There are currently four 3CX license variants: 3CX FREE, 3CX SMB, 3CX PRO, and 3CX ENT. Here’s a quick guide to help IT staff and business owners decide which one is best for them.
Key Points to Understand
- Telco Connectivity: 3CX is a PBX (Private Branch Exchange) system. No matter which 3CX edition/license you choose, you always need a Telco connection (like a SIP trunk) to make and receive external calls to/from Australia’s public Telecom network. Your carrier will charge you monthly based on the number of lines/phone numbers you have and the volume of outgoing calls you have made, or 1300/1800 calls that you have received.
- Server Hosting: 3CX FREE and 3CX SMB are cloud-only versions hosted by 3CX (currently on Digital Ocean datacentres) at no extra cost. 3CX PRO and ENT can be hosted by 3CX for an additional cost, or you can self-host on-premise or on a cloud provider like Amazon, Google, or Azure. Hosting costs depend on the provider and server configuration, typically ranging from $19 to $29 AUD per month.
- 3CX Licensing – Number of Users vs Simultaneous Calls (SC): 3CX FREE supports up to 10 users with a maximum of 3 desk phones. The remaining users must use the mobile app or softphone while 3CX SMB supports up to 20 users with no desk phone limitations. As we mentioned earlier, both systems will be hosted by 3CX at no cost. 3CX PRO and ENT licensing model is different and is based on the number of simultaneous active calls (internal and external combined). For example, a 4SC PRO license allows for a maximum of 4 simultaneous calls at any given time. If you make/receive more simultaneous calls during peak times you may consider upgrading to 8SC then. There is no user/device limitations in these editions so you can have as many users or extensions as you need.
- Features: Here is a list of most important available or missing features in each edition. For a full list of available/missing features please click here.
3CX FREE includes:
– Remote and WFH capabilities
– Internal messaging and live chat
– Video conferencing
– Holiday and business hours routing
3CX FREE Missing Features:
– Only one ring group
– No call queues
– No IVR/Auto-Attendant
– No call reporting
3CX SMB includes:
Everything in 3CX FREE, plus
– Call queues
– Multi-level IVR/Auto-attendant
– Desk phone support for all users
– Call and chat reporting
– Listen in, whisper, barge in on calls
– SMS/MMS support
3CX SMB Missing Features:
– No call recording
– No CRM integration
– No hot desking
Update – October 2024
3CX SMB PRO (Up to 20 Users) is no longer available on 3CX website. Our Account Manager – Australasia – explained: ” … 3CX carefully considers its offerings before making changes, and the company has decided to discontinue sales of the SMB PRO (20-user) license. As a result, 3CX will no longer sell this deployment option, and current users will be unable to renew their existing SMB PRO licenses.”
3CX PRO (Professional) includes:
Everything in 3CX SMB, plus
– Call recording
– CRM integration
– Hot desking
– Microsoft 365 integration
– SMS/MMS
3CX ENT (Enterprise) includes:
Everything in 3CX PRO, plus
– Custom IP phone logo
– MS Teams integration
– Skill-based routing
– Start/stop call recording
3CX offers a 60-day free trial for all editions. 3CX hosting supports up to 256 simultaneous calls. To activate your FREE Trial license please click here.
