3CX compared with the alternatives
If you are weighing up 3CX for an Australian business, this page is the independent version: what it is, where it genuinely suits, and where it does not. We install and support it, and we are not connected to the company that makes it, which is why the second half of this page exists.
What 3CX actually is
A phone system that runs as software rather than as a box you buy. It can run on a server in your building, on a machine you rent in a data centre, or on a system somebody hosts for you.
The handsets are separate and are not tied to one manufacturer. Most offices we work in run Yealink or Grandstream desk phones on it, which is normal rather than a compromise. Support is by model and firmware rather than by brand, though, so it is worth checking a specific handset rather than assuming the badge is enough.
That flexibility is the whole character of the thing. 3CX is usually chosen by businesses that want to decide where their phone system lives rather than accept where a provider puts it.
Where 3CX is genuinely good
- You want control of where the system runs, including keeping it on your own hardware
- You have somebody technical, in house or a supplier, who is comfortable owning it
- You want the apps on laptops and mobiles to be part of the system rather than a bolt on
- You are running more than one site and want them on one system without a box at each
- You want to keep handsets you already own, which is often possible and worth checking model by model
The common thread is control. If none of those sentences describes a preference you actually hold, the case for 3CX specifically is weaker than the case for a phone system generally.
Where 3CX is not the right answer
This is the section a comparison page is worth reading for, so here it is plainly.
- You have nobody who wants to own it. Software you run is somebody’s job, and if that job is nobody’s it becomes a problem quietly
- You want one supplier accountable for everything. Splitting the system, the hosting and the calls across parties is flexible right up until something breaks between them
- You are very small. Two or three people with one number rarely need this much system, and the answer is usually simpler and cheaper
- You want the phone company to handle all of it. That is a legitimate preference and it points at a hosted service rather than at 3CX
None of that is a criticism of the product. It is a description of who it fits, and we would rather say it here than after you have bought it.
3CX compared with a Yeastar system
These two come up against each other constantly, and the honest difference is smaller than either side would like.
| 3CX | Yeastar | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | 3CXSoftware you run somewhere | YeastarUsually an appliance, and also available hosted |
| Suits | 3CXBusinesses that want to choose where it lives | YeastarBusinesses that want it to work without deciding that |
| Handsets | 3CXNot tied to one brand, but check the model | YeastarNot tied to one brand, but check the model |
| Setup | 3CXMore decisions to make, more flexibility | YeastarFewer decisions to make |
| If nobody is technical | 3CXSomebody has to own it, in house or a supplier | YeastarLess to own |
Both do the things a business actually asks about: menus, queues, voicemail to email, call recording, apps on mobiles, time based rules. There is more on the Yeastar range on our Yeastar PBX page.
The licensing question, and what we will not pretend to know
How 3CX is licensed has changed more than once, and what is included at each level changes with it.
So do not buy on the strength of a feature list you read somewhere, including this page. Ask what edition you are being quoted, what it includes, what it costs to renew, and what happens if you outgrow it. Then get that in writing.
We will check the current terms for your situation rather than guess at them, and we will tell you if the edition you are being sold is larger than the one you need.
What we do, and what we are not
We install 3CX systems, move numbers onto them, build the call routing, and support them afterwards for Australian businesses.
We are not 3CX. We are not one of their partners, resellers or authorised agents. VoIP System is an independent Australian phone systems company, and we work on these systems regularly.
That independence is the reason the section above exists. A supplier whose income depends on selling you one product does not write a list of the situations where it is the wrong one.
Already running 3CX and something is wrong?
This page is about choosing. If yours is in front of you now and an extension will not register, or calls are going to the wrong place, the troubleshooting is on our 3CX support page. It is free to read and there is nothing to fill in first.
Talk to us about 3CX
Tell us how many people need a phone, whether you have anybody technical who wants to own the system, and what you are running now. That is enough for us to say whether 3CX is the right shape for you or whether something simpler is.
Call 1300 865 879, or send us the details and we will come back to you.
Common questions
- Is VoIP System a 3CX partner?
- No. 3CX makes the software. VoIP System is an independent Australian company that installs, hosts and supports it. We are not a 3CX partner, reseller or authorised agent, and we would rather say so than let you assume otherwise.
- Do we need our own server to run 3CX?
- No. It can run on hardware in your building, on a machine rented in a data centre, or on a system somebody else hosts for you. Which of those suits depends mostly on whether you want to own it and whether anybody there wants that job.
- Can we use our existing handsets with 3CX?
- Often yes. It works with standard VoIP handsets from a range of manufacturers, though what is fully supported is decided by model and firmware rather than by brand. Tell us exactly what is on the desks and we will confirm it before you buy anything.
- Is 3CX better than the alternatives?
- Not on its own terms, no. It suits businesses that want control over where the system runs and have somebody willing to own it. If you would rather one supplier handled everything, or you are very small, something simpler is usually the better answer.
- What does a 3CX licence include?
- That depends on the edition and it has changed more than once, so we will check the current terms for your situation rather than quote from memory. Ask any supplier what edition you are being quoted, what it includes, and what renewal costs, and get the answer in writing.