FusionPBX
Depends
Confidence: Medium
A strong free choice if you are an ITSP or IT team with Linux, FreeSWITCH, and SIP skills who wants a self-hosted multi-tenant phone system.
New check
Comparison
FusionPBX vs 3CX
FusionPBX and 3CX both land on Depends.
3CX
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy only if you have IT staff to run and patch a VoIP PBX and want cheap simultaneous-call pricing.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | ITSPs and resellers running hosted multi-tenant PBX | Cost-conscious SMBs with in-house IT |
| Who it's not for | Small offices wanting plug-and-play phones | Orgs with no security staff to patch fast |
| Privacy | Self-hosted software with a track record of public CVEs since 2019, including RCE; hardening is the operator's responsibility.⁷ | Signed desktop app compromised in a 2023 nation-state supply-chain attack; repeated CVEs and exposure alerts since.12 |
| Support quality | Community forums unless you pay membership | Users report poor vendor support |
| Public sentiment | VoIP admins on Reddit favor FusionPBX for on-prem and multi-tenant work but lean heavily on community forums, tutorials, and forks to fill documentation gaps.⁵ | Splits hard: fans cite price, features, and ease of use, while detractors cite poor support and security baggage. |
| Biggest gotcha | Self-hosted: firewalling, fail2ban, and TLS hardening are entirely your job | Licensed per simultaneous call, not per user . misestimate and calls block or you overpay |
Pick FusionPBX when
- ITSPs and resellers running hosted multi-tenant PBX
- IT teams with Linux and SIP experience
- Budget-driven self-hosters replacing legacy phone systems
- Hobbyists . it even runs on a Raspberry Pi
When FusionPBX is not a fit
- Small offices wanting plug-and-play phones
- Non-technical buyers with no Linux admin
- Teams needing vendor SLAs and managed updates
- Anyone unwilling to own PBX security hardening
Pick 3CX when
- Cost-conscious SMBs with in-house IT
- MSPs managing phone systems for clients
- Teams replacing legacy Avaya-style PBXs
- Self-hosters wanting SIP control
When 3CX is not a fit
- Orgs with no security staff to patch fast
- Buyers needing reliable vendor support
- Non-technical teams wanting plug-and-play phones
- Security-sensitive orgs post-supply-chain-attack
Sources
- FusionPBX official sitefusionpbx.comofficial
- FusionPBX on GitHubgithub.comofficial
- FusionPBX Membersfusionpbx.comofficial
- Opinions on FusionPBX . r/VOIPreddit.comreview
- On Premise PBX recommendations . r/VOIPreddit.comreview
review
- FusionPBX 4.5.29 RCE . Exploit-DBexploit-db.comsecurity
- CVE-2024-23387cve.orgsecurity
- Introducing FusionPBX . Nerd Vittlesnerdvittles.comnews
- FusionPBX Tutorial . WhichVoIPwhichvoip.comreview
- FusionPBX Docs . Securitydocs.fusionpbx.comofficial
news
- 3CX Supply Chain Attack, Campaign C0057 . MITREattack.mitre.orgsecurity
- 3CX Phone System Local Privilege Escalation . Praetorianpraetorian.comsecurity
- CVE-2023-49954 . SentinelOnesentinelone.comsecurity
official