3CX Reviews

Pros

3CX is a solid voip solution that offers all the features and functionality an ordinary team or company needs. Installation and maintenance is simple. The webclient is getting better and better with every version. Speaking quality is great if you use the right codecs or hard phones.
We love 3CX and use this pbx since many years.

Cons

There is no documented API. Either something is supported or not. There is no possibility to get individual implementations.

Pros

full featured phone system with no extra costs. possibility to have cloud deployed, private cloud or even on-premise!

Cons

some features are still in beta but they are already active and communication when issues rice is closely followed by support to have them asap out of beta.

Alternatives Considered

RingCentral MVP and Zoom Meetings

Reasons for Choosing 3CX

to many bugs and price

Switched From

Skype

Reasons for Switching to 3CX

for calling 3cx and in full lockdown and performance issues with 3cx we went for zoom for the online meetings

Pros

Recording feature, easily copy-paste phone number or directly call them when phone number is marked.

Cons

Sound quality of the calls is horrible, lots of restarts needed to keep functionility up, calls are randomly abandoned/cut off, sometimes it does not let you pick the phone or transfer calls and a restart is needed (currently multiple times a day). Part of the problems could be related to our network, but surely not all. Also the fact is does not change status when you log out from windows or start up like in MS Teams is a missed opportunity. Also it does not detect of one is busy with an MS Teams or Zoom call, so regularly you can get double calls if you forget to adjust your status (also accounts they other way I have to admit).

Pros

Working from anywhere or from any device, seamlessly integrated with our Microsoft 365 system.

Cons

Occasional issue after upgrade (missed note under release for some feature change).

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft Teams

Pros

• It is free.
• Assists in the company's internal communication.
• It is always updated with improvements.
• Ease of receiving and transferring calls.
• Ease of configuration and installation by the end user.

Cons

• We used the trial version quietly for 1 year, but due to technical problems due to a codec, it caused a major internal problem where we stayed 3 days without a phone. For this reason the support of the company that provides the service asked us to change the application.

Pros

3CX has made it easier to maintain our calling network and allows us to bring its features outside of the office which aids in our day to day. The phone dial pad it self is very user friendly and the software it self has a very ease of use feel to it.

As a manager it is nice to view, listen and transfer my teams calls on the fly - the logging system also allows me to keep track of activity within my teams.

Cons

Not a ton of cons to be honest, there are some issues of delays from when you ask for a function (click delay) like looking up a contact from the address book and clicking to call the contact, sometimes there is a bit of a delay.
The product could use a bit of a refresh look, but overall the ease of use and user friendly Softphone does hit it's marks.

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Jabber

Reasons for Switching to 3CX

As I understand it, it was about the features available and overall value of the product we were getting - the user interface were also big reasons.

Pros

With 3CX you'll have a very functional IPPBX at a very reasonable price.
The admin panel is very easy to use and very powerfull.
The call Queues, the ring groups, the digital recepcionist are functionalities very well implemented.

Cons

The softphone is not at the same quality level as the switchboard, they must improve it if they want to keep their current clients.
The users must do some micro configuration level to improve the sound.

Pros

The price is relatively inexpensive above a certain number of licenses. As we use it to replace the mobile lines and to be able to call customers, we considered making the change.

Cons

Technical support is quite bad and is necessary to deploy updates. It is necessary to configure a VPN with a very complicated configuration in order to have access to the management server.

Pros

The software is easily maneuvered, the calls are made once dialled out and the software gets updated frequently. The calls are recorded and recording produce in approximately and hour after completed. You can easily tap in and monitor a call that an agent is on as well as it provides a chat feature.

Cons

What i liked least about this feature is that there was an issue when you log break there is no way of monitoring how long you were logged for. Unless it's done by the master controller 3cx.

Pros

I really like their phone console. It allows everyone to easily manage and monitor their calls throughout the busy work day. That is the best part of their tool.

Cons

The way that phones interface with the management software can sometimes be flaky. Especially when it comes to the timecode functions.

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Unified Communications Manager

Reasons for Switching to 3CX

3CX came in at a better price point than the current Cisco solutions.

Pros

Scalability and flexibility: 3CX is designed to scale alongside businesses as they grow. It supports a wide range of hardware and software endpoints, allowing organizations to choose the devices and platforms that best suit their needs. Additionally, 3CX can accommodate remote workers and distributed teams, enabling seamless communication regardless of location.

Cons

Support limitations: While 3CX offers customer support options, some users have reported challenges with response times or difficulty in reaching the appropriate support channels. The quality and availability of support may vary depending on the specific support plan or subscription level chosen.

Pros

I'm new to the world of telecommunication, UM, PBX's, networking, etc., yet with this product I have been able to figure out how to setup/configure the 3CX PBX. They have put a lot of thought into the functionality and features which means we can now manage the PBX and any changes needed as to having to call the support vendor so they can remote in and do the changes. I also like how they have a lot of online training videos and documentation to help lay the foundation regarding what it will take to setup and install a 3CX PBX. 3CX also includes a lot "stuff" for free that many other vendors charge for, for example our past vendor changed for IP licenses, and softphone licenses, and port licenses... nickel and dimed until broke. Yet 3CX doesn't do this, product includes web phone manager interface if you wish to use it, includes a softphone, includes faxing, includes webconferencing, includes voicemail which used to require a totally separate server from your PBX because the big name vendors want you to spend more.

Cons

So far not too many cons, still new to it and doing testing so there could be some limitations that are discovered later on. I'm guessing one limitation might be interfacing w/an existing call-routing tool we have at one of our building locations. A really small con, some of the free training videos could be improved, audio quality, but otherwise nothing currently stands out.

Pros

For years I have had a flexible schedule which meant I was not always physically in the office. My concern was always that I was missing calls at my desk, or that the front desk personnel would have to forward the call to my cell phone. The 3CX software seamlessly patches my calls through AND shows the extension name and number the call is coming from.

Cons

When I downloaded the software onto my iPhone, it also downloaded all of my personal contacts, which makes it harder to search easily for my colleagues and increases the likelihood of mis-calling the wrong person. I use 3CX only for work, so I do not like having my personal contacts mixed in.

Pros

I like that you can set your status , and that it shows if you are on the phone, if you have a voicemail, etc.

Cons

I will say this system was a lot harder for the older generation employees to train on. For other people it was intuitive.

Pros

Easy of use.
Easy to administer.
Easy to setup.
Great documantation.
Phenomenal integration with the client both on CTI and softphone modes.
Out of the box adequate integrations with popoular3rd party software.

Cons

Lack of features.
A lot of unnesesary changes from version to version.
License model is unstable changes almost every other month.
Tool for creating complex senarios apart that it doesnt follow the PBX updates is a joke.
Lack of outbound fax solution

Pros

The quality of the recorded calls is amazing and it makes them very useful for training purposes . 3CX gives you a lot of freedom to organize the call list in a way that works for you . The admin panel is centralized ,which makes it easy for managers to properly oversee everything.

Cons

Configuring it when you are starting out takes a lot of time . Status changes ( from online to away and vice versa ) take a while to sync up and this could lead to missed call .

Pros

Feature/Functionality matches up to any competitive solution.The fact that you have "Standard" or "Professional" as your purchasing options makes the decision simple. And, when you choose one or the other, there are no other "Ala Carte" options. You get what you get. No "extras" that end up being tacked on at the end of the sales cycle. The 3CX Phone System system simply works. The "hybrid" capabilities between Analog, SIP and PRI/MPLS are a great way to introduce either redundancy, least cost call routing and to provide for future changes/expansion/growth.

Buy what you need for the next few years. You do not want to limit yourself to what you need today, then need to upgrade the license count within a year or two. The upgrade path would suggest purchasing the upgrade up front will cost much less. For example, a 16SC License can be purchased today, and to upgrade later to a 32SC License will cost the initial purchase of the 16SC License, AND 80% of the 32SC License.

Cons

Would be great to see the ability to break office hours down beyond single days. For example, we have clients that have standing meetings on Monday from 11:00a to 12:00p.

Pros

3CX gives you a robust platform for phone service for a fraction of other traditional PBX systems. They also give you options for hosting, or to host your own instance of the software. The feature set for 3CX is the same if not better than you will find with other PBX systems. They are always updating their feature set, and have an active community of users who offer suggestions for features that they make happen.

Cons

The licensing model has changed recently and can be tricky to figure out, but once you do it's easy to know what to do.

Pros

With the ability to add the app to my cell phone, the program running on my computer and having a desk phone linked, it is super easy to receive and make phone calls.

Cons

I wish that the software had a texting feature. There is a messenger feature that can be used between users, but text messages can't be sent which would be a huge plus for users that don't have company provided cell phones and don't want to give out their personal phone numbers.

Pros

Ease of implementation, feature set, platform support and reasonable cost. You can use this phone system for almost any situation, whether on-premise with local dial tone, a private co-location datacenter or most major cloud providers. 3CX works aggressively to keep the software up to date and continually rolls out new features, such as their Web Client. Yes - you can even use your Chromebook as your telephone.

Cons

Occasional changes to the FREE version - but hey, it's free.

Pros

Its communication medium (the internet) makes it easy for people to communicate despite geographical obstacles and the best thing is it doesn't charge for call roaming costs all you need is access to the internet and the software.
The features such as conferencing, webinars, call centers , chat and voice mail allows for individuals or companies to operate seamlessly despite different geographical locations.
Support from the manufacturer is simply outstanding as there knowledge base and support team go the extra mile to help you.

Cons

To get the licensed vendor partnership take a while but its worth it in the end.
The limitations to making multiple outbound calls through one gateway makes becomes frustrating when 2 or more people try it at the same time.

Pros

Depending on the options available and including engineer costs we found 3CX to be 60-70% cheaper than the likes of Mitel, Avaya, Alcatel and the like.

It does everything that they can do and has open connectivity with open\transparent licensing , so the more you use or the larger your business the more you will save.

Cons

3CX can be installed by anyone and some seem to think it is as easy as click, click click, the only bad thing is that you need to ensure that your partner is experienced and has completed large 3CX projects successfully.

Pros

It has a Fantastic reporting tool and It was very easy to setup the soft phone for my office. It is very user friendly and easy to use. The layout and functions of the soft phone is comfortably laid out on the screen. You could even get a trail to use.

Cons

Even though it is not entirely the software’s fault, When we have throttled Connectivity, the call just goes silent, This means I have no idea if the customer disappeared or just holding and even if I went through on the call.

Pros

I like that we could schedule meetings or have them at a moments notice. Throughout the pandemic this kept us in contact with our whole team, and allowed us to give our new team members the same training that they would have had before the pandemic. So much so that we kept several of our video meetings even after travel started back up.

Cons

It was hard for some people to learn how to create a meeting, and how to share their screen. For us it did take up a lot of our band width and that would slow down you computer if you were working on something else at the same time as a video call.

Pros

I liked the pricing the most compared to the market.

Cons

Confusion with about 6 different keys & passwords then IP blocked.
Difficulty navigating the setup and if I need to integrate an alternate softphone or if 3cx has one in-built.
Errors trying to open the platform even though firewall off.
Not sure the difference between the "management interface" and the "webclient".