OlarkHelpshiftOlark vs Helpshift

Olark vs Helpshift: the differences that decide it

A live chat software against an in-app support for games and apps: one prints a price and one quotes. What decides between Olark and Helpshift, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

No credit card. Live in minutes.

The short answer

Pick Olark if you want an AI chat agent at a flat monthly price with no usage meter. Pick Helpshift if you ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached. For five people it is $145 a month on Olark, and a quote on Helpshift, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. Olark and Helpshift both include website chat in the price; only Helpshift has email and WhatsApp. Neither Olark nor Helpshift includes Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between Olark and Helpshift for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceOlarkOlarkHelpshiftHelpshift
Built aroundA simple chat box · AI agent at a flat priceIn-app support for games · SDK first
Entry plan$29/agent/mo · human-only chatQuote · priced by interaction volume
Chat in the price$29/agent/mo · the whole product is chatQuote · in-app and web
AI agent$400/mo flat · unlimited AI conversations, 1 seatIn the quote · AI agents by volume
Copilot for agentsNoneIn the quote
Free planNone · trial, no cardNone · request pricing

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    OlarkOlark

    As a chat in the box on your site, with transcripts emailed afterwards. Helpshift raises a ticket where Olark keeps a conversation.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    As an issue raised inside the game or app through the SDK, with device and player data attached. Olark has no ticket queue behind its conversations.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    OlarkOlark

    $29 buys a human agent seat; the AI Website Agent is $400 a month flat with one seat included. $145 for five people; Helpshift prints no figure to set beside it.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    There is no seat price; the quote is built from interaction volume, solutions and regions. No figure for five people here; Olark prints $145.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    OlarkOlark

    A flat $400 a month for unlimited AI conversations, with no token or per-outcome charge. Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats instead.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    AI agents are part of the modular quote, priced by the volume they handle. Olark folds AI ($400/mo flat) into the plan instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    OlarkOlark

    Website chat only; no email inbox, WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram. Helpshift adds email and WhatsApp, which Olark lacks.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    In-app, web, email, WhatsApp and Discord; no Instagram or Telegram. email and WhatsApp are here and not on Olark.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    OlarkOlark

    Transcripts, reports and integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot and help desks. Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps instead.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    Player engagement, trust and safety, community, and outsourced human support. Olark is a live chat software instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    OlarkOlark

    Minutes: paste the snippet. Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    A sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers. Olark is minutes.

Sources: Olark pricing · Helpshift pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Olark agent console: the chat list and the conversation with visitor details
OlarkOlark. The Olark agent console: the chat list and the conversation with visitor details
The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data
HelpshiftHelpshift. The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data

Pricing references: Olark pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Helpshift pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Olark, Helpshift and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureOlarkOlarkHelpshiftHelpshiftSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI flat
Quote by interaction volume
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None; trial
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
The whole product
In-app and web
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Transcripts only
Included
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Not offered
Included
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not offered
Discord instead
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack notifications
Discord as a customer channel
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI Website Agent
AI agents in the quote
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
$400 a month flat
By volume, quoted
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to a human seat
Hands to an agent
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Chats only
Issues with states
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Chat rules only
Automations and bots
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Chat reports
Reporting
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser only
Browser only
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Olark if

  • You want an AI chat agent at a flat monthly price with no usage meter.
  • Website chat is the only channel and simplicity beats features.
  • It prints its price ($145 a month for five) where Helpshift quotes.
  • You want the AI in the seat price ($400/mo flat) rather than Helpshift's meter at in the quote.

Pick Helpshift if

  • You ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached.
  • Discord and WhatsApp are where players write.
  • You need email and WhatsApp in the price, which Olark does not include outright.
  • You need a ticket queue, which Olark does not have.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $145 a month on Olark, and a quote on Helpshift for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: Olark folds AI ($400/mo flat) into the plan and Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats, where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Olark nor Helpshift includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Olark on Live chat: $58, $145 and $290 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Helpshift quotes per team, so two, five and ten people are three conversations with sales. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $100 less than Olark and against a quote on Helpshift for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $195 under Olark.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Olark is a live chat software built around a simple chat box; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Neither has a free plan: Olark offers a free trial, Helpshift no trial. Olark and Helpshift both include website chat in the price; only Helpshift has email and WhatsApp. Neither Olark nor Helpshift includes Instagram and Telegram outright. Olark folds AI ($400/mo flat) into the plan; Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats. Helpshift has tickets and Olark does not, and neither Olark nor Helpshift ships a desktop app. Olark is minutes; Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

What each price leaves out

Olark: AI Website Agent $400 a month flat, extra human seats $29 each. Helpshift: AI agents are part of the modular quote. Beside Olark's $400/mo flat and Helpshift's in the quote, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    OlarkOlarkAssumed $0$0
    HelpshiftHelpshiftSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    OlarkOlark · Free trial, no card
    HelpshiftHelpshift · None; request pricing
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Olark vs Helpshift: the questions people ask

Olark is a live chat software built around a simple chat box; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Helpshift has tickets and Olark does not, and neither Olark nor Helpshift ships a desktop app.

  • Entry plan: Olark $29/agent/mo (human-only chat); Helpshift Quote (priced by interaction volume).
  • Chat in the price: Olark $29/agent/mo (the whole product is chat); Helpshift Quote (in-app and web).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: Instagram and Telegram, which neither Olark nor Helpshift has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Olark and Helpshift rows is on the shared inbox page.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

No credit card required