Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Front vs Help Scout

Front logo

Front

Customer Support

Where teams collaborate on customer communication

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Help Scout has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Front starter tier limited to single-channel support; omnichannel support requires Professional tier; Help Scout the free plan caps contacts at 100 a month, so it is a volume trial rather than a standing free tier
  • They diverge on capability: Front covers Email collaboration, Help Scout covers Knowledge base.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Front and Help Scout actually diverge.

Attributes where Front and Help Scout differ
AttributeFrontHelp Scout
Starting price$25/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-based SaaSWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20132011

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Customer Support).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Front

  • Email collaboration
  • Omnichannel messaging
  • Analytics
  • Integrations
  • Asana
  • SSO
  • Desktop support

Only in Help Scout

  • Knowledge base
  • Live chat
  • Customer profiles
  • Reporting
  • Shopify
  • HIPAA

Both cover

  • Shared inbox
  • Workflows
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Slack
  • Jira
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Front

  • Omnichannel customer supportnot Help Scout
  • AI-powered helpdesk automationnot Help Scout
  • Team collaboration on support ticketsnot Help Scout

Help Scout

  • Shared inbox and help desk for customer support teamsnot Front
  • Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Front

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Front

  • Starter tier limited to single-channel support; omnichannel support requires Professional tier
  • AI Copilot, Smart QA, and Smart CSAT are included only in Enterprise tier ($105/seat/month); available as add-ons at higher cost in lower tiers
  • Starter tier limited to 10 automation rules; Professional tier allows 20; unlimited rules only in Enterprise
  • Advanced analytics excluded from Starter tier

Help Scout

  • The free plan caps contacts at 100 a month, so it is a volume trial rather than a standing free tier
  • Inboxes are rationed by plan, at 1 on free, 5 on Plus and 10 on Pro
  • Each plan also caps users, at 25 on Standard and 50 on Plus
  • The Pro plan at $75 per user per month carries a 10 user minimum, so the entry cost is $750 a month
  • SSO, SAML and HIPAA compliance are Pro only
  • AI Answers is billed separately at $0.75 per resolution on top of the seat price

Pricing, plan by plan

Front

$25/month
  • Starter$25/month
    • Up to 10 seats
    • Shared inbox and ticketing
    • AI Topics and up to 10 automation rules
  • Professional$65/month
    • Up to 50 seats
    • Omnichannel support (email, SMS, social)
    • Macros and up to 20 automation rules
  • Enterprise$105/month
    • Unlimited seats
    • Smart rules and unlimited macros
    • Multi-language knowledge base

Help Scout

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 5 users
    • 1 Inbox
    • 1 Docs site
  • Standard$25/month
    • Multiple inboxes
    • Live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger
    • Multiple knowledge bases
  • Plus$45/month
    • Standard features plus advanced workflows
    • Two advanced SLAs
    • Secure portal
  • Pro$75/month
    • Plus features plus unlimited workflows
    • Unlimited SLAs
    • SSO/SAML

Which should you pick?

Choose Front if

  • You need email collaboration.
  • You work on Cloud-based SaaS.
  • You also want omnichannel messaging.
Front review

Choose Help Scout if

  • You need knowledge base.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want live chat.
Help Scout review

Questions people ask

Is Front or Help Scout better?
Neither clearly leads. Front starts at $25/month and Help Scout at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Front or Help Scout?
Help Scout has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $25/month for Front and Free for Help Scout.
Does Front or Help Scout run on more platforms?
Front runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Help Scout for free?
Yes. Help Scout has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Front starts at $25/month.
What is Front best used for?
Front is most often used for omnichannel customer support, ai-powered helpdesk automation, team collaboration on support tickets. Of those, omnichannel customer support and ai-powered helpdesk automation are not what Help Scout is typically brought in for.
What can Front do that Help Scout cannot?
Front covers Email collaboration, Omnichannel messaging, Analytics, Integrations. Help Scout covers Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles, Reporting. Both handle Shared inbox, Workflows, Salesforce, HubSpot.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Front: How much does Front's Starter plan cost per seat?

Starter plan is $25 per seat per month for up to 10 seats, with 14-day free trial and no credit card required.

Source
Help Scout: How much does Help Scout cost?

Help Scout offers a free plan for up to 5 users. Paid plans start at $25/user/month (Standard), $45/user/month (Plus), and $75/user/month (Pro).

Source
Front: Does Enterprise include AI features?

Yes, Enterprise at $105 per seat per month includes AI Copilot, Smart QA, and Smart CSAT at no additional cost.

Source
Help Scout: What is included in the Pro plan?

Help Scout Pro at $75/user/month includes unlimited workflows, unlimited SLAs, SSO/SAML, HIPAA compliance, up to 50 light users, dedicated onboarding, and a strategic account manager.

Source
Front: What is the seat limit for Professional?

Professional plan supports up to 50 seats at $65 per seat per month.

Source
Help Scout: Does Help Scout offer a free trial?

Yes, Help Scout offers a 15-day free trial for Standard and Plus plans with no credit card required. Pro plan requires booking a demo.

Source
Front: Are there additional AI add-ons available?

Yes, Autopilot starts at $0.05 per conversation; Copilot, Smart QA, and other AI features range from $10-$20 per seat per month on lower tiers.

Source
Help Scout: What is the cost of Help Scout's AI Answers add-on?

Help Scout's AI Answers add-on costs $0.75 per resolution with a 3-month free trial included.

Source
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