Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Front.
Want the closest match?
LiveChatMost similar to Front in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens LiveChat in a new tab)Need a free plan?
Help ScoutHas a free plan, rated 4.5 out of 5. Front has none.
Visit (opens Help Scout in a new tab)Want to pay less than Front?
LiveAgentFrom $10/mo, against from $25/mo for Front.
Visit (opens LiveAgent in a new tab)Want the best rated?
FreshchatRated 4.3 out of 5 in our review, against 4.4 for Front.
Visit (opens Freshchat in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Front, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 FrontBaseline | 4.4 | $25/mo | No | Customer operations platform with a shared inbox for support, sales and operations teams, plus Front AI: Autopilot agents that resolve requests, Copilot drafting and next steps, and Compass monitoring of agent performance. | |
| LiveChat | 3.9−0.5 | $19/mo$6 less | No | LiveChat AI and a Copilot Assistant sit inside the same inbox as your human agents, with a 14-day free trial across every plan tier. | vs Front |
| Freshchat | 4.3−0.1 | $19/mo$6 less | YesFront has none | Freshworks' AI-powered messaging platform for live chat, chatbots, and omnichannel support. | vs Front |
 Whelp | 4.1−0.3 | $29/mo$4 more | YesFront has none | Customer support platform that pairs AI agents trained on your FAQs, policies and catalog with one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, SMS, email, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram. | vs Front |
 JivoChat | 3.7−0.7 | Not listed | No | AI Agent resolves up to 80% of conversations automatically, while an OpenAI-powered AI Assistant helps human agents compose the rest faster. | vs Front |
 Brandwise | 3.4−1.0 | Not listed | No | Obie, your AI agent, reads your catalog and policies to answer customers, track orders, and process exchanges directly in Shopify - not just draft replies. | vs Front |
| Help Scout | 4.5+0.1 | $25/moSame price | YesFront has none | A shared inbox designed to feel like email, not enterprise ticketing | vs Front |
 HelpDesk | 4.2−0.2 | Not listed | No | One inbox across email, chat, Messenger and SMS, from the company behind LiveChat. | vs Front |
| LiveAgent | 3.8−0.6 | $10/mo$15 less | No | AI Chatbot, Answer Improver, and Answer Composer aim to automate up to 75% of conversations, with a free AI Agent promo bundled into every trial. | vs Front |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Front.
LiveChat
3.9$19/mo
vs Front$6 less−0.5
LiveChat AI and a Copilot Assistant sit inside the same inbox as your human agents, with a 14-day free trial across every plan tier.
- LiveChat AI built into the core inbox
- Copilot Assistant for agent support
- Shared inbox for AI and human agents with a revenue counter
AI and human conversations share one inbox instead of separate tools
No permanent free plan
Freshchat
4.3$19/mo
vs Front$6 less−0.1Free plan
Freshworks' AI-powered messaging platform for live chat, chatbots, and omnichannel support.
- Unified inbox spanning web, mobile, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, email, and SMS
- No-code chatbot builder for automating routine conversations
- Freddy AI Agent and Copilot add-ons for automated responses and agent assistance
Genuinely free tier for up to 10 agents, not a time-limited trial only
Freddy AI Agent and Copilot are billed as separate add-ons on top of per-agent pricing
Whelp
4.1$29/mo
vs Front$4 more−0.3Free plan
Customer support platform that pairs AI agents trained on your FAQs, policies and catalog with one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, SMS, email, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram.
- AI Agents trained on FAQs, policies and catalog
- Order and booking lookups inside conversations
- Unified inbox for WhatsApp, chat, SMS, email and social
Free plan with unlimited conversations for one seat
AI Agents start at the $79 per seat plan
JivoChat
3.7Not listed
vs Front−0.7
AI Agent resolves up to 80% of conversations automatically, while an OpenAI-powered AI Assistant helps human agents compose the rest faster.
- AI Agent - resolves up to 80% of conversations automatically
- AI Assistant - OpenAI-powered response drafting for human agents
- Unified inbox across live chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, email
Splitting full automation from human-assisted drafting matches real support-volume patterns
Specific pricing requires visiting a separate pricing page
Brandwise
3.4Not listed
vs Front−1.0
Obie, your AI agent, reads your catalog and policies to answer customers, track orders, and process exchanges directly in Shopify - not just draft replies.
- Obie AI agent trained on your own catalog, policies, and past replies
- Takes real actions - order tracking, exchanges, shipping updates in Shopify
- Unified multi-channel inbox (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Gmail)
Obie executes real actions (exchanges, shipping updates), not just canned replies
Volume-based pricing can scale unpredictably with conversation spikes
Help Scout
4.5$25/mo
vs FrontSame price+0.1Free plan
A shared inbox designed to feel like email, not enterprise ticketing.
- Shared inbox designed to feel like personal email
- No visible ticket numbers shown to customers
- AI-drafted reply suggestions and conversation summaries
Genuinely lighter-weight and easier to adopt than enterprise ticketing platforms
Less suited to very high-volume or highly complex enterprise support operations
HelpDesk
4.2Not listed
vs Front−0.2
One inbox across email, chat, Messenger and SMS, from the company behind LiveChat.
- Unified inbox across email, chat, Messenger and SMS
- AI reply suggestions, summaries and automatic tagging
- Language detection and tone adjustment
Collision detection stops two agents answering the same ticket
Plan pricing kept on a separate page
LiveAgent
3.8$10/mo
vs Front$15 less−0.6
AI Chatbot, Answer Improver, and Answer Composer aim to automate up to 75% of conversations, with a free AI Agent promo bundled into every trial.
- AI Chatbot for automated first-response handling
- Answer Improver for refining agent-drafted replies
- Answer Composer for drafting responses from scratch
Three distinct AI tools cover multiple points in the support workflow
No permanent free plan
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Front free?
Front does not list a free plan. Paid plans start from $25/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Front?
Help Scout is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.5 out of 5). Other free options: Freshchat, Whelp.
What is the cheapest alternative to Front?
Among paid plans, LiveAgent has the lowest starting price (from $10/mo). If you need it free, start with Help Scout.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.