Front vs Helpwise
We give Front a 2.4 GPA and Helpwise a 2.6, out of 4.0. Front grades higher on platforms. Helpwise grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Front
Shared inbox and customer operations platform with AI and ticketing
Helpwise
Shared inbox for email, chat, WhatsApp and SMS with a help center
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFrontFair | 2.6GPAHelpwiseGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStarter is $25 a seat a month billed annually, which is where the dearest tenth of this category begins, and it stops at 10 seats, one channel type and 10 rules. All your channels in one inbox means Professional at $65, and Copilot is another $20 a seat until Enterprise at $105. | BStandard is $12 a user a month billed yearly ($15 monthly), inside the cheaper quarter of help desks. It's sold for at least 2 users, so one person pays $24. WhatsApp, SMS, Instagram and calls need Premium at $23, still under the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. The trial is 14 days with all the Professional plan features and no credit card. After that it's a paid plan or nothing. | CA 7-day free trial of every plan, and then you pay. There's no free plan to stay on. |
| Features | BShared inboxes with assignment, ticketing, multi-step rules, analytics, a no-code knowledge base and live chat, with email, SMS, Front Chat and WhatsApp in one place from Professional up. The team-inbox job is covered, and Autopilot will resolve conversations from $0.05 each. | BShared inboxes for Gmail, Microsoft 365, chat, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and SMS, a help center, assignment rules, CSAT, SLAs, a chatbot and calls. Across the plans it covers the job, with the chatbot and phone as add-ons on Premium and included on Advanced. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and this is a platform rather than an app: channels, workspaces, rules, macros and analytics to set up. Front says itself that contracts over $25k must include a paid onboarding package. | CNo store rating on record. Connecting Gmail or Outlook is quick, but each channel, inbox and rule is its own bit of setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, which is the full set. It connects to HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Asana, Aircall and WhatsApp, works with ChatGPT and Claude, and has a public API. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with HubSpot, Pipedrive, Shopify, Slack, Zapier, Asana, ClickUp and Jira. No desktop app, so it stops at a B. |
| Best for | support teams running shared inboxes at volume | moving support off a shared Gmail address |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Front and Helpwise. How we grade
Where they differ
- Front starts at $25 per seat / month, billed annually. Helpwise starts at $12 per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly).
- Only Front lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Front also covers workflow automation.
- Helpwise also covers help desk, live chat and help center.
At a glance
| Front | Helpwise | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per seat / month, billed annually | $12 per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with all Professional plan features, no credit card required | 7-day free trial of every plan |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | FrontApp, Inc. | SaaS Labs, Inc. |
| Price read from | front.com | helpwise.io |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Front
- Support and operations teams working shared addresses at volume
- Companies that want email, chat, SMS and WhatsApp in one team inbox
- Teams that need ticketing, rules and reporting on top of email
Helpwise
- Small teams moving support off a shared Gmail or Outlook address
- Teams that answer customers on WhatsApp and SMS as well as email
- Businesses that want CRM links such as HubSpot or Pipedrive
Worth knowing
Front
- There is no free plan; the 14-day trial is the only way to use Front without paying.
- Starter is capped at 10 seats and one channel type, and Professional at 50 seats.
- Copilot, Smart QA and Smart CSAT cost extra per seat on Starter and Professional.
- Enterprise is sold on annual billing only, and contracts over $25k must include a paid onboarding package.
Helpwise
- Seat minimums apply: 2 users on Standard and Premium, 3 on Advanced. Standard stops at 10 users.
- Standard covers only email, live chat and Facebook; WhatsApp, SMS, calling and Instagram need Premium.
- Add-ons: 3 more inboxes cost $49 a month, the chatbot $10 per user a month and the cloud phone $5 per active user a month.
- There is no free plan after the 7-day trial.
Key features
Front
- Shared inboxes
- Team inboxes where incoming messages can be assigned and handled together, so everyone can see who is working on which conversation.
- Omnichannel inbox
- Professional and Enterprise combine email, SMS, Front Chat, WhatsApp and other channels in one place. Starter is limited to a single channel type.
- Ticketing and automation rules
- Ticketing for complex requests plus multi-step rules: up to 10 rules on Starter, 20 on Professional and unlimited on Enterprise.
- Front AI
- Autopilot resolves conversations from $0.05 each. Copilot ($20 per seat a month), Smart QA ($20) and Smart CSAT ($10) are add-ons that Enterprise includes.
- Analytics
- Reporting on team workload and support quality: basic analytics on Starter and advanced analytics from Professional.
- Knowledge base and live chat
- A no-code knowledge base and Front Chat let customers help themselves. Multi-language knowledge bases need Enterprise.
Helpwise
- Shared team inboxes
- Gmail, Microsoft 365, live chat, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and SMS conversations in shared inboxes, with notes, mentions, shared drafts and collision detection.
- Knowledge base
- A help center for customers to look up answers, included from the Standard plan.
- Automation and assignment
- Rules that sort and assign conversations, from 3 on Standard to unlimited on Advanced, with round-robin or load-balanced assignment.
- Helpwise AI
- AI help with drafting and summarizing replies from Premium, and automatic prioritization of conversations on Advanced.
- Cloud phone and chatbot
- Calls and a website chatbot in the same inbox, sold as add-ons on Premium and included on Advanced.
- Mobile apps
- Apps for iOS and Android alongside the web app.
Plans
Front
Starter$25
per seat / month, billed annually
Up to 10 seats. One channel type (email, Front Chat or SMS), shared inbox, ticketing, up to 10 automation rules and basic analytics.
Professional$65
per seat / month, billed annually
Up to 50 seats. Adds omnichannel support, macros, up to 20 rules, advanced analytics, up to 5 workspaces, SSO and SCIM.
Enterprise$105
per seat / month, annual billing only
Unlimited seats, rules and macros, smart rules, custom roles, and Copilot, Smart QA and Smart CSAT included.
Helpwise
Standard$12
per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
2 to 10 users, 3 shared inboxes, 15 saved replies, a help center, email, live chat and Facebook, 3 automation rules and standard analytics.
Premium$23
per user / month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
From 2 users. 10 shared inboxes, WhatsApp, SMS, calling and Instagram, 25 automation rules, CSAT surveys, all integrations and AI reply help.
Advanced$39
per user / month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
From 3 users. 30 shared inboxes, unlimited rules, SLAs, load-balanced assignment, AI prioritization, chatbot and calling included, and SSO.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom integrations, SSO, team onboarding and training, and a dedicated account manager. Priced on request.
Ways to pay less
Front
- Annual discount
Save 24% with annual billing
Front's pricing page states a 24% saving for annual billing. The prices it lists for Starter ($25) and Professional ($65) are the annually billed rates per seat a month.
Helpwise
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Helpwise's pricing page lists a 20% saving on annual billing: Standard is $12 per user a month billed annually against $15 monthly.
