All comparisons

Cannon VoIP vs. 3CX

3CX is self-managed PBX software, not a turnkey platform that just works out of the box. You bring your own carrier, IT staff, hosting, and STIR/SHAKEN call-authentication setup. Cannon VoIP gives you the same call queues, CRM integration, and AI transcription, done for you, one bill, no contract, for less than 3CX's real all-in cost.

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5-user scenario: what you'd actually pay per month

Cannon VoIP

$170/month

5 extensions × $34, all-in. No regulatory fee, no E911 fee, no support-tier fee: unlimited domestic calling and texting, AI call/voicemail transcription, and CRM integration all included.

3CX

~$450–700+/month

Doesn't reduce to a clean per-seat number, and licensing is by simultaneous calls, not seats, but 3CX's own pricing starts around $65–90/month even at the smallest 8-SC AI Edition tier (the one that matches our CRM + AI transcription). Add a SIP trunk/carrier plan (≈$50–150/month) and, since most small businesses use a hosting partner rather than run 3CX themselves, a managed hosting/support contract, which commonly runs $200–450/month once premium support tickets ($75–100 each), backup/failover, and ongoing administration are included. All-in, a fully-managed 5-user deployment realistically lands at $450–700+/month, and that's before phone hardware.

Cannon VoIP

3CX

Pricing & contract

$34/extension/month flat, all-in: unlimited domestic calling and texting included. No long-term contract: month to month.

Licensed per simultaneous call, not per extension: roughly $350–$800+/yr for small deployments, and well beyond that once you need higher call concurrency or the PRO/AI edition. No per-seat pricing, no free tier as of 2026.

Add-ons & hidden fees

None. One flat rate per extension, carrier, hosting, STIR/SHAKEN call authentication, and support all included.

This is where the real cost lives. The license is the smallest line item. On top of it: a SIP trunk/carrier contract, hosting (or a server + an SBC (session border controller) to secure it), and the IT hours to run it all. STIR/SHAKEN caller-ID authentication isn't built in either. It's on you to confirm your carrier signs and verifies calls, or your outbound calls risk being flagged as spam. Stacked together, the true monthly cost regularly runs well past what the license price alone suggests.

Contract lock-in & termination fee

None: month-to-month. Leave anytime with no early termination fee.

The annual license is prepaid; cancelling mid-term forfeits the remaining license value (no prorated refund), and you're separately bound by whatever contract your SIP trunk/carrier requires.

Setup & onboarding

We handle every step of onboarding and set your team up for success, then call us anytime during business hours to add, change, or fine-tune any feature, big or small.

Self-managed software: you (or a hired partner/MSP) configure the PBX, source a carrier, and maintain the server yourself.

Customer support & reliability

Standard support Mon–Fri, 9 AM–5 PM; if a system is down or it's urgent, a real person is reachable 24/7, no ticket queue, no support tier to unlock.

G2 reviewers cite frequent pricing and feature changes, and note that support, previously free, now requires a paid tier. You (or a hired partner) keep the system running day to day.

Integrations

Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Zoho, HubSpot, Odoo: included, GoHighLevel coming soon.

CRM integrations exist but require the PRO edition or higher and manual configuration to wire up.

International calling

$0.25/min to common countries, $1.75/min to less-common countries, rare/high-cost destinations quoted separately.

No built-in carrier: international rates depend entirely on whichever SIP trunk/carrier you connect to 3CX.

Hardware & BYOD

Bring your own desk phone if it's on our compatibility list, or get our VoIP-6 ($198) or an ATA adapter ($99). We never rent or lease equipment: it's yours to keep, purchased outright.

Broad IP phone compatibility (Yealink, Snom, Fanvil, and more), but you source, purchase, and provision hardware yourself.

Bottom line: 3CX can work well if you already have IT staff and want full control of the stack. Once you price in a real SIP trunk, managed hosting, and a support contract, which is how most small businesses actually run it, the all-in monthly cost regularly lands above Cannon VoIP's flat $170. Cannon VoIP gives you the same call queues, CRM integration, and AI transcription 3CX charges extra for, for less money, with no contract, and no carrier or hosting to piece together yourself.

Pricing and plan details reflect 3CX's publicly published rates as of mid-2026 and are subject to change. Confirm current pricing directly with 3CX.

See if Cannon VoIP fits your team

No contract, no pressure, just a straightforward conversation about your phone system.