Front

Operate a shared mailbox with assignments, comments, and simple rules

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price $25/mo per seatsubscription / year $300estimated build time closest consolation build: one sittingreplaced by 0 people

A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Front, operate a shared mailbox with assignments, comments, and simple rules. The hard boundary is email infrastructure, many channels, workflow automation, crm context, and enterprise governance, plus channel integrations and support operations.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • email infrastructure, many channels, workflow automation, CRM context, and enterprise governance
  • omnichannel integrations
  • large-scale deliverability
  • AI resolution tuning
  • enterprise routing and compliance

Why people still pay

People still pay for Front because support software survives because missing or misrouting one customer message is expensive and every channel behaves differently. The recurring cost buys message delivery, webhooks, threading, identity, permissions, attachments, notifications, spam, search, uptime, and retention, not just the visible interface.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Docker
  • PostgreSQL
  • public HTTPS deployment
  • email or chat channel credentials
01
Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, WebSockets, and Docker Compose.
02
Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this help desks, live chat and support knowledge prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this help desks, live chat and support knowledge workflow: a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, WebSockets, and Docker Compose. Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this help desks, live chat and support knowledge prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

Implement one workspace, agents, contacts, inboxes, conversations, messages, labels, and assignment.

3

Phase 3, implement

Create a shared inbox with filters, collision warnings, notes, canned replies, and searchable history.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Add email notifications, browser notifications, and an immutable assignment and status log. Implement spam controls, attachment scanning hooks, retention settings, export, and contact deletion.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Ship Docker Compose, backups, health checks, migrations, and a documented admin recovery flow. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs. State the practical limit: email infrastructure, many channels, workflow automation, CRM context, and enterprise governance.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused help desks, live chat and support knowledge workflow for the personal core of Front. Requirements:

- Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, WebSockets, and Docker Compose. Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this help desks, live chat and support knowledge prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Operate a shared mailbox with assignments, comments, and simple rules. Build only this DIY scope: Receive customer messages into a shared mailbox, assign conversations, comment internally, apply simple rules, reply from one place, and retain a searchable conversation history.
- Implement one workspace, agents, contacts, inboxes, conversations, messages, labels, and assignment.
- Create a shared inbox with filters, collision warnings, notes, canned replies, and searchable history.
- Add email notifications, browser notifications, and an immutable assignment and status log. Implement spam controls, attachment scanning hooks, retention settings, export, and contact deletion.
- Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: Docker; public HTTPS deployment.
- Recovery: Ship Docker Compose, backups, health checks, migrations, and a documented admin recovery flow.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs.
- Out of scope: email infrastructure, many channels, workflow automation, CRM context, and enterprise governance; omnichannel integrations. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

share on X ↗

Alternatives to building your own

ChatwootA proper support inbox with chat, email and a help center; free software, billable server chores.36kaug 2026open source↗ZammadA serious ticket desk with email, chat, SLAs and a knowledge base; setup is the first ticket.5.8kaug 2026open source↗FreeScoutEmail becomes an assigned team inbox with notes and collision warnings; the nicer modules open a wallet.4.4kjul 2026open source↗

all 8 free alternatives to Front →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

Front pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
starter—$25/userUp to 10 seats; 1 workspace; 1 channel type; up to 10 channels/license; 10 automation rules; 200 AI compose/translate/summarize actions per teammate/dayBilled annually; month-to-month USD rate was not published in the retrieved official page.
professional—$65/userUp to 50 seats; 5 workspaces; omnichannel; up to 30 channels/license; 20 automation rules; 200 basic AI actions/teammate/dayBilled annually; month-to-month USD rate was not published in the retrieved official page.
enterprise—$105/userUnlimited workspaces/rules/macros; up to 50 channels/license; Copilot, Smart QA and Smart CSAT includedBilled annually; no maximum seat count stated.

free tierno free tier (14-day Professional trial; no credit card required)

billingannual pricing published (24% saving); monthly billing control exists but current month-to-month USD figures were not exposed in official page text

hidden costsStarter and Professional AI add-ons: Copilot $20/seat/month, Smart QA $20, Smart CSAT $10, QA+CSAT $25; Autopilot starts at $0.05/conversation. Native WhatsApp adds Meta charges plus a 20% admin fee; API capacity costs $200 per extra 100 requests/minute/month; contracts over $25,000 require paid onboarding.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Front

Can you build your own Front with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Front, operate a shared mailbox with assignments, comments, and simple rules. The hard boundary is email infrastructure, many channels, workflow automation, crm context, and enterprise governance, plus channel integrations and support operations.

What does the Front build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Receive customer messages into a shared mailbox, assign conversations, comment internally, apply simple rules, reply from one place, and retain a searchable conversation history. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: email infrastructure, many channels, workflow automation, CRM context, and enterprise governance; omnichannel integrations; large-scale deliverability. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Front prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Front project take?

The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Front?

email infrastructure, many channels, workflow automation, CRM context, and enterprise governance; omnichannel integrations; large-scale deliverability; AI resolution tuning; enterprise routing and compliance. People still pay for Front because support software survives because missing or misrouting one customer message is expensive and every channel behaves differently. The recurring cost buys message delivery, webhooks, threading, identity, permissions, attachments, notifications, spam, search, uptime, and retention, not just the visible interface.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Starter plan is $25/mo per seat (annual billing, per user per month), checked 2026-08-12. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Front?

Chatwoot: A proper support inbox with chat, email and a help center; free software, billable server chores. Zammad: A serious ticket desk with email, chat, SLAs and a knowledge base; setup is the first ticket. FreeScout: Email becomes an assigned team inbox with notes and collision warnings; the nicer modules open a wallet. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/front/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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