Front vs Zoho TeamInbox
We give Front a 3.0 GPA and Zoho TeamInbox a 3.2, out of 4.0. Front grades higher on features. Zoho TeamInbox grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
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
Zoho TeamInbox
Shared inboxes for group email, WhatsApp and social messages
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFrontVery good | 3.2GPAZoho TeamInboxVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $25 a seat a month billed annually, well above the $9 that's typical for email tools here, and it stops at 10 seats, one channel type and 10 rules. Every channel in one inbox means Professional at $65. Copilot is another $20 a seat until Enterprise at $105. | AStarter is $5 a user a month billed annually, or $6 monthly, under the $9 that's typical for email tools here. Front and Hiver start at $25 for a shared inbox. Professional, with analytics and unlimited rules, is only $7.50. There are even phone-only plans, from $0.99 a month for 1 user. |
| 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. | CNo free plan. The trial is 14 days of the Professional plan for up to 5 users, with no payment information required. After that a paid plan is needed, and local taxes are added to the listed prices. |
| Features | AShared inboxes with assignment, ticketing, multi-step rules, analytics, a no-code knowledge base and live chat. Professional pulls email, SMS, Front Chat and WhatsApp into one place, and Autopilot resolves conversations from $0.05 each. For a support team that's the whole job, with depth. | BEmail, WhatsApp Business, Telegram, Facebook and Instagram in shared inboxes, with assignments, snooze, comments beside a thread, drafts edited together in real time, rules and templates. Solid. But channels are rationed: 3 shared incoming ones on Starter and 5 on Professional, with extras at $4 a month each. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. It's a team tool with a lot of moving parts, and Front itself requires a paid onboarding package on contracts over $25k. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. Email is added by forwarding or over POP/IMAP, so there's a little wiring at the start. After that it's assign, comment, reply. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. It connects to HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Asana, Aircall and WhatsApp, and to AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. There's a public API as well. | AWeb, Mac, iPhone and Android. eWidgets bring Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Asana and Trello into the thread view, and integrations cover Zapier, Make, n8n and Microsoft Power Automate. It's also part of Zoho One. |
| Best for | support teams running shared inboxes at volume | a shared inbox on a small budget |
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 Zoho TeamInbox. How we grade
Where they differ
- Front starts at $25 per seat / month, billed annually. Zoho TeamInbox starts at $0.99 per month (mobile-only Solo); Starter is $5 per user / month, billed annually.
- Only Front lists a Windows app.
- Zoho TeamInbox also covers templates and reports.
At a glance
| Front | Zoho TeamInbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per seat / month, billed annually | $0.99 per month (mobile-only Solo); Starter is $5 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with all Professional plan features, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of the Professional plan for up to 5 users, with no payment information required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | FrontApp, Inc. | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | front.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 9, 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
Zoho TeamInbox
- Small teams sharing group addresses such as support or sales
- Businesses that also answer customers on WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook
- Organizations already using Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk or Zoho One
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.
Zoho TeamInbox
- There is no free plan: a paid plan is needed after the 14-day trial, and local taxes are added to the listed prices.
- Starter is limited to 3 shared incoming channels and 25 rules; analytics and personal inboxes need Professional.
- Channels beyond a plan's allowance are an add-on at $4 a month each, or $3.17 billed annually.
- The Solo, Team and Team Plus plans work on phones only and cap the number of users and new conversations.
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.
Zoho TeamInbox
- Multichannel shared inboxes
- Group email addresses, WhatsApp Business numbers, Telegram, a Facebook Page and an Instagram professional account can all feed one shared inbox. Email is added by forwarding or over POP/IMAP.
- Assign, follow, snooze and archive
- Threads can be assigned to an owner, followed for notifications, snoozed until later and archived when finished, with views for what is assigned to or shared with you.
- Internal discussions and shared drafts
- Teammates comment and @mention each other beside a thread instead of forwarding it, and can co-author a reply by sharing the draft and editing it in real time.
- Rules, templates and signatures
- Rules carry out actions when a condition is met, such as assigning incoming mail by subject or content. Response templates and team signatures keep replies consistent.
- Personal inboxes
- On Professional each user can add a personal incoming channel next to the shared inboxes. It stays private, and single emails can be shared by @mentioning a teammate.
- Extensions and integrations
- eWidgets bring Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Asana and Trello into the thread view, and integrations cover Zapier, Make, n8n and Microsoft Power Automate.
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.
Zoho TeamInbox
Solo (mobile-only)$0.99
per month
Phone-only plan for 1 user: 1 channel each for email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram DM, up to 500 new conversations and 5 GB of storage.
Team (mobile-only)$4.99
per month
Phone-only plan for up to 3 users with the same four channels, up to 1,000 new conversations, comments and tags.
Starter$5
per user / month, billed annually; $6 billed monthly
3 shared incoming channels, 10 shared outgoing email channels, 25 rules, assignments, internal discussions, draft sharing, templates and extensions.
Professional$7.50
per user / month, billed annually; $9 billed monthly
5 shared incoming channels, 1 personal incoming channel per user, unlimited rules, 25 shared outgoing email channels and analytics.
Team Plus (mobile-only)$7.99
per month
Phone-only plan for up to 5 users with the same four channels and up to 2,000 new conversations.
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.
Zoho TeamInbox
- Annual discount
About 17% off with annual billing
Billed annually, Starter is $5 per user a month instead of $6 and Professional is $7.50 instead of $9, a saving of about 17% on each plan.
- Other savings
Included with Zoho One
The pricing FAQ says Zoho TeamInbox is part of Zoho One, so organizations that subscribe to that suite can use it from their Zoho One account.
