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FreePBX

Free, open-source web interface for building and managing an Asterisk-based business phone system on your own server, maintained by Sangoma.

Our take: For an IT-literate team, FreePBX gives you a full PBX with no per-user fees, and the feature list matches many paid systems.

Best forSelf-hosted business phones
ReviewedPricing: Free
7.2 out of 105 criteria · see breakdown
Try FreePBXFree; support from $399/yr per system

FreePBX is a free, open-source web interface for running an Asterisk-based business phone system on your own server, maintained by Sangoma. The software costs nothing and has no limits on extensions or users. You pay for the server, SIP trunks and phones, and optionally for Sangoma support from $399 a year.

The bottom line

Best value PBX if you can run Linux; otherwise pay for hosting.

Our score

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.

What it is, and why we rate it

One line each. Open a row for detail.

What it really isA free web interface that turns Asterisk into a full business phone system you host and run yourself.
Our takeFor an IT-literate team, FreePBX gives you a full PBX with no per-user fees, and the feature list matches many paid systems.
The price is responsibility: Sangoma's own comparison is blunt that self-installs need Linux and networking skills and leave security, backups, toll fraud and E911 to you. If that list worries you, a hosted FreePBX partner or a cloud phone service will cost more but carry that risk for you.
Why we rate itA complete PBX with no license fees and wide hardware support.
The catchYou own the security, backups, toll-fraud risk and E911 setup unless you pay for hosting.

Best / not good for

Best for
  • MSPs deploying phones for clients
  • Businesses with in-house Linux skills
  • Sites with analog or PRI lines to keep
Not good for
  • Teams with no Linux admin
  • Buyers wanting a fully managed service out of the box
Trade-offs

Friction report

Trade-offs to know before signing up.

  1. Time to value
    An hour or two to install on Debian for an experienced admin; longer to secure and tune.
  2. Scale breakpoint
    Many sites or high call volume push you toward paid support, appliances or PBXact.
  3. Walled garden
    Low: open source, standard SIP, and your own server.
Still a fit?
If none of these block you, start on the free plan.
Try FreePBX

What FreePBX costs

ItemPriceWhat you get
FreePBX softwareFreeFull PBX with no limits on extensions, users, queues or IVRs
Gold Peace of Mind support$399 a year per system60 minutes of support credit, business-hours SLA
Platinum Peace of Mind support$900 a year per system120 minutes, 24/7 response for critical outages, SysAdmin Pro included
Commercial modulesPriced per module in Sangoma's store25-year or monthly licenses; yearly upgrade fee of 18% to 33% of list price
PBXact Cloud (Sangoma-hosted)QuoteManaged hosting with all commercial modules and SIP trunking

From FreePBX.org and Sangoma pages, checked 4 October 2026. FreePBX.org blocked our checker, so we read Internet Archive copies of its pages captured in July and October 2026; module prices were not checked.

Self-hosted FreePBX vs hosted options

TaskSelf-installed FreePBXThird-party FreePBX hostingSangoma PBXact Cloud
Setup skillsSSH, Linux CLI and networkingHosting platform sets up networkingHosting platform sets up networking
BackupsYour jobYour jobAutomated by Sangoma
Security and toll fraudYour jobYour jobConfigured by Sangoma; SIP trunking managed
Commercial modulesBuy separatelyEndpoint Manager and SysAdmin Pro includedAll included
SSH accessYesYesNo

From the Cloud and Hosting comparison on FreePBX.org (Internet Archive copy captured 13 July 2026), checked 4 October 2026. Hosting partners offer a 30-day risk-free evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FreePBX still free?

Yes. FreePBX is free to download and use, with no limits on extensions, users, queues or IVRs (checked 4 October 2026). You still pay for your server or VM, SIP trunks and phones, and optionally for Sangoma's commercial modules and support.

How much does FreePBX cost?

The software is $0. Sangoma's optional support plans are $399 a year (Gold) or $900 a year (Platinum) per system. Commercial modules are priced individually in Sangoma's store, and its hosted PBXact Cloud is quote-based (checked 4 October 2026).

What is FreePBX used for?

Businesses and IT providers use it to run their own phone system: extensions, auto-attendant menus, call queues, voicemail, conferencing and call recording, connected to SIP trunks and desk or soft phones.

Can I use FreePBX on Windows?

Not natively. FreePBX 17 installs on Debian 12 Linux, either with Sangoma's install script or the FreePBX Distro ISO. On a Windows machine you would run it inside a Linux virtual machine.

What is the best OS for FreePBX?

For FreePBX 17, Sangoma's getting-started guide uses Debian 12 with at least 2 GB of RAM and 20 GB of disk, or its own FreePBX Distro ISO.

How do I log in to FreePBX?

Conversion Gems is a review site. FreePBX runs on your own server: after installation, enter the PBX's IP address in a browser on the same network to create the admin account and sign in.

FreePBX alternatives

Hosted phone systems from our reviews:

Showing 1–3 of 3
Sources checked October 4, 2026: FreePBX homepage (archived 2 Oct 2026), FreePBX getting started (archived 2 Oct 2026), FreePBX cloud and hosting (archived 13 Jul 2026), FreePBX support plans (archived 13 Jul 2026), FreePBX commercial module EULA (Sangoma), FreePBX framework on GitHub.

Conversion Gems independently reviews every tool.

Tags

#FreePBX#VoIP#Asterisk#OpenSource

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