Automate Basics

Front vs Zendesk vs Freshdesk

Pick up to 4 tools and see their free plans, entry prices, platforms and limits in one table. Every fact comes from each vendor's own pages, checked 7 November 2026.

Written head to head: Freshdesk vs Zendesk, with when to choose each side.

Compared on
Front

Free trial · from $25/seat/mo

Zendesk

Free trial · from $19/agent/mo

Freshdesk

Free trial · from $19/agent/mo

What it isShared inbox and ticketing platform for customer-facing teams, with AI as paid add-onsCustomer service software with ticketing, messaging, voice and AI agentsFreshworks help desk with ticketing, a knowledge base and Freddy AI
Free planNoNoNo
Cheapest paid plan$25/seat/mo billed annually (Starter)Front pricing$19/agent/mo billed annually (Support Team)Zendesk pricing$19/agent/mo billed annually (Growth)Freshdesk pricing
What it coversShown with annual billing selected; the page lists no monthly-billing prices. Single channel type only; up to 10 seats.Cheapest self-serve plan; email-based support. AI agent usage is billed per automated resolution.Cheapest plan; includes the Freddy AI Agent with 500 free sessions once per account.
Free trial14-day free trial with Professional features, no credit card needed14-day free trial of Suite Professional (Copilot included in the trial)14-day free trial with access to the Enterprise plan, no credit card required
PlatformsWebWebWeb
Integrations (vendor's figure)130+ integrations1,800+ apps, partners, and integrationsNot stated
Open sourceNoNoNo
Good for
  • B2B teams that run support and account work from shared email inboxes
  • Teams that want to keep an email-style workflow with ticket tracking
  • Handling customer emails as tracked tickets in a small support team
  • Combining chat, messaging and phone support in one queue
  • Resolving common questions with an AI agent that is billed only for requests it resolves without a human
  • Managing customer emails as tickets in a shared inbox
  • Publishing a self-service knowledge base and customer portal
  • Trying an AI agent on common questions using the included sessions
Watch out for
  • Starter supports only one channel type; omnichannel needs Professional
  • AI is extra: Autopilot per conversation, Copilot $20 per seat except on Enterprise
  • Monthly-billing prices are not shown on the pricing page
  • No free plan; the 14-day trial runs on Suite Professional
  • Support Team is email-focused; messaging, live chat and telephony need a Suite plan
  • Copilot costs extra ($50/agent/month paid yearly) except on Suite Enterprise + Copilot
  • No free plan on the pricing page; after the 14-day trial you buy a plan or, on Freshdesk only, move to a 6-month Free Program for up to two agents
  • Freddy AI Copilot is not offered on Growth and costs $29 per agent a month billed annually ($35 monthly)
  • The 500 free AI Agent sessions come once per account; more cost $49 per 100
Made byFrontZendeskFreshworks Inc.

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in AI customer support tools is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.