All comparisons
Cannon VoIP vs. FreePBX
FreePBX is free, open source phone system software built on Asterisk and owned by Sangoma, which sells paid modules, support, SIP trunks and hosting around it. The software is free, but you supply the server, the carrier, the paid modules and the person who keeps it patched. Cannon VoIP runs the whole system for you at $34 per extension, all-in.
The short version
With Cannon VoIP$170 a month for 5 users, all-in, with unlimited texting, a CRM and a power dialer included.
With FreePBXAbout $375 to $560 a month once you add hosting, a carrier, paid modules and admin time.
Feature check
Do we have more features than FreePBX?
For a small business that wants a phone system run for it, yes: we are the carrier, host and support team, and every extension includes a CRM, a power dialer, a wallboard, apps and AI transcription that FreePBX sells as paid modules or does not list. FreePBX's real strengths are that it is free, open source and runs wherever you want with full control, and basic calling costs less in hard costs if you can run it yourself.
Included with us, not with FreePBX
- No server or carrier to bring. We host the system and are the carrier; FreePBX needs your own server and a separate SIP trunk provider for numbers, calling and 911.
- Patching handled for you. We update and secure the system; on self-hosted FreePBX that falls to you, and a 2025 flaw in the commercial endpoint module was exploited on exposed servers.
- Built-in CRM. People, deals, forms and automation are included; FreePBX has no CRM of its own and sells CRM Link to connect an outside one.
- A built-in power dialer. FreePBX lists no power dialer; its paid XactDialer sends broadcast messages.
- Wallboard, apps and AI summaries included. FreePBX sells Queue Wallboard, its softphone apps and Scribe AI transcription as separate paid modules.
What FreePBX has that we don't
- Free and open source. The FreePBX software is free to download and use, and its code is open source.
- Run it anywhere. FreePBX installs on your own hardware, any cloud Debian server or a Sangoma appliance, with full access to the system.
- Custom dial plan. Because it runs on Asterisk, technical teams can write their own call logic through dial plan hooks.
- Choose any carrier. FreePBX works with any SIP trunk provider, so you can shop for trunk and number pricing.
- Hotel PMS integration. Sangoma sells a property management module that connects FreePBX to hotel systems.
- Broadcast and reminder calls. XactDialer and Appointment Reminder place automated voice calls to lists of contacts.
Free software you run vs. a phone company that runs it.
FreePBX core is free and open source, but you install it, host it, patch it and connect your own carrier. These come with every Cannon VoIP extension, while FreePBX needs paid modules, outside services or does not list them:
- A carrier, numbers and 911. FreePBX has no carrier; you add SIP trunks, phone numbers and E911 from Sangoma's SIPStation or another provider.
- Someone keeping it patched. Self-hosted systems are updated by whoever runs them; a 2025 flaw in the commercial endpoint module was exploited on internet-facing servers.
- Wallboard, queue reports and apps. Queue Wallboard ($395 a year), Queue Reports and the Sangoma softphones ($299 a year for 20 users) are paid modules.
- AI transcription and summaries. Sangoma's Scribe module is sold separately, reported at $24.99 a month for 1,000 minutes.
- Built-in CRM and a power dialer. FreePBX has no CRM of its own and lists no power dialer; CRM Link connects outside CRMs as a paid module.
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, with a main number plus a direct number for every extension (6 numbers) in the price.
FreePBX
~$375 to $560/month
FreePBX is free, so the cost is everything around it. Low end: a 2 GB cloud server with backups ($14), 3 SIP trunk channels on a yearly plan ($60), 5 numbers with one E911 number ($6.50), a 200-message texting pack ($10), the Call Center module bundle ($1,149 a year, $96 a month), Queue Wallboard ($33), EndPoint Manager ($8), Sangoma softphones ($25) and Scribe AI transcription ($25, reported): about $278. High end: a 4 GB server ($29), 3 month-to-month channels ($75), 5 E911 numbers ($12.50), 500 texts ($20) and the Everything bundle ($1,729 a year, $144 a month) with the same add-ons: about $371. Add admin time to install, patch, secure and back it up: we estimate 2 to 4 hours a month, about $95 to $190 at the US median pay for network and systems administrators ($47.66 an hour, Bureau of Labor Statistics), for a total of about $375 to $560 a month. Trunk taxes and fees, setup fees, phones and Sangoma support ($399 a year and up) are extra. Credit where due: basic calling on free FreePBX, a $12 server and 2 trunk channels is about $60 a month in hard costs, if you have the skills, skip the paid modules and do not count your time.
Moving from FreePBX is built in
Cannon VoIP has migration tools in the portal, and our team guides the move for free:
- How your setup comes across. Import straight from a FreePBX export, or paste or upload a spreadsheet of your extensions, names, emails and desk phones.
- Keep what your callers hear. Optional discovery calls ring your old system and record what its menus say, so the wording, or the original recordings, can come across.
- Nothing changes until you approve it. Review a plan with counts before anything is applied; an import report lists anything that could not come across.
- No gap in service. Your FreePBX service keeps taking calls until your numbers port, at $15 per line, usually the next business day.
Bottom line: Five users cost $170 a month at Cannon VoIP, all-in. FreePBX can cost less for basic calling if you run it yourself and do not count your time, but matching what a $34 extension includes takes about $375 to $560 a month in hosting, trunks, numbers, paid modules and admin time. FreePBX gives you full control of free software; Cannon VoIP builds and runs the whole system for you.
Want your own numbers? Get a free phone bill review: upload your current bill and see every fee, plus what the same setup costs with us.
Sources: where our FreePBX information comes from (26)
Each claim about FreePBX on this page is based on the public sources below, checked October 2026. Where FreePBX does not publish a price, we use independent pricing guides and say so. If something has changed, tell us at support@cannonvoip.com and we will correct it.
- FreePBX commercial modules store: Bundle prices: Starter $169 or $349, Advanced $579 or $1,149, Call Center $1,149 or $2,299, Everything $1,729 or $3,449 (1 year or 25 years); 1-year licenses renew yearly and include support; 25-year licenses need support bought after year one for updates; module list incl. CRM Link, Queue Reports, Queues Pro, XactDialer, Web CallMe, Scribe, hotel PMS modules
- FreePBX EndPoint Manager module: EndPoint Manager $99 a year or $199 for 25 years; provisions over 300 endpoints; Sangoma phones include a lifetime license
- FreePBX Queue Wallboard module: Queue Wallboard $395 for a 1-year license; real-time queue and agent stats
- FreePBX Softphones module: Sangoma softphones $299 a year for 20 users; desktop and mobile; chat and multi-party video via Sangoma Meet
- Sangoma KB: Sangoma Talk mobile app: Sangoma Talk mobile app for FreePBX needs a Softphones license
- FreePBX blog: Scribe for FreePBX: Scribe AI transcription, summaries and sentiment is a paid commercial module
- FreePBX forum: Scribe pricing thread (May 2026): Reported Scribe price $24.99 a month with 1,000 minutes, top-ups per 1,000 minutes
- FreePBX Call Center bundle module list: Call Center bundle contents: XactDialer (broadcast), Web CallMe, Queue Reports, Queues Pro (callback, virtual queues), PINSet Pro; page 2 adds CRM Link, Class of Service, CallerID Management, Outbound Call Limit
- FreePBX Everything bundle module list: Everything bundle contents over pages 1 to 4, incl. Call Recording Reports, CRM Link, Appointment Reminder; EndPoint Manager, Queue Wallboard, softphones and Scribe not included
- FreePBX support packages: Gold $399 a year per system, 60 minutes, weekdays 8 to 5 Eastern; Platinum $900 a year, 120 minutes, 24/7 Level 1 response
- SIPStation home page and pricing: Sangoma SIPStation trunks $24.99 per channel month to month, $22.99 on 1 year, $19.99 on 3 year plans; numbers, 911 and SMS offered without listed prices
- SIP.US pricing: Example trunk costs used in the 5-user scenario: channels $24.95 monthly or $19.99 yearly, local numbers $1, E911 number $2.50, texting packs $9.95 and $19.95, taxes extra
- DigitalOcean Droplet pricing: Example cloud server costs used in the 5-user scenario: 2 GB $12 and 4 GB $24 a month, weekly backups 20% extra
- FreePBX home page: Open source IP PBX, free to download and use, FreePBX a trademark of Sangoma Technologies
- FreePBX firewall module on GitHub: FreePBX code is open source (AGPLv3+ module license)
- Sangoma KB: FreePBX Versions: FreePBX 17 supported on Debian 12 until 2028; FreePBX 16 end of life January 2027; FreePBX 18 planned for 2027
- Sangoma KB: FreePBX 17: FreePBX 17 installed by script on Debian 12, can run on any public cloud Debian image
- FreePBX blog: FreePBX 17 and Debian: No in-place upgrade from 16 to 17; back up and restore onto a fresh install
- FreePBX certified appliances: Sangoma FreePBX appliances for 40 to 1,200 users
- FreePBX: PBXact Cloud: PBXact Cloud is Sangoma's hosted commercial edition, quote-based pricing
- The Hacker News: FreePBX zero-day (Aug 2025): CVE-2025-57819 in the commercial endpoint module exploited on internet-facing servers; Sangoma advised updating and restricting admin access
- Sangoma KB: PBX API module: REST and GraphQL API for managing FreePBX
- FreePBX forum: call screening thread: Basic call screening: caller records name, played to the user, accept or reject; custom logic via dial plan hooks
- FreePBX forum: call center modules thread: Listening in on calls reported via Asterisk ChanSpy
- FreePBX forum: listen and talk thread: Whisper and barge reported to need custom dial plan
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: network and computer systems administrators pay: Median pay of $47.66 an hour (May 2025), used with our estimate of 2 to 4 admin hours a month
Pricing, plan and feature details reflect FreePBX's publicly published information as of October 2026 and are subject to change. Confirm current pricing directly with FreePBX.
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