3CX Review: I Tested It and Here’s the Truth Nobody Tells You

3CX Review: I Tested It and Here’s the Truth Nobody Tells You

A few months ago I needed a reliable phone system for a small remote team: good voice quality, flexible hosting, conferencing that “just works,” and a cost model that didn’t punish us per user. I’d heard about 3CX before (the company’s been around a while), but seeing it in action changed my view.

What started as a quick spike-test turned into several days of tinkering — installing the client, routing SIP trunks, stress-testing concurrent calls, and sitting in demos as both caller and call center agent.

If you’ve been shopping for a VoIP PBX or thinking about moving away from legacy phone hardware, this hands-on walkthrough will save you time. I’ll explain what 3CX is, who it’s for, how it works in practice, the good and the awkward, plus the security history you must know. I’ll also link to some helpful companion guides and tools as you evaluate options.

What is 3CX?

3CX Review: I Tested It and Here’s the Truth Nobody Tells You

3CX is a software-based business phone system (a PBX) that runs on standard servers or as a hosted service. It was founded in 2005 by Nick Galea and grew into a global vendor of VoIP phone systems that mix telephony, web conferencing, chat, and contact center features into a single platform.

3CX supports self-hosting (on-premise or private cloud) or 3CX’s hosted offerings and uses SIP for trunking and endpoints.

The company positions itself as a cost-saving alternative to traditional PBX systems by charging per-system (concurrent calls) rather than per-seat, which can be attractive for some teams. Wikipedia

Who is 3CX for?

3CX targets small and medium businesses, IT resellers, and contact centers that want flexibility in deployment. If you’re a small firm that needs a professional phone presence without per-user recurring fees, 3CX could fit.

IT teams who want full control (owning trunks, numbers, and call flow) will appreciate being able to self-host or run in a private cloud. For customer support teams, 3CX’s call queues, skill-based routing and basic contact center features make it viable for SMB contact centers.

For freelancers or single users, the platform may be overkill unless you specifically need advanced PBX features or integration with existing telephony infrastructure. The product caters to both people who like clicking through a web console and those who want to script things via APIs.

Key features — what you actually get and how it works

Signing up and initial flow

The typical workflow I used looked like this: register for a trial or download the free edition, pick a hosting option (self-host on Windows/Linux, use a VPS, or choose 3CX hosted), set up domain and firewall/NAT rules if self-hosting, then add SIP trunks and extensions.

The web management console walks you through extension creation, trunk setup, and basic call routing. For trial users, 3CX provides a trial license that unlocks advanced features so you can stress-test the system.

Core capabilities

3CX bundles a long feature list: voice calling, concurrent-call licensing, call queues and skill-based routing, built-in web conferencing, chat, screen sharing, call recording controls, web client and mobile apps (iOS/Android), CRM integrations, and reporting dashboards.

There’s also a contact center feature set for call distribution and monitoring. The product’s documentation and feature catalog are extensive and kept on 3CX’s site.

Unique or standout items

A few things stood out while testing. First, the concurrent-call licensing (you pay per number of simultaneous calls, not per user) changes the cost calculus for teams with many dormant users.

Second, the web conferencing and browser-based softphone make remote collaboration simple without extra apps.

Third, the admin console exposes a lot of low-level telephony options, which is great if you want granular control but can be overwhelming if you want a completely hands-off experience.

My hands-on experience: the good, the awkward, and the surprising

Installation and setup

Installing the server (I tested both Windows and a small Ubuntu VM) was straightforward. The installer creates the database and launches the management console, and the first-time wizard walks you through the essentials.

Adding a SIP trunk took only a few minutes with the provider’s credentials. The web client is responsive and the mobile app connected quickly once the extension was provisioned. For a non-expert, the process is approachable; for production, you’ll still want someone familiar with firewalls and NAT traversal.

Day-to-day use and UI

Using 3CX day-to-day felt pragmatic. Call transfers, park/retrieve, and internal messaging were smooth. The web client blends softphone, chat, and meeting controls into a single tab — convenient when you’re switching between calls and screen shares.

The admin UI packs many advanced features, which is powerful but also means a bit of a learning curve. I appreciated the verbosity of logs and call reports when troubleshooting call quality issues.

Performance and call quality

In my tests with multiple concurrent calls (voice and a few video conferences), audio was clear and stable when bandwidth was sufficient. Video conferences worked well for typical team meetings, although large webinars might need a dedicated conferencing solution.

If your upload speed is limited, expect some variability during screen-share sessions — that’s not unique to 3CX, but worth testing in your environment.

What surprised me

I liked how simple it was to hand a non-technical teammate a web link and have them join a meeting or use the softphone. On the other hand, some advanced PBX features (complex call flows and conditional greeting logic) were less intuitive and required reading docs or watching tutorials.

AI capabilities and automation

3CX has extended the platform with some AI-enhanced capabilities in recent product versions (such as AI-assisted call handling and transcription in higher-tier offerings).

The degree of AI integration depends on the edition (standard vs. ent/AI tiers) and your hosting choice — some AI features tie into cloud services.

When I tested automated transcriptions and post-call summaries, basic accuracy was fine for getting the gist of calls, but punctuation and speaker-attribution can still be noisy; don’t rely on automatic transcripts for legal records without verifying. For heavy contact-center automation, you’ll likely pair 3CX with dedicated AI contact center tools.

Pricing and plans — how much will it cost?

3CX Review: I Tested It and Here’s the Truth Nobody Tells You

3CX’s pricing is not per-user. Instead, it’s typically structured around the number of simultaneous calls (concurrent calls) your system must support and the edition (Standard, Pro, Ent/AI). That means a company with many extensions but few concurrent callers can often save money compared to per-seat models.

They publish an annual pricing table and provide instant quotes on their site; you should estimate your peak simultaneous calls before choosing a plan.

Also note that paid support options or support tickets can be charged separately in some cases, and third-party hosting costs (if you host on a VPS) are extra. Always double-check the current pricing on 3CX’s pricing page or with a reseller for the most accurate quote.

Pros and cons — a balanced view

What I liked

  • The concurrent-call pricing model can be cost-effective for many SMBs.
  • Rich feature set in one product (telephony + web meetings + chat).
  • Flexible hosting: self-host, private cloud, or 3CX-hosted.
  • Detailed admin tools and good logs for troubleshooting.

What I didn’t like

  • The admin UI can feel dense and overwhelming for beginners.
  • Some premium features lock behind higher tiers. 3CX
  • The product’s history includes a significant supply-chain security incident in 2023 that companies should be aware of and understand mitigations for (see below).

Security: the 2023 incident and what it means today

This is important. In March–April 2023 3CX disclosed a security incident involving their desktop client (a supply-chain attack) and subsequently engaged external incident responders. Independent investigations revealed the attack was complex with elements traced to a state-linked actor and has been widely covered in cybersecurity reporting.

The incident showed how supply-chain compromises can propagate through trusted update channels. 3CX’s public updates and third-party writeups (including Mandiant analysis and mainstream reporting) are worth reading so you understand both the risk and the mitigations the company applied.

During any vendor evaluation, always check the vendor’s recent security advisories and ask about third-party audits and hardening steps for production deployments.

How 3CX compares to alternatives

3CX isn’t the only option. Compared to cloud-first per-user services, 3CX shines if you want to own your telephony stack or prefer concurrent-call pricing. Competitors such as cloud PBX providers often feature simpler admin experiences and fully-managed support, but they usually charge per-seat and can be costlier at scale.

If you need an ultra-simplified hosted phone with fewer configuration choices, a fully managed service might suit you better. For those who need advanced contact-center AI features out of the box, specialized contact center platforms may offer deeper analytics and omnichannel AI than base 3CX deployments.

Real-world use cases

For a small regional law firm with three full-time receptionists and several attorneys who are rarely on the phone simultaneously, 3CX’s concurrent-call model can reduce costs.

For a mid-sized remote support operation, the combination of SIP trunk control, call queues, reporting, and web meetings provides a unified platform — particularly if the team wants to self-host for compliance reasons. IT resellers can also white-label or manage 3CX instances for customers as a recurring service offering.

Community and user feedback

3CX Review: I Tested It and Here’s the Truth Nobody Tells You

Users report positive experiences with voice quality and the value proposition when concurrency is well-understood. On G2 and Trustpilot, many customers praise integrations and call features but others have raised support and billing frustrations — mixed reviews are common for any widely deployed platform.

After the 2023 security incident, community discussion focused on patching, the transparency of vendor communications and whether to disable certain desktop clients temporarily.

It’s smart to read recent community threads and current reviews (G2, Trustpilot, Reddit) to see how 3CX’s service and support are trending right now.

Verdict — is 3CX worth it?

3CX Review: I Tested It and Here’s the Truth Nobody Tells You

If you’re an SMB or reseller who wants control over telephony, values the concurrent-call model, and has (or can hire) the technical chops to manage hosting and security hardening, 3CX is a compelling and flexible choice. If you prefer a completely hands-off, per-user billed managed service with lighter configuration, a different cloud PBX may feel more comfortable.

For me, 3CX was a professional-grade system that rewards planning and basic telephony knowledge. After my hands-on testing, I’d recommend it to small-to-mid sized operations that want control and cost predictability — but emphasize testing backups, patching, and security controls before moving critical workloads to production.

Bonus tips, productivity hacks and alternatives

If you decide to test 3CX, follow these practical tips: run a staging instance before production, estimate your peak concurrent calls (not seats) for pricing, enforce strict update and code-signature checks on endpoint clients, and document your SIP trunk failover plan.

For extra help with remote access and troubleshooting I often keep remote desktop tools handy; for example, guides like this one helped me set up remote connections quickly.

If you’re researching related tools, you might find these reviews and resources helpful while you compare platforms (I’ve linked relevant guides and deep dives I used while testing):

(There are many more relevant tools and reviews at Websites2Know that can help you build the rest of your communications stack — I included a selection above so you can jump into tools that complemented my 3CX testing.)

Final thoughts

3CX is a mature, feature-rich PBX platform with a distinct pricing approach and deployment flexibility. It worked reliably in my tests and offered deep configuration options that I appreciated as an operator. The one caveat is the administrative learning curve and the 2023 supply-chain security episode — both manageable but important.

If you’re technically comfortable or have access to a systems administrator, 3CX gives you a strong platform with good cost control and comprehensive telephony features.

If you want, I can help you estimate the right concurrent-call tier for your team, suggest a simple trunk configuration, or draft a migration checklist from your current phone system to 3CX. Which would you like to tackle next?

Sources and further reading

3CX official site and product pages; 3CX company history; 3CX features & pricing pages; 3CX security incident updates; investigative reporting about the 2023 supply chain compromise (major security news outlets); user reviews on G2 and Trustpilot.