3CX is a capable business phone system, but it is not the only option available to Australian organisations. Its current platform supports hosted and self-hosted deployment, open-standard SIP, a choice of trunks and numbers, and annual licensing based on concurrent calls rather than a simple per-user subscription. Those characteristics can be a strong fit for teams that want control over hosting and telephony.
The right choice depends on how your organisation works: the carrier model you prefer, the applications you already use, the call flows you need, who will administer the platform and what support you expect after go-live. This guide compares five credible alternatives without assuming that one product is best for every business.
3CX alternatives at a glance
- Yeastar P-Series Cloud: a strong option for businesses wanting a partner-supported cloud PBX, user apps, call routing, reporting and contact-centre capabilities in one platform.
- RingCentral RingEX: suited to organisations looking for an established all-in-one communications service with a broad integration catalogue.
- Zoom Phone: a natural candidate for teams already standardising on Zoom Workplace and wanting calling, meetings and chat in a connected experience.
- Microsoft Teams Phone: worth considering when Microsoft Teams is already the main employee communications interface and the PSTN model is planned carefully.
- Webex Calling: aimed at organisations that value Cisco’s enterprise calling ecosystem, survivability options and Cisco device support.
1. Yeastar P-Series Cloud
Niche uses and recommends Yeastar P-Series Cloud for many business phone deployments. Yeastar documents a broad administration and communications feature set across extensions, contacts, call control, messaging, reporting, integrations and security. Its Linkus clients support web, desktop and mobile use, while the wider platform includes audio and video calling and call-centre functions.
Why it may fit: businesses can combine cloud PBX functions, mobile and desktop apps, call queues, reporting and integrations with local design, number porting and ongoing support from a communications provider.
What to confirm: the exact edition, requested CRM or messaging integrations, call-recording and retention requirements, handset compatibility, carrier arrangements and the support responsibilities split between the customer, provider and vendor.
Review Yeastar P-Series Cloud documentation.
2. RingCentral RingEX
RingCentral positions RingEX as a unified service for calls, texts, video meetings and fax. Its Australian product information also describes more than 500 integrations and a vendor-stated 99.999% availability record. This can make it attractive to multi-site organisations that want a standardised cloud service and a large integration ecosystem.
Why it may fit: one application can cover core calling and collaboration functions, with established integrations for platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Salesforce and Google.
What to confirm: Australian number availability, porting, emergency calling, the integrations included in the proposed plan, support entitlements and the total per-user cost of optional features.
3. Zoom Phone
Zoom Phone connects business calling with Zoom Meetings and Zoom Team Chat. Zoom’s current product information describes calling across compatible devices, central administration, integrations with common business applications, global PSTN coverage in more than 49 countries or a bring-your-own-carrier model, and a vendor-stated 99.999% service-level agreement.
Why it may fit: organisations already invested in Zoom can reduce context switching by adding telephony to a familiar collaboration environment.
What to confirm: the Australian plan and carrier model, number porting, SMS and emergency-calling availability, call-queue requirements, hardware support and whether the broader Zoom bundle duplicates tools already licensed elsewhere.
4. Microsoft Teams Phone
Teams Phone adds cloud PBX capabilities to Microsoft Teams, including features such as auto attendants, call queues, voicemail, forwarding and number routing. Public telephone connectivity is a separate design decision: Microsoft supports Calling Plans, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing, subject to regional availability and licensing.
A key planning detail is that telephone numbers are not included simply because a user has a Teams Phone licence. Microsoft’s current guidance says numbers come from the service provider that supplies the organisation’s PSTN connection, then are assigned to appropriately licensed users or resource accounts.
Why it may fit: it can give Microsoft 365-centric teams one primary interface for internal collaboration and external calling.
What to confirm: Teams Phone licensing, the Australian PSTN provider and connectivity method, number ownership, Session Border Controller requirements for Direct Routing, analogue and emergency services, contact-centre needs and who supports the end-to-end solution.
Review Microsoft Teams Phone and Microsoft’s telephone-number guidance.
5. Cisco Webex Calling
Webex Calling is Cisco’s cloud business phone platform. Cisco highlights geo-redundant infrastructure, survivability options, a vendor-stated 99.999% service-level agreement, call queues, auto attendants, analytics and support for a broad range of Cisco IP phones. It also connects with the wider Webex collaboration suite.
Why it may fit: larger or Cisco-aligned organisations may value its enterprise administration, device ecosystem and business-continuity options.
What to confirm: the available Australian carrier and partner model, the features included in each package, site-survivability requirements, existing Cisco investment, integrations and the operating effort required after migration.
What about staying with 3CX?
Replacing 3CX is not automatically the right outcome. According to 3CX’s current product information, the platform can be hosted by 3CX, self-hosted in a private cloud or run on premises, while allowing customers to keep control of supported trunks and numbers. Its concurrent-call licensing can also compare differently from per-user subscriptions as a business grows.
Staying may make sense when the current system is well configured, supported, secure and aligned with the organisation’s requirements. A migration becomes more compelling when support, integration, administration, resilience or commercial constraints cannot be resolved economically.
Review the current 3CX product information.
How to compare business phone systems
Ask each provider to respond to the same requirements rather than comparing marketing pages alone:
- Current and forecast user numbers, locations and peak concurrent calls.
- Existing geographic, mobile, 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers that must be retained.
- Reception, queue, after-hours, failover and emergency call flows.
- Required desktop, mobile, browser and desk-phone experiences.
- CRM, Microsoft 365, contact-centre, recording and reporting integrations.
- Security, privacy, data location, call-recording consent and retention requirements.
- Internet failure, carrier failure and site-survivability arrangements.
- Implementation, training, porting and ongoing Australian support.
- A three-year total cost that includes licences, calling, hardware, porting, support and optional features.
Get a tailored comparison
Niche can compare your existing setup with suitable cloud phone options, including Yeastar and Microsoft Teams calling designs. We will map the recommendation to your users, locations, numbers, call flows, integrations and support requirements.
Request a free phone-system comparison or call 1800 4 NICHE.
Fact-checked on 25 July 2026. Product features, availability, licensing and pricing can change. The vendor links above are the primary sources used for this review; confirm the current Australian proposal and contract terms before making a decision.