3CX Review

Pros

• Affordable
• Supports multiple users at no extra cost
• On-premise & hosted options
• Easy to install & use
• User-friendly interface

Cons

• Mobile apps could use some work
• Not an all-in-one solution
• Security concerns

What Is 3CX?

3CX is a private branch exchange (PBX) business phone system that allows users to communicate through phone, chat, and video using VoIP technology. VoIP has affordable pricing plans, including a free plan that supports up to 10 users.

Seem too good to be true? Well, there is a catch. These fees are for the phone system only and require a Session Internet Protocol (SIP) trunk to enable incoming and outgoing calls. A SIP trunk can be obtained from a SIP provider, and pricing varies. With 3CX, you can use your choice of SIP trunk and instructions are provided for getting set up.

In other words, if you’re looking for a plug-and-play solution, you won’t find it here.

What you will find is affordable phone system software that can be used with your choice of devices. Plans are purchased through local partners, not directly through 3CX. This means that you’ll sign up, make your payments, and get support (if available) through this partner and not 3CX.

This model is a bit different from the other phone systems we’ve reviewed. It won’t work for everyone, but some businesses (particularly larger businesses with IT teams and lots of users) may benefit from what 3CX has to offer.

3CX Pricing

3CX has four available pricing plans, including a forever free option.

3CX SMB Free

The SMB Free plan is (you guessed it!) $0/month. This forever-free plan includes:

• Free phone plan for up to 10 users
• Remote enable teams
• Live chat
• Team messaging
• Bring your own SIP trunk
• WhatsApp
• Holiday & business hour routing
• Video conferencing
• Apps
• Ring group
• Welcome message
• Talk Links
• Support for up to three desk phones

3CX SMB

3CX SMB is priced at $195/year. This plan includes everything from the Free plan, plus:

• Supports up to 20 users
• Call queues
• Interactive voice response (IVR)
• Reporting
• Call listening
• Call whispering
• Call barging
• SMS & MMS support
• Supports unlimited desk phones

3CX Pro

Pricing for 3CX Pro starts at $195/year. To score the lowest price, you must self-host and only have 10 users. If you need service installed on premise or have additional users, your annual pricing will increase.

This plan includes everything from 3CX SMB, plus:

• Self-host or install on-premise
• Dedicated installation
• Call recording
• Integrations with CRM & Microsoft 365
• Hot desking
• SMS & MMS messaging

3CX ENT

The ENT plan has a similar pricing structure as the Pro plan, with prices starting at $245/year for a self-hosted system for up to 10 users.

Everything from Pro is included, plus:

• Custom IP phone logo
• Microsoft Teams
• Call recording
• Skill-based routing

3CX Extra Costs & Fees

There are a few additional costs or fees outside of taxes and VAT. However, if you subscribe to the Pro or ENT plan, pricing is based on whether you self-host, the number of users, and the number of simultaneous calls.

While we won’t go into the specific details for every pricing level, here’s a general idea of what to expect:

• Simultaneous Calls: 4 to 1,024
• 3CX Pro Annual Pricing: $195 to $34,995
• 3CX ENT Annual Pricing: $245 to $43,745
• Hosting: $250 to $1,995

Still unsure of what you’ll be paying? Fortunately, 3CX offers a well-organized pricing chart so you know what to expect based on your business’s needs. You can also reach out to a local partner for more information.

Aside from on-premise hosting, the only additional charge is $75 for support tickets.

The lack of add-ons and the cost of support tickets did lower our score for pricing to 4/5.

3CX Equipment

If you were hoping to get your hardware and phone system features all in one place, unfortunately, you won’t find that at 3CX. The company does not sell hardware, so you will have to purchase your own (or use your existing phones if they’re supported) if you want to have desk phones as part of your system.

3CX does have a very organized list of supported hardware, which includes desk phones, door phones, PA systems, headsets, ATA, gateways, and more. Supported brands include Cisco, Yealink, and Fanvil.

If you don’t want to use equipment, you can download 3CX iOS, Android, and web apps for use with your smartphone, desktop, or laptop.

Because 3CX is strictly BYOD, our rating is 2.9/5 for equipment.

3CX Features

3CX has a good number of features, although it’s certainly not the most we’ve seen. However, most of the bases are covered, although you will have to upgrade to a more expensive plan to access more than just basic features.

Overall, 3CX has a decent number of features, leading to our score of 4.4/5.

3CX Security

3CX has a number of security features in place to ensure data is protected. This includes TLS and SRTP for encryption, automatic blacklisting, and fail2ban to thwart hackers and built-in firewalls.

3CX also has a number of security features you can use to keep your system protected, such as multi-factor authentication and security logs for monitoring system activity.

One thing worth mentioning is that 3CX was attacked, and a vulnerability was exploited in April of 2023. The company was proactive in providing users with updates and publishing a 7-step security plan following the attack.

Taking all of this into consideration, we gave 3CX a score of 3.4/5 for its security.

3CX Customer Service

3CX is different in that its products are sold through partners. 3CX states on its website, “We do not offer technical support as a free service. “To get support, you will need to contact your partner or work with your own IT team.

3CX User Reviews

3CX gets mostly favorable reviews, although there are several complaints across various review sites. The company earned a score of 4.4/5 (based on 460+ reviews) on G2, 4.4/5 (based on 210+ reviews) on Software Advice and 8.5/10 (based on 125+ reviews) on TrustRadius.

We considered overall ratings and the quality of the reviews when giving our score of 4.2/5.

Negative Reviews & Complaints

Most reviewers seem to like 3CX, although there are a few complaints. Common issues include:

• SMS only has basic capabilities
• Needs improved security
• Bugs & glitches in mobile apps
• Calls dropped on smartphones

Positive Reviews & Testimonials

Many past and current customers of 3CX give glowing praise to the company for:

• Good call quality
• Affordable pricing
• Fast & easy setup
• System that is easy to learn & use
• Plug-ins & SDKs

Final Verdict: Is 3CX Worth It?

If you’re looking for an all-in-one communications solution, 3CX may not be the best choice (instead, consider checking out some of the best business phone systems). With 3CX, you’ll have to source your own equipment (or use one of its apps for softphone options), find a SIP provider, and get your system set up and configured.

However, for some businesses, this model may work. The pricing model makes this particularly attractive to businesses with many users. Since plans are sold through partners and only paid support options are available through 3CX, businesses with an IT team in place that can set up the system and troubleshoot issues may also benefit.

While the plans offer decent features at a low price and support multiple users, there are a few concerns aside from what we’ve already mentioned — specifically, a security incident in 2023. Although the company has taken steps to rectify this issue, it still is a concern worth keeping in mind before committing to a yearly plan.

Overall, we rate 3CX a 3.6/5. While it won’t be a match for everyone — especially those that want everything bundled together in one neat little package — it may be a cost-efficient phone system for others.

Fortunately, 3CX does offer 60-day free trials, so we invite you to take advantage of that to get a feel for the system before making a decision.

Our Rating Methodology

We spend hours researching and evaluating each VoIP business phone provider that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing emphasis on key characteristics to generate our product ratings.

When rating VoIP phone systems and providers, we use a 25-point rubric that looks at pricing, features, equipment, security, customer service, and user reviews. We weigh each section differently to calculate the total star rating.

• Pricing: 25% of the total star rating
• Features: 25% of the total star rating
• Equipment: 20% of the total star rating
• Security: 15% of the total star rating
• Customer Service: 10% of the total star rating
• User Reviews: 5% of the total star rating

Each section is further broken down into granular, weighted subsections, in which we look at specific attributes, such as plan availability, discounts for new customers, discounts for multiple users, the availability of advanced and basic features, security and compliance, and third-party integrations. Learn more about how we rate VoIP phone systems.