3CX

What 3CX does

3CX, founded in 2005 and headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus, develops the 3CX Phone System, an open-standards, software-based PBX (Private Branch Exchange) that supports SIP and can be deployed on-premise (Windows or Linux), self-hosted on AWS/Azure/Google Cloud, or delivered as a fully managed hosted service. The product spans core PBX functionality, integrated contact center capabilities, video conferencing, live chat, multi-channel messaging (WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook), CRM/helpdesk integrations, and mobile/web/desktop softphone clients with vertical packages for hotels, education, healthcare, and service providers.

The technology stack integrates AI capabilities — Agentic AI for autonomous call handling and 24/7 support, AI Receptionist, AI PA, AI Transcription powered by OpenAI Whisper, and AI Analytics with sentiment analysis — delivered through a self-hostable AI Server option for data sovereignty, alongside deep integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Teams.

3CX monetizes through a flat annual subscription per system (not per seat) across Basic, Pro, and AI Editions, plus a Free Basic tier for offices up to 10 users, and offers managed hosting services. Distribution is hybrid: self-serve product-led growth on the website combined with a certified Global Partner Network of VARs and resellers (3CX Academy, NFR programs) that serves 350,000+ businesses worldwide across regional sites in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Turkey, and Brazil.

Name

3CX

Legal name

3CX

Website

https://3cx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

3CX develops a software-based PBX phone system with integrated AI capabilities, deployed on-premise, self-hosted, or fully managed. Founded in 2005 in Cyprus, it serves 350,000+ SMBs and enterprises worldwide via self-serve and a global channel partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Communications Software (VoIP PBX)

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud PBX & Hosted Telephony (HDAIAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience (BPAHAEAC), Managed Application Platforms (App PaaS & Runtime Services) (HDABAAAD), Industry-Specific Low-Code Platforms (Vertical App Platforms) (HDAEAKAL)

Keywords

• Business phone system
• VoIP PBX software
• Unified communications platform
• Contact center software
• AI communication tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Nicosia

HQ country

Cyprus

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software License/Subscription: 3CX sells software licenses on a per-system, annual subscription basis rather than per-seat pricing. They offer multiple editions: Basic, Pro, and AI Edition. The pricing model emphasizes flat annual rates with no per-user fees, differentiating from competitors who charge per extension.
2. Managed Hosting Services: Fully managed, low-cost hosted PBX service where 3CX hosts a dedicated instance for customers. This provides infrastructure management as a service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

3CX develops and sells 3CX Phone System, an open-standards, software-based PBX/VoIP business communications platform for Windows and Linux. The platform offers integrated AI capabilities (AI Agents, AI Receptionist, AI PA, AI Transcription, AI Analytics), contact center functionality, video conferencing, live chat, multi-channel messaging, and CRM/helpdesk integrations. It can be deployed on-premise, self-hosted on AWS/Azure/Google Cloud, or delivered as a fully managed hosted service, sold as annual per-system licenses across Basic, Pro, and AI Editions with no per-user pricing.

Product overview

3CX is a unified business communications platform offering enterprise phone system software with integrated AI capabilities. The product portfolio includes multiple deployment options (Cloud-hosted, Self-hosted, On-premise, Linux), three editions (AI Edition, Pro, Basic, Free), and specialized solutions for Contact Center, Hotel PBX, Multi-tenant PBX, and vertical industries (Healthcare, Education, Automotive, Finance, Government, Technology). Core AI features include AI Agents for autonomous call handling, AI Receptionist, AI PA, AI Transcription (with OpenAI Whisper), and AI Analytics. Additional capabilities encompass Video Conferencing, Live Chat, WhatsApp/SMS/Facebook messaging, Mobile/Web/Windows apps, CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho), helpdesk integrations (Zendesk, Freshdesk), SIP Trunks, and Call Flow Designer. Pricing model offers one flat annual rate with no per-user fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 3CX Phone System (Enterprise PBX) All-in-one business phone system and contact center solution for companies with 25+ users, featuring integrated AI agents, call routing, video conferencing, and multiple deployment options (cloud, self-hosted, or on-premise) at a flat annual rate with no per-user costs.
• 3CX AI Edition Premium edition of 3CX with integrated AI agents, AI PA, AI Receptionist, AI Transcription, and AI Analytics built in at no additional cost. Features Agentic AI for call routing, screening, and 24/7 support.
• 3CX Pro Edition Professional edition of 3CX with advanced PBX features including call queues, ring groups, IVR, and integrations.
• 3CX Basic Edition Basic edition of 3CX for small offices with essential PBX features, tailored for offices with up to 10 users.
• 3CX Free Basic Edition Free edition of 3CX for small offices with up to 10 users; no contract required and free to walk away at any time.
• 3CX Hosted Managed hosting service where 3CX hosts a dedicated 3CX instance for the customer, with built-in AI analytics and reporting for larger businesses.
• 3CX On-Premise On-premise deployment of the 3CX PBX with built-in AI where AI data stays local, private, and fully under the customer's control; built for admins rather than telco experts.
• 3CX Self-Hosted Self-hosted AI-powered 3CX deployment in trusted infrastructure (Amazon, Azure, or Google) giving customers freedom to manage AI transcription and automation on their own terms.
• 3CX Linux PBX Linux-based deployment option for the 3CX phone system software.
• 3CX Contact Center AI-enabled contact center functionality including sentiment analysis, multiple human and AI agents, integrated call center, live chat, WhatsApp, SMS, and CRM integrations, with no additional per-user AI tax.
• 3CX Video Conferencing Built-in video conferencing solution integrated with the 3CX phone system, available via mobile apps, web client, and desktop apps.
• 3CX Live Chat Website live chat solution integrated with the 3CX contact center, including team answering chat capabilities.
• 3CX Mobile Apps (iOS & Android) Mobile softphone apps for iOS and Android with integrated AI tools that transcribe calls on the go and summarize meetings in real time.
• 3CX Windows App Windows desktop softphone application for business communication with integrated AI tools.
• 3CX Web Client Web-based client for accessing 3CX phone system features from any browser.
• 3CX AI Agents Agentic AI agents for handling call routing, screening, and 24/7 support; multiple AI agents can be deployed without per-user AI tax.
• 3CX AI Receptionist AI-powered virtual receptionist for automated call handling, screening, and routing without human intervention.
• 3CX AI PA (Personal Assistant) AI-powered personal assistant for intelligent voice interactions and task automation.
• 3CX AI Transcription AI-powered transcription for calls and meetings, including voicemail transcription and OpenAI Whisper integration.
• 3CX AI Analytics AI-powered analytics and reporting for contact center operations, including sentiment analysis.
• 3CX AI Server Self-hosted AI server for private, secure AI processing, with speed and response time improvements, easier setup, scaling, and macOS support.
• 3CX Hotel PBX Industry-specific PBX solution for hotels with hotel-specific features and integrations for guest services.
• 3CX Education Industry-specific PBX solution for schools, universities, and other educational institutions.
• 3CX Healthcare Industry-specific PBX solution for healthcare organizations with HIPAA-compliant communications considerations.
• 3CX Multi-Tenant PBX Multi-tenant PBX solution for service providers managing multiple client organizations from a single platform.
• 3CX SIP Trunks SIP trunking services supporting Bring Your Own Trunk and number portability, enabling reuse of compatible equipment and porting of existing numbers.
• 3CX Call Flow Designer Visual design tool for building custom voice applications and call flows within 3CX.
• 3CX Free Softphone Free softphone application provided for 3CX users.
• 3CX for Small Business Small business phone system offering tailored for offices with up to 10 users, with a $0 budget option and no multi-year contract lock-ins.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 80% licensing cost reduction vs typical per-user enterprise phone systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability10 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SalesforcecoreTechnology or IntegrationSalesforce integration allowing AI agents to access CRM data and trigger tasks, streamline communication workflows, and improve customer experience across channels.
• HubSpotcoreTechnology or IntegrationHubSpot CRM integration for data syncing and intelligent automation between HubSpot and 3CX communications platform.
• ZohocoreTechnology or IntegrationZoho CRM integration enabling data synchronization and workflow automation between Zoho and 3CX.
• ZendeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationZendesk helpdesk integration allowing AI agents to access support ticket data and automate customer service workflows.
• FreshdeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationFreshdesk helpdesk integration for data syncing and intelligent automation with 3CX contact center.
• Microsoft 365coreTechnology or IntegrationDeep integration with Microsoft 365 including SSO, calendar/contact syncing, and AI-triggered task automation. OAuth-based secure authentication.
• Google WorkspacecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Google Workspace for calendar/contact syncing and workflow automation. Uses OAuth secure authentication.
• Microsoft TeamscoreTechnology or IntegrationNative integration with Microsoft Teams for unified communications interoperability.
• OpenAI (Whisper)coreTechnology or IntegrationOpenAI Whisper technology powers 3CX's AI transcription features for voicemail and meeting transcription.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationSelf-hosting option: customers can deploy 3CX in their own AWS infrastructure for private cloud deployment with full data sovereignty.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationSelf-hosting option: customers can deploy 3CX in their own Azure infrastructure for private cloud deployment with full data sovereignty.
• Google Cloud PlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationSelf-hosting option: customers can deploy 3CX in their own GCP infrastructure for private cloud deployment with full data sovereignty. Also available via Google Cloud Marketplace.
• Global Channel Partners (VARs/Resellers)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorldwide network of value-added resellers and channel partners for local sales, implementation, and support. Partners have access to 3CX Academy certification and NFR subscriptions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/3cx
• Facebookfacebook.com/3cx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3cx

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 3CX