Front vs HEY (2026): Which Should You Pick?
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Front and HEY are both organized email tools, but they are built for opposite audiences. HEY is a personal email service for one person who wants inbox calm. Front is a shared-inbox platform for 10–50 person support teams. Pick wrong and you either buy a team platform for personal use, or you force a support crew onto a personal inbox that cannot route tickets. I ran both for three weeks—here is the split.
The One-Sentence Verdict
Go with HEY if you are one person who wants a fresh @hey.com address and a calm, opinionated workflow. Pick Front if you run a support or sales team that needs shared inboxes, routing rules, ticketing, and SLAs.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Dimension | Front | HEY | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Shared-inbox platform for support teams | Personal opinionated email service | Different use case |
| Price | Starter $25/seat/mo; AI +$20/seat/mo | $99/yr personal; Work $12/user/mo | HEY |
| Speed | Enterprise UI; can feel heavy | Fast; opinionated workflow | HEY |
| Keyboard flow | Power-user shortcuts for agents | Mouse-first; deliberate workflow | Front |
| Team collaboration | Shared inbox, routing, ticketing, SLAs | Thread sharing and private comments on Work | Front |
| Multi-channel | Email, SMS, social, WhatsApp, live chat | Email + HEY Calendar; no integrations | Front |
| AI features | Copilot AI Compose and AI Topics | No AI features at all | Front |
| Calendar | Not the focus | HEY Calendar included | HEY |
| Mobile | Polished iOS and Android for agents | Polished iOS and Android by 37signals | Tie |
| Best for team size | 10–50 support/sales seats | Solo; Work for small teams | Depends on size |
What Each One Actually Is
Front
Front is a shared-inbox and customer-communication platform built for teams that treat email as a workflow, not a personal inbox. You get shared inboxes, routing rules, ticketing, SLA management, macros, and omnichannel support (email, SMS, social). Copilot adds AI Compose and AI Topics. It is the most complete tool in this category—and the priciest once you layer on AI and the Professional tier.
- Shared inbox with routing rules and assignment
- Ticketing, SLA management, macros
- Copilot AI Compose and AI Topics
- Omnichannel: email, SMS, social, WhatsApp
- Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk integrations
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Starter | $25/seat/mo annual — up to 10 seats, shared inbox, ticketing, AI Topics, 10 automations |
| Professional | $65/seat/mo annual — up to 50 seats, omnichannel, macros, SSO, advanced analytics |
| Enterprise | $105/seat/mo annual — unlimited seats/rules, custom roles, KB, Copilot, Smart QA/CSAT |
| AI Copilot add-on | +$20/seat/mo on Starter and Professional |
HEY
HEY is not a client—it is a full email service from 37signals, the company behind Basecamp. You sign up for a @hey.com address, 100GB of storage, and a deliberately different workflow: Screener makes every first-time sender ask permission, Feed holds newsletters and nothing else, and Paper Trail auto-archives mail you have already handled. There is no IMAP, so you cannot point it at your existing Gmail or Outlook. It is a walled garden, and that is exactly the point.
- Screener blocks first-time senders cold until you approve
- Feed keeps newsletters out of the inbox
- Paper Trail auto-archives handled mail
- No ad tracking, no data selling, 100GB included
- HEY Calendar and apps on every platform
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| HEY for You | $99/yr (~$8.25/mo) — @hey.com address, 100GB, Screener, Feed, Paper Trail, Calendar |
| HEY for Domains / Work | $12/user/mo — custom domain, multiple users, thread sharing, private team comments |
Where Front Wins
I tested Front on a shared support inbox with five fake agents. Routing rules sent support@ to the support queue, billing keywords to billing, and assignment was visible so no agent doubled up on a reply. Ticketing, SLA timers, and macros were the most complete set I have tested. Copilot’s AI Compose drafted a first reply from a macro, and AI Topics grouped 20 similar tickets into one theme. HEY has no queue, no assignment, and no SLA—even HEY for Work only adds thread sharing and private comments, not a help desk.
The cost is the recurring complaint. Starter runs $25/seat/month and AI Copilot is another $20/seat/month add-on. After the January 2026 update, users reported Outlook sync issues. Another recurring critique: ‘update after update that has made the platform harder to use.’ It is powerful but heavy; small teams end up paying for features they will never touch.
Where HEY Wins
HEY won for solo calm. On a fresh @hey.com address, Screener held back every first-time sender—newsletters, upsell sequences, onboarding drips—until I explicitly approved them. Feed held the newsletters I did approve so they never touched the inbox. Paper Trail auto-archived everything I had already handled. By day ten my personal inbox had 14 emails in it. For one person who wants inbox zero, that is a genuine reset.
The cost of that calm is adoption friction. There is no IMAP, so you cannot point Front, Superhuman, or any other client at HEY. You have to move to a @hey.com address. There are almost no third-party integrations. Reviews note formatting issues and that replies bounce back into the inbox, ‘doubling the amount of emails.’ HEY for Work adds thread sharing but is not a help desk.
The Price Math
Solo user (1 person, 1 year)
Front: Front Starter for 1 seat: $25 × 12 = $300/yr. AI Copilot add-on: +$20 × 12 = $240/yr. Total $540/yr for one solo user—overkill — $300/yr + $240 AI = $540/yr.
HEY: HEY for You: $99/yr flat. New @hey.com address, 100GB, Screener, Feed, Paper Trail, Calendar — $99/yr.
Verdict: HEY is $441/year cheaper than Front for a solo user. More importantly, Front is a team platform—buying it solo is buying a forklift to carry a backpack. HEY is the right tool for personal calm.
Team of 5 (1 year)
Front: Front Starter for 5: $25 × 5 × 12 = $1,500/yr. Add AI: +$20 × 5 × 12 = $1,200/yr. Total $2,700/yr. Professional tier ($65/seat) unlocks SLA and omnichannel — $2,700/yr (Starter + AI x5).
HEY: HEY for Work for 5: $12/user/mo × 5 × 12 = $720/yr. Thread sharing and private comments only; no queue, no routing, no SLA — $720/yr (Work x5).
Verdict: HEY for Work is $1,980/year cheaper, but it cannot route tickets or manage SLAs. For a real support team, Front’s cost is the price of not dropping tickets. HEY for Work is a small-team communication tool, not a help desk.
Pros & Cons
Front Pros
- Shared inbox and routing rules kill duplicate replies—users on G2 and Capterra rate team collaboration highly.
- Clean interface for an enterprise tool; it’s unusual to see this level of polish at this tier.
- Copilot’s AI Compose and AI Topics genuinely speed up customer-facing replies.
- Ticketing, SLA management, and routing rules are the most complete set in the market.
Front Cons
- Expensive and rising: $25/seat/month to start, plus $20/seat for AI—the most common complaint on review sites.
- After the January 2026 update, users reported “actions taken in Front don’t sync back to Outlook.”
- A recurring critique: “update after update that has made the platform harder to use.”
- SLA management and deep CRM integrations are gated behind Professional ($65/seat/month) and above.
HEY Pros
- Screener blocks first-time senders cold; reviewers say it alone was worth it for years.
- Feed keeps newsletters out of the inbox so only real mail reaches you.
- Paper Trail auto-archives handled mail with no manual filing.
- No ad tracking and no selling your data, with a fresh @hey.com address and 100GB storage.
HEY Cons
- No IMAP at all, you cannot connect your existing Gmail or Outlook and must adopt a @hey.com address.
- Steep learning curve; the whole workflow forces you to change how you do email.
- Almost no third-party integrations, it is a walled garden.
- Formatting gets mangled: reviewers note “certain formatting is lost when viewing emails.”
Final Recommendation
Choose Front if…
- ✓ You have a support or sales team of 10+
- ✓ You need shared inboxes, routing, and ticketing
- ✓ You want SLA timers and macros
- ✓ You need omnichannel (email, SMS, social)
Choose HEY if…
- ✓ You are a solo person who wants inbox calm
- ✓ You are willing to move to a @hey.com address
- ✓ You do not need third-party integrations
- ✓ You prefer an opinionated workflow over flexibility
Frequently Asked Questions
Can HEY replace Front for a small support team?
No. HEY for Work adds thread sharing and private comments, but there is no routing queue, no assignment, no SLA, and no ticketing. It is a small-team communication tool—not a help desk.
Can Front be used as a personal email client?
Technically yes, but at $25/seat/month it is massive overkill for solo use. HEY at $99/year is the right personal tool.
Does Front have AI?
Yes. Copilot adds AI Compose and AI Topics for a $20/seat/month add-on. HEY has no AI features at all.
Can I connect Front to my @hey.com address?
No. HEY has no IMAP and no open API for inbound mail. You cannot point any external client or platform at a HEY inbox, period.
Pricing based on official website data as of September 2026. Verify current pricing before purchasing. User feedback sourced from G2 and Capterra reviews.
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