What is the best open source PBX software for a small business?

For most small businesses, **FreePBX** is usually the best open-source PBX choice.

It is built on **Asterisk**, has a web-based admin interface, supports SIP trunks and IP phones, and includes common business phone features like:

- Auto attendants / IVR
- Ring groups and queues
- Voicemail to email
- Call recording
- Extensions and softphones
- Call forwarding and time-based routing
- Reporting and basic call management

### Best overall: **FreePBX**
**Why:** It is easier to manage than raw Asterisk while still being powerful and widely supported.

### Best for technical users: **Asterisk**
If you want maximum flexibility and do not mind editing configuration files, **Asterisk** itself is excellent.

### Best for multi-tenant or hosted PBX setups: **FusionPBX**
FusionPBX, based on FreeSWITCH, is a good option if you need multiple businesses, locations, or tenants on one system.

### Recommendation
For a typical small business, choose **FreePBX** unless you have a specific reason to use something else. It offers the best balance of features, usability, community support, and flexibility.


Best open-source self-hosted phone system for a 50-person company

For a 50-person company, the best open-source self-hosted phone system is usually:

## Best choice: FreePBX with Asterisk

FreePBX is a web-based PBX platform built on Asterisk. It is widely used, mature, well-documented, and suitable for small to mid-sized businesses.

### Why FreePBX is a good fit

- Open-source core
- Good web admin interface
- Supports SIP trunks and VoIP phones
- Extensions, voicemail, ring groups, queues, IVR, call recording
- Works well for 50 users
- Large community and lots of documentation
- Compatible with many SIP desk phones and softphones
- Easy to back up and restore

### Recommended setup

For 50 users, you can run it on:

- 2–4 vCPU
- 4–8 GB RAM
- SSD storage
- Debian-based or FreePBX Distro install
- On-prem server or private VPS

Use a reputable SIP trunk provider for external calling.

### Good alternatives

#### FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH
Better if you need multi-tenant PBX, high concurrency, or more advanced routing. More flexible, but generally harder to administer than FreePBX.

#### Issabel
A fork of older Elastix-style PBX systems. Usable, but I would usually choose FreePBX today unless you already know Issabel.

#### VitalPBX
Modern interface and easier management than some alternatives, but some advanced features may depend on commercial modules.

## My recommendation

For a typical 50-person company, choose:

> FreePBX + Asterisk + a reliable SIP trunk provider

It offers the best balance of stability, features, documentation, and ease of administration.

Avoid exposing the PBX directly to the internet without proper firewalling, fail2ban, strong SIP passwords, and preferably VPN access for remote phones.


We are a 30 person startup looking to host our own VoIP PBX server on-premises. What open source software should we use?

For a 30-person startup hosting an on-premises VoIP PBX, I’d recommend:

## Best default choice: **FreePBX**

**FreePBX** is an open-source web GUI built on top of **Asterisk**, the most widely used open-source PBX engine.

### Why FreePBX is a good fit
- Mature and widely deployed
- Easy web-based administration
- Supports SIP phones, softphones, voicemail, IVRs, ring groups, queues, call recording, etc.
- Large community and documentation
- Works well for small businesses
- Can connect to SIP trunk providers for external calling

Website: https://www.freepbx.org/

## Alternative: **FusionPBX**

**FusionPBX** is a web interface for **FreeSWITCH**.

Choose FusionPBX if you want:
- More flexibility for multi-tenant setups
- Strong call routing capabilities
- Potentially better scaling for complex deployments

Website: https://www.fusionpbx.com/

## My recommendation

Use **FreePBX** unless you have a specific reason to prefer FreeSWITCH/FusionPBX.

For a 30-person company, FreePBX is usually the simplest and safest choice.

## Typical setup

- Small dedicated server or VM on-premises
- FreePBX Distro or Debian/Ubuntu with Asterisk + FreePBX
- SIP trunk provider for inbound/outbound calls
- SIP desk phones or softphones
- UPS for power backup
- Regular configuration backups
- Firewall rules to restrict SIP access

## Important security notes

VoIP systems are frequent attack targets. Make sure you:
- Do not expose the PBX directly to the internet unless necessary
- Use a firewall/VPN where possible
- Use strong SIP passwords
- Disable international calling unless needed
- Enable fail2ban or equivalent intrusion protection
- Keep the PBX updated
- Restrict admin access by IP

In short: **install FreePBX/Asterisk on a small on-prem server and use a reputable SIP trunk provider.**


Recommend an open source IP-PBX platform for an enterprise with 200 employees.

For a 200-employee enterprise, I’d recommend **FreePBX based on Asterisk**.

**Why FreePBX/Asterisk:**
- Mature, widely used open-source IP-PBX platform
- Web-based administration interface
- Supports SIP trunks, extensions, IVRs, queues, voicemail, call recording, conferencing, ring groups, and softphones
- Large community and commercial support options
- Works well for small to mid-sized enterprises, including 200+ users
- Compatible with many SIP phones such as Yealink, Poly, Grandstream, and Cisco SIP models

**Suggested deployment:**
- Run it on a dedicated server or VM
- Use SIP trunks from a reliable carrier
- Add backup/HA planning if voice is business-critical
- Consider commercial support from Sangoma or a certified Asterisk provider

**Alternative options:**
- **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH** — better if you need multi-tenant or high scalability
- **3CX** — easier to manage, but not fully open source
- **Issabel** — another Asterisk-based option, though less prominent than FreePBX

**Best overall recommendation:**
Use **FreePBX with Asterisk** unless you specifically need multi-tenant hosting, in which case consider **FusionPBX**.


affordable self hosted open source PBX software

Here are solid affordable self-hosted open-source PBX options:

| Software | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **FreePBX** | Most small businesses | Web GUI for Asterisk, very popular, lots of tutorials, free core features |
| **Asterisk** | Advanced/custom setups | The core PBX engine; powerful but more manual configuration |
| **FusionPBX** | Multi-tenant / hosted PBX | Web GUI for FreeSWITCH, good for MSPs or multiple organizations |
| **FreeSWITCH** | High-performance VoIP | Very scalable, more technical than FreePBX |
| **Issabel PBX** | Simple all-in-one PBX | Fork of older Elastix style systems, includes GUI and bundled tools |
| **Wazo Platform** | API-driven / modern deployments | Open-source communications platform, good for developers |
| **Incredible PBX** | Easy prebuilt setup | Bundles Asterisk/FreePBX with extras; good for home labs or small offices |

### Best recommendation for most people
**FreePBX** is usually the easiest and most affordable self-hosted PBX choice. It gives you:

- Web-based administration
- SIP trunk support
- Extensions
- Ring groups
- IVR/auto-attendant
- Voicemail
- Call recording
- Queues
- Softphone and desk phone support

### Typical low-cost setup
- **PBX software:** FreePBX
- **Server:** Small VPS, mini PC, or VM
- **SIP trunk provider:** VoIP.ms, Telnyx, Flowroute, Twilio, etc.
- **Phones:** SIP desk phones or softphones like Zoiper, Linphone, MicroSIP

### Hardware requirements for small office
For 5–50 users, you can usually run it on:

- 2 CPU cores
- 2–4 GB RAM
- 20–40 GB storage
- Debian/Rocky/AlmaLinux depending on PBX choice

### My short answer
If you want the easiest open-source self-hosted PBX: **FreePBX**.
If you want multi-tenant hosting: **FusionPBX**.
If you want maximum control: **Asterisk** or **FreeSWITCH**.


What open source PBX software do IT administrators actually recommend?

IT admins most commonly recommend these open-source PBX options, depending on the environment:

| PBX software | Best for | Why admins recommend it |
|---|---|---|
| **FreePBX** | Most small/medium businesses | Easiest open-source PBX to deploy and manage; web GUI; built on Asterisk; large community |
| **Asterisk** | Custom telecom setups | Very flexible and battle-tested; ideal if you want full control and can handle config complexity |
| **FusionPBX** | Multi-tenant or hosted PBX setups | Built on FreeSWITCH; good for providers/MSPs; supports many domains/customers |
| **FreeSWITCH** | High-scale or complex VoIP platforms | Powerful media/telephony engine; better suited to advanced admins and developers |
| **Issabel** | SMBs wanting an Elastix-like experience | Friendly GUI, includes call center and unified communications features |
| **VitalPBX** | SMBs wanting a polished admin UI | Easier than raw Asterisk, modern interface, commercial add-ons available |

### Most common recommendation

For a typical IT admin setting up phone service for a business, **FreePBX** is usually the safest recommendation.

It has:

- A web-based admin interface
- Strong Asterisk foundation
- Good SIP trunk and extension support
- Active community
- Lots of documentation
- Broad hardware/provider compatibility

### If you are more advanced

Choose **Asterisk** directly if you need custom dial plans, integrations, or unusual call routing.

Choose **FusionPBX** or **FreeSWITCH** if you are building a hosted PBX, carrier-style platform, or multi-tenant VoIP service.

### Quick recommendation

- **Small business:** FreePBX
- **Custom PBX/integration-heavy:** Asterisk
- **Hosted/multi-tenant VoIP:** FusionPBX
- **Large-scale telecom platform:** FreeSWITCH
- **All-in-one SMB PBX:** Issabel or VitalPBX

Avoid assuming “open source PBX” means low-maintenance. SIP security, firewalling, fail2ban, backups, updates, and trunk fraud protection are critical.


Best open source self-hosted VoIP server for Linux

**Best overall open-source self-hosted VoIP server for Linux: _Asterisk_ — preferably with _FreePBX_ if you want a web GUI.**

### Recommended choices

| Use case | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General business/home PBX | **Asterisk + FreePBX** | Mature, widely supported, SIP trunks, extensions, IVR, voicemail, queues, recordings |
| Advanced/high-performance VoIP routing | **FreeSWITCH** | Powerful for conferencing, call routing, carrier-grade setups |
| SIP proxy / large-scale deployments | **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS** | Excellent for scaling, NAT traversal, SIP load balancing |
| Web/video meetings | **Jitsi Meet** | Best for self-hosted video conferencing, not a traditional PBX |

### My recommendation

If you want a practical self-hosted VoIP server on Linux, use:

**FreePBX + Asterisk**

It gives you:

- Web admin interface
- SIP extensions
- SIP trunk support
- Voicemail
- IVR/auto-attendant
- Ring groups and queues
- Call recording
- Good documentation and community support

### Best Linux platform

Use:

- **Debian**
- **Ubuntu Server**
- **Rocky Linux / AlmaLinux**

Many people deploy FreePBX on a dedicated VM or small server.

### If you do not need a GUI

Use plain:

**Asterisk**

It is lighter and more flexible, but configuration is manual.

### Important security tips

VoIP servers are common attack targets. Use:

- Firewall rules
- Fail2ban
- Strong SIP passwords
- Disable international calling unless needed
- Use SIP TLS/SRTP if possible
- Avoid exposing the admin GUI publicly

**Short answer:**
For most users, the best open-source self-hosted VoIP server for Linux is **Asterisk with FreePBX**.


What is the most reliable open source PBX software for a call center?

The most reliable open-source PBX platform for a call center is generally **Asterisk**.

If you want an easier-to-manage system, use **FreePBX**, which is a web GUI and distribution built on top of Asterisk.

### Best choices

1. **Asterisk**
   - Most mature and widely deployed open-source PBX
   - Very stable when configured properly
   - Strong support for SIP trunks, queues, IVR, call recording, routing, and integrations
   - Best if you have technical staff or need custom call-center logic

2. **FreePBX**
   - Best practical choice for many small to mid-size call centers
   - Uses Asterisk underneath
   - Easier administration through a web interface
   - Good for inbound call queues, IVRs, extensions, ring groups, recordings, and basic reporting

3. **VICIdial**
   - Best if your call center is heavily outbound
   - Built on Asterisk
   - Includes predictive dialing, agent screens, campaign management, and reporting
   - More specialized than FreePBX

4. **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH**
   - Good alternative to Asterisk
   - Strong for high-volume SIP and multi-tenant deployments
   - Can be more complex to manage

### Recommendation

For most call centers, I would choose:

- **FreePBX** if you want a reliable, manageable PBX with queues, IVR, and call recording.
- **VICIdial** if you need outbound dialing campaigns or predictive dialing.
- **Plain Asterisk** if you need maximum customization and have telecom/Linux expertise.

Overall: **Asterisk is the most reliable open-source PBX engine; FreePBX is usually the best deployable option for a call center.**


We need to deploy a self-hosted IP PBX on a cloud server. What open source software is best?

For most self-hosted cloud IP PBX deployments, the best open-source choice is usually:

## Recommended: **FreePBX / Asterisk**

**FreePBX** is a web-based PBX management system built on top of **Asterisk**, the most widely used open-source PBX engine.

### Why it’s a good default choice
- Mature and widely deployed
- Good web admin interface
- Supports SIP trunks, extensions, IVRs, queues, voicemail, ring groups, recordings, etc.
- Large community and documentation
- Works well for small to medium businesses
- Easier to manage than raw Asterisk configs

### Best for
- Small/medium business PBX
- Office phone systems
- SIP trunking
- Call queues and IVRs
- Admins who want a GUI

---

## Strong alternative: **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH**

**FusionPBX** is a web GUI for **FreeSWITCH**.

### Why choose it
- Better suited for multi-tenant setups
- Often preferred by VoIP providers
- Scales well
- Flexible dialplan and routing

### Best for
- Hosted PBX providers
- Multi-company environments
- Larger or more complex VoIP deployments

---

## If you want maximum control: **Asterisk only**

You can run plain **Asterisk** without FreePBX.

### Pros
- Very flexible
- Lightweight
- Full control over configs

### Cons
- More manual administration
- Steeper learning curve
- No polished web UI by default

---

## Important cloud deployment note

If exposing SIP to the internet, security is critical. You should strongly consider:

- Firewalling SIP/RTP ports
- Using VPN for phone registration where possible
- Fail2ban or equivalent intrusion protection
- Strong SIP passwords
- Disable anonymous SIP access
- Restrict SIP trunks by provider IP
- Regular updates
- Consider an SBC/proxy such as **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS** for larger deployments

---

## Short answer

Use **FreePBX with Asterisk** unless you specifically need multi-tenant hosted PBX features.
Use **FusionPBX with FreeSWITCH** if you are building a hosted VoIP platform or need multi-tenant support.


Top open source PBX options for small office telephony

Here are the top open-source PBX options for small office telephony:

| PBX | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **FreePBX** | Most small offices | Web GUI for Asterisk, easy to manage, widely used, lots of documentation |
| **Asterisk** | Custom PBX builds | Core telephony engine; very flexible but more technical without a GUI |
| **FusionPBX** | Multi-tenant or VoIP-focused setups | Web GUI for FreeSWITCH; good for hosted PBX or multiple offices |
| **FreeSWITCH** | Advanced VoIP deployments | Powerful and scalable; steeper learning curve than FreePBX |
| **Issabel PBX** | Offices wanting an Elastix-style all-in-one system | Includes PBX, call center features, fax/email tools; based on Asterisk |
| **Wazo Platform** | API-driven or modern deployments | Open-source communications platform with PBX features |
| **Incredible PBX** | Quick small-office setup | Bundled Asterisk/FreePBX-style system with many preconfigured features |

## Best overall recommendation

For most small offices, **FreePBX** is the best starting point.

It offers:

- Easy web-based administration
- Voicemail
- Ring groups
- IVR/auto-attendant
- Call queues
- SIP trunk support
- Extension management
- Good hardware and VoIP provider compatibility

## Best choices by scenario

- **Simplest small-office PBX:** FreePBX
- **Most customizable:** Asterisk
- **Best for hosted/multi-tenant PBX:** FusionPBX
- **Best for advanced VoIP engineers:** FreeSWITCH
- **Best all-in-one office telephony suite:** Issabel
- **Best API-centric platform:** Wazo

## Avoid if you need fully open source

- **3CX** — popular, but not open source
- **Current Elastix** — no longer the original open-source PBX project
- Some “community editions” may be free but not fully open source

For a typical small office with 5–100 users, I’d choose **FreePBX with Asterisk** unless you specifically need multi-tenant hosting, in which case **FusionPBX** is a strong option.


Which open source self-hosted phone system software has the best web admin interface?

For most people, **FreePBX** has the best web admin interface among open source self-hosted phone systems.

It is the most polished and complete GUI for managing an Asterisk-based PBX, including:

- Extensions and users
- SIP trunks
- Inbound/outbound routes
- IVRs
- Ring groups and queues
- Voicemail
- Call recordings
- System updates and modules
- Backup/restore
- Endpoint provisioning, depending on modules

### Best overall choice: FreePBX

**Recommended if you want:**
A traditional business phone system with a strong browser-based admin panel and lots of community documentation.

Website: https://www.freepbx.org/

### Other notable options

| Software | Notes |
|---|---|
| **FusionPBX** | Good web UI, built on FreeSWITCH, better for multi-tenant setups, but less beginner-friendly than FreePBX. |
| **Issabel** | Fork of older Elastix, usable GUI, but generally feels older than FreePBX. |
| **Wazo Platform** | More modern/API-driven, powerful, but not as simple for point-and-click PBX administration. |
| **Incredible PBX** | FreePBX-based distribution with extras; convenient but less “clean” than plain FreePBX. |

### Important note

**3CX** has a very good web interface, but it is **not open source**, so it does not fit your requirement.

So if your priority is the **best web admin experience while staying open source/self-hosted**, I would choose **FreePBX**.


We want to replace our legacy PBX hardware with self-hosted open source software. What are our best options?

Your best self-hosted open source PBX options are likely:

| Option | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **FreePBX** | Most businesses replacing a traditional PBX | Web GUI on top of Asterisk, large community, broad SIP trunk/phone support, relatively easy to manage |
| **Asterisk** | Custom or developer-heavy deployments | Very powerful telephony engine, but less friendly unless you build/configure around it |
| **FusionPBX** | Multi-tenant or hosted-style PBX deployments | Web GUI for FreeSWITCH, good for service-provider-like setups or multiple organizations |
| **FreeSWITCH** | High-scale, custom VoIP platforms | Strong media handling and scalability, but more technical than FreePBX |
| **Issabel** | All-in-one PBX similar to older Elastix | Based around Asterisk; useful if you want PBX plus extras, though ecosystem is smaller than FreePBX |
| **Wazo** | API-driven/business PBX | Modern architecture, good if you want automation/integration capabilities |
| **Kamailio / OpenSIPS** | SIP routing, SBC, carrier-grade front end | Not a PBX replacement by themselves; often used in front of Asterisk/FreeSWITCH for scale/security |

## Best default choice

For most companies replacing legacy PBX hardware, I would start with:

### **FreePBX**
It is usually the most practical open source PBX replacement because it provides:

- Asterisk-based PBX functionality
- Web-based administration
- Extension management
- Voicemail
- Ring groups
- IVRs/auto attendants
- Queues
- Call recording
- SIP trunk support
- Endpoint provisioning options
- Large community and documentation

If you want the least painful migration from a traditional PBX, FreePBX is usually the safest recommendation.

## Best choices by scenario

### Small to mid-size business
Use **FreePBX**.

Good if you need common business phone features without building everything manually.

### Multi-tenant provider-style system
Use **FusionPBX**.

Better if you need to host separate organizations, customers, or branches from one platform.

### Highly customized telephony workflows
Use **Asterisk** directly or **FreeSWITCH**.

Better if you have in-house VoIP/Linux expertise and want full control.

### High-volume SIP routing or security edge
Use **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS** in front of Asterisk/FreePBX/FreeSWITCH.

This is more advanced, but useful for larger deployments.

## My recommended shortlist

I would evaluate these three first:

1. **FreePBX** — best general-purpose legacy PBX replacement
2. **FusionPBX** — best if you need multi-tenancy or hosted PBX features
3. **Wazo** — best if you want a more modern/API-friendly open source PBX

## Important considerations before choosing

Make sure you evaluate:

- Number of users/extensions
- Number of concurrent calls
- SIP trunk provider compatibility
- Desk phone compatibility and provisioning
- Voicemail-to-email requirements
- Call recording/legal retention requirements
- IVR and call queue needs
- Remote worker support
- High availability/failover
- Emergency calling/E911 requirements
- Security: firewalling, fail2ban, TLS/SRTP, VPNs
- Backup and disaster recovery
- Admin skill level

## Practical recommendation

If you want a stable, self-hosted, open source replacement for a legacy office PBX, deploy **FreePBX** on a VM or small server, connect it to a reputable SIP trunk provider, and test with a few phones before migrating the whole company.

If you have multiple departments/tenants or want to offer PBX service to multiple sites/customers, look at **FusionPBX** instead.


What open-source IP-PBX distribution should a local school district install?

A local school district should usually install **FreePBX Distro**.

**Why FreePBX is the best default choice:**

- **Open-source and Asterisk-based**
- Large user community and long track record
- Web-based administration suitable for school IT staff
- Supports common school needs:
  - Classroom phones
  - Front-office call routing
  - Ring groups and queues
  - Paging/intercom integration
  - Voicemail-to-email
  - IVRs/auto attendants
  - Emergency calling rules
- Commercial support and paid modules are available if needed
- Works with many SIP trunks and IP phones

**Important caveat:** For a school district, the PBX choice is less important than proper design. They should make sure the deployment handles:

- **E911 compliance**, including Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’S Act
- Accurate location information for every phone
- Backup power for network switches and phones
- Secure SIP trunking, preferably through an SBC or firewall rules
- VLANs/QoS for voice traffic
- Regular backups and update procedures
- Paging, lockdown, and emergency notification integration if required

If the district has strong Linux/VoIP expertise and needs multi-tenant or more advanced SIP routing, **FusionPBX** is also worth considering. But for most school districts, **FreePBX Distro is the safest open-source IP-PBX recommendation**.


Best open source VoIP phone system server for a non-profit organization

For most non-profit organizations, the best open-source VoIP phone system server is **FreePBX**, which is a web-based PBX system built on **Asterisk**.

## Best choice: FreePBX

**Why it’s a good fit for a non-profit:**

- **Free and open-source**
- Easy web-based administration
- Large community and lots of documentation
- Supports SIP desk phones, softphones, voicemail, IVRs, ring groups, queues, conferencing, call recording, etc.
- Works with inexpensive SIP trunks to reduce phone bills
- Can run on a small server, mini PC, VM, or cloud VPS
- Widely used, so it’s easier to find support

## Recommended setup

- **PBX software:** FreePBX
- **VoIP engine:** Asterisk
- **Phones:** Yealink, Grandstream, Poly, or softphones like Zoiper/Linphone
- **SIP trunk provider:** VoIP.ms, Flowroute, Telnyx, Twilio, or a local provider
- **Server:** Small on-site mini PC or cloud VPS, depending on internet reliability

## Good alternatives

### FusionPBX
Best if you need a more scalable or multi-tenant system. It is based on FreeSWITCH and is powerful, but generally harder to administer than FreePBX.

### Issabel
A fork of older Elastix-style PBX systems. It is open-source and usable, but FreePBX has a larger ecosystem.

### Asterisk alone
Very flexible, but not ideal unless you have someone comfortable editing configuration files manually.

## My recommendation

For a typical non-profit with limited IT staff, choose:

**FreePBX + Asterisk + SIP trunk provider like VoIP.ms or Telnyx**

It offers the best balance of cost, features, community support, and ease of management.


We need an open source PBX with multi-tenant support for a managed service provider. What software should we buy or deploy?

For an open-source multi-tenant PBX aimed at MSP/hosted-voice service, the strongest default choice is:

## Recommended: FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH

**Deploy FusionPBX on top of FreeSWITCH** if you want an open-source, hosted PBX platform with native multi-tenant/domain support.

### Why FusionPBX
- Built for **multi-tenant hosted PBX**
- Uses **FreeSWITCH**, which is strong for SIP, media handling, scaling, and carrier-style deployments
- Supports per-tenant/domain configuration
- Common MSP features:
  - Extensions
  - Ring groups
  - IVRs
  - Voicemail
  - Call forwarding
  - Time conditions
  - Call recordings
  - SIP trunks
  - Per-domain admin access
- Open source, with paid support/training available
- Better suited to hosted PBX than FreePBX

### Best fit
Use FusionPBX if you want to provide hosted PBX service to multiple business customers from shared infrastructure.

---

## Also worth considering

### Wazo Platform

**Wazo** is another open-source UC/PBX platform with APIs and service-provider potential.

Good if you want:
- API-driven provisioning
- More developer-friendly architecture
- UC/contact-center style integrations

Less obvious than FusionPBX for traditional MSP hosted PBX, but worth evaluating.

Website: `wazo.io`

---

### Sipwise C5 / NGCP

**Sipwise C5** is more of a carrier/ITSP platform than a small MSP PBX.

Good if you need:
- SIP carrier features
- Subscriber management
- Billing integrations
- Large-scale voice service provider architecture

Potential downside:
- More complex
- Heavier operational burden
- Less “PBX admin friendly” than FusionPBX

Website: `sipwise.com`

---

## Be careful with FreePBX

**FreePBX is not a true multi-tenant hosted PBX platform.**

It is excellent for a single company or single tenant, but for MSP multi-tenant service you usually end up with either:

1. One FreePBX VM per customer, or
2. Third-party/commercial multi-tenant wrappers, or
3. Awkward separation/security compromises

For managed hosted PBX, I would not choose FreePBX as the shared multi-tenant core.

---

## Practical recommendation

If you are an MSP and want to launch hosted PBX service:

### Start with:
**FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH**

### Add:
- Kamailio or OpenSIPS as an SBC/proxy if scaling or exposing SIP publicly
- PostgreSQL replication/backups
- Separate media/public SIP interfaces
- Automated provisioning for phones
- Monitoring with Prometheus/Zabbix
- Offsite call-recording storage if needed
- Billing system integration, if you bill by user/minute/trunk

---

## Short answer

Deploy **FusionPBX with FreeSWITCH**.

If you need carrier-scale SIP service, evaluate **Sipwise C5**.

If you want API-first UC infrastructure, evaluate **Wazo**.

Avoid relying on **FreePBX** for shared multi-tenant hosted PBX unless you plan to run one instance per customer.


What open source self-hosted PBX software is easiest to configure and manage?

The easiest open-source self-hosted PBX for most people is **FreePBX**.

### Best choice: FreePBX
**FreePBX** is a web-based GUI for **Asterisk**, and it is generally the most beginner-friendly self-hosted PBX option.

Why it is easiest:

- Web admin interface
- Large community and lots of tutorials
- Handles extensions, trunks, IVRs, voicemail, ring groups, queues, etc.
- Can be installed as a complete distro/ISO
- Good fit for small businesses and home labs
- Optional paid modules, but the core PBX is open source

Website: https://www.freepbx.org/

### Other good options

| Software | Notes |
|---|---|
| **FusionPBX** | Powerful FreeSWITCH-based PBX, good multi-tenant support, but more complex than FreePBX |
| **Issabel** | Fork of older Elastix-style PBX systems; fairly easy, but less dominant than FreePBX |
| **VitalPBX** | Polished and easy to use, but not as fully open-source as FreePBX depending on edition/modules |
| **Asterisk directly** | Very powerful, but configuration is manual and much harder for beginners |

### Recommendation

If you want the easiest open-source PBX to install, configure, and manage:

**Use FreePBX.**

If you need multi-tenant hosting or more advanced carrier-style features, consider **FusionPBX**, but expect a steeper learning curve.


Best free and open source IP-PBX for a hotel phone system

**Best free/open-source choice for a hotel IP-PBX: _FreePBX on Asterisk_**

For most hotels, **FreePBX** is the best practical option because it gives you a web GUI on top of **Asterisk**, the most widely used open-source PBX engine.

### Why FreePBX/Asterisk is the best fit
- Free and open-source core
- Easy web-based management
- Supports SIP trunks, extensions, IVRs, ring groups, queues
- Voicemail, call recording, paging/intercom
- Wake-up call support via modules/scripts
- Strong community and documentation
- Works with SIP phones and analog gateways
- Flexible integration options using Asterisk AMI/ARI/AGI APIs

### Important hotel features to check
For a hotel system, make sure you can handle:

- Room extension management
- Check-in/check-out phone enable/disable
- Call billing or call detail records
- Wake-up calls
- Housekeeping/room status codes
- Voicemail reset on checkout
- PMS integration, e.g. Opera, Cloudbeds, Protel, etc.
- Emergency calling
- Front desk console or operator panel

FreePBX can do many of these, but **full PMS integration may require custom work or a paid/commercial module/middleware**.

---

## Other good open-source options

### 1. **Asterisk**
Best if you want maximum control and are comfortable configuring things manually.

**Pros:**
- Most flexible
- Very stable
- Huge ecosystem
- Excellent for custom hotel workflows

**Cons:**
- No built-in friendly GUI unless paired with FreePBX
- Requires more technical knowledge

---

### 2. **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH**
Good for larger or multi-property deployments.

**Pros:**
- Open-source
- Built on FreeSWITCH
- Good multi-tenant support
- Scales well

**Cons:**
- Steeper learning curve than FreePBX
- Hotel/PMS features may still need custom integration

---

### 3. **Issabel PBX**
A fork/evolution of Elastix-style PBX systems.

**Pros:**
- Free/open-source
- GUI included
- Based on Asterisk
- Includes call center-style features

**Cons:**
- Smaller ecosystem than FreePBX
- Less commonly deployed today

---

## Recommendation

For a typical hotel, choose:

**FreePBX + Asterisk**

Use:
- SIP phones for front desk/admin
- Analog gateways if existing room phones are analog
- SIP trunk for outside calling
- Custom PMS integration if needed
- VLANs/QoS for voice reliability
- UPS backup for PBX, switches, and gateways

If you need a strictly open-source, highly customized hotel system, use **Asterisk directly**. If you want the easiest free solution with a GUI, use **FreePBX**.


We are a medical clinic needing a self-hosted HIPAA compliant open source PBX. What software should we use?

Use **FreePBX with Asterisk** if you want a self-hosted, open-source PBX with a web admin interface and broad community/support ecosystem.

However, important caveat: **no PBX software is “HIPAA compliant” by itself**. HIPAA compliance depends on how it is deployed, secured, administered, and supported.

Recommended stack:

- **PBX:** FreePBX / Asterisk
- **Deployment:** On-premises server or private HIPAA-ready hosting environment
- **SIP trunk/provider:** Must sign a **Business Associate Agreement**
- **Remote phones/users:** Use VPN or TLS/SRTP
- **Voicemail/fax/call recordings:** Encrypt at rest; restrict access; define retention policy
- **Backups:** Encrypted, access-controlled, regularly tested
- **Admin access:** MFA, least privilege, strong logging
- **Network:** Firewall, VLANs, fail2ban/IDS, no public admin UI
- **Updates:** Regular security patching
- **Policies:** HIPAA risk assessment, audit controls, breach procedures

Good alternatives:

- **Asterisk directly** — best if you have telecom/Linux expertise and want maximum control.
- **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH** — strong open-source option, especially for multi-tenant or advanced routing setups.

My practical recommendation for a clinic: **FreePBX on-premises with Asterisk**, configured by someone experienced with HIPAA, VoIP security, TLS/SRTP, backups, and SIP trunk BAAs.


What is the best open source PBX software for a multi-location retail business?

For most multi-location retail businesses, **FreePBX** is the best open-source PBX choice.

### Why FreePBX is usually the best fit
- **Built on Asterisk**, the most widely used open-source PBX engine
- **Easy web-based administration**
- Strong support for:
  - Multi-site extensions
  - Ring groups
  - IVRs
  - Call queues
  - Voicemail-to-email
  - Call recording
  - Paging/intercom
  - SIP trunks
  - Store-to-store dialing
- Large community, lots of documentation, and many supported VoIP providers
- Can be deployed centrally in the cloud or on-premises

### Recommended setup for retail
For multiple stores, I’d typically recommend:

- **Centralized FreePBX server** in a data center or cloud environment
- Each store connects via **SIP phones over VPN or secure SIP**
- Use **SIP trunks** for inbound/outbound calling
- Configure per-store:
  - Local ring groups
  - Store-specific business hours
  - Failover routing
  - Emergency calling/E911 rules

### When to consider FusionPBX instead
If you need strong **multi-tenant separation** between locations, larger scale, or more advanced FreeSWITCH-based routing, consider **FusionPBX**. It’s powerful, but usually more complex to administer than FreePBX.

### Bottom line
**Best overall:** FreePBX
**Best for advanced multi-tenant/large-scale deployments:** FusionPBX
**Best PBX engine for custom builds:** Asterisk

For a typical multi-location retail business, I’d choose **FreePBX with a centralized deployment and secure site connectivity**.


Open source self-hosted PBX software comparison

Below is a practical comparison of popular **open-source, self-hosted PBX / VoIP platforms**.

| Software | Core Engine | Best For | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **FreePBX** | Asterisk | Small to medium businesses wanting a GUI PBX | Very popular, easy web UI, lots of tutorials, strong SIP trunk support, extensions, IVR, queues, voicemail | Some commercial modules, GUI can feel dated, upgrades need care |
| **Asterisk** | Asterisk | Custom PBX builds, developers, advanced VoIP control | Extremely flexible, mature, widely supported, scriptable dialplans | No polished GUI by default, steeper learning curve |
| **FusionPBX** | FreeSWITCH | Multi-tenant PBX, hosted PBX providers, advanced deployments | Strong multi-tenant support, scalable, good WebRTC/SIP support, clean architecture | More complex than FreePBX, smaller community |
| **FreeSWITCH** | FreeSWITCH | Large-scale or custom VoIP platforms | Very powerful media handling, scalable, great for conferencing, call routing, custom apps | Not a turnkey PBX without FusionPBX or custom work |
| **Issabel** | Asterisk | Businesses wanting an Elastix-style all-in-one PBX | Includes PBX, call center, fax/email-style tools, friendly GUI | Community/activity varies, less mainstream than FreePBX |
| **VitalPBX Community** | Asterisk | Modern GUI PBX for SMBs | Clean interface, easier than raw Asterisk, good feature set | Some features require paid editions/modules |
| **Wazo Platform** | Asterisk-based | API-driven UC/PBX deployments | Modern API-first design, automation-friendly, supports call centers and UC | Less common than FreePBX, may require more technical skill |
| **Yate** | Yate | Custom telecom routing, VoIP/GSM/SIP projects | Flexible, lightweight, telecom-oriented | Smaller ecosystem, less turnkey for office PBX use |
| **Kamailio / OpenSIPS** | SIP proxy, not PBX | Large SIP routing, SBC, registrar, carrier-grade signaling | Extremely scalable, excellent for SIP trunking, routing, NAT traversal, load balancing | Not a full PBX by itself; usually paired with Asterisk/FreeSWITCH |

## Quick recommendations

### Best general-purpose self-hosted PBX
**FreePBX**
Use it if you want a practical business PBX with a GUI, SIP trunks, IVRs, queues, voicemail, ring groups, and lots of documentation.

### Best for maximum customization
**Asterisk**
Use it if you want to build custom call flows, integrate deeply with apps, or prefer configuration files and scripting over a GUI.

### Best for multi-tenant hosted PBX
**FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH**
Use it if you need to host multiple customers, departments, or organizations from one platform.

### Best for large-scale SIP routing
**Kamailio or OpenSIPS + Asterisk/FreeSWITCH**
Use Kamailio/OpenSIPS as the SIP proxy/SBC layer and Asterisk or FreeSWITCH as the PBX/media server.

### Best modern Asterisk-based alternative to FreePBX
**VitalPBX Community** or **Wazo**
Good options if you want something newer-looking or more API-driven.

## Feature comparison

| Feature | FreePBX | Asterisk | FusionPBX | Issabel | VitalPBX | Wazo |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Web GUI | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SIP trunk support | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good | Good |
| IVR / auto-attendant | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voicemail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Call queues | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ring groups | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-tenant | Limited | Custom | Strong | Limited | Some | Possible |
| Call center features | Good | Custom | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| WebRTC support | Possible | Possible | Good | Limited/varies | Possible | Possible |
| API friendliness | Moderate | High if custom | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Strong |
| Ease of setup | Easy | Harder | Moderate | Easy/moderate | Easy | Moderate |
| Community size | Very large | Very large | Medium | Medium/smaller | Medium | Smaller |

## Suggested choices by scenario

| Scenario | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Small office PBX | **FreePBX** |
| Home lab or learning VoIP | **FreePBX** or **Asterisk** |
| Call center with GUI | **FreePBX**, **Issabel**, or **VitalPBX** |
| Hosted PBX provider | **FusionPBX** |
| Highly customized dialplan | **Asterisk** |
| API-driven communications platform | **Wazo** or custom **Asterisk/FreeSWITCH** |
| Carrier-scale SIP routing | **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS** with Asterisk/FreeSWITCH |
| WebRTC-heavy deployment | **FusionPBX/FreeSWITCH** |

## Bottom line

For most organizations, start with **FreePBX**.
Choose **FusionPBX** if you need true multi-tenant hosting.
Choose **Asterisk** or **FreeSWITCH** directly if you want to build a custom VoIP platform.
Use **Kamailio/OpenSIPS** when you need scalable SIP routing rather than a traditional PBX.


What open source IP PBX software supports flexible custom IVR and dialplan scripting?

Open source IP PBX options with flexible custom IVR and dialplan scripting include:

- **Asterisk** — Most popular choice; supports powerful custom dialplans via `extensions.conf`, AGI, AMI, ARI, Lua, and external scripts. Very flexible for IVRs.
- **FreePBX** — Web GUI built on Asterisk; supports IVR configuration plus custom dialplan hooks and Asterisk scripting.
- **FreeSWITCH** — Highly flexible softswitch/IP PBX; supports XML dialplans, Lua, JavaScript, Python, ESL, and advanced IVR logic.
- **FusionPBX** — Web GUI for FreeSWITCH; provides GUI-based PBX/IVR management while allowing custom FreeSWITCH dialplan scripting.
- **Yate** — Open source telephony engine with scripting support; useful for custom call routing and IVR logic, though less common than Asterisk/FreeSWITCH.

For maximum custom IVR and dialplan control, the top choices are **Asterisk** and **FreeSWITCH**.


Recommend a lightweight open source PBX server for a micro business with 10 extensions.

For a micro business with ~10 extensions, I’d recommend **Asterisk**.

**Why Asterisk**
- Open source and widely used
- Very lightweight — can run on a small VPS, mini PC, or Raspberry Pi-class hardware
- Supports SIP phones, softphones, voicemail, IVR, call queues, ring groups, recordings, etc.
- Huge community and lots of documentation
- Easy to scale beyond 10 extensions later

**Best setup options**
- **Asterisk only**: best if you’re comfortable editing config files and want maximum lightness.
- **FreePBX on top of Asterisk**: better if you want a web GUI for managing extensions, trunks, voicemail, IVRs, etc. It is heavier than plain Asterisk but still fine for 10 users.

**Recommended choice**
- If you want simple administration: **FreePBX**
- If you want the lightest possible server: **Asterisk**

**Typical hardware for 10 extensions**
- 1–2 vCPU
- 1–2 GB RAM
- 20 GB storage
- Debian/Ubuntu or Rocky/AlmaLinux depending on install method

Also consider **FusionPBX** if you prefer a GUI and FreeSWITCH-based system, but for a small business PBX, **Asterisk/FreePBX is usually the safest recommendation**.


What open source PBX software is best for high-volume call concurrency?

For **high-volume call concurrency**, the best open-source PBX choice is usually **FreeSWITCH**.

Why FreeSWITCH:

- Designed for **large-scale concurrent call handling**
- Strong **multi-threaded architecture**
- Performs well for **SIP trunking, IVR, conferencing, call routing, and media handling**
- Often scales better than Asterisk for high concurrent-call workloads
- Commonly used in carrier/VoIP provider environments

Typical recommendation:

- **FreeSWITCH** — best open-source PBX/media server for high concurrency
- **Kamailio or OpenSIPS** — use in front of FreeSWITCH as a SIP proxy/load balancer for very large deployments
- **Asterisk** — excellent PBX features, but generally not the first choice for very high call concurrency

So the practical answer is:

> Use **FreeSWITCH** as the PBX/media server, optionally with **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS** in front if you need carrier-grade scale.


We want to self-host our office phone system in containers. Which open source PBX software works best?

For a self-hosted office PBX **in containers**, the best default choice is usually:

## Recommended: FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH

**FusionPBX** is an open-source web GUI/control layer for **FreeSWITCH**. It tends to fit containerized deployments better than FreePBX because it uses PostgreSQL cleanly, supports multi-tenant setups, and FreeSWITCH is strong for SIP trunking, call routing, IVRs, queues, conferencing, and WebRTC.

Best if you want:

- Web admin UI
- SIP extensions and trunks
- Ring groups, IVR, voicemail, queues
- Multi-site or multi-tenant support
- Better container friendliness than FreePBX
- PostgreSQL-backed configuration

## Also popular: FreePBX + Asterisk

**FreePBX** is probably the most common open-source office PBX GUI. It is feature-rich and has a huge community, but it is less container-native. It traditionally expects a full VM or bare-metal Linux install with system services.

Best if you want:

- The most familiar PBX ecosystem
- Lots of documentation and modules
- Asterisk compatibility
- Easier hiring/support

But for Docker/Kubernetes, FreePBX can be awkward unless you use community-maintained images.

## If you want maximum control: plain Asterisk

Use **Asterisk** directly if your team is comfortable managing config files, dialplans, SIP trunks, and automation.

Best if you want:

- Lightweight deployment
- Infrastructure-as-code style config
- No GUI dependency
- Full control

Not ideal if non-telephony admins need to manage it.

## My practical recommendation

For a containerized office PBX:

1. **FusionPBX/FreeSWITCH** — best overall container-friendly open-source PBX.
2. **FreePBX/Asterisk** — best traditional office PBX, but better in a VM than containers.
3. **Plain Asterisk** — best for technical teams that do not need a GUI.

## Important container notes

PBX systems are sensitive to networking. Plan for:

- Host networking or carefully mapped UDP ports
- SIP ports: usually `5060/5061`
- RTP media port range, e.g. `10000-20000/udp`
- Static public IP or proper NAT/SIP settings
- Persistent volumes for configs, recordings, voicemail, database
- Firewalling and fail2ban-style protection
- TLS/SRTP if possible
- Do not expose the admin UI publicly

If this is for a normal office with phones, trunks, voicemail, IVR, and queues, I would choose **FusionPBX with FreeSWITCH and PostgreSQL**.


Best open source PBX for a law firm needing call recording and voicemail to email

For a law firm, the best open-source PBX choice is usually **FreePBX based on Asterisk**.

### Best pick: **FreePBX / Asterisk**
**Why it fits:**
- Built-in **call recording**
- **Voicemail-to-email** support
- Mature and widely used
- Good web admin interface
- Supports SIP trunks, ring groups, IVRs, queues, extensions
- Strong community and commercial support options
- Can be self-hosted on-premise or in the cloud

### Important law-firm considerations
Because you may handle confidential client communications, make sure you configure:

- **Call recording consent** rules based on your jurisdiction
- Encrypted admin access via HTTPS/VPN
- Secure SIP using TLS/SRTP if possible
- Restricted access to recordings
- Retention policies for recordings and voicemails
- Regular backups
- MFA/VPN for remote management
- A reliable SIP provider with good compliance practices

### Alternative
**FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH** is also excellent, especially for more advanced multi-tenant or larger deployments, but it has a steeper learning curve than FreePBX.

### Recommendation
Use **FreePBX Distro** if you want the easiest open-source PBX with call recording and voicemail-to-email. For a law firm, I’d strongly consider having it deployed and maintained by a VoIP professional or managed provider to avoid security and compliance mistakes.


What open source phone system software can we self-host on mini PCs or low-power hardware?

Yes—there are several open-source PBX/VoIP phone systems that run well on mini PCs, Intel NUCs, thin clients, Raspberry Pi–class hardware, or other low-power servers.

| Software | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **Asterisk** | Core PBX engine | Very flexible, lightweight, open source. Requires more manual configuration unless paired with a GUI. |
| **FreePBX** | Most common self-hosted PBX | Web GUI on top of Asterisk. Good for small businesses, SIP trunks, extensions, IVRs, voicemail, queues. Some commercial modules optional. |
| **FusionPBX** | Multi-tenant / advanced PBX | Web GUI for FreeSWITCH. Good if you want multiple tenants, domains, or more scalable SIP handling. |
| **FreeSWITCH** | Advanced VoIP/media server | Powerful and efficient, but more technical than FreePBX. |
| **Issabel** | All-in-one PBX distro | Fork/continuation of Elastix-style PBX, based around Asterisk. Simple for small office deployments. |
| **Wazo Platform** | Business communications platform | Open-source UC/PBX platform, more modern but a bit more complex. |
| **MikoPBX** | Simple small-office PBX | Lightweight Asterisk-based PBX with a clean web UI. Good for small deployments. |
| **Yate** | Lightweight telephony server | Open source, flexible, less common than Asterisk/FreePBX. |
| **Kamailio** | SIP proxy/router | Excellent for SIP routing, registration, SBC-like roles, scaling. Not a full PBX by itself. |
| **OpenSIPS** | SIP proxy/router | Similar to Kamailio. Great for carriers or advanced SIP routing, not a turnkey PBX. |

### Good choices by scenario

- **Easiest small office PBX:** **FreePBX**
- **Lightweight/simple PBX:** **MikoPBX**
- **Most flexible DIY PBX:** **Asterisk**
- **Multi-tenant hosted PBX:** **FusionPBX**
- **Large SIP routing/SBC-style setup:** **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS**
- **Advanced media/VoIP applications:** **FreeSWITCH**

### Hardware guidance

For a small deployment, something like this is usually enough:

- Intel N100/N95 mini PC
- Older Intel i3/i5 thin client
- Raspberry Pi 4/5
- 2–4 GB RAM minimum
- SSD storage preferred
- Debian/Ubuntu/Rocky/AlmaLinux depending on the PBX

A low-power mini PC can usually handle dozens of extensions if you avoid heavy transcoding, call recording, and large conference bridges.

### My recommendation

For most self-hosted phone systems, start with **FreePBX** on a small Intel mini PC. It has the best mix of open-source PBX features, web-based management, SIP trunk support, community documentation, and compatibility with desk phones and softphones.


Self-hosted open source PBX software for financial services firm

For a financial services firm, the best self-hosted open-source PBX options are:

## Recommended Options

### 1. **FreePBX**
**Best overall choice for most firms**

- Built on **Asterisk**
- Web-based administration
- Supports SIP trunks, extensions, IVRs, ring groups, queues, voicemail
- Call recording and reporting available
- Large community and commercial support options
- Can be deployed on-premises or private cloud

**Good for:** Small to mid-sized financial firms needing a manageable, feature-rich PBX.

Website: https://www.freepbx.org

---

### 2. **Asterisk**
**Best if you want maximum control**

- Core open-source PBX engine
- Highly customizable
- Supports SIP, VoIP gateways, IVR, call routing, recording, conferencing
- Requires more Linux/telephony expertise than FreePBX

**Good for:** Firms with in-house technical staff or custom call-flow requirements.

Website: https://www.asterisk.org

---

### 3. **FusionPBX**
**Best multi-tenant option**

- Built on **FreeSWITCH**
- Web GUI
- Multi-tenant support
- Good for firms with multiple branches, departments, or client-facing divisions
- Strong SIP and call-routing capabilities

**Good for:** Multi-office financial firms or MSP-style deployments.

Website: https://www.fusionpbx.com

---

### 4. **Wazo**
**Modern open-source UC/PBX platform**

- API-friendly
- Built for unified communications
- Supports voice, conferencing, queues, call recording, provisioning
- Better suited for custom integrations

**Good for:** Firms wanting PBX plus application integrations.

Website: https://wazo-platform.org

---

## My Recommendation

For most financial services firms:

**Use FreePBX if you want ease of administration.**
**Use Asterisk directly if you need deep customization.**
**Use FusionPBX if you need multi-tenant or multi-branch support.**

---

## Important Requirements for Financial Services

Whichever PBX you choose, prioritize:

- **TLS/SRTP encryption** for SIP and media
- **MFA/VPN access** for administrators
- **Call recording controls**
- **Audit logs**
- **Role-based admin access**
- **Encrypted backups**
- **Retention policies**
- **High availability or failover**
- **Secure SIP trunk provider**
- **Firewall/SBC protection**
- **Compliance review** for FINRA, SEC, PCI-DSS, GDPR, or local regulations

---

## Practical Stack

A solid self-hosted deployment would be:

- **FreePBX or FusionPBX**
- Dedicated Linux server or VM
- SIP trunk from a reputable provider
- Session Border Controller or firewall
- Encrypted offsite backups
- Centralized logging/SIEM integration
- Optional call recording archive with retention controls

For a financial services firm, I would avoid exposing the PBX directly to the internet without a VPN, SBC, or strict firewall rules.


What is the best open source IP-PBX server for remote and hybrid teams?

For most remote and hybrid teams, the best open-source IP-PBX is **FreePBX**, which is a web-managed PBX built on **Asterisk**.

### Best overall: FreePBX
**Why it’s a strong choice:**
- Mature and widely used
- Based on Asterisk, one of the most proven open-source PBX engines
- Web-based administration
- Supports SIP trunks, extensions, IVRs, queues, ring groups, voicemail, call recording, etc.
- Works well with remote softphones and desk phones
- Large community and lots of documentation
- Commercial support and paid add-ons are available if needed

### Good alternatives
- **FusionPBX** — Best if you need multi-tenant hosting or are building a VoIP service provider platform. It is based on FreeSWITCH.
- **Asterisk** — Best if you want maximum flexibility and are comfortable configuring things manually.
- **Kamailio/OpenSIPS + Asterisk/FreeSWITCH** — Best for large-scale or carrier-grade SIP routing, but more complex.

### My recommendation
If you are a small or mid-sized remote/hybrid team and want an open-source PBX that is practical to deploy and manage, choose:

**FreePBX + Asterisk**

Use it with:
- A reliable SIP trunk provider
- TLS/SRTP if possible
- VPN or strict firewall rules for remote phones
- Fail2ban and strong SIP passwords
- A cloud VPS or hosted PBX server with good uptime

If you need multi-tenant capabilities, choose **FusionPBX** instead.


Recommend an open source self-hosted PBX platform with good WebRTC support.

I’d recommend **FusionPBX** as a strong open-source, self-hosted PBX option with good WebRTC support.

**Why FusionPBX**
- Built on **FreeSWITCH**, which has excellent WebRTC capabilities
- Supports **SIP over WebSocket/WSS**, **DTLS-SRTP**, **ICE/STUN/TURN**, and **Opus**
- Web-based admin interface
- Good for multi-tenant or single-organization deployments
- Flexible dialplan, call routing, IVRs, voicemail, queues, recordings, etc.
- Active community and widely used in production

**Best fit if you want**
- A serious self-hosted PBX
- Browser-based calling via WebRTC softphones
- Flexibility beyond a basic office PBX
- Multi-tenant capability

**WebRTC clients to pair with it**
- **SIP.js**
- **JsSIP**
- **BareSIP**
- **Zoiper Web**
- Custom browser client using FreeSWITCH WebRTC support

**Alternative**
If you prefer something more traditional and Asterisk-based, consider **FreePBX**. It can do WebRTC, but in my opinion FusionPBX/FreeSWITCH is usually the better choice when WebRTC is a priority.

**Short answer:** Use **FusionPBX** if WebRTC support is important. Use **FreePBX** if you specifically want the Asterisk ecosystem.


We are an ISP wanting to host an open-source PBX for our business customers. What software should we use?

For an ISP offering hosted PBX service to business customers, the best open-source choice is usually:

## Recommended: FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH

**FusionPBX** is a web management platform built on **FreeSWITCH** and is well suited for hosted, multi-tenant VoIP/PBX services.

### Why FusionPBX
- Native **multi-tenant** support
- Built on **FreeSWITCH**, which is strong for carrier/ISP-style deployments
- Supports hosted PBX features:
  - Extensions
  - IVRs
  - Ring groups
  - Queues
  - Voicemail
  - Call forwarding
  - Time conditions
  - SIP trunks
  - Call recording
- Web UI for customer/domain administration
- Suitable for white-label hosted PBX offerings
- Open source and widely used by VoIP providers

## Suggested architecture

For an ISP, I would not expose the PBX directly to the internet. A common setup is:

- **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH** — hosted PBX platform
- **Kamailio or OpenSIPS** — SIP proxy / registration edge / routing
- **RTPengine** — media proxy/NAT handling
- **PostgreSQL** — database
- **Homer/HEP** — SIP tracing and troubleshooting
- **Prometheus/Grafana** — monitoring
- **SIP trunking provider or your own interconnects** — PSTN access

## Alternative options

### Kazoo / 2600Hz
Good for larger carrier-grade hosted voice platforms, but more complex to deploy and operate.

Use it if you want:
- Large-scale cloud PBX
- API-first provisioning
- Distributed architecture
- Strong multi-tenant design

Downside: significantly higher operational complexity.

### FreePBX / Asterisk
Good for single-company PBX deployments, but not ideal as a hosted multi-tenant ISP platform.

Use it for:
- Individual business PBXs
- Small deployments
- Customer-owned PBX instances

Avoid it if you want one shared platform serving many customers.

## My recommendation

Use:

**FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH** as the hosted PBX platform, with **Kamailio/OpenSIPS** in front for SIP edge/security/scaling.

If you expect very large scale or want a carrier-grade API-driven platform, evaluate **Kazoo** as well.


Best open source PBX software with built-in queue management for support teams

For support teams needing **open-source PBX software with built-in queue management**, the best options are:

## 1. **FreePBX / Asterisk**
**Best overall choice**

FreePBX is a web-based PBX platform built on Asterisk and is one of the most widely used open-source PBX systems.

**Queue features:**
- Call queues
- Agent login/logout
- Ring strategies
- Queue announcements
- Music on hold
- Call recording
- Queue reports
- Wallboard options via add-ons
- IVR and time conditions

**Best for:** Small to mid-sized support teams that want a stable, widely supported PBX.

**Website:** https://www.freepbx.org/

---

## 2. **Issabel**
**Best all-in-one PBX and contact center option**

Issabel is a fork of Elastix and includes PBX, call center, CRM, email, and collaboration tools.

**Queue features:**
- Call queues
- Agent management
- Campaign tools
- Call recording
- Reports
- IVR
- Basic call center functionality included

**Best for:** Teams that want more built-in call center features without relying heavily on paid modules.

**Website:** https://www.issabel.org/

---

## 3. **FusionPBX**
**Best for multi-tenant or VoIP providers**

FusionPBX is a web interface for FreeSWITCH. It is powerful and flexible, especially for hosted PBX or multi-tenant deployments.

**Queue features:**
- Call center module
- Agent tiers
- Queue strategies
- Call routing
- Recordings
- Multi-tenant support

**Best for:** MSPs, VoIP providers, or companies needing multi-tenant PBX hosting.

**Website:** https://www.fusionpbx.com/

---

## 4. **VitalPBX Community Edition**
**Best modern FreePBX alternative**

VitalPBX is based on Asterisk and offers a clean web interface with many business PBX features.

**Queue features:**
- Call queues
- Agent management
- Ring strategies
- Queue announcements
- Call recording
- Reports

**Best for:** Teams wanting a modern Asterisk-based PBX with a simpler UI.

**Website:** https://www.vitalpbx.com/

---

# Recommendation

If you want the safest and most widely supported option, choose:

## **FreePBX + Asterisk**

It has strong queue management, excellent documentation, wide hardware/provider compatibility, and a large community.

If you need more call-center-style features out of the box, consider:

## **Issabel**

For hosted or multi-tenant environments, use:

## **FusionPBX**


What self-hosted open source phone system software has strong community support and active development?

Good self-hosted open-source phone system options with strong community support and active development include:

1. **FreePBX / Asterisk**
   - **Best general recommendation**
   - Very widely used
   - Large community, lots of documentation
   - Web-based PBX management
   - Supports SIP trunks, extensions, IVRs, queues, voicemail, recordings, etc.
   - Asterisk is the telephony engine; FreePBX is the GUI/admin layer

2. **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH**
   - Strong option for more advanced or multi-tenant setups
   - Good for service providers, hosted PBX, and larger deployments
   - FreeSWITCH is powerful and scalable
   - FusionPBX provides the web GUI

3. **Wazo Platform**
   - Open-source UC/PBX platform
   - Actively developed
   - API-friendly and more modern architecturally
   - Good if you want automation or integration-heavy deployments

4. **VitalPBX**
   - Asterisk-based PBX with a polished web interface
   - Has a free/community edition
   - Easier to manage than building directly on Asterisk
   - Check license/features carefully depending on your needs

5. **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS**
   - Not full PBX systems by themselves
   - Excellent open-source SIP proxies/routers
   - Best for large-scale SIP routing, SBC-like functions, trunk routing, or carrier-style deployments
   - Often paired with Asterisk or FreeSWITCH

### Best choice for most people

If you want a traditional self-hosted business phone system, choose:

**FreePBX with Asterisk**

It has the largest community, mature documentation, broad hardware/provider support, and is still actively maintained.

If you need multi-tenant hosting or higher-scale SIP infrastructure, consider:

**FusionPBX with FreeSWITCH**.


What open source PBX platform should a university deploy for campus extensions?

A good default choice is **FreePBX**, which is an open-source PBX distribution built on **Asterisk**.

Why it fits a university campus:

- Web-based administration for extensions, voicemail, IVRs, ring groups, queues, etc.
- Mature Asterisk telephony engine
- Large community and documentation base
- Supports SIP phones, softphones, trunks, paging, emergency calling workflows, and voicemail-to-email
- Easier to manage than raw Asterisk
- Can integrate with LDAP/Active Directory, though this may require extra configuration or modules

Recommended deployment pattern:

- **FreePBX/Asterisk** for the main PBX
- SIP desk phones or softphones for campus extensions
- Redundant PBX or backup instance if uptime is critical
- Separate voice VLANs and QoS for campus VoIP
- E911/emergency calling planning before production rollout

If the university is very large and expects tens of thousands of SIP endpoints, consider a more scalable architecture using **Kamailio or OpenSIPS** as a SIP proxy in front of **Asterisk** or **FreeSWITCH**.

But for most campus extension deployments, I’d recommend:

**FreePBX on Asterisk**.


Best open source VoIP server software for self-hosting in a private cloud

For self-hosting an open-source VoIP server in a private cloud, the best choice depends on whether you want a full PBX, a SIP routing platform, or a scalable carrier-style setup.

## Best overall: **FreePBX + Asterisk**

**Best for:** Most businesses, homelabs, private cloud PBX deployments

**Why choose it:**
- Based on the mature **Asterisk** VoIP engine
- Web-based administration
- SIP extensions, trunks, IVRs, queues, voicemail, ring groups
- Large community and lots of documentation
- Easier to manage than raw Asterisk

**Good fit if you want:**
- A self-hosted office phone system
- SIP phones and softphones
- Voicemail, call routing, call recording
- Connection to SIP trunk providers

Website:
https://www.freepbx.org/

---

## Best for advanced/custom VoIP: **Asterisk**

**Best for:** Developers, custom PBX logic, embedded VoIP systems

**Why choose it:**
- Extremely flexible
- Very mature and widely deployed
- Supports SIP, voicemail, IVR, queues, conferencing, dialplans
- Can be heavily customized

**Downside:**
- More manual configuration than FreePBX

Website:
https://www.asterisk.org/

---

## Best for scalable SIP/media infrastructure: **FreeSWITCH**

**Best for:** High-volume VoIP, conferencing, custom platforms, service providers

**Why choose it:**
- Very powerful media handling
- Good for conferencing, IVR, SBC-style applications, WebRTC
- Often used in larger-scale VoIP platforms

**Downside:**
- Steeper learning curve than FreePBX

Website:
https://freeswitch.org/

---

## Best FreeSWITCH-based PBX GUI: **FusionPBX**

**Best for:** Multi-tenant PBX hosting, private cloud VoIP platforms

**Why choose it:**
- Web GUI for FreeSWITCH
- Multi-tenant support
- Good for hosting multiple organizations or departments
- Useful for private-cloud PBX-as-a-service setups

Website:
https://www.fusionpbx.com/

---

## Best SIP proxy/router: **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS**

**Best for:** SIP routing, load balancing, security, large deployments

These are not full PBXs by themselves. They are SIP proxy/registrar platforms often used in front of Asterisk or FreeSWITCH.

### Kamailio
- Excellent for high-performance SIP routing
- Very scalable
- Common in carrier-grade environments

Website:
https://www.kamailio.org/

### OpenSIPS
- Similar use case to Kamailio
- Strong SIP routing and load balancing features
- Also widely used in service-provider deployments

Website:
https://opensips.org/

---

# Quick recommendation

| Use case | Recommended software |
|---|---|
| Simple private cloud PBX | **FreePBX** |
| Custom PBX from scratch | **Asterisk** |
| Multi-tenant hosted PBX | **FusionPBX** |
| Large-scale media/conferencing | **FreeSWITCH** |
| SIP proxy/load balancer | **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS** |

## My recommendation

For most self-hosted private cloud deployments, choose:

**FreePBX + Asterisk**

It gives you the best balance of maturity, features, ease of administration, and community support.

If you need multi-tenant hosting, choose:

**FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH**

If you are building a larger SIP platform, use:

**Kamailio/OpenSIPS in front of Asterisk or FreeSWITCH**.


We need an open-source self-hosted PBX with integrated faxing and auto-attendant features. What should we choose?

Choose **FreePBX**.

It is an open-source, self-hosted PBX built on **Asterisk** and fits your requirements well:

- **Auto-attendant / IVR**: built-in IVR menus, time conditions, ring groups, queues, voicemail, call routing.
- **Fax support**: supports faxing via T.38/SIP fax, Asterisk fax features, and integrations such as HylaFAX/IAXmodem depending on your setup.
- **Self-hosted**: can run on your own server or VM.
- **Web admin UI**: much easier to manage than raw Asterisk configs.
- **Widely used**: large community, lots of documentation, compatible with many SIP trunks and IP phones.

Recommended option: install the **FreePBX Distro** from Sangoma for the easiest deployment.

If you want a more all-in-one older-style PBX/fax bundle, you could also look at **Issabel**, but for most new deployments, **FreePBX** is the safer default choice.


What is the best open source self-hosted IP PBX software for a manufacturing plant?

For most manufacturing plants, the best open-source self-hosted IP PBX choice is **FreePBX**, which is a web-based PBX platform built on **Asterisk**.

### Best overall: FreePBX / Asterisk

**Why it fits a manufacturing plant:**

- Mature and widely deployed
- Easy web administration
- Strong support for SIP phones, softphones, and analog gateways
- Good paging/intercom support for plant-floor announcements
- Ring groups, queues, IVRs, voicemail, call recording
- Works with overhead paging systems using SIP paging adapters
- Large community and plenty of documentation
- Compatible with many vendors: Yealink, Grandstream, Poly, Cisco, Sangoma, Fanvil, etc.
- Can connect to SIP trunks, PRI, or analog PSTN lines

### Recommended setup

Use **FreePBX Distro** on a dedicated server or VM, with:

- SIP trunk for outside calling
- UPS-backed server and network switches
- Separate voice VLAN with QoS
- Rugged IP phones or wall-mounted SIP phones on the plant floor
- SIP paging adapters for speakers/horns
- Analog gateway if you need fax lines, alarm panels, or legacy phones
- Backup internet or local PSTN failover for emergency calls

### Good alternatives

| Software | Best for |
|---|---|
| **Asterisk** | Maximum customization, if you have telecom/Linux expertise |
| **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH** | More advanced multi-site or multi-tenant environments |
| **VitalPBX** | Polished interface, Asterisk-based, but less common than FreePBX |
| **3CX** | Easy to use, but not open source |

### My recommendation

If you want a reliable, practical, open-source PBX for a manufacturing facility, choose:

**FreePBX + Asterisk**

It gives the best balance of features, hardware compatibility, community support, and ease of administration.

For a plant environment, pay special attention to **paging, emergency calling, failover, UPS power, network QoS, and security**.


Affordable open source PBX software for a 15-person consulting agency

For a 15-person consulting agency, these are the best affordable open-source PBX options:

## Best overall: FreePBX
**FreePBX** is likely the safest choice.

- Built on **Asterisk**
- Web-based admin interface
- Good for small businesses
- Supports SIP trunks, extensions, voicemail, IVR, ring groups, call forwarding, queues
- Large community and lots of documentation
- Can run on a small on-prem server or cloud VPS

**Typical cost:** Free software, plus SIP trunk costs and optional paid modules/support.

Website: https://www.freepbx.org/

## Best lightweight/cloud-friendly option: FusionPBX
**FusionPBX** is a good choice if you want something powerful and flexible.

- Built on **FreeSWITCH**
- Good multi-tenant support
- Works well on a VPS
- Strong routing and call-handling features
- More technical than FreePBX

**Typical cost:** Free software, but may require more setup expertise.

Website: https://www.fusionpbx.com/

## Simpler small-business option: Issabel
**Issabel** is another Asterisk-based PBX with a web interface.

- Fork/continuation of older Elastix-style systems
- Includes PBX, voicemail, IVR, call recording, reports
- Easier for basic business phone needs
- Smaller ecosystem than FreePBX

Website: https://www.issabel.org/

## My recommendation
For a 15-person consulting agency, choose:

**FreePBX + a SIP trunk provider + Yealink or Grandstream phones**

A practical setup would be:

- FreePBX on a small cloud VPS or mini PC
- 15 SIP extensions
- SIP trunk from providers like Flowroute, Twilio Elastic SIP Trunking, VoIP.ms, Telnyx, or Callcentric
- Desk phones or softphones such as Zoiper, Linphone, MicroSIP, or mobile SIP apps

## Estimated monthly cost
For 15 users:

- PBX software: **$0**
- VPS: **$5–$20/month**, if cloud-hosted
- SIP trunk: usually **$10–$30/month plus usage**
- Phone numbers: around **$1–$5/month each**
- Calling: often **$0.005–$0.02/minute**, depending on country/provider

## If you want the easiest path
Use **FreePBX** unless you have a strong technical reason to choose FusionPBX. It has the best balance of cost, features, documentation, and community support for a small agency.


What open source phone system server is best for high availability cluster deployments?

For high-availability clustered VoIP deployments, the best open-source choice is usually:

**Kamailio or OpenSIPS** for SIP routing/registration clustering, often paired with **FreeSWITCH** for media/PBX services.

If you want an all-in-one PBX-style platform, consider:

**FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH** — generally more cluster-friendly than Asterisk/FreePBX for larger HA deployments.

Avoid relying on **Asterisk/FreePBX** if you need true active-active clustering. It can do active-passive HA with tools like Pacemaker/Corosync, but it is not natively designed for distributed clustering.

Recommended architecture:

- **Kamailio/OpenSIPS**: SIP proxy, load balancing, failover, registration
- **FreeSWITCH/FusionPBX**: call handling, voicemail, IVR, media
- **PostgreSQL/MariaDB replication**: shared state/config
- **RTPengine/RTPEproxy**: media proxying if needed
- **Keepalived/VRRP or DNS SRV**: failover

So the short answer: **Kamailio/OpenSIPS + FreeSWITCH is the strongest open-source HA cluster stack.**


Best self-hosted open source IP-PBX software for a logistics company

For a logistics company, the best overall self-hosted open-source IP-PBX choice is usually **FreePBX with Asterisk**.

## Best choice: FreePBX + Asterisk

**Why it fits logistics operations well:**

- Mature and widely deployed
- Strong support for **call queues**, **IVR**, **ring groups**, and **dispatch-style routing**
- Good web admin interface
- Supports SIP trunks, desk phones, softphones, and mobile apps
- Call recording and reporting available
- Easy integration with CRM, ticketing, and fleet/logistics systems via APIs or custom Asterisk dialplan
- Large community and many commercial support options
- Suitable for single-site or multi-branch setups

**Good for:**

- Dispatch teams
- Customer service lines
- Warehouse/yard offices
- Driver communication through mobile SIP apps
- After-hours routing
- Call recording for compliance and dispute resolution

---

## Strong alternatives

### 1. FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH

Best if you need **multi-tenant or multi-branch** architecture.

**Pros:**

- Very powerful
- Good for multiple depots, regions, or business units
- Based on FreeSWITCH, which scales well
- Flexible routing and SIP handling

**Cons:**

- More complex to administer than FreePBX
- Smaller beginner-friendly community

**Best for:** larger logistics companies with multiple branches or customers.

---

### 2. Issabel PBX

A fork/evolution of older Elastix-style PBX systems.

**Pros:**

- Includes PBX, email, call center, and CRM-style features
- Asterisk-based
- Easier for all-in-one deployments

**Cons:**

- Smaller ecosystem than FreePBX
- Less modern than some alternatives

**Best for:** companies wanting an all-in-one communications platform.

---

### 3. VitalPBX

Modern Asterisk-based PBX with a clean interface.

**Pros:**

- Easier UI than some older systems
- Good commercial support
- Asterisk-based

**Cons:**

- Some advanced features may be commercial
- Not as universally adopted as FreePBX

**Best for:** companies that want a polished PBX with optional paid support.

---

## My recommendation

For most logistics companies:

### Choose **FreePBX + Asterisk**

It gives the best balance of:

- Reliability
- Features
- Community support
- SIP trunk compatibility
- Ease of administration
- Integration options

If you have many branches or need multi-tenant separation, consider **FusionPBX** instead.

---

## Suggested deployment setup

For a logistics company, I’d recommend:

- **FreePBX on Debian/Rocky/AlmaLinux**
- Hosted on-premise or private cloud/VPS
- SIP trunk from a reliable telecom provider
- TLS/SRTP if remote phones are used
- VPN for branch offices and remote dispatchers
- Call recording enabled for dispatch/customer service
- Daily backups
- Secondary failover PBX or SIP trunk failover route
- UPS power backup if hosted on-site

---

## Key features to configure

- IVR: “Press 1 for Dispatch, 2 for Customer Service…”
- Queues for dispatch and support teams
- Ring groups by depot/location
- Call recording
- Time-based routing
- Emergency routing
- Mobile softphone support
- CRM/TMS integration if needed
- Call reports by department/user
- Failover routing to mobile numbers if PBX is offline

**Bottom line:** Use **FreePBX + Asterisk** unless you specifically need advanced multi-tenant/multi-site architecture, in which case use **FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH**.


Which open source self-hosted PBX has the best integration with standard SIP phones?

**FreePBX, built on Asterisk, is usually the best choice** if you want an open-source, self-hosted PBX with broad compatibility with standard SIP phones.

Why FreePBX/Asterisk is the safest pick:

- Excellent support for standard SIP via **PJSIP**
- Works well with common SIP phones: **Yealink, Grandstream, Poly/Polycom, Snom, Fanvil, Cisco SPA**, etc.
- Strong support for normal phone features: registration, BLF, MWI, call transfer, parking, voicemail, ring groups, paging, IVRs
- Huge community, lots of documentation, and many real-world deployments
- Easier administration than raw Asterisk because of the web GUI

A few caveats:

- Phone **auto-provisioning** varies by brand/model. FreePBX has endpoint management options, but some polished provisioning features may require commercial modules.
- For best results, use mainstream SIP phones like **Yealink or Grandstream**.
- If you want a more telephony-engine-focused system and are comfortable with more manual configuration, **FusionPBX/FreeSWITCH** is also very capable, especially at scale.

**Short answer:** Use **FreePBX/Asterisk** for the best overall integration with standard SIP phones.


What open source PBX platform is best for building custom telephony applications?

For building custom telephony applications, **Asterisk** is usually the best open-source PBX platform.

Why Asterisk is a strong choice:

- Mature and widely adopted
- Huge community and documentation base
- Supports SIP, PSTN gateways, IVR, voicemail, queues, conferencing, recording, etc.
- Highly programmable via:
  - **Dialplan**
  - **AGI** / **FastAGI**
  - **AMI**
  - **ARI** for modern application control
- Works well for custom IVRs, call routing, call centers, click-to-call, recording systems, and voice bots

If you want a GUI-based PBX built on Asterisk, consider **FreePBX**.
If you are building very large-scale or media-heavy telecom systems, **FreeSWITCH** may be a better fit.

But for most custom PBX and telephony application development, the best starting point is **Asterisk**.


Recommend an open source PBX software with robust REST APIs for CRM integration.

**Recommendation: Wazo Platform** (open source, Asterisk-based)

Wazo is a strong choice if you want an open source PBX/UC platform with **robust REST APIs** for CRM integration.

### Why Wazo
- **REST API-first architecture**
- Built on **Asterisk**, but exposes higher-level APIs
- Supports:
  - Users, extensions, lines, devices
  - Call control
  - Call logs / CDRs
  - Contacts
  - Voicemail
  - Presence
  - Webhooks / events
- Good fit for CRM features like:
  - Click-to-call
  - Screen pop on inbound calls
  - Call history sync
  - Agent/user provisioning
  - Call recording metadata integration

Website: **https://wazo-platform.org/**
GitHub: **https://github.com/wazo-platform**

### Strong alternative: Asterisk
If you prefer a lower-level PBX engine and are comfortable building more yourself, use **Asterisk** directly.

Asterisk provides:
- **ARI — Asterisk REST Interface** for call control
- **AMI — Asterisk Manager Interface** for events/control
- **CDR/CEL** integrations for call records

Website: **https://www.asterisk.org/**

### Practical recommendation
Use:

- **Wazo** if you want a complete open source PBX with clean REST APIs.
- **Asterisk** if you want maximum flexibility and are comfortable engineering the CRM integration layer yourself.

For most CRM integration projects, I’d start with **Wazo**.


What open source PBX software should a real estate office self-host?

For a real estate office, the best open-source PBX to self-host is usually **FreePBX**.

### Recommended: **FreePBX**
**Why it fits a real estate office:**
- Built on **Asterisk**, widely used and mature
- Easy web-based admin interface
- Supports:
  - Auto-attendants / IVR: “Press 1 for sales…”
  - Ring groups for agents
  - Call forwarding to cell phones
  - Voicemail-to-email
  - Call recording
  - Business hours routing
  - SIP trunks and desk phones
- Large community and lots of documentation
- Can run on a small on-prem server or VPS

### Good alternative: **FusionPBX**
Choose **FusionPBX** if you want something more flexible and scalable, especially for multi-tenant setups or advanced VoIP configurations. It is based on **FreeSWITCH**, but it is generally less beginner-friendly than FreePBX.

### My practical recommendation
Use **FreePBX** unless you already have VoIP expertise.

A typical setup would be:
- FreePBX hosted on a small server or cloud VPS
- SIP trunk from providers like Flowroute, Telnyx, Skyetel, or VoIP.ms
- Yealink or Poly desk phones
- Mobile softphones for agents
- Automatic backups enabled

### Important note
If the office does not have someone comfortable managing VoIP security, firewall rules, SIP trunks, and backups, a hosted PBX may be safer. Self-hosted PBX systems can be targeted by toll-fraud attacks if misconfigured.


Best open source self-hosted IP phone system for a government department

For a government department, the best general-purpose open-source self-hosted IP phone system is usually:

## Recommended: FreePBX + Asterisk

### Why it is a strong fit
- Mature and widely deployed
- Open-source PBX based on Asterisk
- Good web administration interface
- Supports SIP phones, SIP trunks, IVR, queues, voicemail, call recording, ring groups, paging, etc.
- Large community and documentation base
- Works with many hardware IP phones: Yealink, Poly, Cisco, Grandstream, Snom, etc.
- Can be deployed fully on-premises
- Commercial support is available if required for government procurement

### Best for
- Small to medium government departments
- Internal extensions
- Reception/IVR
- Call queues
- Voicemail
- Call recording
- SIP trunk connectivity
- On-premise PBX replacement

---

## Alternative: FusionPBX + FreeSWITCH

### Why consider it
- Very powerful and scalable
- Better suited to multi-tenant or multi-site deployments
- Strong SIP routing and media handling
- Good if you need many departments, agencies, or branches separated on one platform

### Best for
- Larger deployments
- Multi-tenant government environments
- Service-provider-style architecture
- More technically skilled IT teams

---

## For high-security or large-scale deployments

Consider using:

- **Asterisk/FreePBX or FreeSWITCH/FusionPBX** as the PBX
- **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS** as a SIP proxy/SBC layer
- Separate firewall/session border controller
- TLS/SRTP for encrypted signaling and media
- VPN or private network for remote phones
- Centralized logging and monitoring

---

## My practical recommendation

For most government departments:

> Use **FreePBX with Asterisk**, self-hosted on-premises or in a private government cloud, with professional support and proper hardening.

If the department is large, multi-site, or needs carrier-grade SIP routing:

> Use **FusionPBX/FreeSWITCH**, possibly with **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS** in front.

---

## Important government considerations

Before deployment, check:

- Emergency calling support
- Call recording retention policy
- Audit logging
- LDAP/Active Directory integration
- Role-based admin access
- Encryption: SIP TLS and SRTP
- Backup and disaster recovery
- High availability requirements
- Patch management
- Network segregation/VLANs for voice
- Compliance with local public-sector security standards

Avoid exposing the PBX directly to the public internet unless protected by a properly configured SBC, firewall, fail2ban, strong passwords, and SIP hardening.


What is the best open source PBX software for a small business?

**FreePBX** is widely considered the best open-source PBX software for small businesses.

### Why FreePBX?
* **User-Friendly Interface:** It provides a web-based GUI built on top of the powerful **Asterisk** communications engine, making administration easy without requiring advanced command-line skills.
* **Feature-Rich:** Includes enterprise-grade features like auto-attendants (IVR), voicemail-to-email, call queues, call recording, and conference bridges out of the box.
* **Large Community & Ecosystem:** Highly supported with extensive documentation, forums, and a wide ecosystem of compatible SIP phones and VoIP trunks.

### Top Alternative:
* **FusionPBX:** Built on top of **FreeSWITCH**, it is highly reliable, scalable, and multi-tenant capable, though it has a slightly steeper learning curve than FreePBX.


Best open-source self-hosted phone system for a 50-person company

The best overall choice for a 50-person company is **FreePBX** (powered by Asterisk).

### Why FreePBX is the best choice:
* **Fully Featured:** Includes IVRs, call queuing, voicemail-to-email, ring groups, call recording, and softphone support out of the box.
* **Ease of Management:** Provides a comprehensive web-based GUI, making it much easier to administer than bare-metal Asterisk.
* **Right-Sized:** Easily handles 50 concurrent users without high resource demands (runs smoothly on a basic local VM or cheap cloud instance like AWS/DigitalOcean).
* **Massive Community:** Extensively documented with a large ecosystem of supported IP phones (Yealink, Grandstream, Cisco) and SIP trunks.

---

### Top Alternative: **FusionPBX** (powered by FreeSWITCH)
If you prefer FreeSWITCH over Asterisk for higher stability under heavy loads or plan to manage multiple offices/tenants, **FusionPBX** is the best alternative. It has a modern interface and robust features, though it has a slightly steeper learning curve than FreePBX.

---

### What you need to set it up:
1. **Hosting:** A local server/hypervisor (Proxmox/ESXi) or a $10–$20/month Cloud VPS.
2. **SIP Trunk Provider:** A service like Twilio, Telnyx, or Voip.ms for actual phone number connectivity.
3. **Endpoints:** Softphone apps (e.g., Zoiper, Linphone) or hardware IP phones (e.g., Yealink T4 series).


We are a 30 person startup looking to host our own VoIP PBX server on-premises. What open source software should we use?

For a 30-person startup, the top open-source VoIP PBX software options are:

### 1. FreePBX (Recommended)
* **Underlying Engine:** Asterisk
* **Best For:** Easiest setup, management, and standard business phone features.
* **Why choose it:** It is the industry standard for open-source PBX. It provides an intuitive web GUI over the powerful Asterisk engine, giving you features like IVRs (auto-attendants), call queues, ring groups, voicemail-to-email, and mobile/desktop softphone integration out of the box.
* **Deployment:** Download the **FreePBX Distro** (an all-in-one ISO containing Linux, Asterisk, and the GUI).

### 2. FusionPBX
* **Underlying Engine:** FreeSWITCH
* **Best For:** High reliability, multi-tenancy, and advanced routing.
* **Why choose it:** FreeSWITCH is generally considered more modern and efficient than Asterisk under heavy loads, and FusionPBX provides a robust GUI for it. It has a slightly steeper learning curve than FreePBX, but is extremely stable.

---

### Recommendation
Use **FreePBX Distro**. For 30 users, it requires minimal hardware (a basic low-power server or mini-PC with 4GB RAM and a 4-core CPU is plenty), has the largest community support, and works seamlessly with standard SIP trunks (e.g., Twilio, Telnyx) and IP phones (e.g., Yealink, Grandstream).


Recommend an open source IP-PBX platform for an enterprise with 200 employees.

The top recommendation for a 200-employee enterprise is **FreePBX** (built on the Asterisk engine).

### Why FreePBX?
* **Enterprise Features:** Includes advanced call routing, IVR, call queues, voicemail-to-email, conferencing, and softphone integration out of the box.
* **Scalability:** Easily handles 200+ concurrent users with proper server sizing.
* **Ecosystem & Support:** Backed by Sangoma, offering optional commercial modules (like CRM integration) and official paid support if your internal IT team needs assistance.
* **Hardware/Vendor Agnostic:** Works with almost all SIP phones (Yealink, Grandstream, Poly, etc.) and SIP trunk providers.

### Alternative Choice: **FusionPBX** (built on FreeSWITCH)
If you prefer a FreeSWITCH backend—which handles high-concurrency audio processing exceptionally well—**FusionPBX** is a powerful alternative with robust multi-tenant and enterprise capability.


affordable self hosted open source PBX software

Here are the best free, self-hosted, open-source PBX software options:

1. **FreePBX** (Asterisk-based)
   * **Best for:** Most users and small-to-medium businesses.
   * **Why:** It is the industry standard. It provides a user-friendly web GUI on top of the powerful Asterisk engine. It has a massive community and extensive documentation.

2. **FusionPBX** (FreeSWITCH-based)
   * **Best for:** High performance, stability, and multi-tenant setups.
   * **Why:** Built on FreeSWITCH, it handles high call volumes efficiently and offers a clean web interface with robust security features.

3. **Issabel** (Asterisk-based)
   * **Best for:** All-in-one Unified Communications.
   * **Why:** A open-source continuation of Elastix. It includes PBX functionality along with built-in modules for call center management, CRM integration, video conferencing, and email.

4. **Wazo Platform** (Asterisk-based)
   * **Best for:** Developers and API-driven automation.
   * **Why:** Modern, highly scalable, and built specifically with a REST API-first architecture, making it easy to integrate into existing custom software.

5. **Asterisk** (Standalone)
   * **Best for:** Advanced users and custom builds.
   * **Why:** The core engine behind many PBX systems. It has no web interface by default, but offers total control and the lowest possible resource overhead.

**Cost Breakdown for Self-Hosting:**
* **Software:** $0 (100% Free)
* **Hosting:** $5–$10/month on a Cloud VPS (DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr) or free on an old local PC / Raspberry Pi.
* **SIP Trunking (Calls):** Pay-as-you-go providers like Twilio, Telnyx, or Flowroute (typically $1/month per number + ~$0.005/min).


What open source PBX software do IT administrators actually recommend?

IT administrators generally recommend different open-source PBX platforms depending on the specific use case, scale, and technical expertise required:

### 1. **FreePBX (Asterisk-based)** — *Best Overall for Standard Businesses*
* **Why it’s recommended:** It is the industry standard open-source PBX GUI. Built on top of the powerful Asterisk engine, it has the largest community, extensive documentation, and wide hardware/SIP provider compatibility.
* **Best for:** Small to medium businesses (SMBs) looking for a traditional, full-featured phone system without reinventing the wheel.

### 2. **FusionPBX (FreeSWITCH-based)** — *Best for Scalability & Multi-Tenancy*
* **Why it’s recommended:** Built on FreeSWITCH (which many admins prefer over Asterisk for modern code architecture and performance), FusionPBX excels at handling multiple separate organizations (multi-tenancy) on a single server.
* **Best for:** MSPs (Managed Service Providers), ITSPs, and larger enterprise environments.

### 3. **Asterisk or FreeSWITCH (Raw Engines)** — *Best for Developers & Custom Builds*
* **Why it’s recommended:** If you don't need a web GUI and want to build custom IVRs, complex call routing, or integrate telephony directly into a custom application, running raw Asterisk or FreeSWITCH via configuration files/APIs is the gold standard.
* **Best for:** DevOps teams and telecom engineers building custom voice applications.

### 4. **Kamailio / OpenSIPS** — *Best for High-Volume / Carrier-Grade Routing*
* **Why it’s recommended:** These are not traditional PBXs (they don't handle voicemail or IVRs natively), but rather ultra-fast SIP proxy servers capable of handling tens of thousands of call setups per second.
* **Best for:** Large enterprise infrastructure, load balancing, and VoIP service providers.

---

### **Summary Verdict from IT Admins:**
* If you want a **standard office phone system** with a web GUI: Go with **FreePBX**.
* If you want a **modern, highly scalable system or manage multiple clients**: Go with **FusionPBX**.


Best open source self-hosted VoIP server for Linux

The best open-source self-hosted VoIP servers for Linux depend on your technical needs:

### 1. Best Overall (Easiest to Use): **FreePBX**
* **What it is:** A feature-rich web GUI built on top of the Asterisk framework.
* **Why it's the best:** It simplifies managing extensions, IVRs (auto-attendants), voicemail, trunking, and call routing without editing code. It is available as a standalone Linux ISO or installable on existing Linux distros.

### 2. Best for Developers & Customization: **FreeSWITCH**
* **What it is:** A modern, highly scalable, and modular software-defined telecom stack.
* **Why use it:** Handles voice, video, and chat exceptionally well with lower resource usage than Asterisk. Ideal if you are building custom VoIP applications.
* *Note:* If you want a GUI for FreeSWITCH, use **FusionPBX**.

### 3. Best Industry Standard Core Engine: **Asterisk**
* **What it is:** The original open-source PBX engine that powers most VoIP solutions (including FreePBX).
* **Why use it:** Maximum flexibility and massive community support. Configuration is done via command-line and text files, making it best for advanced administrators.

### 4. Best for Carrier-Grade / High Scale: **Kamailio** or **OpenSIPS**
* **What it is:** SIP proxy servers (not full PBX systems).
* **Why use it:** Built to handle millions of calls per day, load balancing, and routing for ISPs or massive enterprise environments.

---

### Summary Recommendation
* Choose **FreePBX** for a traditional, ready-to-use business phone system.
* Choose **FreeSWITCH** (or **FusionPBX**) for better performance, WebRTC integration, and custom development.


What is the most reliable open source PBX software for a call center?

The most reliable and proven open-source PBX software options for a call center depend on your specific needs:

1. **VICIdial (Best overall for dedicated call centers):** Built on top of Asterisk, VICIdial is the industry standard for open-source inbound/outbound call centers. It includes built-in predictive dialing, agent management, call recording, and detailed reporting out of the box.

2. **FreePBX (Best for standard PBX + basic call queues):** Also powered by Asterisk, FreePBX offers a user-friendly GUI. It is exceptionally stable for standard business telephony and basic call queues, though advanced call center features require paid add-ons.

3. **FreeSWITCH / FusionPBX (Best for high volume and scale):** FreeSWITCH is a modern, highly scalable media engine designed for massive concurrency. FusionPBX provides a Web GUI for it. It is ideal if you are building a custom, multi-tenant, or very large-scale enterprise system.

**Recommendation:** For a turn-key open-source call center with advanced features like predictive dialing, go with **VICIdial**. For a traditional office PBX with standard call queuing, go with **FreePBX**.


We need to deploy a self-hosted IP PBX on a cloud server. What open source software is best?

The best open-source IP PBX software depends on your technical expertise and specific needs, but **FreePBX** is the top overall choice for most deployments.

Here are the best options based on use case:

1. **FreePBX (Best Overall / Easiest to Use)**
   * **Engine:** Asterisk
   * **Why choose it:** It is the industry standard with the largest community, extensive documentation, and a comprehensive web-based GUI. It includes virtually every feature needed for standard business telephony out of the box.

2. **FusionPBX (Best for Multi-Tenancy & High Scalability)**
   * **Engine:** FreeSWITCH
   * **Why choose it:** Ideal if you need to manage multiple separate companies/clients on a single server or need higher performance under heavy call loads.

3. **Wazo (Best for Developers & API Integration)**
   * **Engine:** Asterisk
   * **Why choose it:** Built with an API-first architecture, making it the best option if you plan to integrate voice services directly into custom applications or modern WebRTC stacks.

### Recommendation:
Start with **FreePBX** on a standard cloud VM (like Debian on AWS, DigitalOcean, or Linode) unless you explicitly require multi-tenant capabilities (FusionPBX) or heavy API automation (Wazo).


Top open source PBX options for small office telephony

Here are the top open-source PBX options for small office telephony, ranked by ease of use and features:

1. **FreePBX** (Best Overall)
   * **Engine:** Asterisk
   * **Why choose it:** It is the industry standard with the largest community support. It adds a user-friendly Web GUI to Asterisk, making it easy to manage extensions, IVRs, voicemail, and SIP trunks without coding skills.

2. **Issabel** (Best All-in-One Package)
   * **Engine:** Asterisk
   * **Why choose it:** A open-source continuation of the popular *Elastix* platform. It offers an easy installer that includes PBX functionality, integrated security (Fail2ban), CRM integration options, and built-in web conferencing tools.

3. **FusionPBX** (Best Alternative Architecture)
   * **Engine:** FreeSWITCH
   * **Why choose it:** Offers an enterprise-grade web interface on top of FreeSWITCH. It is extremely stable, lightweight, supports multi-tenancy (multiple sub-offices), and handles high call volumes well.

4. **Asterisk** (Best for Custom Solutions)
   * **Type:** Core Engine
   * **Why choose it:** The foundation of modern IP telephony. It provides maximum flexibility to build custom call routing logic and integration, though it requires Linux and command-line expertise unless paired with a GUI like FreePBX.

5. **FreeSWITCH** (Best for Developers)
   * **Type:** Core Engine
   * **Why choose it:** A modular, high-performance softswitch designed for routing voice, video, and data. Best for businesses wanting to build proprietary or highly customized communications platforms from scratch.

### Quick Recommendation:
* Go with **FreePBX** for the quickest setup and broadest hardware/software support.
* Choose **Issabel** if you want a complete unified communications bundle out of the box.


Which open source self-hosted phone system software has the best web admin interface?

**VitalPBX** is widely considered to have the best, most modern, and most intuitive web admin interface among self-hosted open-source PBX systems. It is built on top of Asterisk and provides a clean, responsive, and user-friendly GUI.

**Key Alternatives:**
*   **FreePBX:** The most popular and feature-rich open-source option, though its admin interface feels more dated and complex compared to VitalPBX.
*   **FusionPBX:** The top open-source choice if you prefer a FreeSWITCH backend rather than Asterisk, offering a clean, powerful, multi-tenant interface.

*Note: VitalPBX offers a robust free version (up to 12 extensions/4 trunks), while FreePBX and FusionPBX are completely free and open source.*