Choose 3CX if you want a polished phone system that works out of the box and you're comfortable paying an annual licence that the vendor controls. Choose FreePBX if you want to own the system outright, avoid per-system licensing, and have (or can hire) someone who knows Asterisk. FreePBX costs less to license and more to look after.
FreePBX vs 3CX at a glance
| FreePBX | 3CX | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An open-source web interface for Asterisk | A proprietary software phone system |
| Who makes it | Sangoma, with a community around it | 3CX |
| Licence | Free and open source; some modules are paid | Commercial, by annual subscription |
| Under the hood | Asterisk, which you can reach and change | Closed; you configure what the product exposes |
| Setup | More decisions, more to learn | Guided and quick |
| Apps | Works with most SIP phones and softphones | Its own desktop, web and mobile apps |
| Best for | Teams that want control and low licence cost | Teams that want a finished product |
The licensing question is the real one
Feature lists for these two overlap almost completely. Extensions, ring groups, menus, queues, voicemail to email, call recording: both have all of it. People who compare them feature by feature end up no wiser.
What differs is who holds the keys. With 3CX you rent the software. The vendor sets the price and the terms, and it has changed both more than once in recent years, which is why so many searches for a 3CX alternative come from existing customers and resellers. We aren't quoting its current tiers here because they move. Check them directly, and ask what happened to pricing for customers on your tier over the last three years.
With FreePBX there's no licence to renew for the core system. Sangoma sells commercial modules and support, and you can take them or leave them. Your phone system can't be repriced under you.
What 3CX does better
3CX is easier. That's a real advantage and we don't want to wave it away. Installation is guided, the apps are tidy and consistent, and a competent IT generalist can run it without learning telephony.
Its bundled extras, such as video meetings and website live chat, also come configured. On FreePBX you'd assemble those from other tools.
For an office of thirty people with no telephony specialist and no plans to do anything unusual, that convenience can be worth the subscription. When that describes you, we'll say so.
What FreePBX does better
FreePBX sits on Asterisk, and you can get at it. When you need a call flow the interface doesn't offer, a custom integration with your CRM, or behaviour specific to your business, you can build it. On a closed product you file a feature request and wait.
It also scales without a licence step. Adding fifty users is configuration and perhaps a larger server, not a call to a reseller.
The price of that freedom is that FreePBX will let you do things badly. A system left on default passwords and open to the internet will be found by attackers. It needs someone who knows how to lock it down and keep it patched. (We offer a security audit for exactly this reason.)
What each one really costs
Compare five years, not the first invoice.
- 3CX: annual licence for your size, hosting or hardware, phones, SIP trunks, and your IT time.
- FreePBX: hosting or hardware, phones, SIP trunks, any paid modules you choose, and specialist time to install and maintain it.
For small systems the totals are often close, because FreePBX's saved licence is spent on expertise. The gap opens as you grow or customise. More users raise a licence bill and barely touch a FreePBX one.
If nobody in-house will own it, add a support plan to the FreePBX column. It usually still wins at size, and it means you have someone to call.
Moving from 3CX to FreePBX
Most desk phones carry over, since both systems speak standard SIP. Numbers are ported. Call flows are rebuilt, which is a good moment to remove the ones nobody remembers the reason for.
The part people underestimate is the apps. Staff used to the 3CX softphone need a replacement they find as easy, so choose and test that early. Our migration service runs the two systems side by side until the switch, so nobody misses a call. For the system itself, see FreePBX setup and support.
