Olark vs Freshchat

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Our analysts compared Olark vs Freshchat based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Live Chat Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Olark is a cloud-based messaging platform that provides seamless interactions between businesses and customers. It offers real-time channels to communicate with customers and generate leads while improving customer support. It prioritizes chats that need follow-up and forwards them to the CRM.

It provides instant screen sharing for agents to assist website visitors. It also offers modules to upload files, images and videos for immediate support. It supports over 100 languages.
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Freshchat is a customer messaging software that helps businesses engage with customers across various channels like live chat, website, mobile app, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc. It's ideal for businesses of all sizes that want to improve customer engagement and satisfaction. Key benefits include increased customer satisfaction, improved agent productivity, and reduced resolution times. Popular features include a unified inbox for all customer conversations, bots to automate tasks, and powerful analytics to track performance.

Compared to similar products, Freshchat is known for its user-friendly interface, affordability, and comprehensive feature set. Pricing is based on the number of agents and the features required, with plans starting at $15 per agent per month billed annually.

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$29/Seat, Monthly
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$19/Agent, Monthly, Freemium
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Enhance Customer Support: Speed up workflows by setting up automation rules. Keep visitors engaged by routing chats to the correct department. Track user behavior and send automatic messages. Personalize messages based on browsing details, including referring URL and location. 
  • Improve Data Collection: Gather relevant data using live chat transcripts. Filter and custom search customer information as needed. Saves offline emails and online chat transcripts in an archive. It captures details including chat ratings, email, location, name and the origin of the live chat page. 
  • Strengthen Engagement Rate: Answer queries or schedule demos in real time. Support customers without interrupting their browsing session with visitor insights and cobrowsing. It provides a non-branded chatbot to help visitors stay focused on the product, not the brand. 
  • Increase Sales: Capture leads from different locations by detecting in-use language and translating in real time. Prioritize chats and score leads by collecting visitor data from multiple websites. It also provides access to company data, size, social profile links and relevant profiles to understand the audience. It displays the user’s age, gender, company name, job title and more. 
  • Free Trial: Get hands-on access with a free 14-day trial version. 
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  • Improve Efficiency: Gathers data from third-party apps and websites in one place. Resolve queries and provide instant solutions using gathered information. Customize predefined responses to answer commonly asked questions. Quickly access canned messages by setting up shortcodes. Record customer details and share information in real time. 
  • Boost Productivity: Routes support tickets to the right team. Scan incoming tickets and categorize them according to factors including customer type, language, location and ticket subject. Automate ticket assignments based on the agent’s expertise level. Create rules to send event alerts to the right agent. Encourage agent performance with gamification. 
  • Improve Customer Support: Resolves repetitive questions using intelligent automation. Delivers personalized solutions to customers by learning from past experiences. It provides product information and instant assistance to customers when needed. No need to wait for human assistance. 
  • Free Trial: Get first-hand experience with a 21-day free trial. No need to add credit card details. 
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  • Reporting and Analytics: Sort and filter customer data based on satisfaction ratings and conversation tags. Check for highest and lowest rated chats. Filter most frequent chat topics. Receive automatic email summaries on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Check which day and time the visitors are most interested. 
  • Chatbox Forms: Customize forms and pre-chat surveys to gather customer details before starting a conversation. Send offline messages via emails for agents to contact them as needed. Provide optional questions and add automated chat rules for frequent visitors. 
  • Team Management: Manage, monitor and keep track of team performance. Tracks activity reports and limits the number of chats for a single agent to handle. Assign chats to the next available agent if the current agent cannot assist the customer. Save links, documents, FAQs and product pitches for quick access. 
  • Integration: Choose the preferred software and stay connected with sales, marketing and support processes. Use live chat plugins to integrate with eCommerce platforms. Provides seamless integration with help desks, CRMs, team communication and marketing automation platforms. Customize integrations using Webhooks for platforms that do not support the preferred CRM. 
  • Canned Responses: Pre-program and personalize responses for the team and individual purposes with the text expander. Use shortcuts to recall long and common answers. 
  • Chatbox: Customize a chatbox that aligns with the website’s color and brand. Adjust shape, size, colors and position. Personalize live chat by using human avatars. Choose the language the user is comfortable with by picking from a list of available languages. 
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  • Messaging Channels: Receive, manage and respond to conversations from multiple channels from a unified inbox. Stay connected with ERP and CRM to automate queries in advance. Launch bots to automate tasks based on hours. 
  • Campaigns: Design flows and set timings to trigger targeted audience emails. Send emails based on user intent and website behavior. Set up different timings to re-engage or send invites and reminder emails. Analyze data gathered from previous campaigns and optimize performance accordingly. 
  • Chatbots: Create bots with the easy-to-use, low code bot builder. Build multiple bots to handle tasks like answering customer questions, updating data or building a single bot to handle multiple tasks. Set up bots for different cases with a predefined, ready-to-use template. 
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Product Ranking

#25

among all
Live Chat Software

#32

among all
Live Chat Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

78
86
84
89
59
89
94
96
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Online Visitor Management
Online Visitor Management
Platform Capabilities
Conversation Management
Customer Collaboration

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Olark
Freshchat
+ Add Product + Add Product
Conversation Management Customer Collaboration Online Visitor Management Platform Capabilities Ticket Management 84 59 94 80 56 89 89 96 96 62 0 25 50 75 100
82%
5%
13%
87%
0%
13%
29%
14%
57%
80%
0%
20%
89%
0%
11%
89%
11%
0%
71%
5%
24%
86%
14%
0%
11%
0%
89%
20%
70%
10%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

67%
0%
33%
78%
0%
22%

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 924 reviews
Great User Sentiment 720 reviews
91%
of users recommend this product

Olark has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 91% when considering 924 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

87%
of users recommend this product

Freshchat has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 87% when considering 720 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

n/a
4.4 (489)
4.55 (462)
n/a
4.5 (462)
4.1 (112)
n/a
4.2 (28)
n/a
4.4 (91)

Awards

Olark stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Freshchat and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Platform Capabilities.

Platform Capabilities Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Simple to Use: Olark's interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy for users to navigate and find the features they need. The learning curve is minimal, allowing teams to get up and running quickly without extensive training.
Customization Options: Olark provides a variety of customization options, allowing users to tailor the chat experience to their brand and website. This includes customizing the chat box's appearance, creating automated messages, and setting up pre-chat surveys to gather visitor information.
Integrations: Olark integrates with numerous third-party applications, such as CRM systems, email marketing platforms, and help desk software. This allows users to streamline their workflows and improve efficiency by connecting Olark with their existing tools.
Real-Time Reporting: Olark offers real-time reporting features that provide insights into chat volume, visitor engagement, and agent performance. These reports help users track key metrics and make data-driven decisions to optimize their live chat strategy.
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Unified Platform: Freshchat offers a comprehensive customer engagement platform, bringing together live chat, bots, and social media messaging into one interface. This streamlines workflows and provides agents with a holistic view of customer interactions.
Customization Options: Users appreciate the ability to tailor the chat widget's appearance and behavior to match their brand and website. This includes customizing the widget's color, position, and welcome message, creating a seamless brand experience for visitors.
Automation Capabilities: Freshchat's automation features, such as chatbots and canned responses, help to improve agent productivity and response times. Chatbots can handle routine inquiries, while canned responses provide quick answers to frequently asked questions, freeing up agents to focus on more complex issues.
Reporting and Analytics: The platform offers robust reporting and analytics tools, providing insights into chat volume, agent performance, and customer satisfaction. This data empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their customer support operations.
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Limited Customization: Olark offers basic customization options, but users seeking advanced branding control or unique chat box designs may find the platform restrictive. For example, modifying the chat box's shape or adding interactive elements might not be possible.
Reporting Features: While Olark provides basic reporting on chat volume and agent activity, it may lack the depth of analytics that some businesses require. Users who need granular insights into customer behavior, chat flow, or agent performance might find the reporting capabilities insufficient.
Integrations: Olark integrates with popular CRM and helpdesk platforms, but the range of integrations might not be as extensive as some competitors. Users relying on niche or industry-specific software may encounter compatibility challenges.
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Limited Customization: Freshchat offers limited options for customizing the chat widget's appearance and behavior, making it challenging for brands to achieve a seamless integration with their website's design and user experience.
Mobile App Shortcomings: The mobile app for agents has received criticism for its occasional glitches and lack of features compared to the desktop version, hindering efficient communication and issue resolution on the go.
Reporting Limitations: Some users find the reporting and analytics capabilities of Freshchat to be somewhat basic, lacking the depth and granularity needed for comprehensive performance evaluation and data-driven decision-making.
Pricing Structure: The pricing structure, particularly for larger teams or those requiring advanced features, can be a deterrent for some businesses, especially when compared to alternative solutions in the market.
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Users of Olark, the live chat software, frequently praise its user-friendly interface and straightforward setup, making it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. The platform's intuitive design allows customer service representatives to manage multiple conversations simultaneously, boosting efficiency and response times. Olark's reporting and analytics tools also receive positive feedback, providing valuable insights into customer interactions and team performance. However, some users note that Olark's customization options are somewhat limited compared to competitors like Zendesk Chat and LiveChat. While Olark offers basic customization features, businesses with complex branding or workflow requirements may find it restrictive. Additionally, Olark's pricing structure, based on the number of operators, can become expensive for larger teams. Despite these limitations, Olark's strengths lie in its ease of use, affordability for smaller teams, and focus on core live chat functionality. This makes it an ideal choice for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a simple and effective solution to engage with website visitors and provide real-time support. Olark's emphasis on user-friendliness and essential features ensures that businesses can quickly implement and utilize the platform without a steep learning curve or excessive costs.

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Freshchat has carved out a niche for itself in the customer communication platform market, offering a compelling blend of features and affordability that resonates with many users. Reviewers frequently highlight the platform's intuitive interface and ease of use, making it a popular choice for businesses transitioning from simpler live chat solutions or those new to the world of customer messaging platforms. The seamless integration with other Freshworks products, such as Freshdesk and Freshsales, is another major draw, providing a unified view of customer interactions and streamlining workflows. This integration is particularly beneficial for businesses already invested in the Freshworks ecosystem, allowing them to leverage existing data and processes without the need for complex integrations. However, some users note that Freshchat's reporting and analytics capabilities could be more robust, especially when compared to competitors like Intercom or Zendesk Chat. While the platform offers basic reporting features, it may not provide the depth of insights needed by larger businesses or those with complex reporting requirements. Additionally, some users mention occasional limitations in customization options, particularly regarding chat widget appearance and branding. Despite these drawbacks, Freshchat's strengths in user-friendliness, affordability, and integration make it a compelling option for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a reliable and easy-to-implement customer messaging solution. Its focus on core live chat functionality and seamless integration with other Freshworks products makes it particularly well-suited for businesses already using or considering other tools within the Freshworks ecosystem.

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Screenshots

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