Relentify Chatbot vs Olark: Which Free Chat Does More?
When you're looking at live chat software for your small business, you're usually trying to solve one of two problems: either you've got customers asking the same questions repeatedly, or you're losing sales because nobody's available when prospects chat in. When comparing Relentify Chatbot to Olark—specifically asking which free option does more—the answer hinges on what "free" actually means and what you actually need.
Olark has been answering the chat question since 2009. It's a clean, human-focused live chat tool: visitors click the widget, agents respond, conversations stay simple. No chatbots, no AI, no automation beyond canned responses. Just people talking to people.
That honesty is appealing. But in 2026, most small businesses want more than basic live chat. They want AI-powered responses for when agents sleep, a knowledge base so customers find answers themselves, and multi-channel support—all without watching the monthly bill climb. Relentify Chatbot offers all of this for free.
Pricing — The Biggest Difference
Olark's pricing is straightforward: $29 per seat per month for Standard. No free tier—just a 14-day trial. After that, the clock starts.
Let's do the maths. A three-agent team = $87/month. Five agents = $145/month. Ten agents = $290/month. That $29-per-seat model is Olark's fundamental design. It works fine for single-agent teams or companies that see chat as a small corner of support. But the moment you're running a proper team, the per-seat meter becomes a serious constraint.
Relentify Chatbot is free. Unlimited agents, unlimited conversations, all day, every day. Not a trial. Not freemium with crippled features. Free. A three-agent team saves $87 every month. Over a year, that's £1,044 (at current USD conversion). Most small businesses know exactly what they'd do with that money.
What You Actually Get (And Why It Matters)
Here's where this comparison gets interesting, because Olark and Relentify aren't solving the same problem—even though they both start with live chat.
Olark focuses on chat and does it very well:
- Live chat widget (clean, professional)
- Unlimited conversations
- Chat history and canned responses
- File sharing, visitor monitoring, pre-chat forms
- Offline messages and mobile app (limited)
Relentify Chatbot includes all of that, plus:
- AI-powered responses — answers common questions when agents are offline or sleeping
- Knowledge base — let visitors find answers without anyone typing
- Ticketing system — escalate conversations that need follow-up into tickets
- Multi-channel — chat, email, social, WhatsApp from one interface
- Advanced routing — direct visitors to the right agent
- Unlimited everything — no per-seat limits, no usage caps
Olark is a live chat tool. Relentify Chatbot is a whole customer support platform that happens to start with live chat. If you wanted Olark's "chat only" approach bundled with a separate knowledge base tool and ticketing system, you're looking at additional subscriptions and integration headaches. That's why so many teams comparing options end up looking at Relentify Helpdesk alongside chat—because the bundling advantage compounds.
The AI Question: When It Helps, When It Doesn't
Olark's philosophy is simple: chat should be human-to-human. No bots. No automation beyond shortcuts. Their reasoning has merit—real people generally prefer talking to real people.
But preference doesn't solve the problem of a customer arriving at 2 AM from another timezone with a question about shipping. Without AI, they either leave an offline message or bounce to a competitor. With AI, they get an answer in seconds. If it's genuinely complex, the AI says "let me connect you with someone" and hands it off as a ticket.
Here's the practical truth: your team is not available 24/7. Your competitors' AI chatbots are. Relentify's AI handles predictable queries—pricing, opening hours, return policies, basic troubleshooting—and knows when to escalate to a human. It frees your agents from the death-by-a-thousand-questions grind that erodes morale.
The trade-off is real: if your support questions are all genuinely complex and bespoke, AI won't help much. For ecommerce, SaaS support, or appointment-based businesses, though, the repetition problem is severe. That's when Relentify's AI feature becomes a time-saver that actually returns money to your P&L.
Simplicity vs. Practical Features (And What Small Businesses Actually Need)
Olark's core strength is restraint. They built one tool and shipped it clean. No bloat. No unused features cluttering the interface. If you genuinely only need live chat and nothing else, Olark's simplicity is a real advantage. (Most small businesses discover this assumption is wrong by Tuesday.)
But here's what actually happens: you deploy chat and discover you also need a way to handle conversations that can't be resolved immediately. You need a knowledge base so customers stop asking the same question for the 47th time. You need to track agent availability and who's drowning. You need ratings and handoff metrics.
Olark handles chat. It doesn't handle the system around chat. Relentify Chatbot handles the system. The interface doesn't feel bloated—extra features live in logical places. You're not learning seven different tools; you're learning one tool with deeper capabilities.
The question isn't "simplicity vs. features." It's "single-purpose tool vs. integrated system." At zero cost, the integrated system wins for most small businesses. Compare this to similar tools: Relentify Chatbot vs Tawk.to shows the same pattern, and Relentify vs Tidio reinforces it.
Integrations, Setup, and Accessibility
Olark integrates with major CRMs and helpdesk platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Shopify). Because Olark doesn't include ticketing or CRM natively, these integrations are essential for plugging chat into your broader workflow.
Relentify Chatbot integrates natively with the Relentify ecosystem (accounting, CRM, helpdesk, tasks) and provides an API for custom connections. Because Relentify already includes ticketing and basic CRM features, you're not hunting for external helpdesk tools—conversations that need follow-up become tickets in the same platform. That's the "one login, no Zapier" principle in action.
On accessibility: Olark has invested significantly in WCAG compliance and screen reader support. If your business has strict accessibility requirements, Olark's dedicated focus is worth considering. Relentify Chatbot follows accessibility best practices, but Olark's investment here is notable if compliance is your primary constraint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Relentify Chatbot really have no monthly fee? A: Yes. It's completely free with unlimited agents, unlimited conversations, and all features included. No trial period, no hidden limits, no "upgrade to unlock basics" nonsense.
Q: Can I use Olark's AI features if I pay for a higher tier? A: Olark doesn't offer AI chatbot features at any price. They're explicitly human-only. If AI responses matter to you, you'd need a separate chatbot tool integrated with Olark—which adds cost and complexity.
Q: What happens to my conversations if I switch from Olark to Relentify? A: You can export chat history from Olark as JSON or CSV, then import into Relentify or archive for records. Your data stays yours—no vendor lock-in.
Q: Is Relentify Chatbot suitable for large teams? A: Relentify works well for teams up to roughly 50 people. For larger enterprises, custom routing and more complex logic might be needed. Check Relentify's pricing to confirm your fit.
Q: If Relentify Chatbot is free, how do you make money? A: Relentify makes money from the full platform. Free chat is an entry point—the value compounds when you add accounting, CRM, or helpdesk later. It's the "one platform, no Zapier" advantage.
Q: Does Olark work better with specific CRMs? A: Olark integrates with most major CRMs and helpdesks through their API. Relentify integrates natively with Relentify's ecosystem, so if you're already using Relentify's helpdesk or CRM, the integration is seamless.
Q: Can I add custom branding to the chat widget? A: Both Olark and Relentify support custom colours, logos, and positioning. Neither adds a watermark. Both are equally customisable from a branding perspective.
The Bottom Line
Olark is honest, well-built, and excellent at one thing. But paying $29 per agent per month for chat-only software—when you can get chat plus AI plus ticketing plus knowledge base plus multi-channel for free—becomes harder to justify each year.
For small businesses evaluating live chat, the value proposition is straightforward: free, unlimited agents, AI included, plus ticketing and multi-channel support. If you're philosophically opposed to AI in chat (a fair position), Olark remains your best choice. If budget matters—and for small teams it absolutely does—the choice is clear.
Start using Relentify Chatbot free today. No card required. No trial period. Just sign up and start chatting.