No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

3CX Live Chat vs Digium Asterisk comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

3CX Live Chat
Ranking in Unified Communications
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Meetings (7th), IP PBX (1st), Live Chat (4th), Hosted and Cloud Based VoIP (4th)
Digium Asterisk
Ranking in Unified Communications
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
IP Telephony & Unified Communications (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Unified Communications category, the mindshare of 3CX Live Chat is 7.9%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Digium Asterisk is 7.2%, down from 8.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Unified Communications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
3CX Live Chat7.9%
Digium Asterisk7.2%
Other84.9%
Unified Communications
 

Featured Reviews

Ram Maruboina - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineer – Rust Systems & AI Evaluation at Turing
Real-time chat has boosted customer satisfaction and improves team efficiency and lead conversion
We could improve with better advanced chatbot customization, stronger AI-powered conversations, automatic deep CRM and third-party integration, more detailed analytics and reporting, additional customization options for chats, and improvements to mobile app performance and workflow automation. Regarding security, it is essential for customer-facing interactions. I would point out the real-time data lag, which is a significant gap, and enhancements in system reporting and live data update metrics are necessary. We also miss deep customer journey insights, along with user interface improvements, mobile widgets, and agent experience enhancements, especially with security and privacy configurations. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate 3CX Live Chat as an 8 because it has excellent control over the PBX license while enabling instant transitions from chat to voice and video calls. The reasons for losing those two points include basic analytics, widget customization options, and limited standalone chat tools compared to its competitors, which have higher market shares. With the right developers, they could excel in this area. The reason I chose the number eight is not only about analytics or customization but due to reliability bugs and agent workflow frictions, which affect the overall reporting coherence. Reliability and security glitches are significant drawbacks.
AK
Technical Lead at a marketing services firm with 11-50 employees
Call recording, call logging, and the stability are pivotal features for our clients
We mainly replace old telephony equipment. If, for instance, there is an old Alcatel telephone system (digital or analog), and the customer asks us for a new option for IP telephony, then we offer both the Cisco- and Asterisk-based systems. We know the billing, we know the pricing of the items and what we can offer with both solutions. There are multiple factors involved when selecting a vendor * stability * support * features. If the product is stable, the product has good support, and it has enough features which we can offer to our clients, then the product is under our consideration.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Fully equipped soft PABX without hidden extras."
"3CX is a reliable solution."
"We have multiple branches countrywide and we all connect to one seamless system for all our communication needs."
"3CX constantly adds new features based on their customers feedback and it is one of the most versatile PBX systems we have worked with."
"Simplified deployment of hosted voice, and the use of a session border controller which can be deployed cheaply on a Raspberry Pi makes port handling easier and more stable."
"Over the past several years we have deployed and worked on over 100+ 3CX platforms in all shapes, sizes and flavors, from on premise to cloud based it is our go to solution for clients needing a robust UC/PBX platform."
"It’s straightforward to set up."
"It is very easy to install and manage, provides all the features of a traditional phone system as well as VoIP to significantly cut telephone costs, is very stable without requiring significant resources to run, and has an easy-to-use web interface for configuration and management."
"The most valuable features are call recording, call logging, and the stability."
"If the client requires an economical solution with many features, we can offer them Digium Asterisk, where there is no licensing, and it is a good, economical solution."
"With the passage of time I am sure that these cons will be solved, particularly because it has added a lot savings for communication needs."
"Best Telecommunication solution in the world."
"Highly customizable for customer needs"
 

Cons

"We had sync issues between the mobile clients and the desktop phones which needed vigorous testing and fault finding."
"Once we establish the system and do the initial configuration, some configurations will be fixed. However, if we need to change those configurations, the option is to do a reinstallation. Otherwise, we cannot do anything."
"Bluetooth audio support for 3CX IOS app is needed."
"There's some complexity in interfacing with external devices."
"There are a handful of simple features – BLF to handle parking orbits, handling of custom SIP headers."
"3CX Live Chat could improve by being more customizable. There should be more skinning options for the appearance of the solution when we embed it onto a website. This would allow us to make it look more like part of our solution, rather than a third-party application."
"I need a robust provider who can help me use Live Chat. Unfortunately, I have to move from one provider to another because they don't have enough capabilities to maintain good service."
"It would be nice if the Chat feature also allowed us to transfer files."
"The asterisk VoIP has a delay of about 400 milliseconds."
"Difficult to configure and maintain."
"CTI, computer telephony integration, is a necessary component. It must be a part of the basic code. Currently, we need to use external connectors for call centers."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is in the middle range compared to other solutions. There are different license options available. For example, there is a professional version and an enterprise version, and with the enterprise version, you have the ability to modify the dashboards. You can purchase a license at many different time frame increments, such as monthly, yearly, or two years."
"There is no add-on costing on the standard fees."
"3CX sells an annual subscription, but we usually split it out monthly for clients, so they don't see an annual bill for the 3CX licensing, it's just part of their monthly phone bill. As they're paying us for carrier service anyway, we just roll it all together. Your standard phone service would be an additional cost, you either need to maintain a local carrier with POTS lines or PRI or a SIP, or you have to go with a cloud-based SIP."
"The price of the solution has been reasonable. We have not had any problems or complaints with the licensing model. We have not reached a point where we need to upgrade. We have all the correct channels."
"The price of the solution is reasonable. There are a few license options and we are using an enterprise license."
"There aren't any additional costs. With the license I purchased, I have all features that I need. I don't have to buy an add-on or another license."
"We used a yearly license depending on the customer's requirements, and the customers did not complain about the pricing."
"Switching from POTS or PRI to SIP Trunk save the customer real costs. ROI is seen in less than a year."
"If the client requires an economical solution with many features, we can offer them Digium Asterisk, where there is no licensing. It is a good, economical solution."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Unified Communications solutions are best for your needs.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Healthcare Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise3
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for 3CX Live Chat?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for 3CX Live Chat is generally positive. The pricing structure is straightforward, and the licensing models are user-friendly, leading to a smo...
What needs improvement with 3CX Live Chat?
We could improve with better advanced chatbot customization, stronger AI-powered conversations, automatic deep CRM and third-party integration, more detailed analytics and reporting, additional cus...
What is your primary use case for 3CX Live Chat?
My main use case for 3CX Live Chat is customer support, website live chat, and lead generation. For my customer support and lead generation use, I worked with 3CX Live Chat for customer inquiries i...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

3CX PBX
Asterisk
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Yahoo, Penn Univeristy of Pennsylvania, US Army, Google, eBay
Find out what your peers are saying about 3CX Live Chat vs. Digium Asterisk and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.