Front vs Help Scout (2026)
A head-to-head on price, free access, and staying power. Both live and price-verified as of Jul 20, 2026.
The verdict, first
Front
- if you lean toward the more recent build, from 2013.
- if it is built for SMB & enterprise teams.
Help Scout
- if you want a permanent free tier, not just a trial.
- if a longer track record matters to you; it has run since 2011.
- if it is built for solo & SMB teams.
What each one is
Front
What sets it apart A graduated automation path: Copilot drafts replies that agents approve before sending, and proven response patterns can be promoted to the Autopilot tier for hands-off resolution, keeping a human in the loop until the team opts out.
Built around shared inboxes, Front routes email, chat, SMS, and social messages into one workspace where agents assign, comment on, and reply to customer conversations together. Its Copilot assistant drafts replies from a team's past conversations and help content, then hands them to an agent for review before sending; a separate Autopilot tier automates responses once a team chooses to trust them. Pricing is per seat, running from a $25/month Starter plan capped at ten seats to a $105/month Enterprise plan, with most AI features sold as add-ons below the top tier. The product targets SMB and mid-market support and operations teams that want internal collaboration layered over customer messaging.
Sources Front - homepage (product overview) · Front - Copilot AI Assistant product page · Front - Pricing · Hiver - Front Pricing 2026 breakdown
Help Scout
What sets it apart AI Answers is priced by usage at $0.75 per resolved conversation, decoupled from per-seat plans, and answers from the team's own Docs knowledge base.
Help Scout is customer service software built around a shared inbox that pulls email, live chat, and messages from social and Shopify into one queue, with assignments, private notes, and collision detection to keep agents from replying over each other. Its AI Answers add-on runs a chatbot that draws on the team's Docs knowledge base to respond to customer questions, and it is billed by usage at $0.75 per resolution instead of by seat. Core plans are priced per user, starting at $25 a month on the Standard tier, alongside a free plan for up to five users. The product fits small and midsize support teams that want a lighter setup than a full ticketing system.
Sources Help Scout homepage · Help Scout pricing page · Help Scout shared inbox page · Help Scout Free Plan docs
Side by side
| Metric | Front | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| From $/mo | $25 | $25 |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 2013 | 2011 |
| Best for | SMB & enterprise | solo & SMB |
| Status | Live | Live |
ALL FIGURES = LOWEST PAID MONTHLY PLAN · STATUS & PRICE VERIFIED JUL 20, 2026
Where they differ
Price
Help Scout is the cheaper entry at $25/mo, versus $25/mo for Front. Both prices are the lowest paid monthly plan, verified Jul 20, 2026.
Free access
Help Scout offers a permanent free tier; Front is trial-only. A permanent free tier lowers the risk of committing before you have validated the fit.
Track record
Help Scout has been operating since 2011; Front since 2013. For a tool you build a business process on, a longer survival record matters.
Questions of record
Front or Help Scout - which is better in 2026?
Is Front cheaper than Help Scout?
Does Front or Help Scout have a free tier?
Are Front and Help Scout still maintained?
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