The Front Alternative Built for Ecommerce Sellers
You have been running customer support out of a shared inbox, and every message still means a second tab to check what was actually ordered, shipped, or refunded.
eDesk puts order data on every message, not just the email thread, connects every marketplace and webstore directly, and includes AI in the plan rather than pricing it per seat.
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Short Answer
Front is a shared inbox built for teams that live in email, with no native connection to Amazon, eBay, Walmart, or a webstore and no order context on the message. eDesk is an ecommerce helpdesk that brings marketplace messages, webstore tickets, chat, and social into one inbox with the order, shipping, and refund attached, and includes AI in the price rather than selling it as a per-seat add-on. A five-agent seller gets a helpdesk built for orders with eDesk, and a well-organized email client with Front.
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Built for Sellers Who
Sell on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, or a Mirakl marketplace as well as their own store
Have outgrown a shared email inbox and need tickets tied to orders
Want to refund, cancel, or reship from the conversation instead of switching to Seller Central or Shopify
Need marketplace response-time SLAs tracked automatically
Want AI replies that know the order, not just the thread
Run more than one store or brand from one team
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eDesk Versus Front | eDeskStart free trial | FrontContact us | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | |||
| Built for | Ecommerce sellers on marketplaces and webstores | Email-first teams, general customer communication | |
| Marketplace integrations | Direct: Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Mirakl marketplaces, and 300+ more | None native | |
| Webstore integrations | Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento included | Limited, mostly via third-party apps | |
| Order data in the ticket | Native, shown automatically on every ticket | None; order details live outside the thread | |
| Order actions from the inbox | Refund, cancel, reship, without leaving the ticket | None | |
| AI | Included in every plan | Copilot, Smart QA, and Smart CSAT: ~$20/seat/month add-ons each on Starter and Professional; included by default only on Enterprise ($105/seat/month); Autopilot metered separately at ~$0.89 per resolved case | |
| Pricing model | Per agent, all-in | Per seat, plus AI add-ons; Starter capped at 10 seats, Professional at 50 | |
| Starting price | $39/agent/month, Essential plan (checked Sept 2026) | $25/seat/month, Starter, single channel type, max 10 seats (checked Sept 2026) | |
| Free trial | Yes, full feature set | Yes, 14 days | |
| Onboarding | Personal onboarding included | Self-serve; mandatory onboarding fees apply on larger contracts | |
| G2 rating | 4.6/5 (~2,420 reviews, checked Sept 2026) | 4.4/5 (~3,700 reviews, checked Sept 2026) | |
Why eDesk Is Better Than Front
Every marketplace and webstore in one inbox, connected directly
Front organizes email beautifully but has no native connection to Amazon, eBay, Walmart, or a webstore. eDesk connects to all of them directly, along with 300+ other marketplaces and platforms, so a marketplace message and a website email land in the same inbox with nothing bolted on.
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Order, shipping status, and customer history on every message
A Front conversation is just the thread. eDesk attaches the order, shipping status, and customer history to every message automatically, so an agent never has to leave the ticket to find out what was actually bought or when it shipped.
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Refunds, cancellations, and replacements from the conversation
Front has no order actions at all, since it is not built around commerce data. eDesk lets agents refund, cancel, or reship directly from the ticket, with the action replicated back to Shopify, Amazon, or whichever channel the order came from.
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AI built for ecommerce, included in the plan
Front sells Copilot, Smart QA, and Smart CSAT as separate per-seat add-ons on its lower tiers, and only bundles them by default on the $105/seat Enterprise plan. eDesk's AI, trained on ecommerce support patterns like order status, returns, and marketplace policy language, is included in the plan from the entry tier.
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Marketplace SLA timers and feedback requests automated
Front has no concept of a marketplace SLA. eDesk tracks response-time compliance per marketplace automatically and flags at-risk tickets before they breach, and its Feedback tool sends targeted review requests to happy customers without a separate app.
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Pricing Compared | eDeskStart free trial | FrontContact us | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | |||
| Entry plan | Essential: $39/agent/month | Starter: $25/seat/month — a shared inbox, single channel type, max 10 seats, no AI included | |
| Mid plan | Growth: $89/agent/month | Professional: $65/seat/month — omnichannel inbox, AI still a separate add-on, max 50 seats | |
| Top published plan | Professional: $119/agent/month | Enterprise: $105/seat/month — the only tier where Copilot, Smart QA, and Smart CSAT come by default | |
| AI | Included on every plan | Add-on on Starter/Professional (~$20/seat/month each for Copilot, Smart QA, Smart CSAT); Autopilot metered at ~$0.89 per resolved case on top | |
Five-agent team, normal month
Front (Professional plan, with Copilot and Smart QA added for all 5 seats, since Professional does not include AI by default):
Professional plan: $65 x 5 seats = $325
Copilot add-on: $20 x 5 seats = $100
Smart QA add-on: $20 x 5 seats = $100
Total: $525/month, before any Autopilot usage, and still with no marketplace integrations or order data
eDesk (Growth plan, AI and all marketplace integrations included):
$89 x 5 agents = $445/month, flat
eDesk saves this team $80/month before counting what the price actually buys: order data and order actions Front has no equivalent for at any tier.
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Same team, a peak month (Q4 volume spike)
Front's Autopilot is metered per resolved case and sits on top of the seat and AI add-on cost. A seller using it to help cover a Q4 spike might see:
Base + Copilot + Smart QA: $525
Autopilot (~500 resolved cases at $0.89 each): approximately $445
Total: approximately $970/month
eDesk stays flat at $445/month, with order-aware AI included and marketplace connections that Front does not have at any price.
Switching
Moving off a shared inbox does not mean starting from zero. eDesk's migration assistance brings over:
Open and historical conversations
Contacts
Canned replies
Tags and team assignments
eDesk also buys out the remaining months on your Front contract and assigns a dedicated onboarding team, so a seller can move from an inbox to a full helpdesk without losing momentum.
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"“You can answer any customer question from one screen. We know we have a winning combination of quality service and products because almost half of our customers purchase again within six weeks.”"
Brendan Toone
Direct Sales Manager
FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions
Does Front integrate with Amazon or eBay?
No. Front has no native connection to Amazon, eBay, Walmart, or any marketplace. eDesk connects to all of them directly, with order details built into every ticket.
How does Front pricing compare with eDesk?
Front's seat price looks comparable at first glance, but AI is a separate per-seat add-on on the lower tiers, and even the top tier buys an inbox with no order data or order actions. eDesk's price includes AI and every marketplace integration, plus the ability to refund, cancel, or reship from the ticket.
Can I move my conversations from Front to eDesk?
Yes. eDesk migrates your conversations, contacts, canned replies, tags, and team assignments, and buys out any remaining months on your Front contract.
Does eDesk have shared inbox features like Front?
Yes. Assignment, internal notes, mentions, and collision detection all work the same way in eDesk, with the order context Front does not have layered on top.
Does eDesk have a free plan like Freshdesk?
eDesk offers a 14-day free trial with every feature included. Freshdesk's free tier covers 1-2 agents for 6 months on core ticketing only, without the marketplace connections or AI features a seller actually needs.
Can my whole team collaborate on a ticket in eDesk?
Yes. Agents, customers, and marketplace operators can all be part of the same thread, so a ticket does not need to leave eDesk to involve everyone who has a stake in resolving it.
Which is better for marketplace sellers?
eDesk. It is purpose-built for sellers running Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and a webstore from one team, with order data and marketplace SLAs handled natively. Front is a well-organized email client with no native path into any of those channels.