Olark vs HubSpot Chat: Complete Comparison 2026

An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.

Olark

7.4(3,800 reviews)

Simple, affordable live chat for small businesses with real-time visitor monitoring and CRM integrations from $29/mo.

7.6(8,900 reviews)

Free live chat built into HubSpot CRM with chatbot builder, meeting scheduler, and automatic contact creation for sales and support teams.

Aspect	Olark	HubSpot Chat
Best For	Small businesses that want straightforward chat without learning a complex platform	B2B SaaS companies already using HubSpot CRM that want chat-to-CRM lead capture without extra cost
Pricing Model	Subscription	Freemium
Starting Price	$29/mo	Free
Deployment	cloud	cloud
Platforms	WEB	WEB, IOS, ANDROID
Rating	7.4/10	7.6/10

Dead simple to set up and use — add the code snippet and you are chatting within 5 minutes
WCAG 2.1 AA compliant chat widget makes it the most accessible option for ADA compliance
Transparent flat pricing at $29/seat/month with no hidden tiers or surprise add-ons
PowerUps system lets you add only the features you actually need without forced upgrades
Reliable and stable — 15+ years of uptime without the constant product churn of newer tools

No AI chatbot at all — visitors outside business hours just see an offline contact form
No mobile app for agents, so you can only manage chats from a desktop browser
Widget design looks dated compared to the modern aesthetics of Intercom or Crisp
Reporting is basic — no staffing predictions, no advanced analytics dashboards
PowerUps like cobrowsing ($99/mo) and translation ($29/mo) add up if you need multiple extras

Free chat that automatically creates and updates CRM contacts — no manual data entry between chat and CRM
Chatbot builder with drag-and-drop lead qualification and calendar meeting booking works without code
Full CRM context during chat shows company info, deal stage, previous interactions, and marketing activity
Massive ecosystem of 1,500+ integrations through the HubSpot marketplace extends chat capabilities
Setup takes under 10 minutes for existing HubSpot users with zero technical knowledge required

Not a dedicated support tool — no ticketing, no SLAs, no omnichannel messaging in the free plan
Conversation routing is basic with only round-robin or manual assignment on free and Starter plans
HubSpot branding on the widget requires a paid subscription to remove
Widget customization is limited compared to Intercom or LiveChat
High-volume support operations (100+ daily conversations) will outgrow chat features quickly

Product	Pricing Model	Starting Price
Olark	subscription	$29/mo
HubSpot Chat	freemium	Free0

Choose Olark if...

Small businesses that want straightforward chat without learning a complex platform

Choose HubSpot Chat if...

B2B SaaS companies already using HubSpot CRM that want chat-to-CRM lead capture without extra cost

Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.