✗ AI features require additional costs
Verdict
Choose Olark if you're a small business needing affordable, straightforward live chat with quick setup. Choose Zendesk if you need enterprise-grade features, extensive integrations, and compliance certifications.
Choose Olark if: You're a small business needing basic live chat, want simple setup, and prefer affordable per-seat pricing.
Choose Zendesk if: You need enterprise features, extensive integrations, compliance certifications, and can justify the higher per-agent costs.
Alternative: Consider Converge at $49/month flat rate with up to 15 agents - no per-seat pricing and comprehensive features for growing teams.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Olark comparisons and all Zendesk comparisons.