Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Front vs Zoho Desk

Front logo

Front

Customer Support

Where teams collaborate on customer communication

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

Zoho Desk

Customer Support

Context-aware help desk software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zoho Desk 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; Zoho Desk free plan caps at three user licenses; paid plans (Express, Standard, Professional, Enterprise) are billed annually to get the listed rate, with monthly billing costing more, and light user seats are priced separately from full agent seats
  • They diverge on capability: Front covers Shared inbox, Zoho Desk covers Ticket management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Front and Zoho Desk actually diverge.

Attributes where Front and Zoho Desk differ
AttributeFrontZoho Desk
Starting price$25/month per seatFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-based SaaSWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20131996

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

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

Only in Zoho Desk

  • Ticket management
  • Multi-channel support
  • AI assistant
  • Automation
  • Knowledge base
  • Reporting
  • Zoho CRM
  • G Suite

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • 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

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

Zoho Desk

  • Multi-channel supportnot Front
  • IT help desknot Front
  • 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

Zoho Desk

  • Free plan caps at three user licenses; paid plans (Express, Standard, Professional, Enterprise) are billed annually to get the listed rate, with monthly billing costing more, and light user seats are priced separately from full agent seats

Pricing, plan by plan

Front

$25/month per seat

No published plan breakdown. See the Front review.

Zoho Desk

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 agents
    • Email ticketing
    • Help center
  • Standard$14/month
    • Social channels
    • Workflow automation
    • Customer happiness ratings
  • Professional$23/month
    • Multi-department
    • Round-robin assignment
    • Custom fields
  • Enterprise$40/month
    • AI Zia
    • Multi-brand help center
    • Advanced analytics

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 Zoho Desk if

  • You need ticket management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want multi-channel support.
Zoho Desk review

Questions people ask

Is Front or Zoho Desk better?
Neither clearly leads. Front starts at $25/month per seat and Zoho Desk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Front or Zoho Desk?
Zoho Desk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $25/month per seat for Front and Free for Zoho Desk.
Does Front or Zoho Desk run on more platforms?
Front runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Zoho Desk runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Zoho Desk for free?
Yes. Zoho Desk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Front starts at $25/month per seat.
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 Zoho Desk is typically brought in for.
What can Front do that Zoho Desk cannot?
Front covers Shared inbox, Email collaboration, Omnichannel messaging, Analytics. Zoho Desk covers Ticket management, Multi-channel support, AI assistant, Automation. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, SOC2, GDPR.
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