3CX Linux Beta
-
Been waiting for this to get out and fully tested.
Still not happy with their price point, but it is not that far off.Edit: Price point changed see post below.
-
That's major. Their Windows tax was crippling. It required a Windows Server license (for more than a tiny handful of users) which is a huge amount of money. The Windows license, Windows overhead, etc. made even a tiny deployment of 3CX quite large. Moving to Linux makes it much more viable.
-
@scottalanmiller said in 3CX Linux Beta:
That's major. Their Windows tax was crippling. It required a Windows Server license (for more than a tiny handful of users) which is a huge amount of money. The Windows license, Windows overhead, etc. made even a tiny deployment of 3CX quite large. Moving to Linux makes it much more viable.
Their pricing either changed or I have a worse memory than I thought.
I recall the 8 simultaneous call package costing something like $1200.
Their pricing sheet currently lists that at $695
-
@JaredBusch Been a while, but that is more like what I remember. It wasn't "horrible", but it is high. But you do get support, which is something.
-
@scottalanmiller said in 3CX Linux Beta:
@JaredBusch Been a while, but that is more like what I remember. It wasn't "horrible", but it is high. But you do get support, which is something.
This new pricing is not anything i consider high at all.
For the feature set, this price point is spot on.
Even with FreePBX based systems, to get near feature parity, you will pay about that much.
Things like Endpoint Manager Pro, etc.
Of course with the Asterisk route, you can roll it all yourself. BUt time is money and this price point makes it worth it. That is the same reason I have clients buy the Endpoint manager module. Or parking pro, or conference pro, or whatever, depending on the company needs.
-
@JaredBusch said in 3CX Linux Beta:
@scottalanmiller said in 3CX Linux Beta:
@JaredBusch Been a while, but that is more like what I remember. It wasn't "horrible", but it is high. But you do get support, which is something.
This new pricing is not anything i consider high at all.
For the feature set, this price point is spot on.
Even with FreePBX based systems, to get near feature parity, you will pay about that much.
Things like Endpoint Manager Pro, etc.
Of course with the Asterisk route, you can roll it all yourself. BUt time is money and this price point makes it worth it. That is the same reason I have clients buy the Endpoint manager module. Or parking pro, or conference pro, or whatever, depending on the company needs.
Oh I agree. The issues are when customers or end users don't need feature parity. If they just want lots of reliable calls and conference rooms, for example. We've used 3CX and FreePBX and for our needs, for example, FreePBX has more features for free than 3CX has paid. So it depends on the use case.
-
Seems like it's free for 25 users now.
-
Direct Download Link:
https://downloads.3cx.com/downloads/debian9iso/debian-amd64-netinst-3cx.iso
Now you don't have to fill out that stupid form =P
-
@VoIP_n00b said in 3CX Linux Beta:
Seems like it's free for 25 users now.
No, that is not what that says.
3CX has always been sold as a per simultaneous call solution. That has not changed with their move to a subscription based model.
You have unlimited extensions but are limited to 8 simultaneous calls.
-
@JaredBusch Thanks!
In my use case, that will be no issue - since the phone system we are looking to move off of only has 4 POTS lines =P
-
@VoIP_n00b said in 3CX Linux Beta:
@JaredBusch Thanks!
In my use case, that will be no issue - since the phone system we are looking to move off of only has 4 POTS lines =P
-
@JaredBusch Ah, I didn't realize that included internal calls, that's a little silly, but still should work. I can always upgrade if needed. I assume you still prefer FreePBX?
-
@VoIP_n00b said in 3CX Linux Beta:
@JaredBusch Ah, I didn't realize that included internal calls, that's a little silly, but still should work. I can always upgrade if needed. I assume you still prefer FreePBX?
Generally, yes. VitalPBX is close, but still chafes in too many places.
I need to setup 3CX again. Haven't done so for 3 or 4 years. I've worked on a few instances here and there, but just briefly.
-
@JaredBusch Seems like a pretty nice system. I'll be kicking the tires.
-
my question would be - why risk something that you might have to spend money on when there are definitely options you don't have to spend money on that should get the job done?
-
@Dashrender said in 3CX Linux Beta:
my question would be - why risk something that you might have to spend money on when there are definitely options you don't have to spend money on that should get the job done?
Time is money so you're spending money either way. So it a question of TCO and what features you need.
3CX is a polished product. Well integrated with Yealink for instance. So when you push a button and have all your phones upgraded to the latest 3CX/Yealink firmware you pretty much know that everything is going to work afterwards. You don't have to be the beta tester.
I would imagine a professional tinkerer like @JaredBusch would never be satisfied with something like 3CX though. Being an MSP also put you in a different position compared to being the end user.
-
@Pete-S said in 3CX Linux Beta:
Time is money so you're spending money either way. So it a question of TCO and what features you need.
3CX is a polished product.It's been a long while since I used 3CX... but back when I did, FreePBX was more polished and took less time to get really working. Both have a learning curve for sure. FreePBX will have a lot more support from around here, for example. And the learning time on FreePBX or VitalPBX is so low that I'd say that you can't use the "cost" of that to offset the cost of 3CX if you start having to pay for it.
It's always worth remembering that there is value is paying for something to be simpler and faster to get up and running. But very often this is stated about products that aren't actually easier (or much easier) because there is an assumption that the cost is somehow tied to the ease of use, but it is not. MacOS is a great example... costs a fortune, is actually quite hard to get proficient on compared to Windows, Ubuntu, or Fedora.
-
@Pete-S said in 3CX Linux Beta:
Being an MSP also put you in a different position compared to being the end user.
We are not an MSP, but assume you mean, because I am not an enduser only doing this once...
yeah that plays in to it.
-
@Pete-S said in 3CX Linux Beta:
3CX is a polished product. Well integrated with Yealink for instance. So when you push a button and have all your phones upgraded to the latest 3CX/Yealink firmware you pretty much know that everything is going to work afterwards. You don't have to be the beta tester.
Once setup and handed off, almost all PBX are simple tu use and maintain day to day.
-
FWIW, we like 3CX a lot. We worked really closely with them to get certified as one of their preferred providers (which took months), and got to see a lot behind the curtain. Their support engineers really know their stuff and our customers find them to be pretty accessible. They're really good about not over committing their development teams too - so when they roll stuff out, it's generally pretty solid. Just figured I'd throw our opinion in here
