# FreePBX review (2026): is it any good? > Open-source web interface for managing an Asterisk phone system Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. FreePBX is a web-based, open-source graphical interface for controlling and managing the Asterisk PBX. Organizations install and run it themselves, and Sangoma, its main sponsor, sells a commercial system called PBXact built on the same community project. - **Category:** Business Phone Systems - **Made by:** Sangoma - **Website:** https://www.freepbx.org - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want someone else to host it, as the pages describe no hosted service. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, FreePBX is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The FreePBX code is published under the GPL-3.0 license and is run on your own server; no paid plan is listed on the pages read. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | FreePBX | $0 | Open-source software that you host yourself; carrier lines, phones and support are separate. | Read from https://github.com/FreePBX/framework on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with FreePBX before buying. ## Key features - **Web GUI for Asterisk:** A browser interface for setting up and managing the Asterisk PBX, aimed at teams with less telecom expertise. - **Modular design:** A framework module sits at the center and every other module depends on it, so features are added as modules. - **Open-source code:** Source is published on GitHub under the GPL-3.0 license, with a community forum for help and release news. - **Commercial route:** PBXact is Sangoma's commercial system developed with the FreePBX community and supported by Sangoma's own staff. ## Good for - Technical teams that want to run and control their own PBX - Organizations that already work with Asterisk - Buyers who want an open-source base with a commercial support option ## Worth knowing - You install, host and update it yourself; the pages read describe no hosted service. - Phones, carrier lines and any paid support are separate from the free software. - The freepbx.org site answered with a bot check, so pricing and download details were read from GitHub and Sangoma's open-source page. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. FreePBX is free open-source software, a web interface for managing an Asterisk phone system on your own server. You install, host and update it yourself, and carrier lines, phones and paid support all cost extra. - **Value for money: C.** The code is free under the GPL-3.0 licence, but it's only free if you host it yourself, which needs a server, and carrier lines and phones are extra. That makes it a C. - **Free plan and trial: B.** No licence fee and no account, but you pay for the server, carrier lines and phones, and any support. - **Features: C.** A web interface and add-on modules for an Asterisk PBX. The pages read describe no hosted service, and no video or texting is listed. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. You install, host and update it yourself, which is self-hosting. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web interface only, with one integration on record. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from FreePBX's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among business phone systems - FreePBX's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 28 of the 77 other business phone systems we grade, and level with 18. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 72 of 77) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - FreePBX has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/business-phones ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** FreePBX is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. - You could not: Phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Asterisk **Tags:** Business phone line, Open source, Self-hostable ## Alternatives - [Yeastar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/yeastar): P-Series PBX in cloud, software or appliance editions. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freepbx-vs-yeastar) - [Sangoma](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sangoma): Business phone system in cloud, hybrid and on-premises forms. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freepbx-vs-sangoma) - [RingCentral](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ringcentral): Cloud phone system with texting, fax, video meetings and team chat. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freepbx-vs-ringcentral) - [Net2Phone](https://toolgpa.com/tools/net2phone): Per-user cloud phone system with video, SMS and AI call tools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freepbx-vs-net2phone) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://github.com/FreePBX/framework - https://community.freepbx.org/ - https://sangoma.com/products/open-source/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/freepbx Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).