# Asterisk Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Asterisk the right Business Phone Systems solution for you? Explore 44 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/60249/Asterisk/reviews --- Asterisk 4.5 (44) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/60249/Asterisk/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Asterisk Ease of use 3.5 Customer Service 3.4 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Osama A desginerDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I also like that it's open source, which means we can get a lot of help from the community.“ August 5, 2021 TM Tim M IT consultantInformation Technology and Services, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “No administration tools, no user interface, lack of commonly needed extensions like phone handset management and voicemail.“ September 4, 2023 NT Nathan T Network Infrastructure ManagerRetail, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “As mentioned the difficulty of deployment is quite high, not every IT engineer will have the skill set to just stand up this system it does take time and you will run into a few gremlins but certainly you'll not be doing yourself any justice by passing this up.“ October 27, 2023 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 44 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Adolfo M. System Administrator Government Administration Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Asterisk as a telephony platform between branches of the institution and in applications" July 15, 2021 5.0 Our experience using Asterisk has been very good since it has allowed us to interconnect the institution's branches via VoIP and it has also been possible to scale without problems. In addition to integrating with applications towards the end user Pros Asterisk is a flexible VoIP platform that allows interaction with telephone systems within the institution nationwide, also allows integration with specific business applications Cons The implementation can be a bit complicated because the server cards and the services of the telephony provider have to be compatible. Alternatives considered [Avaya UCaaS](https://www.capterra.com/p/1174/CRM-Central/) Reason for choosing Asterisk To achieve greater scalability and reduce costs Review Source SS Stefano S. Administrator Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Asterisk is the world wide best software at no cost PBX!" April 27, 2024 5.0 I use Asterisk since 20 years and it is absolutely the best sofwtare at no cost. Pros It ha no cost, it is open standard, fully customzable. AGI Scripts help to add features to asterisk and it is very easy to connect it to other softwares. Cons I like everything of Asterisk. It is really the best. Switched from [Cisco Unified Communications Manager](https://www.capterra.com/p/157096/Unified-Communications-Manager/) COsta and features. CIso is really expensive, diofficult to configure and few features Review Source EH Emil H. Head of IT Financial Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Good open source VOIP solution" April 20, 2017 3.0 If you want a good and free open source VOIP solution that you can manage in house, then Asterisk is a good choice. It can be easily installed (not upgraded however) and managed by IT system administrators. Is logic (queues, SIP opening and context for calling) is something that you will figure out quite quickly. You can even use multiple WAN ports and multiple SIP trunk operators with the same server so this is also an advantage. The biggest disadvantage is that if a new version comes out it is easier to do the fresh installation then rater to go and try to make an upgrade. Overall, as an open source system it is a great value for money. Review Source Wobe Muki Marguerite N. Network and Systems Administrator Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Phone system, simple and the best!!!" November 22, 2019 5.0 An amazing free platform! In my industry, we use it everyday and it eases our day-to-day communications. Asterisk, you are unique!!!! Pros Asterisk is a real time voice and video application, the following points made me recommend it to my industry. -It is a free software!!! so amazing with the great solutions it provides -It is easy to setup and user friendly. Working as the Network and systems administrator in my industry (education), I discovered asterisk and amazingly I needed not a sophisticated machine to run it and it worked well on VM. Very easy to set up and the user interface is as friendly as I was able to navigate with ease. -Asterisk is stable, reliable and SIP configurations are perfect and so adaptable. In my industry (education)we use it for conference calls and employees answer calls on Asterisk. -Presently, I am including students in the system such that while on campus they can benefit from free phone calls while on campus. Asterisk is really amazing!!! Cons \-One needs to be dedicated to make it work Review Source William F. Chief Operating Officer Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Small Business Phone System" August 20, 2018 5.0 We use this everyday for our phones. We test a variety of platforms on a regular basis, but we have always stuck with Asterisk because it does everything we need. Pros Asterisk has nearly everything you would need in a phone system for a small business. With some technical knowledge you can get the free version of this and do everything yourself with very minor costs to your bottom line. Cons The learning curve on Asterisk systems is steep. If you want to do anything custom, you will pretty much have to hire someone to do it for you unless you have a lot of experience and technical knowledge. Much of this can be overcome by using a GUI such as FreePBX. Review Source Osama A. desginer Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### ""A solid base for phone systems"" August 5, 2021 4.0 Pros I've worked with Asterisk for a long time and believe it's a solid phone system platform. The system is straightforward and simple to comprehend. I also like that it's open source, which means we can get a lot of help from the community. Cons It entails a number of severe security threats. and We don't obtain the complete event of Outdial parameters in the Asterisk manager interface layer. need to keep an eye out for a variety of activities Review Source Arthur H. Systems Engineer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "If you spend enough time with it it can do anything" April 15, 2018 4.0 It works for what we do. Pros The amount of features that you can get with this software is astounding. If you have the time and the know how you can make this software do it. We use it every day. We have about 35 techs answering calls It will run on just about any computer that you have. Cons It is very complex. Like all things in the Linux world it is difficult to setup the first time you use it. It is very difficult when you want to change hardware or make system level changes. Review Source Henry D. IT Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great application for voip service for small companies" July 26, 2018 4.0 is a good application for provide viop services to small companies. Pros is Free and it's works on Linux environments, is stable and the last versions have a more friendly interface for managements Roles. there always you can find new updates available to fix bugs. Cons Very Difficult to configure the services and is hard to maintain the security of the application without extra security applications or hardware. Review Source Raúl L. IT Infrastructure Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Awesome and fast learning from the comunity information" August 1, 2018 5.0 All my voip implementations are based on asterisk as well Pros Open source code, available in to many versions, constant upgrading for the comunity, perfect SIP adaptable configurations, to many features and modules. Cons Hard installation and configuration, some bugs are not resolved at all in sip trunking, codec, an others, at least to the version 11, but now on the version 13+ there are more good stuff Review Source Gabriel M. Engineer at International Research Division Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "An useful telephone interface for your workplace!" December 21, 2018 5.0 We have an organization with 1000 employees and Asterisk have been great for connecting all the offices. We have used it for years and it is a very reliable software. Pros I like that this software can be used for video conferences, automatic call distribution and it can be sustained on VoIP. It has been really useful over the years. Cons I don't have any complain on it. This has been an amazing software so far. Review Source JR Jaime R. Technical Manager Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Herramienta CTI para uso de VOIP de forma sencilla" October 15, 2022 5.0 A través de Asterisk gestionamos la telefonía de diversas herramientas CRM, con integración y permitiendo que los consultores puedan realizar toda la actividad de forma simple y sin dificultad. Además, es posible configurar diferentes SIP Trunks para emitir llamadas con varios proveedores de forma simultánea, así como configurar DDI's específicos para cada estrategia de marcación. Pros La integración con diversas herramientas CRM que permiten la gestión telefónica para call center, así como la potencia y adaptabilidad de la herramienta. Cons Es algo complejo de configurar inicialmente, pero una vez que aprendes bien a usarlo, no puedes despegarte de el. Alternatives considered [Enghouse Contact Center](https://www.capterra.com/p/231432/Enghouse-Contact-Center/)[Avaya Experience Platform](https://www.capterra.com/p/212871/Aura-Call-Center-Elite/) Review Source AOA Ali Osman A. IT Manager Maritime Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fortget analog and digital PBXs, it is IPPBX" April 2, 2021 5.0 I am very happy with the Asterisk. It has been years and working very stable. It does not need to be updated frequently. It is working... Pros First of all it's free and open source. You can customize anything as you wish. It is flexible. The best PBX solution for small offices with multi locations, different dial rules, etc... All of my colleagues started working from home on the first day of pandemic. Cons Documentation is not good enough. When you have some problem it is hard to find the solution. If you do not secure the server, huge phone traffic can pass through your server. Review Source jS jake S. System Administrator Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Well designed and extremely reliable" September 28, 2018 5.0 I have been administrating Asterisk for 10+ years. Customers sometimes have crazy phone system requirements and Asterisks has accomplished all of them. Pros \-Asterisk is free and open source -It is extremely reliable -Allows custom scripting to make your phone system exactly how you want it Cons \-When setting up from scratch on a linux distro of your choice, setup can be a bit complex Review Source GK George K. SDM Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good PBX software" March 4, 2020 5.0 Works well for testing and for internal office use. Pros Wide adoption and lots of configurable options. Works well and is reliable. Has good updates over the years. Cons Getting started and setup is a bit difficult for the non technical. Not a big deal though. Not everyone sets up their own PBX Review Source ES Edwin S. CTO Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "PBX on Steroids" December 16, 2024 5.0 I couldn’t be happier with Asterisk. Having all the functionalities of a PBX combined with the power and flexibility of the IP protocol is simply amazing. Pros Where does one begin? Asterisk revolutionized the telecom industry by breaking free from the dominance of giants like Nortel. It brought the same—if not greater—resilience to the table while introducing IP technology. Asterisk didn’t just challenge the status quo; it redefined it, offering a flexible, open-source alternative that empowered businesses of all sizes. Cons Asterisk, by its very nature, can be a bit challenging for the general public due to its technical essence. In the early days, everything had to be configured manually, making it less accessible for non-technical users. However, from a functionality perspective, it’s flawless. Asterisk didn’t earn the nickname “Swiss Blade” for nothing—it’s versatile, powerful, and capable of handling just about anything you throw at it. Review Source TM Tim M. IT consultant Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Asterisk is the standard as a free and open-source PBX but use packaged distributions" September 4, 2023 5.0 This is my go-to choice for larger deployments but a packaged version with extras and IT support staff are both necessary for successful deployments. For small organizations without trained Asterisk IT support staff, a hosted solution is better. Pros The product has a very long history (20+ years). I was using it back in the early 2000s writing my own AEL scripts to write call flows. However, while it is full featured, it has no built-in GUI, either for admins or users. Using a package like FreePBX is essential for business deployments. Cons No administration tools, no user interface, lack of commonly needed extensions like phone handset management and voicemail. Review Source NT Nathan T. Network Infrastructure Manager Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Top Tier Phone System - Do Not Dismiss it!" October 27, 2023 5.0 Pros We use Asterisk in conjunction with FreePBX for our business phone solution, it's certainly no easy task to deploy or configure. The documentation available is vast however being an open source project you will run into a few issues dialling in your configuration to the best possible specification. Cost wise it's very cost effective and that's why I believe it's a top tier solution you should consider for any size of business. We have around 300 phones deployed with Asterisk / FreePBX and when comparing the costs against industry leading phone solutions we are saving tens of thousands of pounds per year. It's certainly not without it's faults but it's very feature rich and if you're willing to put in the hours and study you can develop your own applications or custom scripts to tailor the phone system to your businesses needs and whims. Cons As mentioned the difficulty of deployment is quite high, not every IT engineer will have the skill set to just stand up this system it does take time and you will run into a few gremlins but certainly you'll not be doing yourself any justice by passing this up. Alternatives considered [8x8 Work](https://www.capterra.com/p/187525/Virtual-Office/) Review Source Jeff R. Business & VoIP Operations Manager Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Asterisk is the only solution for self-hosted VoIP PBX’s in this day and age." January 7, 2020 5.0 Flawless product, actively being developed and since being purchased by Sangoma will continue to be the Industry Leader in VoIP PBX Solutions. Pros It works. The software does exactly what it advertises it will do. Combine it with a powerful front end such as Sangoma’s Freepbx and you have a complete system which is ready to deploy in minutes. Cons Lack of native GUI interface for end users. As stated about what I like, it is easily paired with Freepbx to achieve this goal but freepbx limits the capability of Asterisk somewhat. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Creative Director Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Simply the best" February 12, 2019 4.0 Pros This is the BEST VOIP software you can use. First of all its a free base. It has so many features that are amazing for small and large business setups. You can buy really cheap analog lines and hook up to this system. And just use your own phones. It saves 1000's of dollars each year from competitive voip systems. Cons The software can be buggy when first setting up and interfacing cards. It works great but if you are not familiar with command promp you will not be fully able to set it up. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software developer Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It’s a beast… but you need someone to tame it" July 31, 2022 5.0 Pros It’s infinitely customizable, and the price is right! Cons Dial plan is a convoluted and pretty wonky language for feature development Review Source VR Verified Reviewer IT Administrator Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "AsteriskNow" December 12, 2018 5.0 Pros Easy and cheapest way to setup a VoIP system. Used this product for more than 12 years. There was number of versions during this time. Very reliable and the system can even work as a Windows VM. Since the UI is user friendly and heavily customizable, this is a very good product for small/medium size business. Cons I would like to see an option for the end user to select what they need while installing the distro instead of ISO installing everything. Review Source MM Matthew M. CTO Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Why pay for a PBX when this is free?" November 26, 2019 4.0 I have setup and managed many asterisk installs for various use cases and love working with it, all be it I'm very familiar by now but it's not difficult to get the hang of it. Best solution for an in-house PBX should you have the ability to manage and maintain it. Pros asterisk is a reliable and versatile PBX / IP-PBX. There are many great UI's to make management even easier and the open-source nature allows you to customize scripts and telephony applications to individual needs. I can't make an argument to pay for a commercial software unless some type of included support is paramount. Cons There are a lot of components to this application which can make standardizing versions a bit complicated. There are pre-made packages available for install which are stabilized so I recommend one of them (asteriskNOW or FreepBX for example) for anyone just starting out. Review Source Fernando R. COO Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Centralita telefónica por software muy intersante" May 3, 2022 5.0 Con Asterik tenemos montada una centralita que da servicio a nuestra oficina disponiendo de extensiones fijas con teléfonos IP y de extensiones virtuales en portátiles cuando estamos en remoto. Nos permite definir sistemas de gestión de colas y buzones de voz que permiten la gestión automatizada de nuestro sistema de call center Pros Gestión de colas, buzones de voz. Posibilidad de extensiones fijas y virtuales Cons Mayor claridad y agilidad en la interfaz de usuario. Mejora de la documentación Review Source Supun A. Associate Systems Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A very good alternative to replace IP phone Systems" January 1, 2020 5.0 We could implement a proper alternative to the CISCO IP phone system,using Asterix. Asterix is a good platform in order to run the VOIP and its very affordable, efficient and flexible platform.Asterix save the space of the hardware,because it doesn't require extra hardware. Pros I was supposed to find an alternative to the CISCO IP Phone system.Then I found this amazing software and implemented it in a Linux environment.After configurations, I could complete the required system.The implemented system doesn't require any kind of extra hardware to VOIP and also It has support for three-way calling. Those are the facts i most liked in implementing Asterix and it supports both Linux and BSD operating systems. Cons When I implementing my system.I could study several implementations and references.But there are no complete updated guide books,videos,references.In order to do a small implementation we have to find more tutorials and guidance.It costs more time.Unavailability of a proper documentations and references than other opensource platforms, is a considerable matter. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Sales Manager Telecommunications Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great open source PBX" January 4, 2020 5.0 Really good, I've seen several deployments of Asterisks and they work smooth silk. Pros The openness of the system and ability to create so many solutions based on this little piece of software. It is a great foundation for creating a telecommunication solution for yourself. Cons If creating apps using Asterisk you need to know deep knowledge of the solution, this is a software that is for skilled people to use and create, which is not bad, it is just what you have to expect. 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