Front vs Help Scout: which shared inbox should you choose in 2026?
Front is a shared inbox and customer operations platform; Help Scout is a help desk with a free plan. Pricing, WhatsApp, AI drafts and CRM links compared.
Published 20 October 2026. Prices and features from each vendor's own pages.
The short answer
FrontPaid from $25/seatChoose it if you want ticketing and several channels in one platform.
Help ScoutPaid from $25/seatChoose it if you want a free plan for up to 5 users to start.
PromptLabIn the CRM from $11.99/seatChoose it if your shared inbox is for sales, and every thread belongs to a contact and a deal.
Front and Help Scout are both built for teams that answer customers by email and other channels. Front is a shared inbox and customer operations platform with ticketing and AI add-ons. Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk for support teams, with a free plan and a knowledge base.
Below, the two are compared on price, email setup, WhatsApp, AI and CRM links. Every figure comes from the vendors' own pricing and product pages; prices are per user a month, billed annually, unless we say otherwise.
Front vs Help Scout at a glance
With PromptLab in the third column: the same job done inside a CRM.
| Checked on 20 October 2026 | Front | Help Scout | PromptLab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | |||
| Free plan | 5 users, 1 inbox | ||
| Paid plans, a month | $25 – $105per seat | $25 – $75per seat | $11.99per seat on Basic |
| Free trial | 14 days | 15 days | |
| Billing | Billed annually | Billed annually | Billed monthly |
| Shared inbox | |||
| Gmail and Outlook accounts | Via forwarding | ||
| Assign conversations | |||
| Internal comments | |||
| WhatsApp in the same inbox | Add-on | ||
| AI reply drafts | Add-on | From$45/month | |
| CRM integrations | HubSpot, Salesforce | From$45/month | Built in |
Pricing: $25 to $105 against $25 to $75
The entry price is the same, $25 a user a month, but the ladders differ. Front's Professional is $65 and Enterprise is $105. Help Scout's Plus is $45 and Pro is $75.
Help Scout has a Free plan with 5 users, 1 inbox and 100 contacts a month, and a 15-day trial of Standard or Plus. Front's pricing page lists no free plan, and it offers a 14-day trial with all Professional features. Front's Starter is capped at 10 seats.
Email accounts and collaboration
Front works with Microsoft 365 (Outlook) and Gmail, and lets you keep an individual inbox beside shared ones. Help Scout connects Gmail and Microsoft 365 mailboxes by auto-forwarding or a redirect rule, and can send through Google OAuth or SMTP.
Both support assignment and internal comments. Front offers shared drafts and comments, and Help Scout uses notes with @mentions to ping a user or team without assigning the conversation.
WhatsApp and other channels
Help Scout lists WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger among Standard's core features, and WhatsApp is available on all paid plans. You need a WhatsApp Business Platform account.
Front's Starter handles one channel type. Several channels start on Professional at $65, and native WhatsApp is an add-on there, billed at Meta's costs plus a 20% admin fee.
AI reply drafts
Help Scout includes unlimited AI Drafts on Plus at $45 and Pro at $75. The drafts come from past conversations and help content. Its AI Answers chatbot costs $0.75 a resolution.
Front sells Copilot as a $20 a seat add-on on Starter and Professional, included in Enterprise. Its Autopilot agent is an add-on on every plan, from $0.05 a conversation.
CRM integrations
Front links to HubSpot and Salesforce on all plans, and also lists Pipedrive and Zoho CRM. That makes CRM context available from the $25 plan.
Help Scout lists Salesforce, HubSpot and Jira on Plus at $45. Standard is limited to one integration.
We make PromptLab, so here is where it fits.
Or share an inbox inside your CRM
PromptLab's inbox connects Gmail, Outlook, Exchange and other IMAP mailboxes, next to WhatsApp and Telegram. Each thread is linked to the contact and deal it belongs to.
Assign a thread to a teammate and talk it over in internal notes before you reply. There are no AI reply drafts, and it's built for sales conversations rather than a support desk.
Which should you choose?
Choose Front if…
- You want ticketing and several channels in one platform.
- Your team needs HubSpot or Salesforce links from the $25 plan.
- You expect to need several workspaces: up to five on Professional and unlimited on Enterprise.
Choose Help Scout if…
- You want a free plan for up to 5 users to start.
- You want WhatsApp on every paid plan.
- You want AI reply drafts included from $45 instead of a separate add-on.
Choose PromptLab if…
- Your shared inbox is for sales, and every thread belongs to a contact and a deal.
- Buyers write on WhatsApp and Telegram as well as email.
- You want one tool and one price for the CRM and the inbox.
Frequently asked questions
Is Help Scout cheaper than Front?
At the top, yes. Help Scout runs from $25 to $75 a user a month and Front from $25 to $105, both billed annually. Help Scout also has a Free plan for 5 users, which Front's pricing page doesn't list.
Does Help Scout have a free plan?
Yes. The Free plan includes 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site and 100 contacts a month. Front's pricing page lists no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Which has better WhatsApp support?
Help Scout includes WhatsApp on all paid plans, from $25. Front's native WhatsApp is an add-on on Professional ($65) and Enterprise, billed at Meta's costs plus a 20% admin fee.
Do both have AI reply drafts?
Yes. Help Scout includes unlimited AI Drafts on Plus ($45) and Pro ($75). Front's Copilot is a $20 a seat add-on on Starter and Professional, and is included in Enterprise.
Which connects to a CRM on the cheapest plan?
Front. It integrates with HubSpot and Salesforce from Starter at $25. Help Scout lists Salesforce, HubSpot and Jira on Plus at $45, and limits Standard to one integration.
Is there a CRM with a shared inbox built in?
Yes. PromptLab connects Gmail, Outlook and IMAP mailboxes alongside WhatsApp and Telegram, with assignment and internal notes, on every plan from $11.99 a user a month with a 14-day free trial.
Sources
- Front, checked on 20 October 2026: Front pricing, Front email management, Front HubSpot integration, Front Salesforce integration
- Help Scout, checked on 20 October 2026: Help Scout pricing, Help Scout shared inbox, Help Scout WhatsApp docs, Help Scout AI Drafts docs, Help Scout Gmail forwarding docs, Help Scout @mentions docs
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