3CX pricing explained: editions, hosting and the trunk you still buy

3CX pricing is a flat yearly licence for the whole phone system. The price depends on how many calls can be live at the same moment and which edition you pick, not on how many people you have. Hosting is extra, and so is the SIP trunk that gives you phone numbers and minutes. This guide uses the figures on 3CX’s pricing page as read on 19 October 2026.

How does 3CX pricing work?

You buy a licence sized in simultaneous calls (SC). The 3CX pricing page describes it as a flat annual price for your whole system, where you choose your simultaneous calls, your edition and optional hosting. It states “no per user/per month”.

A simultaneous call is any call in progress at the same moment. 3CX’s page says the count covers internal and external calls together, so an agent calling a colleague uses a slot just as a customer call does. Each size also has a user ceiling: 8 SC allows up to 40 users or extensions and 16 SC up to 80, according to the page’s own tier data.

What are the 3CX edition prices per year?

The page lists three paid editions, Basic, PRO and AI. Prices are in US dollars, exclude tax and VAT, and are billed per year. These are the current annual licence prices for the smaller tiers. Hosting by 3CX is quoted per size and is not offered for 8 SC Basic, where the page shows “Unavailable”.

3CX lowered prices from 24 SC upwards. The page shows the previous annual price beside the current one: 24 SC PRO was $1,095 and is now $990. Renewals of three years or more at 24 SC and above get a further 10% off the licence, and the 8 SC and 16 SC tiers are not eligible. Hosting is never discounted. When you compare quotes, check the edition: $575 is the AI edition at 8 SC, while Basic at the same size is $300.

Does 3CX hosting cost extra?

Yes. 3CX says you can have it hosted by 3CX or self-hosted on Amazon, Digital Ocean, Azure or Google, on Windows or Linux. Hosting by 3CX is a separate line: $295 a year for 8 SC PRO or AI and $450 at 16 SC. The page states that hosting is charged separately and is not discounted. If you self-host, the cost moves to a server you rent and someone who looks after it.

Is there a free version of 3CX?

Yes, with limits. The 4 SC Free Basic edition supports up to 10 users, must be self-hosted, and does not include CRM or API integrations, according to 3CX’s own page. A team above 10 users, or one that wants 3CX to host it, moves to a paid licence from 8 SC.

Does 3CX include phone numbers and call minutes?

No. 3CX lists “Bring your own Trunk & Numbers” as a headline feature. That means 3CX sells the phone system, and a SIP trunk provider sells the phone numbers and the minutes. You pay that provider separately. A provider may charge per number, per minute, per channel or a mix of these. Ask for both figures in writing, in the currency you will be billed in.

Installation, training and support are not on the price page either. If a reseller or installer sets those up for you, ask for each as its own line.

What does 3CX cost for 12 agents? A worked example

Start with the number that sets the price: how many people could be on a call at once. Twelve agents who might all be on the phone together need 12 call slots, which means the 16 SC size. Twelve agents of whom six are usually on calls fit in 8 SC. Twelve is also above the 10-user limit of the free edition. Here are both cases on the PRO edition, hosted by 3CX.

The arithmetic is $395 + $295 = $690 a year, or $57.50 a month. For 16 SC it is $795 + $450 = $1,245, or $103.75 a month. To get your real total, add the trunk. The next figures are round numbers picked for the sum, not a quote: a provider charging $0.05 a minute on 2,000 outbound minutes a month comes to $100 a month, or $1,200 a year, which takes the first case to $1,890. Replace both numbers with your own quote and your own call volume.

What does SautiDesk cost for the same 10-person team?

SautiDesk is priced per person in Kenya shillings, so the maths is different. The workspace owner is free and everyone else is billed. Basic is KES 1,000 per user a month and Pro is KES 3,000 per user a month. Basic includes one phone number, and each extra number is KES 500 a month. Incoming calls are free and outgoing calls are KES 0.05 per second from a prepaid balance, so a five-minute outgoing call is 300 seconds, or KES 15. You buy the number and the minutes inside SautiDesk, not from a second supplier.

The two sides are in different currencies and the 3CX column excludes tax and VAT, so convert with your bank’s rate on the day you buy. The SautiDesk column covers 12 billed people only, and Pro adds a live floor view, listening in and reports.

Are 3CX and SautiDesk the same kind of product?

They overlap but they are not the same. 3CX is a phone system. Its contact centre page lists queues, skill-based routing, listen-in, live chat, WhatsApp and SMS, and says there is no per-agent pricing. Its WhatsApp guide says the integration answers inbound messages only. A customer must write first, and you then have 24 hours to reply.

SautiDesk is a help desk and call centre. Calls, WhatsApp, SMS, email and web chat become one ticket per customer, with the history in front of whoever picks up next. If you want that model, see 3CX alternatives for when a phone system stops being enough. If you only need extensions, desk phones and internal calling, a PBX is the right category and this comparison is not for you.

What should you check before buying 3CX?

1. Count your peak simultaneous calls, internal and external, then add headroom. The licence size is the price.
2. Ask whether the quote is for Basic, PRO or AI. The same size costs $300, $395 or $575 at 8 SC.
3. Get the hosting line separately, or the cost of the server you will run yourself.
4. Get the SIP trunk quote in writing: monthly fee per number, price per minute, and any per-channel charge.
5. Ask your installer what installation, training and support cost, and for how long support is included.
6. Check the currency and the cart. 3CX prices in US dollars and excludes tax and VAT. It also says prices can change and that the site can briefly differ from the customer portal cart.
7. Decide where WhatsApp and email will live. A phone system answers the phone. A shared inbox answers everything else.

If your questions are mostly about calls, 3CX pricing is simple once you know your peak. If they are about customers, with one history across calls and chats, compare it against a help desk on price per user and on what each customer’s record looks like.