Head-to-head · helpdesks · facts checked 13 Sept 2026
Freshworks vs Front
Freshworks scores 7.8 to Front's 7.6 among the helpdesks we rate, and is the better pick for 2 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
From
$19/mo per agent (Freshservice Starter, billed yearly)
Free plan
No
The verdict
Freshworks wins, 7.8 to 7.6
Freshworks uniquely has 6 features · Front uniquely has 6 features.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
Small teams on a budget
Freshworks
Freshworks 6.5 · Front 5.5 on pricing
- Monthly price, cheapest paid plan: $23 against $35
Answering customers with AI
Freshworks
Freshworks 7.2 · Front 5.8 on ai that answers your customers
- Languages the AI answers in: 60 languages against 18 languages
Support teams on many channels
Too close to call
Freshworks 8.8 · Front 8.8 on channels and running a support team
- Channels it works in: Freshworks Email, live_chat, whatsapp, sms, messenger, instagram, Front Email, live_chat, slack, whatsapp, messenger, instagram
Regulated industries
Too close to call
Freshworks 9.5 · Front 9.5 on security and privacy
- Choice of data region: Us, eu, ae, in, au against Us, eu
- Does not train AI on your data: Front yes, Freshworks does not say
Section 01
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other helpdesks we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. They split the criteria 2 each, with the rest level.
AI that answers your customers25% of the score
Freshworks7.2
Front5.8
Pricing20% of the score
Freshworks6.5
Front5.5
Channels15% of the score
Freshworks8.0
Front8.0
Security and privacy15% of the score
Freshworks9.5
Front9.5
Running a support team10% of the score
Freshworks10.0
Front10.0
Integrations10% of the score
Freshworks7.5
Front10.0
Support and branding5% of the score
Freshworks6.2
Front8.8
Section 02
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
What the AI learns from
Freshworks
Not published
Channels it works in
Does not train AI on your data
Freshworks
Not published
Ways to reach support
Remove the vendor's branding
Freshworks
Not published
Where they match (13)
Section 03
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Freshworks
Starter
$29/mo · $19/mo per agent billed yearly ($228/yr)
Incident management, knowledge management, task management, support portal; 14-day free trial
Growth
$59/mo · $49/mo per agent billed yearly ($588/yr)
Service catalog, SLA management, on-call management, cloud management; Freddy AI Copilot add-on
Pro
$119/mo · $99/mo per agent billed yearly ($1,188/yr)
Unified IT service management with AI; Freddy AI Copilot add-on
Enterprise
Custom
Advanced features and customizations
Front
Starter
$35/seat/mo · $300/seat/yr
Up to 10 seats; single-channel support, shared inbox, ticketing, basic analytics, up to 10 automation rules
Professional
$85/seat/mo · $780/seat/yr
Up to 50 seats; omnichannel, macros, up to 20 automation rules, advanced analytics, SSO, SCIM
Enterprise
Custom
Unlimited seats; smart rules, unlimited rules/macros, multi-language KB, custom roles, AI Copilot/QA/CSAT included
Autopilot (AI Add-on)
$0.05/conversation
Omnichannel AI agent for complex customer work; available on all plans
Copilot (AI Add-on)
$20/seat/mo
Real-time AI assistant for agents; included in Enterprise, add-on for Starter/Professional
Smart QA (AI Add-on)
$20/seat/mo
Automated AI-powered QA; included in Enterprise, add-on for Starter/Professional
Smart CSAT (AI Add-on)
$10/seat/mo
AI-inferred customer satisfaction ratings; included in Enterprise, add-on for Starter/Professional
Smart QA + Smart CSAT Bundle
$25/seat/mo
Combined QA and CSAT add-on bundle
Native WhatsApp Channel
Meta-billed costs + 20% admin fee
Connect WhatsApp Business numbers directly; available on Professional and Enterprise
API Rate Limit Increase
$200 per 100 API requests/min
Available on all plans for high-volume API workflows
Section 04
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Freshworks
Pros
- Freshworks offers a genuinely free Freshdesk plan with unlimited agents and no time limit, which is rare at this scale.
- The platform covers customer support, sales, CRM, marketing automation, and IT operations under one ecosystem, reducing vendor sprawl.
- Freddy AI is trainable on company-specific data, making it more useful than generic AI tools for teams with custom support workflows.
- Freddy AI handles automated conversations, suggests agent replies, pulls from the knowledge base, and detects ticket sentiment.
- Freshdesk's SLA management is strong.
- With 60,000+ business customers, Freshworks is a proven, mature platform with over a decade of development behind it.
- The product suite, Freshdesk, Freshchat, Freshsales, Freshservice, is designed to integrate natively, reducing data gaps between tools.
Cons
- The platform is a family of separate products rather than one unified tool, which can add complexity for teams wanting a simple solution.
- Freddy AI relies on proper training and setup to be effective, teams with generic or minimal documentation may see limited value.
- The breadth of the ecosystem may overwhelm smaller teams that only need one or two core functions.
- Freshservice targets a completely different audience (IT service management), which can cause confusion about what the platform actually is.
- The marketing page oversimplifies what is actually a multi-product suite, creating expectation gaps for new buyers.
- Dependence on OpenAI and third-party LLMs for Freddy AI means the platform's AI quality is partially outside Freshworks' control.
Front
Pros
- Front combines shared inboxes, omnichannel conversations, ticket routing, live chat, and a knowledge base into a single coordinated platform.
- The AI Autopilot can autonomously resolve incoming support requests without human input, with Front claiming up to 70% resolution rates on simpler cases.
- A separate AI Copilot mode assists human agents in real time, giving teams two distinct AI modes suited to different use cases.
- The platform is purpose-built for complex B2B workflows and multi-department operations, making it a strong fit for logistics, manufacturing, financial services, and travel sectors.
- Front's narrower market focus means the product is more honest about what it does rather than trying to be everything to everyone like larger competitors.
- Over 9,300 companies use Front, suggesting meaningful market validation for teams with complex coordination needs.
- The distinction between autonomous AI resolution and AI-assisted agent support gives operations teams flexibility in how they deploy automation.
Cons
- The autonomous resolution rate varies significantly with the complexity of incoming requests.
- Front is not designed for high-volume, general-purpose helpdesk use, making it a poor fit for teams that need Zendesk or Freshdesk-style scale.
- The customer base of 9,300 companies is small next to category giants.
- The platform's narrow targeting toward B2B and complex workflows means smaller or simpler support teams may find it over-engineered for their needs.
Section 05
Freshworks vs Front: common questions
Which is better, Freshworks or Front?
Freshworks scores 7.8 and Front 7.6 out of 10 among the helpdesks we rate. Freshworks is ahead on aI that answers your customers and pricing. Front is ahead on integrations and support and branding.
Is Freshworks or Front cheaper?
Freshworks's cheapest paid plan is $19/mo per agent (Freshservice Starter, billed yearly) and Front's is $35/seat/mo. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Freshworks and Front have a free plan?
Neither has a free plan.
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