Comparison · 2026
Front is a powerful omnichannel inbox for growth-stage teams. Its Enterprise plan hits $105/seat/month. If you're an indie founder or a team under 15 people, the math gets uncomfortable fast.
Last updated: June 2026 · Pricing sourced from front.app and smailor.com
Smailor advantage
Flat pricing for the whole team
Front's Starter plan is $25/seat. Smailor Pro covers 15 members for €9.99 flat.
Front advantage
Omnichannel (SMS, social)
Front supports SMS, social inboxes, WhatsApp. Smailor covers email and website live chat.
AI
Self-hosted vs add-on billing
Smailor AI runs on EU servers at no extra cost. Front AI Copilot is a separate line item.
As of June 2026. ✅ included · ⚠️ partial/add-on · ❌ not available.
| Feature | Smailor | Front |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | ✅ Permanent | ✅ 14-day trial only |
| Pricing model | ✅ Flat workspace | ❌ Per seat/month |
| Entry paid price | ✅ €3.99/workspace | ❌ $25/seat/month |
| Shared inbox (email) | ✅ Groups | ✅ Shared inboxes |
| SMS / social inboxes | ❌ Email only | ✅ Professional+ |
| AI triage & routing | ✅ Pro+ (self-hosted) | ⚠️ Copilot add-on ($$$) |
| AI included in base plan | ✅ Pro plan (€9.99) | ❌ Enterprise add-on |
| EU data residency | ✅ Hetzner DE/FI | ❌ US-based |
| GDPR / DPA | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
| Routing / automation rules | ✅ Incl. AI-based | ✅ Up to 10 (Starter) / unlimited (Enterprise) |
| Knowledge base | ❌ Not included | ✅ No-code KB (Starter+) |
| Discord notifications | ✅ Native (Solo+) | ❌ Via Zapier |
| REST API | Available on Solo, Starter, Pro and Business | ✅ All plans |
| Custom domain | ✅ From free tier | ⚠️ Custom email routing |
| SSO / SAML | Not currently available | ✅ Professional+ |
| Team inbox limit (paid entry) | ✅ 5 groups | ⚠️ Limited on Starter |
Front's Starter plan is already $25/seat. By the time you need AI features, you're at $105/seat.
Smailor — flat workspace
A new conversation started by you counts as one outbound conversation. Replies don't count.
Stackable monthly packs from €2.39 on every plan, including Free. Prices exclude VAT. Solo is annual-only.
Compare all plans and packs →Front — per seat (annual)
AI Copilot, Smart QA, and Autopilot are priced separately. Min. 2 seats.
Real cost at 5 users
Smailor Pro (5 users)
€9.99/mo
AI triage included. Up to 15 members.
Front Starter (5 users)
$125/mo
5 × $25/seat. No AI included.
What actually separates these two tools in day-to-day use.
Per-seat vs flat-rate — the number that matters
Front charges per seat at every tier. A 5-person team on Starter pays $125/month — before AI, before add-ons. Smailor Pro covers up to 15 people for €9.99/month. For small teams, this isn't a marginal difference; it's an order of magnitude.
Omnichannel — Front's clear lead
Front supports SMS, WhatsApp, social media inboxes, and voice on its Professional and Enterprise plans. Smailor covers email and website live chat only. If your customer communication already spans channels beyond email, Front is genuinely the better fit.
AI — included vs billable add-on
Front's AI Copilot (drafting, summaries, QA) is priced as a separate add-on on top of any plan. Smailor's AI triage and spam filtering are included in the Pro plan at €9.99 — running on a self-hosted Qwen 2.5 model that never sends your data to third-party AI providers.
Data residency — EU vs US
Smailor runs exclusively on Hetzner infrastructure in Germany and Finland. Data never leaves the EEA. Front is US-headquartered. For EU-based businesses handling customer PII, the default data location is different — even if both tools offer DPA agreements.
Choose Smailor if…
Choose Front if…
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