Front vs Gladly
Front and Gladly, 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.
Last updated:
Compare a different pair
vs
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.
Gladly
The only AI built for LTV. People-centered AI support; no ticket model.
Best for Mid-market to enterprise retail, ecommerce, and hospitality (Ulta, Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, TUMI).
2014 · 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
- FrontPer seat/mo.
- GladlyPer agent/mo, annual; usage fees for voice, SMS, and AI; not published on site.
- Free trial / guarantee
- Front14-day, no card (Professional features).
- GladlyNo (enterprise); 30-day trial with 100 AI interactions via Shopify only.
- Price
- 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).
- Gladly~$180/agent/mo (Hero, annual). · ~$210/agent/mo (Superhero, annual). · Not disclosed. Enterprise quote above Superhero.(3rd-party)source
- Seat minimum
- Front1 (Starter caps at 10; Professional 50; Enterprise unlimited).
- Gladly~10 agents (Hero); ~45 (Superhero).(3rd-party)source
- Implementation fee
- FrontSuccess Services required for contracts over $25,000; priced separately.
- GladlyNot disclosed. Custom quote; Professional Services.(3rd-party)source
- Transparency
- FrontList prices public; Autopilot and Success Services contact-sales.
- GladlyOpaque. No pricing on site; requires a demo.
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- FrontNative
- GladlyNative
- Live chat
- FrontNative (Front Chat)
- GladlyNative
- In-app messenger
- FrontNative (Chat Widget SDK)
- GladlyNative
- Voice
- FrontVia integration (Aircall, RingCentral, JustCall, Dialpad)
- GladlyNative. Built-in, enterprise-ready.
- SMS
- FrontNative
- GladlyNative
- FrontNative (Meta-billed + 20% admin fee)
- GladlyNative (via WhatsApp Business API).
- Social
- FrontNative (Facebook, Instagram DMs, Twitter/X)
- GladlyNative. Facebook Messenger, Instagram.
- Unified inbox
- FrontNative
- GladlyNative. Single people-centered timeline (no tickets).
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- FrontVia integration (Aircall, RingCentral, JustCall, Dialpad, CallHippo)
- GladlyNative. Voice and IVR built-in, no third-party telephony needed.
- Voice AI / transcription
- FrontYes. Via Aircall; transcripts in inbox.
- GladlyYes. AI voice summaries and transcription (Deepgram).
- Telephony billed separately
- FrontYes. Billed by provider.
- GladlyYes. Per-minute on top of the seat fee (inbound local ~$0.0186/min).(3rd-party)source
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- FrontYes. Autopilot (Playbooks + Resolve); multi-step, multi-system workflows.(claimed)source
- GladlyYes. Gladly Sidekick resolves end-to-end on chat, SMS, and voice (email soon); human handoff.(claimed)source
- Copilot / Assist mode
- FrontYes. Copilot drafts replies and pulls CRM/billing context; agent review required.(claimed)source
- GladlyYes. Team Assist: AI-drafted responses, real-time translation, and summaries.(claimed)source
- Claimed automation rate
- FrontResolves up to 70% of requests.(claimed)source
- Gladly76% of conversations fully resolved by AI (homepage); KUHL 59%.(claimed)source
- AI channel coverage
- FrontEmail, live chat, Slack (Autopilot); translate is email-only.(claimed)source
- GladlyChat, SMS, and voice (Sidekick Voice); email launching soon; social not confirmed.(claimed)source
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- FrontActions via API. Multi-step workflows across CRM, billing, and order systems.(claimed)source
- GladlyBoth. Refunds, cancellations, and booking updates via connected commerce and logistics APIs.(claimed)source
- Knowledge sources
- FrontKB articles, past conversations, internal comments, connected systems (CRM, ERP, Gong, billing).
- GladlyBrand KB (Guides), conversation history, and integrated commerce, logistics, and order data.(claimed)source
- Underlying model
- FrontOpenAI and Azure OpenAI (GPT); Mistral via AWS.
- GladlyNot publicly disclosed; uses Azure, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Deepgram (voice).
- Trains on past tickets
- FrontYes. Autopilot learns from top agents via Copilot; per-customer isolation, zero data retention.(claimed)source
- GladlyYes. Learns from every conversation, including human resolutions; not used to train its own models.(claimed)source
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- FrontYes. Simulations before go-live.(claimed)source
- GladlyNot disclosed
- Multilingual
- FrontEnglish-only for Autopilot/KB; Translate (email-only) handles other languages.
- GladlyPartial. Platform translation in 70+ languages; Sidekick AI authoring English-only; IVR 30 languages.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- FrontNative only.
- GladlyNative only. Sidekick needs Gladly as the primary helpdesk.
- AI pricing model
- FrontAdd-on per seat/mo (Autopilot: contact sales); Copilot, QA, and CSAT included on Enterprise.
- GladlyUsage-based (per conversation or resolution) on top of a per-agent fee.(3rd-party)source
- AI unit price
- FrontCopilot $20/seat/mo; Smart QA $20; Smart CSAT $10; QA + CSAT bundle $25.
- Gladly~$0.60/conversation (enterprise); $1.50/AI Resolution + $0.25/AI Assist (Shopify tier).(3rd-party)source
- Copilot / Assist price
- Front$20/seat/mo (free on Enterprise).
- GladlyNot disclosed (Team Assist not broken out).
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Front or Gladlyas 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
- FrontSOC 2 Type II.
- GladlySOC 2 Type II (and AI sub-processors).
- GDPR
- FrontYes. DPA available.
- GladlyYes. DPAs with AI vendors; VeraSafe EU/UK representative.
- HIPAA / PCI
- FrontBAA available; not listed as a certification.
- GladlyNot disclosed. PCI-DSS and GDPR confirmed; HIPAA not referenced.
- SSO / SAML
- FrontYes. SAML SSO.
- GladlyYes. SSO; SAML certificates.
- Data residency
- FrontUS or EU hosting options.
- GladlyPartial. 9 global regions for voice; no explicit customer-selectable residency.
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Front160+ integrations.
- Gladly60+ integrations.
- Shopify depth
- FrontNative. Syncs customer info, order details, refunds, and addresses in inbox; all paid tiers.
- GladlyDeep native. Customer and purchase history, order management, returns (via Loop), and shipping; Shopify App Store trial.
- Open / public API
- FrontYes. REST API (Core, Channel, Connectors); Postman.
- GladlyYes. Open APIs; developer.gladly.com.
- Developer SDK / MCP
- FrontPlugin SDK; Chat Widget SDK; MCP Server.
- GladlyYes. SDKs, sample apps, and testing; webhooks via Messaging Automation APIs.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- FrontYes. Rule-based automations with tags, variables, and external data.
- GladlyRouting and entry-point config; no named workflow builder.
- Triggers / automations
- FrontYes. Starter 10 rules, Professional 20, Enterprise unlimited.
- GladlyYes. Automated routing, proactive outreach (voice, SMS, email), and entry-point rules.
- Routing
- FrontYes. AI-powered, rules, and skill-based; workload balancing.(claimed)source
- GladlyYes. People Match intelligent routing (history, skills, attributes).
- Macros / canned responses
- FrontYes. Macros (unlimited on Enterprise).
- GladlyYes. Quick Reply (button responses) and macros.
- SLA management
- FrontYes. Reply goals, follow-ups, and escalations.
- GladlyYes. SLA Business Hours and Entry Point SLA settings.
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Collision detection
- FrontYes. Real-time indicators prevent duplicates.
- GladlyReferenced in comparisons; not confirmed on a Gladly page.(3rd-party)source
- Side conversations
- FrontYes. Spin-off side threads with external partners.(3rd-party)source
- GladlyNot disclosed
- Shared inbox
- FrontYes. Core product.
- GladlyYes. Unified inbox; task management tied to customer threads.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- FrontYes. Native, AI-assisted; internal and external; Notion/Google Docs integration.
- GladlyYes. Answers KB for agents and AI; configured via non-developer Guides.
- Help center
- FrontYes. Customer-facing, search-optimized.
- GladlyYes. Customer-facing, 45+ languages.
- Community forum
- FrontYes. Community.front.com.
- GladlyNot offered
- AI answers from knowledge base
- FrontYes. 'Ask your knowledge base' AI search.
- GladlyYes. Sidekick serves answers from the Answers KB autonomously.(claimed)source
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- FrontYes. Real-time agent, SLA, and omnichannel dashboards.(claimed)source
- GladlyYes. Liveboards (real-time) and Insight Builder.
- Custom reports
- FrontYes. Advanced analytics (Professional+); Copilot and Autopilot reports.
- GladlyYes. Insight Builder custom reports.
- Included in lowest tier
- FrontBasic on Starter; advanced from Professional.
- GladlyReporting tier restrictions not published; appears standard.
- CSAT surveys
- FrontSmart CSAT (AI-inferred) included on Enterprise; $10/seat/mo add-on on lower tiers; survey CSAT not disclosed.
- GladlyYes. Native CSAT; integrates Delighted, SimpleSat, Stella.
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- FrontSelf-serve (14-day); Success Services (contracts over $25k); Onboarding Managers; Front Academy.
- GladlyDedicated implementation team; Professional Services; guided docs.
- Support channels
- FrontHelp Center, community, in-app; no public phone/chat hours.
- GladlyGladly Support team (bugs, how-tos, config); dedicated CSM post-implementation.
- Dedicated CSM
- FrontYes. CSM/Onboarding Manager for larger contracts; threshold not disclosed.(3rd-party)source
- GladlyYes. All customers get a dedicated CSM post-implementation.
- Implementation partners
- FrontPartner program exists; details not disclosed.
- GladlyNot disclosed. No partner or SI page found.
Frequently asked questions
Related comparisons