3CX is a PBX licence, not a phone line. As listed on 3cx.com on 23 September 2026, it costs a flat yearly fee per system set by how many calls run at the same time: from $300 a year for 8 simultaneous calls on the Basic edition ($395 on PRO, $575 on AI), excluding tax and VAT, in US dollars; a free edition covers up to 10 users. It ships no phone numbers and no call minutes ("Bring your own trunk & numbers" is its own headline), and 3CX sends buyers to a reseller, so the real bill is licence plus SIP trunk plus numbers plus installation. Sautikit is the whole thing in one: a Kenyan number at KES 116 a month including VAT, free inbound calls, outbound at KES 3.00 a minute billed per second, and the SautiKit Phone apps for web, Android, Windows and iOS/macOS (beta), paid from one prepaid KES wallet and live in minutes with no installer.
All 3CX figures on this page were read from 3cx.com's pricing page and its pricing FAQ on 23 September 2026. A "Summer Promotions" banner was showing that day, with discounts ending 30 September 2026. Check the live page before you commit.
3CX is PBX software: the switch that sits between your staff's phones and the outside world. It handles extensions, ring groups, queues, IVR menus and its own apps. You can run it on your own server, on a cloud server you rent, or have it hosted by 3CX for an extra annual charge.
What 3CX does not include is the line itself. Its site lists "Bring your own trunk & numbers" as a feature, and it means exactly that: before a 3CX system can call a single Kenyan mobile, you need a SIP trunk provider that supplies your numbers and bills your minutes. That is a second supplier, a second contract and a second bill.
Sautikit starts from the other end. You claim a Kenyan number from the console or the API and it is live in seconds. Calls, minutes, recordings and the apps all run off that number and one wallet you top up with M-Pesa or card.
3CX's pricing FAQ says it plainly: "You can buy 3CX from a 3CX Partner." Its buying page is titled "How to buy 3CX - contact one of our VoIP Resellers". In practice that means a local installer quotes you the licence, the trunk and the setup together.
When we searched "3cx kenya" on 23 September 2026, the page-one results were all resellers:
That is the buying path 3CX points you to. Each of them sets its own prices for trunks, numbers and installation, and none of those prices is on 3cx.com, so we do not quote them here. Ask any of them for a written quote that separates the licence, the trunk, the numbers and the installation, and compare it with the line items below.
As listed on 3cx.com on 23 September 2026. Prices exclude tax and VAT and, in 3CX's words, "are subject to FX rate fluctuations."
| Simultaneous calls (SC) | Max users | Basic | PRO | AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 40 | $300 | $395 | $575 |
| 16 | 80 | $600 | $795 | $1,095 |
| 24 | 120 | $825 | $1,095 | $1,495 |
| 32 | 192 | $1,015 | $1,350 | $1,795 |
| 48 | 288 | $1,500 | $1,995 | $2,495 |
| 64 | 384 | $2,025 | $2,695 | $3,235 |
| 96 | 672 | $3,000 | $3,995 | $4,795 |
| 128 | 896 | $4,125 | $5,495 | $6,595 |
| 1024 | 8,192 | $24,750 | $32,995 | $39,595 |
Also listed that day: "Hosted by 3CX" is a separate annual charge ($295 a year at 8 SC on PRO or AI), and 3CX SMB Free is "free for up to 10 users". None of these includes a number or a minute of calling.
| Item | Sautikit |
|---|---|
| Kenyan phone number | KES 100/month ex. VAT = KES 116 incl. VAT |
| Setup fee | None |
| Inbound calls | Free |
| Outbound calls | KES 3.00/min, billed per second (KES 0.05/s) |
| Apps (web, Android, Windows) | Free to download; iOS and macOS in beta on TestFlight |
| Call recording storage | 1 GB free, kept 24 hours; paid tiers from KES 599/month (10 GB, kept 3 days) up to 30 days |
| Licence fee | None |
| Installer | Not needed |
| Currency and payment | KES, prepaid wallet, M-Pesa (STK push) or card |
On 3CX, the licence tier that fits is 8 simultaneous calls (up to 40 users). As listed on 23 September 2026 that is $300 a year on Basic, $395 on PRO or $575 on AI, before tax and VAT. If you expect more than 8 calls at once, 16 SC is $600, $795 or $1,095. On top of the licence you still need:
None of those three is published by 3CX, so the first-year total is whatever the reseller's quote says.
On Sautikit, there is nothing to add up except the line and the calls:
No licence, no trunk contract, no installer, and no US dollar exposure.
A 3CX project runs in this order: pick a reseller, agree a quote, buy the licence, sign up with a trunk provider, get numbers assigned, then have the system installed and the phones configured.
Sautikit runs in this order:
You can forward calls to one or more phones, set business hours, record calls, and let a managed AI agent answer after hours, all from the same console.
If you have a working PBX and staff trained on it, you do not have to rip it out to get cheaper calls. Sautikit gives each number SIP credentials: a server (sip.sautikit.com), port 5080, UDP, and a generated username and password. Any PBX that registers with a username and password can use a Sautikit number as its line, so your inbound calls stay free and your outbound calls cost KES 3.00 a minute billed per second.
The step-by-step is in Use Sautikit as a SIP trunk. We have not certified any specific PBX product, so test a call before you move your main number.
If what you really want is a finished call-centre dashboard for a team of agents, look at Helloduty, which runs on Sautikit voice.
3CX is priced in US dollars per system per year by simultaneous calls. As listed on 3cx.com on 23 September 2026, 8 simultaneous calls cost $300 (Basic), $395 (PRO) or $575 (AI) a year, excluding tax and VAT. Numbers, call minutes and installation are extra and are quoted by the reseller and the trunk provider.
No. 3CX's own site says "Bring your own trunk & numbers". You need a separate SIP trunk provider for your Kenyan numbers and your call minutes. Sautikit includes the number (KES 116 a month incl. VAT) and bills calls from the same wallet.
3CX's pricing FAQ says "You can buy 3CX from a 3CX Partner", and its buying page directs you to its VoIP resellers. In Kenya the results for "3cx kenya" are resellers such as Talinda, Red Star Africa, Call Experts, Cloud One, PBX PABX Nairobi and Adcare IT. Sautikit is self-serve: you sign up and claim a number yourself.
3CX's pricing FAQ says 3CX SMB Free "is free for up to 10 users". The licence is free, but you still need your own trunk and numbers before it can make or take a call. Sautikit has no licence fee: you pay KES 116 a month for the number and KES 3.00 a minute for outbound calls, and the apps are free to download.
Yes, if the phone registers with a SIP username and password. Add a device to your number in the console under SIP & Devices and type the server, port, username and password into the phone. See the Grandstream phone guide for a worked example.
Yes. SautiKit Phone runs on the web, Android and Windows, with iOS and macOS in beta on TestFlight. One account signs in on every device. See /phone.