FrontShopify InboxFront vs Shopify Inbox

Front vs Shopify Inbox: team inbox or free chat

A team inbox against a free chat for Shopify stores: Shopify Inbox is $325 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

No credit card. Live in minutes.

The short answer

Pick Front if email is the channel and you want shared drafts, comments and sequences on every thread. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. For five people, Shopify Inbox is $325 a month cheaper than Front ($325 a month on Front against $0 on Shopify Inbox), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Shopify Inbox's figure comes under. Front and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price; only Front has email and Instagram. Neither Front nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp and Telegram outright. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what Front and Shopify Inbox sell here at one price.

At a glanceFrontFrontShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundShared email · comments and drafts on every threadThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$25/seat/mo · Starter: one channel type$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the price$65/seat/mo · Professional: omnichannel$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agentFrom $0.05 per conversation · AutopilotIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agents$20/seat/moIncluded · suggested replies
Free planNone · 14-day trialYes · the app is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    FrontFront

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

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    As a chat on the storefront or in the Shop app, with the cart and orders beside it. Front has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    FrontFront

    $25 buys one channel type and up to ten seats. Omnichannel and fifty seats start at Professional, $65. $325 for five people, against $0 on Shopify Inbox.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    There is no seat price; staff are limited by the Shopify plan's staff accounts. $0 for five people, against $325 on Front.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    FrontFront

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

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    The AI chat learns the catalog and policies and is included; there is nothing to meter. Front meters AI (from $0.05 per conversation) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    FrontFront

    Email on Starter; chat, SMS, WhatsApp and voice on Professional and up. email and Instagram are here and not on Shopify Inbox.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Storefront chat and the Shop app; no email, WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. Front adds email and Instagram, which Shopify Inbox lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    FrontFront

    Sequences, calendar, account views and analytics for logistics, finance and account teams. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Product recommendations, discount codes and order updates inside the chat. Front is a team inbox instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    FrontFront

    A day: connect the mailboxes, set rules and assignments, then add the chat widget. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. Front is a day.

Sources: Front pricing · Shopify Inbox 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 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
The Shopify Inbox conversation: the chat with the customer's cart and orders on the side
Shopify InboxShopify Inbox. The Shopify Inbox conversation: the chat with the customer's cart and orders on the side

Pricing references: Front pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Front, Shopify Inbox 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.

FeatureFrontFrontShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per seat; channels tiered; AI add-ons per seat.
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
14-day trial.
The whole app
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Chat channel; Starter allows one channel type.
Storefront and Shop app
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
The core of the product.
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Professional and up, via add-on.
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Professional and up.
No longer connected
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not a channel.
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack and Teams integrations.
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Autopilot.
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From $0.05 per conversation; Copilot $20 per seat.
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Routes to teammates.
Hands to staff
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

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

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

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.
  • You need email and Instagram in the price, which Shopify Inbox does not include outright.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Shopify Inbox does not ship.

Pick Shopify Inbox if

  • You run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view.
  • One channel is enough and you do not need tickets.
  • Five people cost $325 a month less than on Front ($0 against $325), before AI.
  • You want a free plan to start on; Front offers a 14-day trial of Professional.

The third option: Sellio

  • You are two to ten people on Front or Shopify Inbox who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $325 a month on Front against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people.
  • You want the AI bill known before the month starts: Front meters AI (from $0.05 per conversation) above the seats, Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan; Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither Front nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Front on Professional: $130, $325 and $650 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Shopify Inbox: $0 a month for five (free; five staff need the Shopify plan that allows them); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $280 less than Front and more than Shopify Inbox's $0 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

Front is a team inbox built around shared email; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Only Shopify Inbox has a free plan (the app is free); Front offers a 14-day trial of Professional. Front and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price; only Front has email and Instagram. Neither Front nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp and Telegram outright. Front meters AI (from $0.05 per conversation) above the seats; Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan. Neither Front nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and only Front ships desktop apps. Front is a day; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

Front: Autopilot AI agent from $0.05 per conversation; Copilot $20 per seat per month and Smart QA $20 per seat (included on Enterprise). Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside Front's from $0.05 per conversation and Shopify Inbox's included, 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
    FrontFront$0.05$24
    Shopify InboxShopify InboxSee vendorNot quoted
    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.

    FrontFront · 14-day trial of Professional
    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox · Not applicable; free
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

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

Continue your research

FAQ

Front vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

Front is a team inbox built around shared email; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Neither Front nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and only Front ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Front $25/seat/mo (Starter: one channel type); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: Front $65/seat/mo (Professional: omnichannel); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio: WhatsApp and Telegram, which neither Front nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Front and Shopify Inbox 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

No credit card required