Phone system comparison
Two popular business phone systems compared on licensing, price, hosting and features, using each vendor's own published information.
In short
3CX and Yeastar both make business phone systems you can run on site or in the cloud. 3CX licenses each system by simultaneous calls and publishes USD prices. Yeastar sells P-Series subscriptions on three plans, quoted through partners, and makes its own hardware. SureTel is an authorised Yeastar partner and also sells its own hosted Cloud PBX, so read this with that in mind.
Side by side
Last checked . Vendor sources: 3CX pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6Yeastar pages: 1, 2, 3, 4
| 3CX | Yeastar P-Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Licensed per system by simultaneous calls (SC), with “no per-user fees”. Editions: Free (SMB Free / StartUP, up to 10 users including hosting — 3CX said in December 2025 it is scaling this back), Basic, Pro and AI (Enterprise/AI Edition).Sources: 1, 2, 3 | Subscription licensing on three plans: Standard, Enterprise and Ultimate.Sources: 1, 2 |
| Pricing | Published list prices in USD per year excl. tax — 8SC from $300 (Basic), $395 (Pro), $575 (AI). Prices are in USD and subject to exchange-rate changes.Sources: 1, 2 | Prices not published — quote-based through partners.Sources: 1 |
| Hosting | Runs on Windows or Linux. Hosted by 3CX (from $295/year for 8SC, not on Basic) or self-hosted on AWS, Azure, Google or DigitalOcean.Sources: 1, 2 | Three products: Appliance (on-site hardware), Software Edition and Cloud Edition (5–500 extensions).Sources: 1, 2 |
| Hardware | 3CX does not sell its own hardware appliance.Sources: 1 | Own appliances: P520 (20 users/10 calls), P550 (50/25), P560 (100–200 users/30–60 calls), P570 (300–500/60–120).Sources: 1 |
| Apps | Apps included from Pro.Sources: 1 | Linkus apps for web, mobile and desktop.Sources: 1 |
| Call centre | Pro adds advanced queues, wallboards and whisper/listen/barge.Sources: 1 | Inbound call centre (ACD, queues, skill routing) from Enterprise.Sources: 1 |
| CRM and Teams | Pro includes Microsoft 365, HubSpot and Salesforce integration, Teams Direct Routing, and WhatsApp/SMS/chat.Sources: 1 | CRM integrations (Zoho, Salesforce, HubSpot, Bitrix24, Odoo, Dynamics 365) from Enterprise.Sources: 1 |
| Video | Pro includes video conferencing for up to 100 participants.Sources: 1 | Video conferencing on Ultimate.Sources: 1 |
| AI | AI features sit in the AI (Enterprise/AI) Edition.Sources: 1 | AI receptionist and transcription are paid add-ons.Sources: 1 |
Fit
Based only on the features each vendor publishes.
Costs
3CX list prices are in USD per year excl. tax, so the rand cost moves with the exchange rate. Optional 3CX hosting starts from $295 per year for 8 simultaneous calls and isn't available on Basic.
| Simultaneous calls | Basic | Pro | AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8SC | $300 | $395 | $575 |
| 16SC | $600 | $795 | $1,095 |
| 24SC | $745 | $990 | $1,350 |
| 32SC | $915 | $1,215 | $1,620 |
3CX list prices, USD per year excl. tax, checked 6 November 2026.Sources: 1, 2
Yeastar doesn't publish P-Series prices. As an authorised Yeastar partner, SureTel can quote the plan and edition that fits. Published appliance sizes:
Both need SIP trunks or call minutes, phone numbers, handsets and setup. See onsite PBX for how SureTel scopes an on-site system.
Another option
If you'd rather not buy licences, run a server or install an appliance, SureTel Cloud PBX is a hosted phone system priced per extension: R50 per extension/month for 1–100 extensions, R45 for 101–300 and R40 for 301+ (excl. VAT). SureTel's extension price includes every standard phone-system feature (IVR, queues, ring groups, voicemail, reporting). Only call recording, the mobile app, extra numbers and the usage-based AI features cost more.
Compare it with other hosted options in VoIP providers in South Africa compared, or read Cloud PBX vs onsite PBX.
Security
In March 2023 the 3CX desktop app was compromised in a supply-chain attack, and 3CX advised customers to use its web client instead.Source (CISA): 1
Whichever system you choose, keep it updated, restrict administrator access and protect SIP accounts. See VoIP security and fraud prevention.
Information checked 6 November 2026 — tell us if anything has changed.
FAQ
3CX publishes list prices — from $300 per year excl. tax for an 8-simultaneous-call Basic licence, in USD. Yeastar P-Series prices are quote-based through partners. Compare full quotes that include licences, hardware or hosting, SIP trunks, handsets and setup.
No. 3CX licenses each system by the number of simultaneous calls and says there are no per-user fees. Yeastar P-Series uses subscription plans (Standard, Enterprise and Ultimate).
Yes. Yeastar sells P-Series appliances — P520 (20 users, 10 calls), P550 (50 users, 25 calls), P560 (100–200 users, 30–60 calls) and P570 (300–500 users, 60–120 calls) — as well as Software and Cloud editions. 3CX does not sell its own hardware appliance.
It depends on the features you need. 3CX Pro includes advanced queues, wallboards and whisper, listen and barge. Yeastar offers an inbound call centre with ACD, queues and skill routing from its Enterprise plan. For outbound dialling at scale, a dedicated dialler is usually a separate decision.
3CX Pro includes Microsoft 365, HubSpot and Salesforce integration and Teams Direct Routing. Yeastar lists CRM integrations with Zoho, Salesforce, HubSpot, Bitrix24, Odoo and Dynamics 365 from its Enterprise plan.
In March 2023 the 3CX desktop app was compromised in a supply-chain attack, and 3CX advised customers to use its web client instead. Whichever system you choose, keep it updated and restrict administrator access.
Both systems need SIP trunks or call minutes, phone numbers, handsets or softphones, setup and a reliable internet connection. None of these are in the vendor's licence price.
No. SureTel is an authorised Yeastar partner and also sells its own hosted Cloud PBX. This page uses only each vendor's own published information, with sources, so you can check every figure.
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All prices are shown excluding VAT unless stated otherwise.
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