FreePBX is a free, open-source, web-based GUI for managing Asterisk-based phone systems. It originated in 2004 as AMP (Asterisk Management Portal) built by Coalescent Systems, and has been owned and sponsored since 2015 by Sangoma Technologies following its acquisition of Schmooze Com Inc.
It powers more than a million business phone system installations worldwide and remains free and open source at its core, with Sangoma generating revenue through optional commercial modules, hardware, and its fully supported PBXact product.
Key Features
FreePBX provides a point-and-click interface for managing extensions, SIP trunks, IVR menus, ring groups, call queues, voicemail, and conference bridges on top of the Asterisk telephony engine.
The current release, FreePBX 17, runs on PHP 8.2 with support for Asterisk 20 and 21, and is officially installed on Debian Linux via a bash installer or a pre-built ISO.
Pricing
The FreePBX core software is completely free to download, install, and use, with no license fee for the base system.
Sangoma monetizes the ecosystem through optional commercial modules, SIP phones and PBX appliances, and PBXact, its fully supported commercial version of FreePBX, none of which are required to run a functional phone system.
Key Features
Extension and trunk management — Point-and-click configuration of phone extensions and SIP trunk connections to telephony carriers.
IVR and call routing — Build interactive voice response menus, ring groups, hunt groups, and time-based call routing rules.
Call queues — Manage agent-based call queues with configurable hold music, overflow, and reporting.
Voicemail and email delivery — Per-extension voicemail boxes with email delivery of voicemail messages as audio attachments.
Conference bridges — Host multi-party conference calls directly through the PBX without third-party conferencing services.
Module marketplace — Extend functionality with free community modules or paid commercial modules for advanced features like recording and endpoint management.
Endpoint Manager — Provision and manage Sangoma and third-party SIP desk phones centrally from the FreePBX interface.
Call detail records and reporting — Track and report on call volume, duration, and routing for auditing and capacity planning.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Core software is completely free and open source with no license fees
Backed by Sangoma, a publicly traded company, giving it long-term development stability rare among open-source projects
Powers over a million installations, meaning extensive community documentation, forums, and third-party expertise are available
Can run on modest, inexpensive hardware for small deployments
Optional commercial modules and PBXact give a clear upgrade path to professional support without forcing it on free users
Cons
Requires Linux system administration knowledge to install, secure, and maintain
Officially supported only on Debian Linux, limiting deployment flexibility for other distributions
Some genuinely useful features, like advanced endpoint management, are gated behind paid commercial modules
Telephony and VoIP configuration (SIP trunks, NAT traversal, codecs) has a steep learning curve for non-specialists
No official cloud-hosted SaaS version directly from the FreePBX project itself, requiring self-hosting or a third-party host
Pricing
FreePBX Core (Open Source) Free N/A
Commercial Modules Varies by module One-time or subscription, per module
PBXact (Sangoma commercial) Contact for pricing Custom
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FreePBX free to use?
Yes, the FreePBX core software is completely free and open source. Sangoma, the project's sponsor, monetizes optional commercial modules, hardware, and its fully supported PBXact product instead.
Who maintains FreePBX?
FreePBX has been developed and sponsored by Sangoma Technologies since it acquired Schmooze Com Inc. in January 2015. The project originally started in 2004 as AMP, built by Coalescent Systems.
What operating system does FreePBX run on?
FreePBX is officially supported on Debian Linux, installed either via a bash installer script on an existing Debian system or through a pre-built ISO distribution.
What is the difference between FreePBX and PBXact?
FreePBX is the free, self-managed open-source project, while PBXact is Sangoma's commercial, pre-bundled, professionally supported version of the same underlying software with a maintenance contract.
What is the underlying telephony engine behind FreePBX?
FreePBX is a web-based management GUI built on top of Asterisk, the open-source telephony engine; the current release supports Asterisk versions 20 and 21.
How many businesses use FreePBX?
FreePBX is reported to power more than one million phone system installations worldwide, making it one of the most widely deployed open-source PBX platforms.