CrispFrontCrisp vs Front

Crisp vs Front: customer messaging or team inbox

A customer messaging platform against a team inbox: Crisp is $270 a month cheaper for five people. The six differences, what five people pay on each, and a third option.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick Crisp if you need more channels than most inboxes offer: Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone. Pick Front if email is the channel and you want shared drafts, comments and sequences on every thread. For five people, Crisp is $270 a month cheaper than Front ($55 a month on Crisp against $325 on Front), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45 for the workspace, is $10 under Crisp. Crisp and Front both include website chat, email and Instagram in the price; only Crisp has WhatsApp and Telegram. Between them Crisp and Front cover every channel Sellio ships. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what Crisp and Front sell here at one price.

At a glanceCrispCrispFrontFront
Built aroundOne inbox, many channels · priced per workspaceShared email · comments and drafts on every thread
Entry plan$45/mo · Mini: 4 seats$25/seat/mo · Starter: one channel type
Chat in the price$45/mo · chat on every plan, Free included$65/seat/mo · Professional: omnichannel
AI agentAI credit included · $5 on Mini, $25 on EssentialsFrom $0.05 per conversation · Autopilot
Copilot for agentsIncluded · AI drafts and summaries$20/seat/mo
Free planYes · 2 seats, 100 profilesNone · 14-day trial

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    CrispCrisp

    As a conversation in one inbox, whatever the channel; there is no ticket object, only states and assignment. Front has no ticket queue either.

    FrontFront

    As a thread in a shared inbox that teammates comment on and draft together; it is email first. Crisp has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    CrispCrisp

    $45 buys the workspace with four seats; a fifth seat is $10, and Essentials at $95 includes ten. $55 for five people, against $325 on Front.

    FrontFront

    $25 buys one channel type and up to ten seats. Omnichannel and fifty seats start at Professional, $65. $325 for five people, against $55 on Crisp.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    CrispCrisp

    An AI credit is included in each paid plan ($5, $25, $75) and metered per message; top-ups after that. Front meters AI (from $0.05 per conversation) above the seats instead.

    FrontFront

    Autopilot, the AI agent, from $0.05 a conversation; Copilot is $20 per seat and Smart QA $20 per seat. Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    CrispCrisp

    Chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone on the paid plans. WhatsApp and Telegram are here and not on Front.

    FrontFront

    Email on Starter; chat, SMS, WhatsApp and voice on Professional and up. Crisp adds WhatsApp and Telegram, which Front lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    CrispCrisp

    Campaigns, a knowledge base, co-browsing, a status page and mobile apps. Front is a team inbox instead.

    FrontFront

    Sequences, calendar, account views and analytics for logistics, finance and account teams. Crisp is a customer messaging platform instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    CrispCrisp

    An afternoon: paste the script, connect the channels, invite the team. Front is a day.

    FrontFront

    A day: connect the mailboxes, set rules and assignments, then add the chat widget. Crisp is an afternoon.

Sources: Crisp pricing · Front pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Crisp inbox: the conversation list with channel badges and the visitor profile
CrispCrisp. The Crisp inbox: the conversation list with channel badges and the visitor profile
The Front inbox: the thread with internal comments beside it and the assignment bar on top
FrontFront. The Front inbox: the thread with internal comments beside it and the assignment bar on top

Pricing references: Crisp pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Front pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Crisp, Front and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureCrispCrispFrontFrontSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per workspace, seats included per plan.
Per seat; channels tiered; AI add-ons per seat.
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
2 seats, 100 profiles.
14-day trial.
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Yes.
Chat channel; Starter allows one channel type.
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Yes.
The core of the product.
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Yes.
Professional and up, via add-on.
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Yes.
Professional and up.
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Yes.
Not a channel.
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack integration.
Slack and Teams integrations.
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI agent on Plus; MagicReply on lower plans.
Autopilot.
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
Included credits, same amounts as Sellio.
From $0.05 per conversation; Copilot $20 per seat.
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Yes.
Routes to teammates.
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Conversations with status; no ticket object.
Conversations with tags and status.
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Bot builder.
Rules engine; visual on higher plans.
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Analytics on Essentials and up.
Analytics on Professional and up.
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Desktop and mobile apps.
Mac and Windows apps.
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Crisp if

  • You need more channels than most inboxes offer: Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone.
  • You want co-browsing, campaigns and a status page in the same subscription.
  • Five people cost $270 a month less than on Front ($55 against $325), before AI.
  • You need WhatsApp and Telegram in the price, which Front does not include outright.

Pick Front if

  • Email is the channel and you want shared drafts, comments and sequences on every thread.
  • You run logistics, finance or account management where a thread is a piece of work.
  • Time to the first reply is a day here and an afternoon on Crisp.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than Crisp's: per seat per month, billed yearly. Seat caps per plan.

The third option: Sellio

  • You are two to ten people on Crisp or Front who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $55 a month on Crisp against $325 on Front for five people.
  • You want the AI bill known before the month starts: Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan, Front meters AI (from $0.05 per conversation) above the seats; Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
  • You need tickets raised from a chat, which neither Crisp nor Front includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Crisp: $55 a month for five ($45 for 4 seats + $10 for the fifth); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Front on Professional: $130, $325 and $650 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $10 less than Crisp and $280 less than Front for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $555 under Front.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Crisp is a customer messaging platform built around one inbox, many channels; Front is a team inbox built around shared email. Only Crisp has a free plan (2 seats, 100 profiles); Front offers a 14-day trial of Professional. Crisp and Front both include website chat, email and Instagram in the price; only Crisp has WhatsApp and Telegram. Between them Crisp and Front cover every channel Sellio ships. Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan; Front meters AI (from $0.05 per conversation) above the seats. Neither Crisp nor Front has a ticket queue, and both ship desktop apps. Crisp is an afternoon; Front is a day.

What each price leaves out

Crisp: AI credits included: $5 on Mini, $25 on Essentials, $75 on Plus. Front: Autopilot AI agent from $0.05 per conversation; Copilot $20 per seat per month and Smart QA $20 per seat (included on Enterprise). Beside Crisp's AI credit included and Front's from $0.05 per conversation, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    CrispCrispSee vendorNot quoted
    FrontFront$0.05$24
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    CrispCrisp · 14 days, no card
    FrontFront · 14-day trial of Professional
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Crisp vs Front: the questions people ask

Crisp is a customer messaging platform built around one inbox, many channels; Front is a team inbox built around shared email. Neither Crisp nor Front has a ticket queue, and both ship desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Crisp $45/mo (Mini: 4 seats); Front $25/seat/mo (Starter: one channel type).
  • Chat in the price: Crisp $45/mo (chat on every plan, Free included); Front $65/seat/mo (Professional: omnichannel).
  • Sellio: all five channels on every paid plan, where Crisp and Front each include only some.

Sellio's side of the Crisp and Front rows is on the shared inbox page.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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