Front review
by FrontApp, Inc.Help desk and customer support
A shared inbox where a team works email, chat, SMS and social messages together, with ticketing on top, from $25 per seat billed annually.
- 14-day free trial
- No card needed
- Self-serve
- Per seat
- Public prices
What you're paying for
- Easy to adopt (main value)
- Compliance included
- Saves engineering time
One shared inbox where the whole team works email, chat, SMS and social messages together, with tickets, SLAs and CSAT on top.
Front looks and works like a team email inbox: conversations from email, Front Chat, SMS, Slack, social channels and WhatsApp land in shared inboxes, where teammates assign them, comment inside the thread and write shared drafts. Ticket statuses, SLAs, CSAT surveys and a customer portal sit on top, so support, account management and operations can answer customers in one place. On Professional ($65 per seat, annual) the plan also carries SAML SSO, SCIM, up to 5 workspaces and 2 knowledge bases, and every plan has an admin audit log and Front’s SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.
- Team collaboration in the inbox itselfThe plan table lists shared inboxes, assignments, internal comments and shared drafts on every plan, and guest accounts that comment on a conversation without needing a license.Evidence: Pricing page plan table (2026-10-15)
- Channels and service levels on one planProfessional covers email, Front Chat, SMS through providers, Slack, Facebook, Instagram, X and third-party WhatsApp, with ticket SLAs, response time SLA rules and CSAT surveys.Evidence: Pricing page plan table and CSAT help article (2026-10-15)
- Audit trail and certificates from the startThe admin audit log keeps 365 days of settings changes on all plans; the security page states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 and hosting in the US or the EU; SAML SSO and SCIM start on Professional.Evidence: Audit log help article and security page (2026-10-15)
- APIs to bring in your own channelsThe developer docs cover a Core API with webhooks, Application Channels for custom messaging and voice channels, a Plugin SDK and a Chat Widget SDK for web, iOS and Android.Evidence: Developer docs (2026-10-15)
- Best for
- Teams that answer customers from a shared email inbox and want chat, SMS and social messages, SLAs and CSAT in the same place.
- Good to know
- Starter connects one channel type, so email plus chat starts on Professional at $65 per seat on annual terms; custom roles are on Enterprise only.
How Front compares
Against 3 other products we reviewed in Help desk and customer support: what you pay for with each, the five access facts, the plan limits we recorded and each review's bottom line. The note under the table says how each one was checked.
| Metric | Front | Freshdesk | Intercom | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Easy to adoptOne shared inbox where the whole team works email, chat, SMS and social messages together, with tickets, SLAs and CSAT on top. | Worth the priceEmail, live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram in one inbox, with a knowledge base and SAML SSO, from $29 per agent on annual terms. | Saves engineering timeA help desk and an AI agent in one workspace: Fin answers first, your team takes over in the same inbox, and Fin is billed per outcome. | Worth the priceEmail, live chat, social messaging and a Docs knowledge base on one $25 seat, with SLA policies and CSAT surveys already included. |
| Overall score | 6.3 | 6.7Best | 6.6 | 6.2 |
| Free option | 14-day free trial | 14-day free trial | 14-day free trial | Free plan |
| Card to start | No card needed | No card needed | No card needed | No card needed |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $25/seat/mo | $19/agent/mo | $29/seat/mo | $25/user/mo |
| Pricing model | Per seat | Per seat | Seat + usage | Per seat |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per seat per month; Autopilot AI agent billed per conversation | Per agent per month; AI agent sessions, WhatsApp messages and phone billed separately | Per seat per month; Fin outcomes, phone, SMS and bulk messages billed by usage | Per user per month; AI Answers and Messages above 2,000 viewers billed by usage |
| Free option | No free plan; 14-day trial of Professional, no card | No free plan on the pricing page; 14-day trial, no card; 6-month Free Program for 2 agents in the help center | No free plan; 14-day trial, no card | Free plan for 5 users (1 Inbox, 1 Docs site, 100 contacts/mo, no live chat); 15-day trial, no card |
| Reference scenario (5 agents, annual) | $325/mo on Professional ($65 × 5), computed; Starter allows one channel type | $145/mo on Freshdesk Omni Growth ($29 × 5), computed | $145/mo on Essential ($29 × 5), computed | $125/mo on Standard ($25 × 5), computed |
| Month-to-month price | $85 per seat on Professional ($35 on Starter; Enterprise is annual only) | $35 per agent on Omni Growth ($35 / $95 / $143 Omni; $23 / $66 / $107 Freshdesk) | $39 per seat on Essential ($39 / $99 / $139 for the three plans) | $30 per user on Standard ($30 / $54 / $90 for the three paid plans) |
| AI agent pricing | Autopilot per conversation: Triage $0.05, Handoff $0.39, Resolution $0.89 | First 500 sessions included once per account; then $49 per 100 sessions | Fin $0.99 per outcome on every plan; qualifications $9.99 | $0.75 per resolution (AI Answers) with a monthly spending limit; 3-month free trial for new accounts |
| Phone | Through partner integrations such as Aircall and Dialpad, Professional and up | Through Freshcaller, a separately billed Freshworks product; own carrier on Omni Pro and up | Built in on every plan; numbers and minutes billed by usage | Through integrations only, such as Aircall (add-on, price not listed) |
| SLA policies and CSAT | Professional ($65), the scenario plan | Default SLA policies on Growth; multiple SLAs and CSAT surveys from Pro ($79 Omni) | Conversation ratings on every plan; SLAs on Expert ($132) | Standard: one basic SLA policy and CSAT surveys; conditional SLAs from Plus |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (report and certificate on request) | SOC 2 Type 2 (report on request); ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (Trust Center, on request) | SOC 2 Type II (report by email request); ISO 27001 not stated |
| HIPAA BAA | When the annual contract price meets a threshold Front does not state | Mutually executed with Freshworks; the HIPAA guide lists Freshdesk Enterprise ($89), not the current Omni plans | Expert plan only, requested through support | Pro only per the help article (demo, 10-user minimum); plan table shows an unpriced Plus add-on |
| EU data hosting | US or EEA, chosen by contacting support; no plan limit stated | EEA data center chosen at sign-up, every plan | New workspaces on a contract (Advanced or Expert), through sales | No EU option described; hosted on AWS servers in the United States |
| SSO | SAML SSO and SCIM from Professional; Google and Office 365 sign-in on every plan | SAML on every plan of both editions | SAML on Expert only | SAML on Pro per the help article; plan table shows an unpriced add-on on Standard and Plus |
| Data export | Full export by request to Front Support; Core API on every plan | Whole-account export (XML in the app, JSON through the API) | All conversations to Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage; REST API | Inbox API only; report CSV/XLSX exports leave out conversation threads |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Front is a team shared inbox with ticketing, SLAs, CSAT and SAML SSO on Professional and an audit log on every plan. Email plus chat starts at $65 per seat, phone runs through partners, and the HIPAA BAA depends on contract size. | From its public pages, Freshdesk Omni offers chat, social messaging, a knowledge base, SAML SSO and EU hosting from $29 per agent, with every plan priced in public. CSAT, multiple SLAs and custom roles start on Pro, and a few pages disagree on payment and plan details. | From its public pages, Intercom is a full help desk with an AI agent built in, priced per seat plus $0.99 per Fin outcome. SSO, SLAs and the HIPAA BAA need Expert, and a few prices differ between its pages. | From its public pages, Help Scout is the lowest-priced of these five for email, chat, social messaging and a knowledge base for 5 agents, with SLAs, CSAT and a free plan. Phone, EU hosting and a file export of conversations are outside it, and SSO and HIPAA sit on Pro. |
Evidence: Front: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Freshdesk: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Intercom: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Help Scout: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
Score
- Pricing clarity
- 8.0 / 10, Excellent
- scenario plan priced; can be bought online; month-to-month price published; AI agent price published; the API rate limit add-on is listed for all plans on the pricing page, while the developer docs say it needs Professional or higher; the Professional and Autopilot cards point to a demo or sales, while the compare table and help center describe buying them from billing settings
- Free plan and trial
- 3.0 / 10, Fair
- no free plan; 14-day trial, no card needed
- Price for 5 agents
- 3.8 / 10, Fair
- $325/mo: Professional at $65 × 5 agents, annual terms; no add-on needed; Starter ($25) allows only one channel type, so email plus chat needs Professional
- Channels and service levels
- 7.5 / 10, Good
- phone not listed; social messaging on the scenario plan; SLA policies on the scenario plan; CSAT surveys on the scenario plan; several brands or knowledge bases on the scenario plan
- Compliance and data residency
- 8.3 / 10, Excellent
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAA enterprise or through sales only, EU data storage on the scenario plan (EEA hosting is chosen by contacting support or your account representative)
- Admin, API and data export
- 7.1 / 10, Good
- SAML SSO on the scenario plan; custom roles enterprise or through sales only; audit log on the scenario plan; REST API; no ticket export described
Review
Review from public pages
Written from Front's public pages (pricing, security or privacy, and docs) as read on Oct 15, 2026. We did not sign up, and no hands-on run is published yet.
What the public pages show
We read Front's pricing page with its plan comparison table, AI and add-on cards and FAQ, the Success Services price sheet, the security page and the Security and Compliance Handbook it links (dated Oct 2024), the legal pages (SaaS Services Agreement, DPA and HIPAA compliance terms), help center articles on plans and pricing, billing, cancellation, data export, data hosting, CSAT, the audit log, roles, SSO, channel limits, API rate limits, Autopilot pricing and WhatsApp, and the developer docs on Oct 15, 2026; we did not sign up for the trial or call the API for this review. The trust center at trust.front.com is rendered by script only, so the security page's statements are used.
The pricing page is clear on the main lines: Starter $25, Professional $65 and Enterprise $105 per seat a month on annual terms, $35 and $85 month to month for the first two, and a one-channel-type limit on Starter. The help center publishes Autopilot's per-conversation prices along with what counts as a Resolution: no teammate follow-up within 24 hours on Resolve, SMS, WhatsApp and custom channels, or 72 hours on email and the portal.
A few points need a question to Front. The HIPAA terms tie a BAA to an annual contract price threshold they do not state, while the DPA says the service is not designed for HIPAA data. The pricing page offers the API rate-limit add-on on all plans, but the developer docs say Professional or higher. And the Professional card and Autopilot card point to a demo or sales, while the compare table and help center describe buying and switching them on from billing settings.
Strengths
- A shared inbox the whole team can work in
Shared inboxes, assignments, internal comments and shared drafts are on every plan, and guests can comment on a conversation without a paid seat. Individual inboxes and calendar sit alongside.
- SLAs, CSAT and SAML SSO on the scenario plan
Professional ($65 per seat, annual) includes ticket SLAs, response time SLA rules, CSAT surveys, SAML SSO, SCIM, up to 5 workspaces and 2 knowledge bases.
vs Intercom: Zendesk starts SLA policies and CSAT on Suite Professional ($115 per agent, annual); Intercom puts SSO, SLAs and multibrand on Expert ($132).
- Admin audit log on every plan
The audit log records settings and resource changes for 365 days and exports up to 100,000 rows to CSV, on Starter as well.
vs Zendesk: Zendesk lists its audit log on Suite Enterprise; Freshdesk lists audit logs on Enterprise.
- AI agent priced by outcome, with definitions
Autopilot charges once per conversation at the highest level reached: Triage $0.05, Handoff $0.39, Resolution $0.89. The help center defines each level and lists a 30-day trial with up to 1,000 Resolutions.
vs Help Scout: Intercom charges $0.99 per Fin outcome; Help Scout charges $0.75 per AI Answers resolution.
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and EU hosting
The security page states both certifications and hosting in the US or the EU; the hosting policy names no plan limit for the EEA choice.
vs Help Scout: Help Scout does not state ISO 27001 and hosts data in the US only.
Things to know
- Starter connects one channel type
Starter allows a single channel type (email, Front Chat or SMS) and puts Front branding on the chat widget and knowledge base, so email plus chat starts on Professional at $65 per seat on annual terms.
Workaround: The 14-day trial runs on Professional with no card, so the full channel set can be tried first.
- Phone runs through partner apps
Voice and telephony on Professional and up come through integrations such as Aircall and Dialpad; the pricing page lists no phone service billed by Front. Front’s analytics do not track voicemails or IVR.
Workaround: The developer docs describe Application Channels, which can bring other voice or messaging providers into Front.
- HIPAA BAA depends on contract size
Front says it reserves the right to enter into a BAA with customers whose annual contract price meets a threshold the page does not state, and the DPA says the service is not designed for HIPAA data.
Workaround: Ask Front for the threshold and which terms apply once a BAA is signed.
- Full export is by request
A full account export is requested from Front Support and covers shared-inbox conversations, comments and attachments, not individual inboxes, contacts, message templates or tags.
Workaround: The Core API lists conversations and messages, and contacts and accounts export to CSV in the app.
Pricing reality
Front bills each seat per month, and a plan applies to the whole organization, so Starter and Professional seats cannot be mixed. For our scenario, 5 agents on Professional cost 5 × $65 = $325 a month on annual terms ($3,900 a year), or $425 month to month (computed), before tax. Starter at $25 is cheaper but connects one channel type. Costs rise with Copilot ($20 per seat a month on Starter and Professional), Autopilot per conversation (1,000 Resolutions at $0.89 come to $890, computed), native WhatsApp at Meta’s cost plus a 20% fee, the API rate-limit add-on ($200 a month per 100 requests a minute), and phone or SMS providers. Contracts over $25k require an onboarding package from $10,000. Payments are nonrefundable, and removed seats are not credited.
Exit path
You cancel in billing settings and the plan runs to the end of the term. For 30 days after termination you can log in, search history and see analytics, but not send or use the API; then data is deleted. A full export is requested from Front Support: shared-inbox conversations, messages, comments and attachments as CSV folders by inbox, with the knowledge base as separate files. Individual inboxes, contacts, templates and tags are not included.
Compared with
- Pick Front when
- You need SAML SSO, an admin audit log and EU data hosting on a plan bought online.
- Pick Help Scout when
- You want a free plan for up to 5 users, or a lower 5-agent cost ($125 a month on Standard, annual).
- Pick Front when
- You want SLAs, CSAT surveys and an audit log at $65 per seat (Professional, annual) and a team inbox for more than support.
- Pick Zendesk when
- You want native phone in the seat, or a HIPAA BAA on a plan bought online (Suite Professional).
- Pick Front when
- You want SAML SSO, SLAs and several workspaces and knowledge bases without moving to a top plan.
- Pick Intercom when
- You want native phone billed by usage and a lower 5-agent cost ($145 a month on Essential, annual).
Choose it if
- Your team already answers customers from a shared email inbox and wants chat, SMS and social messages beside it.
- You want SLAs, CSAT surveys and SAML SSO without an enterprise contract.
- Your security review asks for SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, an audit log and EU hosting.
Look elsewhere if
- You need email and live chat together at the Starter price.
- You need phone calls handled by the help desk vendor itself.
- You need custom agent roles or a HIPAA BAA without a sales contract.
Bottom line
From its public pages, Front is a team shared inbox with ticketing, SLAs, CSAT and SAML SSO on Professional and an audit log on every plan. Email plus chat starts at $65 per seat, phone runs through partners, and the HIPAA BAA depends on contract size.
Plan limits at a glance
| Limit | As recorded |
|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per seat per month; Autopilot AI agent billed per conversation |
| Free option | No free plan; 14-day trial of Professional, no card |
| Reference scenario (5 agents, annual) | $325/mo on Professional ($65 × 5), computed; Starter allows one channel type |
| Month-to-month price | $85 per seat on Professional ($35 on Starter; Enterprise is annual only) |
| AI agent pricing | Autopilot per conversation: Triage $0.05, Handoff $0.39, Resolution $0.89 |
| Phone | Through partner integrations such as Aircall and Dialpad, Professional and up |
| SLA policies and CSAT | Professional ($65), the scenario plan |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (report and certificate on request) |
| HIPAA BAA | When the annual contract price meets a threshold Front does not state |
| EU data hosting | US or EEA, chosen by contacting support; no plan limit stated |
| SSO | SAML SSO and SCIM from Professional; Google and Office 365 sign-in on every plan |
| Data export | Full export by request to Front Support; Core API on every plan |
Read from the vendor's public pages on Oct 15, 2026. No hands-on run is published yet. How we check
We have not published a sign-up run for Front yet. The access facts above were read from its sign-up and pricing pages on Oct 15, 2026.
We have not published API calls for Front yet.
Front lists 3 plans. The cheapest paid plan, Starter (billed annually), costs $25/seat/mo.
- FrontStarter$25/seat/moBilled annually; $35 month to month; up to 10 seats
- One channel type: email, Front Chat or SMS
- Shared inbox, ticketing, up to 10 rules per workspace
- 1 workspace and 1 public knowledge base, with Front branding on it and on the chat widget
- Admin audit log, Google and Office 365 sign-in, API 50 requests/min
- FrontProfessional$65/seat/moBilled annually; $85 month to month; up to 50 seats; the plan used for the 14-day trial
- Email, Front Chat, SMS, Slack, Facebook, Instagram, X and third-party WhatsApp
- Ticket SLAs, response time SLA rules and CSAT surveys
- Customer portal, up to 5 workspaces and 2 knowledge bases
- SAML SSO and SCIM, webhooks, API 100 requests/min
- FrontEnterprise$105/seat/moAnnual billing only; sold through a demo
- Custom roles and permissions, IP restrictions, e-discovery extracts
- Copilot, Smart QA and Smart CSAT included
- Unlimited rules and macros, up to 50 knowledge bases in several languages
- Custom reports, unlimited analytics retention, API 200 requests/min
Prices as listed, USD, excluding tax; observed 2026-10-15.
Source: front.com pricing page. Prices change; the observed date above is when our agent read them.