Short answer: 3CX is a commercial PBX licensed per system by simultaneous calls on an annual subscription, with a free tier for up to 10 users and features such as recording, queues, a built-in SBC and AI transcription tied to its editions. FreePBX is open source on Debian 12 and Asterisk 22: no licence fee, full access to the underlying configuration, and optional paid Sangoma modules. Pick 3CX if you want a packaged product with vendor-defined features; pick FreePBX if you want control, no recurring licence and the ability to customise at the Asterisk level.
Vendor facts checked on 3cx.com and Sangoma’s documentation (linked below) on 6 October 2026; FreePBX details also confirmed on our lab server (Debian 12, FreePBX 17.0.33, Asterisk 22.11). We do not take payment from either vendor. Prices and editions change often; recheck before you buy.
Table of Contents
At a glance
| 3CX (V20) | FreePBX 17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence model | Commercial; annual price per system, sized by simultaneous calls (SC); “no per-user fees” | Open source (GPL/AGPL modules); optional commercial modules from Sangoma |
| Free option | Free tier for up to 10 users (named “StartUP” on the pricing page and “SMB Free” in the FAQ on the day we checked) | Whole system free to use; open-source-only install available |
| Paid editions (Oct 2026) | BASIC, PRO and AI (pricing page) | Per-module purchases (for example System Admin Pro, EndPoint Manager) |
| Engine | Proprietary | Asterisk 22 LTS |
| OS / hosting | Debian 12 (3CX ISO), Windows 10/11 and Server 2016-2025, or 3CX-hosted | Debian 12 (Sangoma install script); self-hosted or any VPS |
| Minimum spec stated | Linux: 1 dedicated CPU or 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM; Windows: 2 cores, 4 GB | Sizing up to you; small systems run on modest VPS plans |
| Customisation | Within the product’s options and its APIs | Full: custom dialplan, AGI, AMI/ARI, any Asterisk module |
Licensing and cost
3CX prices “per system, not per seat”. The size of the licence is the number of simultaneous calls (SC) the system can carry, internal and external together, and the subscription is yearly. The public price list is in euros and shows BASIC, PRO and AI editions plus a “Hosted by 3CX” column. 3CX announced pricing changes from the end of January 2026: modest increases for smaller licences and hosting, and reductions for larger PRO and AI licences, with further refinements targeted for 1 April 2026. We could not capture the price table itself (it is rendered by the page’s calculator), so check the current price list for your SC size.
FreePBX itself costs nothing. Real costs are the server, your time, SIP trunks and any commercial modules or paid support you choose. On FreePBX 17, note that the GUI Firewall module depends on the commercial System Admin module: the official install script’s --opensourceonly option removes both. On our open-source-only lab, there was no Firewall menu, so we manage the firewall and fail2ban ourselves.
For a fair comparison, cost both over three years: licence or modules, hosting, and the admin hours each needs. A 3CX licence buys features and updates you would otherwise build or buy as modules; FreePBX trades licence cost for admin effort.
Channel count drives the 3CX price and trunk sizing for both. Our Erlang calculator estimates how many simultaneous calls you really need.
Hosting and operations
- 3CX on Linux runs on Debian 12; 3CX asks you to dedicate the Debian instance to 3CX and not install other packages or change system configuration. Supported hypervisors listed in the install guide: VMware ESXi 6.5u1+, Hyper-V Server 6.2+, KVM 2.8+ and Citrix XenServer 7.0+.
- 3CX on Windows is supported on Windows 10 and 11 (Pro, Enterprise) and Windows Server 2016 to 2025.
- 3CX Hosted means 3CX runs the instance for you.
- FreePBX 17 installs on Debian 12 with Sangoma’s script. You own the OS: updates, backups, firewall and monitoring are your job. See our draft Install FreePBX 17 on Debian 12 guide.
Upgrades differ too. 3CX moves you between versions through its own tooling and licence. FreePBX major upgrades can be migrations: FreePBX 16 to 17 is a backup and restore onto a new Debian server (our upgrade guide).
Features that commonly decide it
| Feature | 3CX (per the 3CX feature list, Aug 2026) | FreePBX 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Call recording | PRO and AI editions | Included (Call Recording module, MixMonitor) |
| Call queues | PRO and AI editions | Included (Queues module) |
| AI transcription, call summary, sentiment | AI edition only (Google, OpenAI or onboard options) | Not built in; add your own (for example Whisper on recordings or an AudioSocket bot) |
| Session border controller for remote phones | Built-in SBC in PRO and AI | Not built in; use VPN, TLS, or an external SBC |
| Microsoft 365 integration | Full in PRO and AI; user sync only or none in other editions | Not part of the open-source modules; custom or third-party integration |
| Custom call logic | Within product features and APIs | Unlimited: custom dialplan, AGI, ARI |
For AI features on Asterisk, our AudioSocket guide shows how calls can be streamed to your own speech services; for recording, see MixMonitor call recording.
Lock-in and portability
- 3CX: proprietary software and data formats, and an annual subscription for paid editions. Leaving means rebuilding the configuration on the new platform. Phone numbers stay with your SIP provider, not 3CX, so they move with you.
- FreePBX: open source, configuration stored in MariaDB and Asterisk config files you can read. You can leave Sangoma’s commercial modules or move to plain Asterisk or another Asterisk-based PBX, but a GUI-to-GUI move is still a rebuild.
- Both: keep trunks, DIDs and phones vendor-neutral (standard SIP phones, your own SIP provider) to keep switching costs low. Our PBX migration plan covers the steps.
Which one should you pick?
Choose 3CX if: you want a packaged commercial product; your needs fit one of its editions; you prefer a predictable annual licence to admin time; you would rather not maintain the operating system and telephony engine in detail.
Choose FreePBX if: you want no licence fees; you need custom call flows or integrations at the Asterisk level; you are comfortable running Debian and Asterisk (or have someone who is); you want to avoid a single vendor deciding your feature set.
Either way, the hard parts are the same: NAT, SIP trunk setup, security and call quality. Our PJSIP NAT guide, toll-fraud checklist and MOS calculator apply to FreePBX directly and to most of the network side of 3CX.
Official documentation: 3CX pricing · 3CX features by edition · 3CX: installing on Debian · Sangoma: Upgrading to FreePBX 17
Related: Migrate PBX to Cloud: 8-Step Plan From 3CX or Asterisk · Erlang Calculator: How Many SIP Channels (Erlang B) or Call Centre Agents (Erlang C) · Install Issabel 5 on Rocky Linux 8: Simple Step-by-Step PBX Setup · JustCall vs CloudTalk: Best Cloud Phone System in 2026 Compared · VoIP MOS Calculator: Call Quality (R-Factor) from Latency, Jitter and Packet Loss
See also: Upgrade FreePBX 16 to 17: Backup, Restore and Migration Checklist · Install FreePBX 17 on Debian 12 (Open-Source Only, Tested) · FreePBX Responsive Firewall vs Intrusion Detection (FreePBX 17) · Asterisk and FreePBX Toll Fraud Prevention: 10-Point Checklist · Install FusionPBX on Debian 12 with the Official Installer
Frequently asked questions
Is 3CX free?
There is a free tier for up to 10 users. Paid editions (BASIC, PRO and AI in October 2026) are annual subscriptions priced per system by simultaneous calls.
Is FreePBX really free?
Yes, the core system and open-source modules are free. Some modules, such as System Admin and modules that depend on it, are commercial.
Can 3CX run on Linux?
Yes. 3CX V20 installs on Debian 12 from its own ISO and asks for a dedicated Debian instance. Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2016-2025 are also supported.
Which has call recording included?
FreePBX includes call recording in its open-source modules. 3CX lists call recording in its PRO and AI editions.
Can I migrate from 3CX to FreePBX?
Yes, but plan it as a rebuild: extensions, routes, IVRs and queues are recreated. Numbers stay with your SIP provider, so they move with you.