Crisp vs Front
Crisp and Front, side by side across AI, pricing, channels, security, and seven more categories. We pull every figure from public sources and don’t pick a winner.
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Crisp
The AI customer support platform for every business. Omnichannel shared inbox plus AI agent.
Best for SMBs and growing teams wanting affordable all-in-one AI support; bootstrapped companies.
2015 · Nantes, France.
Front
AI customer operations platform for complex, multi-team coordination.
Best for B2B with cross-team customer ops (tech, logistics, professional services, finance).
2013 (Y Combinator S14) · San Francisco, CA.
Claimed: from the vendor, not independently verified.
3rd-party: sourced elsewhere, not on the vendor's site.
Everything else: from the vendor's own pages and verifiable.
Pricing
List prices, seat rules, trials, and pricing transparency.
- Pricing model
- CrispFlat rate per workspace/mo, not per-seat (extra seats $10/mo each).
- FrontPer seat/mo.
- Free plan
- CrispYes. Forever free; 2 seats, 100 profiles, no AI credits.
- FrontNo
- Free trial / guarantee
- Crisp14-day; all features; no card.
- Front14-day, no card (Professional features).
- Price
- Crisp$45/mo (Mini, 4 seats, 5,000 profiles, ~$5 AI credits). · $95/mo (Essentials, 10 seats, 50,000 profiles, ~$25 AI credits). · $295/mo (Plus, 20+ seats, ~$75 AI credits); Enterprise custom.
- Front$25/seat/mo (Starter; up to 10 seats; single channel; annual). · $65/seat/mo (Professional; up to 50 seats; omnichannel; annual). · $105/seat/mo (Enterprise; unlimited seats; AI Copilot/QA/CSAT incl.; annual).
- Seat minimum
- Crisp2 (Free); 4 (Mini); 10 (Essentials); 20+ (Plus); extra seats $10/mo.
- Front1 (Starter caps at 10; Professional 50; Enterprise unlimited).
- Unlimited agents
- CrispNo. Extra agents $10/mo.
- FrontEnterprise plan only.
- Implementation fee
- CrispNone.
- FrontSuccess Services required for contracts over $25,000; priced separately.
- Transparency
- CrispHigh. All tier prices public.
- FrontList prices public; Autopilot and Success Services contact-sales.
- Pricing last verified
- Crisp2026-06-02
- Front2026-06-02
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- CrispNative
- FrontNative
- Live chat
- CrispNative
- FrontNative (Front Chat)
- In-app messenger
- CrispNative (SDK iOS/Android/React Native/JS)
- FrontNative (Chat Widget SDK)
- Voice
- CrispVia integration (Aircall, Ringover, KrispCall; no native phone)
- FrontVia integration (Aircall, RingCentral, JustCall, Dialpad)
- SMS
- CrispVia integration (Twilio)
- FrontNative
- CrispNative (WhatsApp Business)
- FrontNative (Meta-billed + 20% admin fee)
- Social
- CrispNative. Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Line, Viber, Twitter/X.
- FrontNative (Facebook, Instagram DMs, Twitter/X)
- Unified inbox
- CrispNative
- FrontNative
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- CrispVia integration. Aircall/Ringover/KrispCall; no native PSTN.
- FrontVia integration (Aircall, RingCentral, JustCall, Dialpad, CallHippo)
- Voice AI / transcription
- CrispYes. Voice-to-text for audio messages and recorded calls.
- FrontYes. Via Aircall; transcripts in inbox.
- Telephony billed separately
- CrispYes. Via third-party provider.
- FrontYes. Billed by provider.
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- CrispYes. Hugo AI agent resolves tickets 24/7.
- FrontYes. Autopilot (Playbooks + Resolve); multi-step, multi-system workflows.(claimed)source
- Copilot / Assist mode
- CrispYes. Reply suggestions, grammar, rephrasing, summarization, transcription, translation.
- FrontYes. Copilot drafts replies and pulls CRM/billing context; agent review required.(claimed)source
- Claimed automation rate
- CrispResolves up to 60% of repetitive questions automatically.(claimed)source
- FrontResolves up to 70% of requests.(claimed)source
- AI channel coverage
- CrispWeb chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, email, SMS, Telegram, Line, Viber, Twitter/X.
- FrontEmail, live chat, Slack (Autopilot); translate is email-only.(claimed)source
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- CrispActions via API. HTTP calls in workflows (Shopify refunds, order lookup, password resets).
- FrontActions via API. Multi-step workflows across CRM, billing, and order systems.(claimed)source
- Knowledge sources
- CrispAnswer snippets, KB articles (auto-reindexed), website crawl, conversation history, file importer (PDF/CSV).
- FrontKB articles, past conversations, internal comments, connected systems (CRM, ERP, Gong, billing).
- Underlying model
- CrispNot fully disclosed. Can connect Claude, Llama, or ChatGPT; in-house private LLM mentioned.
- FrontOpenAI and Azure OpenAI (GPT); Mistral via AWS.
- Trains on past tickets
- CrispYes. Conversation history is a knowledge source.
- FrontYes. Autopilot learns from top agents via Copilot; per-customer isolation, zero data retention.(claimed)source
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- CrispWorkflow testing available; no dedicated simulation sandbox.
- FrontYes. Simulations before go-live.(claimed)source
- Multilingual
- CrispYes. Multilingual snippets, language detection, translation.
- FrontEnglish-only for Autopilot/KB; Translate (email-only) handles other languages.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- CrispNative only.
- FrontNative only.
- AI pricing model
- CrispAI credits bundled per plan tier.
- FrontAdd-on per seat/mo (Autopilot: contact sales); Copilot, QA, and CSAT included on Enterprise.
- AI unit price
- Crisp~$0.055/automated conversation implied (Mini $5 credit ~90; Essentials $25 ~450; Plus $75 ~1,350).
- FrontCopilot $20/seat/mo; Smart QA $20; Smart CSAT $10; QA + CSAT bundle $25.
- Copilot / Assist price
- CrispNot disclosed (bundled).
- Front$20/seat/mo (free on Enterprise).
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Crisp or Frontas an AI layer, or works as its own helpdesk. Here's where it lands on the same questions.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Both. Add it on top of the helpdesk you already run, or use it as your own inbox. Works with Zendesk, Intercom, Front, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365, Twilio Flex, and Creatio.
- Autonomous AI agent
- Yes. Autopilot resolves tickets end to end on its own, across every channel.
- AI pricing model
- Per resolution, so you pay for outcomes. Escalations to a human are free.
- Claimed automation rate
- 77% average automation; up to 80% (Trunkrs)(claimed)source
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data residency, and access controls.
- SOC 2 Type II
- CrispNot certified. No SOC2 audit; self-assessed only.
- FrontSOC 2 Type II.
- GDPR
- CrispYes. Fully GDPR-compliant; DPA; EU-only storage; DPO.
- FrontYes. DPA available.
- HIPAA / PCI
- CrispNot disclosed.
- FrontBAA available; not listed as a certification.
- SSO / SAML
- CrispOIDC SSO (Enterprise); SAML not confirmed.
- FrontYes. SAML SSO.
- Data residency
- CrispEU only. Messaging in Netherlands, plugin data in Germany; relay (no storage) US/UK/SG.
- FrontUS or EU hosting options.
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Crisp~73 integrations across 7 categories.
- Front160+ integrations.
- Shopify depth
- CrispOrder history in inbox; refunds actionable; live chat widget; built-in ecommerce features.
- FrontNative. Syncs customer info, order details, refunds, and addresses in inbox; all paid tiers.
- Open / public API
- CrispYes. REST API; Developer Hub.
- FrontYes. REST API (Core, Channel, Connectors); Postman.
- Developer SDK / MCP
- CrispYes. Chat SDK (JS, iOS, Android, React Native); open-source on GitHub.
- FrontPlugin SDK; Chat Widget SDK; MCP Server.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- CrispYes. No-code visual builder; conditional logic, HTTP calls.
- FrontYes. Rule-based automations with tags, variables, and external data.
- Triggers / automations
- CrispYes. Auto-trigger on conversation start/events/Hugo scenarios.
- FrontYes. Starter 10 rules, Professional 20, Enterprise unlimited.
- Routing
- CrispYes. Round Robin, origin-based, intent-based, custom rules.
- FrontYes. AI-powered, rules, and skill-based; workload balancing.(claimed)source
- Macros / canned responses
- CrispYes. Shortcuts (templated, dynamic data).
- FrontYes. Macros (unlimited on Enterprise).
- SLA management
- CrispPersonalized SLA at Enterprise only; SLA tracking in analytics.
- FrontYes. Reply goals, follow-ups, and escalations.
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Internal notes
- CrispYes. Agent-only private notes.
- FrontYes. Comments with @mentions.(3rd-party)source
- Collision detection
- CrispYes. Real-time alerts when another agent is replying.
- FrontYes. Real-time indicators prevent duplicates.
- Side conversations
- CrispNot disclosed (@mentions exist).
- FrontYes. Spin-off side threads with external partners.(3rd-party)source
- Shared inbox
- CrispYes. Omnichannel shared inbox.
- FrontYes. Core product.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- CrispYes. Customizable, brandable, multilingual.
- FrontYes. Native, AI-assisted; internal and external; Notion/Google Docs integration.
- Help center
- CrispYes. Public-facing, widget plus standalone URL.
- FrontYes. Customer-facing, search-optimized.
- Community forum
- CrispNot offered.
- FrontYes. Community.front.com.
- AI answers from knowledge base
- CrispYes. Hugo uses KB articles as primary source.
- FrontYes. 'Ask your knowledge base' AI search.
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- CrispYes. Line/bar/treemap/heatmap, operator performance, geo, ratings.
- FrontYes. Real-time agent, SLA, and omnichannel dashboards.(claimed)source
- Custom reports
- CrispYes. Custom analytics playground; filtering; formulas; export.
- FrontYes. Advanced analytics (Professional+); Copilot and Autopilot reports.
- Included in lowest tier
- CrispAnalytics across plans; advanced gating not disclosed.
- FrontBasic on Starter; advanced from Professional.
- CSAT surveys
- CrispYes. Automated post-interaction CSAT via email and chat.
- FrontSmart CSAT (AI-inferred) included on Enterprise; $10/seat/mo add-on on lower tiers; survey CSAT not disclosed.
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- CrispSelf-service all tiers; dedicated onboarding plus training at Enterprise; Plus gets onboarding assistance.
- FrontSelf-serve (14-day); Success Services (contracts over $25k); Onboarding Managers; Front Academy.
- Support channels
- CrispKB; chat; email. Per-tier channels not disclosed.
- FrontHelp Center, community, in-app; no public phone/chat hours.
- Dedicated CSM
- CrispEnterprise only. Dedicated onboarding/personalized service.
- FrontYes. CSM/Onboarding Manager for larger contracts; threshold not disclosed.(3rd-party)source
- Implementation partners
- CrispNot disclosed. No partner program found.
- FrontPartner program exists; details not disclosed.
Frequently asked questions
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