Magpie vs Front
Front is a shared inbox for teams. Magpie is people-native communication for everyone. Front stacks your channels together but they're still visible and separate. Magpie makes the channel invisible.
Side by Side
| Feature | Front | Magpie |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Shared inbox / team collaboration | People-native communication platform |
| Primary use | Team email management | Individual + team communication |
| Channels | Email, SMS, social (stacked) | Email, Slack, Teams, LinkedIn (unified) |
| Organization | By inbox/channel | By contact |
| Thread view | Separate threads per channel | One thread per person |
| Actions | Manual (assign, comment) | Automatic extraction |
Where Front Wins
Let's be honest — Front does some things well:
- Shared visibility into customer conversations
- Assignment, comments, and internal notes
- Multi-channel support (email, SMS, social)
- Workflow automation and rules
- Analytics and SLA tracking
Where Front Falls Short
Channels are still visible
Front shows you "Email from Sarah" and "Twitter DM from Sarah" as separate items. The threads are separate. Context is fragmented.
Inbox-centric, not contact-centric
Front organizes by inbox first, then by conversation. You're managing inboxes, not relationships.
Manages words, not action
"Can we reschedule to Thursday?" You see it, reply — then manually update the calendar. Front helped you see the message. The action is still on you.
Built for teams, not individuals
Front is designed for shared inboxes. If you're managing your own relationships across channels, it's overkill in some ways, insufficient in others.
The Magpie Difference
Channel-invisible, not channel-stacked
Front: "Here's your email inbox, SMS inbox, social inbox." Magpie: "Here's your conversation with Sarah." The channel disappears.
Words become action
"Let's meet Tuesday at 10am" → Meeting created. "Send me the contract" → Task surfaces. No copying details to your calendar.
Write once, deliver anywhere
Type your thought. Magpie transforms it for each channel automatically. Professional for email. Casual for Slack. No re-writing.
"Front stacks your inboxes together. Magpie makes the inbox disappear. What's left is people — and action."
The Bottom Line