Your inbox is overflowing, your team is forwarding emails to each other with “FYI” on top, and nobody knows exactly who is actually helping that customer. Front wants to turn that chaos into clarity. The platform combines email, chat, SMS and other channels into one shared inbox where your team can work together. No more forwards, no confusion about who picks up what.
Who is behind Front?
Front has managed to convince quite a few investors. The company raised more than $ 204 million, with a Series D as the last known funding round. On board are big names like Salesforce Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Battery Ventures. These are not just any investors – Sequoia is known for investments in companies like Apple, Google and WhatsApp.
Today, more than 9,000 companies use Front for their customer service and internal communication. The platform grew from a simple shared inbox to a complete customer operations platform. The focus is clearly on teams that need to work together on customer communication, not on individual users just looking for a better email client.
Who is Front for?
Front targets teams that handle customer communication together. Customer support teams are the most obvious users, but account managers, logistics teams and B2B companies with complex customer relationships also find what they’re looking for. If your team is constantly forwarding emails to each other with questions like “who’s picking this up?” or “have you already responded to this?”, then Front solves exactly that problem.
Where Front is less suitable: freelancers and solo entrepreneurs. Pricing starts at $ 25 per month per user (with annual payment), which is quite pricey for an individual user. Moreover, the most powerful features are aimed at team collaboration. If you just want to make your personal Gmail a bit more organized, there are cheaper or free alternatives that fit better.
What can Front do?
Front revolves around one core idea: bringing all communication channels together and working on them as a team. The 14-day free trial gives you access to the main features, but for the full experience you need one of the paid plans. Here are the key capabilities:
- Shared Inboxes: Multiple people can manage the same inbox without emails being answered twice. You can see at a glance who is working on which message and what the status is. No more hassle with shared passwords or info@ accounts that everyone has to scroll through.
- Internal comments: This is where Front really shines. Instead of forwarding an email to a colleague with “do you know this?”, you simply place an internal comment on the message. The customer doesn’t see this, but your team can discuss, share information, and make decisions without cluttering the email thread.
- Omnichannel support: Email is not the only channel. Front also integrates SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and other communication tools. A customer starts via WhatsApp, continues by email, and calls later? Everything is together in one conversation.
- Automation and workflows: Set up rules that automatically handle repetitive tasks. New messages from VIP customers automatically get priority, certain questions are directly routed to the right team member, and standard responses can be sent with one click.
- Analytics and reporting: How many messages does your team handle? What is the average response time? Which team members have the highest customer satisfaction? Front provides insight into your team’s performance with clear dashboards.
- CRM and API integrations: Connect Front to your existing tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, Asana or Slack. Customer data from your CRM automatically appears next to the conversation, and you can create tasks in your project management tool without leaving Front.
The platform works on virtually all devices. There are apps for iOS and Android, and you can use Front through the browser on Windows, macOS and even on Chromebooks. Linux users have to make do with the web version, but it works fine.
What does Front cost?
Front has no free plan, only a 14-day trial period. After that, you choose from three paid plans, all per user per month. The prices below apply with annual payment in dollars:
- Starter: $ 25 per month ($ 300 per year). This plan gives you the basics: shared inboxes, internal comments, basic integrations and mobile apps. Suitable for small teams just starting with shared inbox management.
- Professional: $ 65 per month ($ 780 per year). This includes the more powerful features: advanced automation, more extensive analytics, more integrations and omnichannel support. For teams that are serious about their customer operations.
- Enterprise: $ 105 per month ($ 1.260 per year). The top plan with all the bells and whistles: unlimited automation, priority support, advanced security options and custom integrations. Intended for large organizations with complex requirements.
So for a team of five people, you’re quickly looking at $ 125 per month on the cheapest plan. That’s considerably more than many other shared inbox solutions. Monthly payment is also possible, but then you pay a higher price per month. Front clearly targets companies that have budget and value professional tooling.
What should you watch out for?
Price is the most frequently mentioned objection. For small teams or startups with a tight budget, Front can simply be too expensive. You pay per user, so every new team member who needs access adds up significantly. That makes scaling costly.
The mobile apps receive mixed reviews. Users complain about slow loading times and synchronization issues between the desktop and mobile version. If your team works on the go a lot and depends on the mobile app, this can be frustrating. The desktop experience is good, but that doesn’t help when you need to respond to an important email from your phone.
The search function is less powerful than what you’re used to from Gmail. If you need to search through years of emails for that one conversation from two years ago, you’ll notice that Front is less effective at this. Users miss the advanced search operators and speed that Gmail does offer.
Long email threads can become slow. When a conversation with a customer contains dozens of messages and attachments, users notice that Front sometimes becomes choppy. Loading takes longer and scrolling through the history feels less smooth.
The learning curve is also a factor. For teams accustomed to traditional email, Front requires a shift in working methods. New users need to get used to concepts like shared inboxes, assignments, and internal comments. That takes time and training, especially for larger teams.
Front alternatives
Front is not the only player in this field. Depending on your priorities and budget, there are alternatives that may be a better fit:
- Zendesk: Choose this if you need a traditional, comprehensive helpdesk structure with ticket systems and enterprise-grade support. Zendesk is more complex and often more expensive, but offers more options for large support departments with strict processes.
- Help Scout: A good choice if you’re looking for a simpler shared inbox on a smaller budget. Help Scout is more user-friendly and cheaper than Front, but lacks the powerful integrations and advanced automation that Front does have.
- Intercom: Go for Intercom if real-time chat and marketing automation are more important than email management. Intercom focuses more on live conversations with website visitors and automated messages, while Front is stronger in managing email communication.
Frequently asked questions
A few questions that often come up about Front:
Does Front replace my Gmail or Outlook?
No, not entirely. Front works as a layer on top of your existing email providers. Your Gmail or Outlook account continues to exist, but you use the Front interface to read and send emails. Technically, everything still runs through your original provider, but you work in the Front environment.
Can I use Front for my personal email?
Yes, you can add personal inboxes to Front. But the power and pricing are really focused on team collaboration. For individual use, you’re paying a lot of money for features you probably won’t use, like shared inboxes and internal comments.
Is there a free version available?
No, Front does not have a permanently free plan. You do get a free trial period of 14 days to test the platform. After that, you need to choose one of the paid subscriptions, starting at $ 25 per user per month.
Conclusion
Front is a powerful platform for teams that want to take collaborative customer communication management seriously. The combination of shared inboxes, internal comments, and omnichannel support solves real problems for support teams and account managers. But that power comes with a hefty price and a learning curve. For small teams, freelancers, or companies with a tight budget, there are more affordable alternatives. Choose Front if your team is large enough to recoup the investment through efficiency gains, and if you’re willing to invest time in learning a new way of working. For those who take that step, Front can mean the end of chaotic inboxes and unclear responsibilities.
