Front review (2026): features, pros and cons, and what to check before you buy
Shared inbox and customer operations platform that turns email, chat and messaging into collaborative tickets.
Our take for buyers
Front is a strong shortlist candidate for teams that work out of shared email addresses and need internal comments, @mentions and assignment. G2 reviewers rate it 4.7 across about 2,400 reviews and praise its intuitive interface. It handles email, chat and SMS, with native WhatsApp on Professional and up. Prices are public, which makes a budget check easy before you book a demo.
For buyers with admin requirements, SSO and SCIM are included from the $65 Professional plan, a lower tier than many rivals. Custom roles come with Enterprise. Audit logs, data residency, a DPA and security certifications are not published, so request them. Front is not a classic ITSM service desk, so IT-heavy teams should look elsewhere.
Pros
- Intuitive interface.
- Internal comments and @mentions on threads help teamwork.
- Best for
- Teams that work out of shared email addresses and need internal comments and assignment.
- Starting price
- $25 per seat/month billed annually (Starter, up to 10 seats)
- G2 rating
- 4.7 (2,400 reviews)
What is Front?
Shared inbox and customer operations platform that turns email, chat and messaging into collaborative tickets. Teams working from shared mailboxes such as support@ or sales@ should look at it first, because internal comments and assignment live beside each thread. Professional at $65 brings SSO and SCIM. Starter stops at ten seats, and WhatsApp adds Meta costs plus a 20% fee. Front was founded in 2013.
Category: Help Desk Software
Front key features
| Criterion | What we found |
|---|---|
| Channel coverage | Email, chat, SMS; native WhatsApp on Professional and up (Meta costs plus 20% admin fee) |
| AI agents and assistance | Autopilot AI agent from $0.05 per conversation; Copilot $20/seat/month (included in Enterprise) |
| Reporting and SLA tracking | QA and CSAT included on Enterprise. |
| Pricing model | Per seat plus AI usage add-ons. |
| Target company size | Small teams (Starter to 10 seats) to mid-size (Professional to 50 seats) and enterprise. |
Front plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $25 | per seat/month, annual | Up to 10 seats, basic user management only |
| Professional | $65 | per seat/month, annual | Up to 50 seats, SSO and SCIM |
| Enterprise | $105 | per seat/month, annual | SSO, SCIM, custom roles |
14-day trial with Professional features, no card. Page says 'Save 24%' on annual. Contracts over $25k require an onboarding package.
Who should shortlist Front
A strong fit for
- Teams that work out of shared email addresses and need internal comments and assignment.
- Mid-size teams that want SSO and SCIM from the $65 Professional plan.
A weak fit for
- Teams over 10 who want the cheapest tier, Starter caps at 10 seats.
- Buyers who want a classic ITSM service desk.
Front alternatives
Help ScoutSmall support teams under 25 users that want a simple inbox plus Docs.
ZendeskSupport teams that want a broad omnichannel suite with a regional data hosting option.
FreshdeskSMB support teams wanting low entry price and SAML SSO on every plan.
GorgiasShopify-style online stores that want unlimited agents on a ticket-based price.
HelpDeskSmall support teams that want flat per-user pricing with no per-ticket fees.
HubSpot Service HubCompanies already on HubSpot CRM wanting tickets tied to contact records.
Security, admin and compliance
Published: SSO and SCIM are available on Professional and Enterprise, custom roles are on Enterprise, and QA and CSAT reporting is included on Enterprise. Not published: audit logs, data residency, a DPA, support tier details and security certifications. Contracts are shown as annual, with monthly prices not listed, and deals above $25k require an onboarding package. Ask for the security documentation, a DPA, audit log availability and renewal terms before you sign.
- SAML SSO
- Professional and Enterprise.
- SCIM provisioning
- Professional and Enterprise.
Contract and buying terms
- Contract
- Annual plans shown; monthly not listed.
- Implementation
- Onboarding package required on contracts over $25k; otherwise quoted.
- Starting price
- $25 per seat/month billed annually (Starter, up to 10 seats)
- Pricing model
- Per seat.
- Free plan or trial
- Free trial.
What to test in a Front demo or trial
Use the 14-day trial, which carries Professional features, to set up a real shared inbox with comments, @mentions and assignment, since those are the main praise points. Test your actual channels: email, chat, SMS and native WhatsApp, including the Meta cost plus 20% fee. Check the Autopilot AI agent on real conversations, as its per-conversation pricing is defined differently from per-resolution rivals. If you expect more than 10 or 50 seats, plan for the plan jump. Ask about the API rate limit if you will integrate heavily.
Questions to ask Front before you sign
These are the points Front's public pages leave open. Get the answers in writing before procurement signs off.
- Which plan includes audit logs, and how long are they kept?
- Where is our data stored, and can we choose the region?
- Can we sign your standard DPA without changes?
- What will the price be at renewal, and is the increase capped?
Things to know before a demo
- Starter is capped at 10 seats and Professional at 50 seats, so growth forces a plan jump.
- SSO and SCIM are included from Professional, a lower tier than at most rivals.
- API rate limit increase costs $200 per 100 requests/min per month.
- Autopilot AI is $0.05 per conversation, far lower than per-resolution rivals, but definitions differ.
- Contracts above $25k require an onboarding package.
Front FAQ
What is Front used for?
Teams working from shared mailboxes such as support@ or sales@ should look at it first, because internal comments and assignment live beside each thread. Professional at $65 brings SSO and SCIM. Starter stops at ten seats, and WhatsApp adds Meta costs plus a 20% fee. It suits teams that work out of shared email addresses and need internal comments and assignment.
Does Front support SSO and SCIM?
Yes. Both are included on Professional ($65 per seat per month) and Enterprise. Starter has basic user management only.
Who is Front best for?
It suits teams that work out of shared email addresses and need internal comments and assignment, and mid-size teams that want SSO and SCIM from Professional. It is not a classic ITSM service desk.
Does Front require an onboarding package?
Contracts over $25k require an onboarding package. Below that threshold, onboarding is quoted.
Vendor profile
- Founded
- 2013.
- Employees
- 300+.
- Funding or owner
- About $204M raised in total (vendor about page)
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from Front's own pricing, product or documentation pages, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Unknown values are left out instead of estimated.