Zendesk Chat vs Olark Live Chat (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Zendesk Chat has a higher user rating (4/5 from 27 reviews) and leads in active installations (10K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Zendesk Chat has accumulated 1.3M+ total downloads while Olark Live Chat has 44K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Zendesk Chat | Olark Live Chat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4/5 | ◄ | 2.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 27 | ◄ | 2 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.3M+ | ◄ | 44K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 5 years ago | ► | 6 months ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2017 | |
| Age | 16 years | 9 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.1+ | 3.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 4.3+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.4.18 | 1.0.10 |
Rating Breakdown
Zendesk Chat
Olark Live Chat
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Zendesk Chat averaged approximately 17 daily downloads while Olark Live Chat averaged 9.
Recent Reviews
Zendesk Chat Reviews
Nothing Works
Nothing works. Not even their website on mobile.
Very Useful and FREE!!!!
It is a very useful chat plugin. It offers live chat support for 1 agent (for free) BUT if you don’t have too much traffic that is enough. It is very customizable and it has a mobile app so as the use
Slow down any website
It’s Slow down any website, and no any support
Olark Live Chat Reviews
Totally broken
Still charging my client full amount ($552/year) and the plugin is so neglected that it has been fully deactivated in the WordPress marketplace.
Thank you Olark!
Finally, will have something stable! Thank you to the always awesome team at Olark. Just one thing to fix on my side, and the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars, how can I make it multilingual now?
More Customer Support Worth Comparing
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.