Looking for a 3CX alternative in Australia? The two are priced on different models. Jet Interactive's Business Phone is a complete service at $25 per user per month, ex GST, with calls and SMS to Australian landlines and mobiles included under a fair use policy, one local number per user, softphone apps, Jet's own Australian carrier network and no lock-in. 3CX is a PBX software licence sold per system per year and sized by simultaneous calls: for 8 simultaneous calls (up to 40 users) the Basic edition is $485 a year, Pro $635 and AI $925, with hosting by 3CX another $475 a year, and you bring your own SIP trunk for numbers and call charges. Call queues, call recording and CRM integration need the Pro or AI edition; Jet sells them as flat monthly add-ons on any account.
Updated November 2026. All prices AUD; Jet prices are ex GST, and 3CX figures say where 3CX publishes GST-inclusive prices or does not state GST. 3CX figures were retrieved from the pages listed under Sources on 29 October 2026; Jet figures are from Jet's pricing page and Critical Information Summary. See Jet Business Phone for the full feature set.
Jet vs 3CX: side by side
Every row is either published by the provider on the cited page or marked as not published.
| Jet Interactive | 3CX | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-user monthly price | $25 per user per month (Calls Included Plan) | No per-user price. Annual licence per system sized by simultaneous calls (SC): 8SC (up to 40 users) $485 Basic, $635 Pro or $925 AI a year; 16SC (up to 80 users) $965, $1,280 or $1,760 a year. A 4SC Free Basic edition is self-hosted only |
| How it is sold | Per user per month, month to month, on one account and one bill | Per system per year by simultaneous calls, not per user; hosting by 3CX is $475 a year at 8SC and $725 at 16SC and 24SC on top, and 8SC Basic is self-managed only |
| Calls included (AU landline and mobile) | Calls and SMS to Australian landlines and mobiles included under Jet's Fair Use Policy; calls to 13 and 1300 numbers 30c | Not included. 3CX is the PBX only; you bring your own SIP trunk, and the trunk provider sets the number fees and call rates (not published by 3CX) |
| Minimum users | 3 users | None published; the 8SC licence is recommended for 16 to 40 users |
| Contract or lock-in | No lock-in contract; 1-month minimum term | Annual licence; hosting is bought for 12 months and advertised as no lock-in |
| Setup fee | $0 | Not published |
| Australian number included | Yes, one local Australian number per user; free to port in, $50 to port out | No; numbers come from your SIP trunk provider |
| Softphone apps | Mobile and desktop softphone included | Windows, web, iOS and Android apps on every edition |
| Desk phone requirement | Optional; Yealink T54W $407 outright or $30 a month over 24 months | Optional; SIP phones supported on Basic, Pro and AI (not on the free edition's feature list) |
| Call recording | $10 a month per number, inbound and outbound, with AI call summaries | Pro and AI editions only; not on Basic or 4SC Free |
| IVR / auto attendant | $25 a month per account | Auto attendant and multi-level IVR on every edition |
| Call queues | $50 a month per account; geographic and postcode routing $50 a month per account each | Pro and AI editions only |
| CRM integration | CRM Sync $40 a month per account | Pro and AI editions only |
| Australian support | Australian-based team by email and portal; Jet is based in St Kilda, Victoria | Not published on the pricing pages |
| Hosting / network | Jet's own Australian carrier network; the app uses your device's internet connection | Self-hosted on your own server or cloud, or hosted by 3CX on Amazon, Google or Digital Ocean infrastructure for an extra yearly fee |
Jet prices are from jetinteractive.com.au/pricing, the hardware page and the Business Phone Pricing and Critical Information Summary (PDF), version October 2026. Included calls and texts are for normal business use and subject to Jet's Fair Use Policy. Charged calls are billed in one-minute increments with a two-minute minimum. 13/1300, international and diverted calls are not included. 3CX prices are its published AUD annual licence prices, which 3CX states do not include tax and are subject to exchange-rate movements. A 3CX licence is sized by simultaneous calls, with a maximum of five users per simultaneous call (8SC: 40 users). Per-month figures above divide the annual price by twelve. The 10% discount 3CX advertises on renewals of three years or more applies at 24SC and above only.
The row no competitor has: staff on their own phones. Every system here has a mobile app for a desk extension. Jet also sells Cloud Mobile, a real Australian mobile number that lives in an app on the staff member's own phone at $35 per user per month, on the same account and bill as Business Phone users. Sales reps, tradespeople and part-time staff get a business mobile number callers can text, without a company handset or a second SIM, and the number stays with the business when they leave. Mix Business Phone and Cloud Mobile users freely; see how a business number on a personal mobile works.
What a 5-user and a 10-user office pays a month
Entry plans, billed monthly where the provider offers it, with calls as the plan includes them. Add-ons, desk phones and setup excluded. Where a provider does not include numbers or calls, the line says what is still to add.
| Plan | 5 users a month | 10 users a month | How it is calculated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jet Business Phone, Calls Included Plan | $125.00 | $250.00 | $25 × users; Australian calls and SMS included |
| 3CX Pro, 8 simultaneous calls, hosted by 3CX | $92.50 + trunk and calls | $92.50 + trunk and calls | ($635 + $475) ÷ 12; one licence covers up to 40 users; SIP trunk, numbers and call charges extra |
| 3CX Basic, 8 simultaneous calls, self-hosted | $40.42 + hosting, trunk and calls | $40.42 + hosting, trunk and calls | $485 ÷ 12; your own server, SIP trunk and calls extra; no call queues or recording |
Who should pick which
Pick Jet if
- You want one bill that already includes the numbers, the calls, the apps and Australian hosting, with nobody to manage a PBX.
- You want call queues, recording or CRM integration without buying the Pro or AI edition for the whole system.
- You want per-user pricing that scales down as well as up, month to month.
- Some staff should take the business number on their own mobile with a Cloud Mobile number on the same bill.
Pick 3CX if
- You have in-house IT or a partner who will run a PBX, and you want full control of the system and your SIP trunk.
- You have many users but few concurrent calls, where a per-system licence is cheaper than per-user pricing.
- You want built-in video conferencing, live chat and WhatsApp in the same system.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jet or 3CX cheaper for a business phone system?
It depends on how many of the 3CX extras you need. The 3CX licence itself is cheap per user: $635 a year for Pro at 8 simultaneous calls covers up to 40 users, about $53 a month, plus $475 a year for 3CX hosting. But that excludes the SIP trunk, your phone numbers and every call, which come from a separate provider at prices 3CX does not publish, and the Basic edition has no call queues or recording. Jet's $25 per user per month includes the numbers, Australian calls and SMS, apps and hosting, so a 5-user office is $125 a month all in.
Does 3CX include phone numbers and calls?
No. 3CX is a PBX licence. Its pricing pages tell you to bring your own SIP trunk from a provider of your choice, and that provider supplies the Australian numbers and charges for calls. Jet includes one local Australian number per user and calls and SMS to Australian landlines and mobiles under its fair use policy.
Which 3CX edition has call queues and call recording?
The 3CX feature list shows call queues, call recording and CRM integration on the Pro and AI editions, and not on Basic or the 4SC Free edition. Auto attendant and multi-level IVR are on every edition. At Jet, call queues are $50 a month per account, recording $10 a month per number and CRM Sync $40 a month per account, on any plan.
Can I host 3CX myself?
Yes. 3CX can be self-hosted on your own server or cloud account (Windows or Linux), or hosted by 3CX for $475 a year at 8 simultaneous calls. The 8SC Basic edition and the 4SC Free edition are self-managed only. Jet hosts everything on its own Australian network; there is nothing to install or patch.
Can I move my numbers from a 3CX system to Jet?
Yes. Your numbers sit with your SIP trunk provider, not with 3CX, and Australian numbers are portable between carriers. Jet ports numbers in free and configures your call flow before cutover.
Sources
- 3CX full pricelist per year (AUD): https://www.3cx.com/ordering/pricing/pricelist/, retrieved 29 October 2026.
- 3CX pricing calculator (AUD): https://www.3cx.com/ordering/pricing/, retrieved 29 October 2026.
- 3CX features list by edition: https://www.3cx.com/ordering/pricing/features/, retrieved 29 October 2026.
- 3CX hosted PBX (bring your own SIP trunk, 12-month hosting): https://www.3cx.com/pbx/hosted/, retrieved 29 October 2026.
- 3CX 4SC Free Basic edition (self-hosted only): https://www.3cx.com/phone-system/free-basic-edition/, retrieved 29 October 2026.
About this comparison. Jet figures are from Jet's current published pricing and Critical Information Summary. 3CX figures are taken from 3CX's own public Australian pricing pages and documents on the retrieval dates shown and may have changed since. "Not published" means the detail did not appear on the cited page on that date; we have not assumed anything a provider does not state. All prices are AUD and ex GST unless the row says the provider publishes GST-inclusive prices or does not state GST. Confirm current terms with each provider before you buy. If you spot an error, tell us at jetinteractive.com.au/get-started and we will correct it.