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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    3CX

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/ACyprus based company 3CX offers an IP PBX phone system.

    $1.08

    per user/per month

    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/ASkype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
    Pricing
    3CXSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    Pro
    $1.08
    per user/per month
    Enterprise
    $1.31
    per user/per month
    Standard
    Free
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    3CXSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPrice displayed is based on 25 users. 3CX pricing is based on the number of simultaneous calls your business requires or in other words, how many calls your system needs to support at once. Unlike other PBX vendors there is no per extension cost.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    3CXSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Considered Both Products
    3CX
    Chose 3CX
    These are not dedicated IP phone systems but they are the close I've used. Our old legacy phone system wasn't cutting it anymore. I would say our biggest hurdle for out-groups has been able to get the old legacy fax services working for 3CX and I'm not sure if it even does. …
    Incentivized
    Chose 3CX
    We didn't want Cisco Call Manager anymore. We used a very old version previously, but nonetheless it didn't have a very good name in the company. PureCloud was too call center focused so in the end, we like 3CX best. A small pilot was configured very fast, and after we went …
    Incentivized
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    90%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    80%
    Would buy again
    84 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    79 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    97 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    46 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    56 Answers
    Features
    3CXSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of 3CX and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    3CX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    8.0
    195 Ratings
    1% above category average
    High quality audio00 Ratings9.1191 Ratings
    High quality video00 Ratings9.0185 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings5.0181 Ratings
    Mobile support00 Ratings9.0146 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of 3CX and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    3CX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.0
    191 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Desktop sharing00 Ratings9.0191 Ratings
    Whiteboards00 Ratings5.0120 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of 3CX and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    3CX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    9.3
    188 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Calendar integration00 Ratings10.0174 Ratings
    Meeting initiation00 Ratings9.5182 Ratings
    Integrates with social media00 Ratings8.182 Ratings
    Record meetings / events00 Ratings9.0143 Ratings
    Slideshows00 Ratings10.0115 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of 3CX and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    3CX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.5
    173 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Live chat00 Ratings8.5171 Ratings
    Audience polling00 Ratings7.094 Ratings
    Q&A00 Ratings7.094 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of 3CX and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    3CX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    6.8
    156 Ratings
    18% below category average
    User authentication00 Ratings9.0142 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions00 Ratings8.5148 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list00 Ratings3.0109 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of 3CX and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    3CX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.8
    1 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Video conferencing00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Audio conferencing00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Video screen sharing00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Instant messaging00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    3CXSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    Sangoma Asterisk
    Score8 out of 10
    ClickMeeting
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Sangoma Asterisk
    Score8 out of 10
    JioMeet
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Sangoma Asterisk
    Score8 out of 10
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    3CXSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.4
    (14 ratings)
    8.4
    (198 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (14 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.4
    (2 ratings)
    8.5
    (40 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    3CXSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    3CX
    In many scenarios decision is driven by budget and compared to other solutions at the time of purchase [3CX] was simply the cheapest solution for what it has to offer. If you are looking for integrations, extensibility, and advanced functionalities, this might not be a solution for you. At the time of use (and this may have changed by now), there was a lack of APIs, CLI commands, and similar so nothing could be automated with the system. There are ways of importing data through CSV but automation would solve us so much time and support calls if we were able to connect with other systems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams is a remote/virtual team collaboration tool must have...especially if you already use Microsoft tools. Of course, since it now part of an MS 365 subscription, it really doesn't make sense to use anything else. It is easy to use and just works. I'm not sure how anyone who works with digital files/documents and needs to work with other people doing similar work can be effective without such a tool. Of course, there are a number of alternatives like Zoom or Webex, but why pay or use another separate tool if you don't need to. :-)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    3CX
    • Simplicity: Using a single 3CX interface we can manage every phone and extension used throughout our company.
    • Flexibility: There are a wide variety of options to configure each extension and phone. Changing anything after the hardware is deployed is very easy.
    • Portability: Phones with 3CX can be easily moved or repurposed within an office or at remote locations, including users' homes. The mobile app allows users to use their office extension anywhere without exposing their cell number.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Instant messaging to anyone who we know only by name/email. Even if they're offline, they get the message in missed convos and a notification automatically goes to them via Outlook mail. All conversations are saved and accessible via Outlook.
    • Video and voice calls are a norm in the WFH scenario, and an average employee has around 4-5 calls a day. Skype gives notifications for upcoming meetings, allows easy scheduling via outlook calendar, and its audio/video quality [is] reasonably good compared to the amount of data it consumes.
    • Status availabilities - in the WFH scenario, you could be off for lunch, out of office, busy, sharing screens - and might not want to be disturbed. Skype allows you to do that, and in case you're off, ensures that you know that you have missed messages.
    • Screen sharing - we have to share screens at least once or twice a day with a coworker when working on some issues/features, and Skype easily lets us do that. One of the best things about Skype is that the screen can be shared without being on a video/voice call - which is of immense advantage because oftentimes, you could prefer sharing the screen, while it [is] too noisy to talk.
    Read full review
    Cons
    3CX
    • I would like to be able to see direct-dial numbers on the handsets. Currently that is not possible but that would be a nice feature.
    • You need an SBC per location, which can be a point of failure.
    • You also need a server that might get disconnected, which is another point of failure.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Connection issues can be hard to diagnose when they come up(as some knowledge of server information may be needed to reestablish as the connection troubleshooting options on the sky are not as user-friendly as the rest of the platform.
    • Some issues setting up camera/sound could use more info on troubleshooting options with playback sound, video, etc.
    • Statuses sometimes are unreliable and do not display correctly .
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    3CX
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    The software is simple to install and configure. It is rather simple to explain for correct use. It is possible to profile users for the different functions offered. It is integrated quite completely with Outlook and with Active Directory security. It performs all communication functions well with one or more interlocutors and the possibility of granting control of your computer is convenient.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    3CX
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    Very easy to use. Even though Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and integrations, as a user I feel completely comfortable on finding what I need, getting information about the app extensions and using them. It's a very comprehensive tool, intuitive design and does not make me feel tired to be using it. I am glad with the current experience.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    3CX
    The 3CX Phone System is only a five because while they provide set-up/how-to/Q and A documents to help your district or company get started, they do not offer support for free. The documents provided, though, are good enough for you to get you up and running. We also found a good source of help through a sip trunk provider, which was a 3CX reseller provider.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    I have only had to reach out to the Support team at Skype for Business once with an issue, and I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the quickness and thoroughness of their response. The wait time was short and my question was dealt with politely and clearly, so I would say the support team has it together.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    3CX
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    Skpe for business is utilized company wide in regards to my company. Everyone not only uses it, but uses it often. It is an effective way of communicating. It also integrates very nicely with outlook and all conversation history is pushed to a folder within the outlook system. We also have it so that if someone misses a message, they are sent an email reminder saying that there is a message that went unread.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    3CX
    The main differences between 8x8, Inc. and 3CX is pricing and ease of use in my opinion. The 3CX system uses annual based pricing plans based on of simultaneous calls your company needs, not the number of extensions/users and offers a free plan. 8x8, Inc. charges per extension with different plans. We currently have 19 extensions so the 3CX system makes more sense for us, however, if your company only has a few extensions you may want to throughly consider both options. In my experience, it was difficult to add new extensions and phones with 8x8 because at least at that time we had 8x8 I could not add anything on the web admin. I had to call a sales rep which took a lot more time. Also, if you didn't purchase a phone and/or headset directly from 8x8 at a usually higher price than Amazon for example then you would have to spend anywhere from 30 minutes to hours on the phone with 8x8 tech support to program the phone to work with the 8x8 system so adding a new extension could turn into a long ordeal. I can easily add new extensions on 3CX directly in the web cpanel. Granted, if you are actually adding a new phone number you would need to purchase that number from a company like ATT first before adding it to 3CX. The difference between a phone number and an extension would be a phone number allows a customer to call in directly using that number. The extension would require the customer to call the main business number then be transferred to the extension. 3CX provides a list of supported phone models on their website
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    For the below reason I will always choose this app over its competitors: Better audio and video quality, Little to no disconnections or freezing when on a call/video conference Integrates well with mailbox/ calendar/ one drive, and SharePoint is easy to use
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    3CX
    • 3CX has a lot to offer for a very low cost as its business model is based on simultaneous calls and not per device. It's very cost effective and very affordable.
    • As the 3CX server does not require a high-performance server to run, with the Public Cloud option, it might allow even further savings.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Skype for Business has enabled a migration in part away from fixed line telephony and introduced the user to mobile working with a headset which cannot be overstated as being a game changer.
    • Being able to schedule Skype for Business meetings through Outlook has meant meetings with colleagues without a meeting room has been a great enabler.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    3CX Screenshots

    Screenshot of Video ConferencingScreenshot of Advanced Contact Center ReportingScreenshot of Management DashboardScreenshot of Live ChatScreenshot of 3CX AppScreenshot of See the Status of Your Colleagues