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Software · head to head

Front vs Zendesk

Front logo

Front

Software

Where teams collaborate on customer communication

From
$25/month per seat
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zendesk logo

Zendesk

Software

Champions of customer service

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Front starter tier limited to single-channel support; omnichannel support requires Professional tier; Zendesk aI agents operate on per-resolution billing; customers pay only when an AI agent successfully resolves a ticket without escalation
  • They diverge on capability: Front covers Shared inbox, Zendesk covers Ticket management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Front and Zendesk actually diverge.

Attributes where Front and Zendesk differ
AttributeFrontZendesk
Starting price$25/month per seat$19/month
PlatformsCloud-based SaaSWeb
Founded20132007

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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

  • Shared inbox
  • Email collaboration
  • Omnichannel messaging
  • Analytics
  • Workflows
  • Integrations
  • HubSpot
  • Asana

Only in Zendesk

  • Ticket management
  • Omnichannel support
  • Knowledge base
  • Live chat
  • Call center
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Automation
  • Customer satisfaction

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • Jira
  • SOC2

What people use each for

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

Front

  • Multi-team customer support across email, chat, SMS channelsnot Zendesk
  • Enterprises using AI to resolve complex multi-step customer requestsnot Zendesk

Zendesk

  • Help desk and ticketing system managementnot Front
  • Omnichannel customer supportnot Front
  • Knowledge base and self-service portalsnot Front
  • AI-assisted customer servicenot 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

Zendesk

  • AI agents operate on per-resolution billing; customers pay only when an AI agent successfully resolves a ticket without escalation
  • Copilot and Contact Center features available as separate add-ons at £50+/agent/month
  • Advanced routing, workforce engagement, and approval workflows limited to Enterprise tier
  • Highest tier requires sales consultation and custom pricing

Pricing, plan by plan

Front

$25/month per seat

No published plan breakdown. See the Front review.

Zendesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Zendesk review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Front if

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

Choose Zendesk if

  • You need ticket management.
  • You also want omnichannel support.
Zendesk review

Questions people ask

Is Front or Zendesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Front starts at $25/month per seat and Zendesk at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Front or Zendesk?
Front starts at $25/month per seat and Zendesk at $19/month.
Does Front or Zendesk run on more platforms?
Front runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Zendesk runs on Web.
What is Front best used for?
Front is most often used for multi-team customer support across email, chat, sms channels, enterprises using ai to resolve complex multi-step customer requests. Of those, multi-team customer support across email, chat, sms channels and enterprises using ai to resolve complex multi-step customer requests are not what Zendesk is typically brought in for.
What can Front do that Zendesk cannot?
Front covers Shared inbox, Email collaboration, Omnichannel messaging, Analytics. Zendesk covers Ticket management, Omnichannel support, Knowledge base, Live chat. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, Jira, SOC2.
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Related pages

More on Front

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