--- title: What Is 3CX? A Plain Guide for Kenyan Businesses (2026) description: >- What 3CX is, what it costs in 2026, whether it is free, and why it gives you no phone number. Plus the simpler route for Kenyan offices. summary: >- 3CX is PBX software sold as a yearly USD licence through resellers. It ships no numbers or minutes. Here is what it does, what it costs and what a Kenyan office needs on top. date: 2026-11-05T00:00:00.000Z type: blog --- ## Summary 3CX is PBX software: the switch that gives an office extensions, call routing, queues, menus and staff apps. It is sold as a flat yearly licence in US dollars, priced by how many calls can run at once. As listed on [3cx.com](https://www.3cx.com/ordering/pricing/pricelist/) on 5 November 2026, a system for 8 simultaneous calls costs $300 a year on Basic, $395 on PRO or $575 on AI, before tax, and 3CX SMB Free covers up to 10 users. 3CX does not give you a phone number or any call minutes: you add a SIP trunk provider, and in Kenya you usually buy through a reseller who also installs it. If you want the number, the minutes and the apps in one place, Sautikit gives you a Kenyan number at KES 500 a month, free inbound calls and outbound calls at KES 3.00 a minute billed per second, live in minutes with no licence or installer. ## What 3CX is used for 3CX runs the inside of a business phone system. Once it is set up, it handles: - **Extensions** for every staff member, with free internal calls. - **Ring groups and queues**, so a call to the main line reaches whoever is free. - **IVR menus** ("press 1 for sales"). - **Call recording, voicemail and office hours.** - **Staff apps** for mobile, web and desktop, plus video meetings and website live chat. It runs on a Windows or Linux server you manage, on a cloud server you rent, or hosted by 3CX for an extra yearly charge. 3CX says more than 350,000 businesses use it. ## Is 3CX a PBX system? Yes. 3CX is a software IP PBX. Instead of a dedicated box, the switching runs as software, and calls travel over your data network to IP desk phones or the 3CX apps. To reach callers on Safaricom, Airtel or Telkom, it connects to the outside world through a SIP trunk. For how 3CX compares with boxes and cloud systems, see [PBX systems in Kenya](/blog/pbx-system-kenya). ## Does 3CX give you a phone number? No. This is the question most Kenyan buyers ask too late. 3CX's own marketing lists "Bring your own trunk & numbers" as a feature: before a 3CX system can make or take a single call, you need a separate SIP trunk provider that supplies your numbers and bills your minutes. That is a second supplier, a second contract and a second bill, usually arranged by the reseller. Sautikit is that missing piece and more. You claim a Kenyan number from the console and it is live in seconds. If you already own 3CX, that number can be its line (see below). If you do not, the number comes with free apps and call routing, so you may not need 3CX at all. ## How much does 3CX cost in 2026? 3CX charges "a flat annual price for your whole 3CX system", set by simultaneous calls (SC). These figures were read from 3cx.com's full price list on 5 November 2026. They are in US dollars, exclude tax and, in 3CX's words, are "subject to FX rate fluctuations". | Simultaneous calls | Max users | Basic | PRO | AI | Hosted by 3CX | | ------------------ | --------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------------- | | 8 | 40 | $300 | $395 | $575 | $295 | | 16 | 80 | $600 | $795 | $1,095 | $450 | | 24 | 120 | $745 | $990 | $1,350 | $450 | | 32 | 192 | $915 | $1,215 | $1,620 | $795 | | 48 | 288 | $1,350 | $1,800 | $2,250 | $795 | 3CX notes that "8SC BASIC is self-managed", so hosting starts at PRO for the smallest size. None of these prices includes a number, a minute of calling, a server or installation. Resellers price those separately, so the 3CX licence is usually the smallest line on a Kenyan 3CX quote. "Simultaneous calls" is a channel count. A 16SC system carries 16 calls at the same moment, and while all 16 are busy the 17th call cannot get through, inbound or outbound. You size it for your busiest hour or accept that calls are turned away when it gets busy. For comparison, Sautikit has no licence and no channel count: a number is KES 500 a month, inbound calls are free and outbound calls are KES 3.00 a minute billed per second, all from one prepaid KES wallet topped up by M-Pesa or card. The side-by-side for a 10-person office is on [Sautikit vs 3CX](/compare/3cx). ## Is 3CX still free? Partly. 3CX's pricing FAQ says "3CX SMB Free is free for up to 10 users", with free hosting, and an account can create up to three free systems. The free licence still needs a SIP trunk and numbers before it can call anyone, and 3CX says it may withdraw some features from free subscriptions "at any time without prior warning". Above 10 users you move to a paid edition. ## What does 3CX AI do? The AI edition ($575 a year at 8 simultaneous calls) adds call transcription, summaries, sentiment and AI agents. 3CX's AI edition page says you "Connect Grok, Google or OpenAI", which means you bring your own AI provider account and pay that provider separately, usually in dollars. Its AI Receptionist page states "the current maximum duration is 3 minutes per call." Sautikit's [AI agents](/ai-agents) are managed: there is no AI account to connect. An agent answers your number every call or only after hours, hands over to a person with a summary, and is billed at KES 4.00 a minute (metered per second) on top of the call rate. Each agent's call length is a cap you set, 15 minutes by default. Full comparison: [3CX AI Receptionist vs Sautikit AI agents](/blog/3cx-ai-receptionist-alternative). ## How you buy 3CX in Kenya 3CX's FAQ says "You can buy 3CX from a 3CX Partner", and it has over 10,000 partners worldwide. Search "3cx kenya" and page one is resellers: Talinda, Red Star Africa, Call Experts, Cloud One, PBX PABX Nairobi and Adcare IT among them. Each quotes its own trunk, numbers and installation. Ask any of them for a quote that separates the licence, the trunk, the numbers, the server and the installation, then compare it line by line with a single Sautikit number. ## Already running 3CX? Make Sautikit its line You do not have to rip out 3CX to cut call costs. Every Sautikit number has SIP credentials: server `sip.sautikit.com`, port `5080`, UDP, with a generated username and password. Any PBX that registers with a username and password, 3CX included, can use the number as its trunk. Inbound calls become free and outbound calls cost KES 3.00 a minute billed per second, with no trunk contract. The steps are in [Use Sautikit as a SIP trunk](/developers/guides/use-sautikit-as-a-sip-trunk). Place a test call before you move your main number. Resellers: the same applies to every client you install. One Sautikit workspace per client, a number live the same day, billed in KES. ## FAQ ### What is 3CX in simple terms? 3CX is software that runs a business phone system. It gives staff extensions, routes and queues incoming calls, plays menus, records calls and provides apps for phones and computers. It does not include phone numbers or call minutes. ### Does 3CX include a phone number? No. 3CX lists "Bring your own trunk & numbers" as a feature. You need a SIP trunk provider for your Kenyan numbers and minutes. A Sautikit number (KES 500 a month) can be that trunk, or replace 3CX entirely. ### How much is a 3CX licence? As listed on 3cx.com on 5 November 2026, 8 simultaneous calls cost $300 a year on Basic, $395 on PRO and $575 on AI, before tax. 16 simultaneous calls cost $600, $795 or $1,095. Hosting by 3CX is extra, from $295 a year. ### What does SC mean in 3CX? SC stands for simultaneous calls: how many calls the system carries at once. On an 8SC licence, the ninth call cannot get through until one of the eight ends. Sautikit numbers have no SC size; you pay for the minutes you use. ### Can I use 3CX for free? Yes, for up to 10 users on 3CX SMB Free, which includes free hosting. You still need your own SIP trunk and numbers before it can make or receive calls. ### Is there a simpler alternative to 3CX in Kenya? Sautikit gives you a Kenyan number, free inbound calls, per-second outbound calls and free apps for web, Android, Windows and iOS and macOS (beta) in one account, with no licence, server or installer. More options are compared in [3CX alternatives in Kenya](/blog/best-3cx-alternatives-kenya). **[Claim a number →](/numbers)**  ·  **[Sautikit vs 3CX →](/compare/3cx)**  ·  **[Get the apps →](/phone)**