Around
Front
| Feature | Around | Front |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | From $19/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-teams, hybrid-teams, developers, creative-teams | customer-facing-teams, operations-teams, logistics-companies, professional-services |
| Founded | 2019 | 2013 |
| Floating Bubbles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Cancellation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Leveling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Meeting Notes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shared Inboxes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflow Automation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sla Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Internal Comments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Around Pros
- Minimal screen footprint with floating video bubbles
- Excellent AI noise cancellation
- Auto-equalizes audio levels between participants
- Designed for casual always-on collaboration
✗ Around Cons
- Limited features for formal presentations
- Smaller user base than major platforms
- No recording on free plan
✓ Front Pros
- Unified inbox combining email, chat, SMS, social
- Excellent team collaboration with internal comments
- Powerful automation rules and SLA management
- Familiar email-like interface (low learning curve)
✗ Front Cons
- Expensive per-seat pricing especially at scale
- No free plan for small teams to try
- Can be overwhelming with high email volumes
The Verdict
Around is built for remote teams and hybrid teams, with a focus on floating-bubbles and noise-cancellation. Front targets customer facing teams and operations teams and leads with shared-inboxes and workflow-automation.
On pricing, Around is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $10/mo compared to $19/mo for Front. That $9/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Around has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Front requires a paid subscription from day one.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.