Missive and Front at a glance
| Missive | Front | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan (yearly) | Starter, $14 per user a month | Starter, $25 per seat a month |
| Paid plans | Starter, Productive, Business | Starter, Professional, Enterprise |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30 days of Productive, no card needed. No free plan. | 14 days with Professional features, no card needed. No free plan. |
| Your email address | Connects your mailbox over IMAP, syncs to their cloud | Connects your mailbox, syncs it to their cloud |
| Mac app | An Electron desktop app for Mac and Windows. | An Electron desktop app for Mac and Windows: the web interface in a window. |
Most of the rows match: neither has a free plan, both connect your existing mailbox and sync it to their cloud, and both run as an Electron app on Mac and Windows. The trial is where they part. Missive’s is the longer, and it runs on Productive, the plan with rules and integrations; Front’s gives you Professional features.
What each costs per year
| Plan, per year | 1 person | 3 people | 10 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missive Starter | $168 | $504 | Not offered |
| Missive Productive | $288 | $864 | $2,880 |
| Front Starter | $300 | $900 | $3,000 |
| Missive Business | $432 | $1,296 | $4,320 |
| Front Professional | $780 | $2,340 | $7,800 |
| Front Enterprise | $1,260 | $3,780 | $12,600 |
Missive is cheaper tier for tier, and the caps on the two Starter plans matter as much as the prices.
- Missive: Starter caps you at 5 users and has no rules, integrations or API access.
- Front: Starter caps the team at 10 seats and one channel type, and leaves out macros, advanced analytics, extra workspaces and SSO.
So a team larger than 5 cannot buy Missive Starter at all, and at 10 people the cheapest Missive plan that fits, Productive, is $2,880 a year against $3,000 for Front Starter.
The middle tiers are capped at 50 users on Missive Productive and 50 seats on Front Professional, and at 3 people they cost $864 and $2,340 a year. Front Enterprise is sold on yearly billing only. If you have seen Front at other prices, this is why. Front replaced its Starter $19, Growth $59 and Scale $99 line-up with Starter, Professional and Enterprise in 2026.
Every plan, side by side
Missive
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $14 | $18 | Up to 5 users. No rules, integrations or API access. |
| Productive | $24 | $30 | Up to 50 users, rules, integrations, API and MCP access, basic analytics. |
| Business | $36 | $45 | Unlimited users, SAML single sign-on, IP restrictions, advanced analytics. |
Front
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $25 | $35 | Up to 10 seats, one channel type, 1 workspace, up to 10 rules. |
| Professional | $65 | $85 | Up to 50 seats, omnichannel, macros and 20 rules, 5 workspaces, SSO. |
| Enterprise | $105 | Yearly only | Unlimited rules and custom roles, with Copilot, Smart QA and Smart CSAT included. Annual billing only. |
Prices are in US dollars per seat per month, read from Missive’s and Front’s pricing pages on 27 September 2026.
AI charges
The two take different routes. Missive meters AI at the model’s own price with a margin, or lets you bring a key; Front sells AI features per seat and per conversation.
- Missive: AI runs on Missive credits (the model provider’s price plus 25%) or on your own API key. Productive and Business start with $5 of credits.
- Front: Copilot $20 per seat a month; Smart QA $20; Smart CSAT $10. Autopilot, charged per conversation: $0.05 to triage, $0.39 per handoff, $0.89 per resolution. Enterprise includes Copilot, Smart QA and Smart CSAT.
Missive’s approach suits a team that wants to pay the model’s price plus a known margin, or use its own API key. Front’s suits a team that wants packaged AI features, including Autopilot to triage, hand off and resolve conversations, and is ready to pay per seat and per conversation for them.
Which one fits which team
- Choose Missive if you want the lower seat price and the longer trial, and your team either fits Starter or wants rules, integrations and API access on the middle tier. A shared inbox and team chat in one app, built around drafting replies collaboratively.
- Choose Front if you want Front’s packaged AI (Autopilot, Copilot, Smart QA and Smart CSAT, the last three included on Enterprise) and the higher seat price is worth that to you. A collaborative inbox where a team drafts, comments on and assigns replies together in real time.
- Choose neither if the support team is you. Both are priced per seat for a team drafting replies together, so one person pays for collaboration they never use, and both desktop apps are Electron rather than native.
That last case is the one Moorline is built for, and the page on a Missive alternative for solo Mac support sets it out without the sales voice.
Questions people ask
Is Missive cheaper than Front?
Yes, tier for tier on list prices. Missive is $14, $24 and $36 per user a month on yearly billing; Front is $25, $65 and $105 per seat. For 3 people, Missive Productive costs $864 a year and Front Professional $2,340.
What is the difference between Missive and Front?
Both are collaborative inboxes that connect your existing mailbox, and both ship an Electron desktop app for Mac and Windows. Missive pairs the shared inbox with team chat, costs less per seat and bills AI through credits or your own API key. Front is built around drafting, commenting on and assigning replies together in real time, and sells its AI as per-seat and per-conversation add-ons.
Do Missive and Front have a free plan or a free trial?
Both have a free trial and neither has a free plan. Missive: 30 days of Productive, no card needed. No free plan. Front: 14 days with Professional features, no card needed. No free plan.
Do Missive and Front have a Mac app?
Both do, and both are Electron apps for Mac and Windows rather than native Mac apps. Front's puts its web interface in a window.
How do Missive and Front charge for AI?
Differently. AI runs on Missive credits (the model provider’s price plus 25%) or on your own API key. Productive and Business start with $5 of credits. Front sells AI per seat and per conversation. Copilot $20 per seat a month; Smart QA $20; Smart CSAT $10. Autopilot, charged per conversation: $0.05 to triage, $0.39 per handoff, $0.89 per resolution.