Whether you call it a cloud PBX, a hosted PABX or a virtual switchboard, it is the same business phone system. Here is what it costs from published rate cards, which South African providers score best, and how to choose one.
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A cloud PBX is your company’s switchboard, rented instead of owned. The provider runs it in their data centre, and your desk phones, laptops and mobiles connect to it over the internet. It is the same product South African providers sell as a hosted PABX, cloud switchboard or virtual PABX.
Definitions only go so far. The easiest way to understand it is to follow one call through it.
All of this is set up in a web portal. Change a menu or add a person in minutes, with no technician and no box in the cupboard. Want calls recorded, CRM pop-ups or calling inside Microsoft Teams? Most providers offer those as add-ons: see call recording (and the POPIA checklist) and Teams Phone in South Africa.
Go deeper on each step: keeping your number how an auto-attendant works queues and hunt groups calls on any device
Tip: sketch your own call flow like this before you ask for prices. It is what providers quote on, and it is what our quote form asks: how many extensions, and what you need your calls to do.
Why so many names for one product? Providers use whatever word their customers search for. PABX vs PBX explained →
VoIP is how the voice travels: over the internet instead of a copper line. The cloud PBX is the switchboard on top: the menus, queues and extensions in the call above. If you only need a line or a SIP trunk for a PABX you already own, start with the VoIP guide, or read the full cloud PBX vs VoIP comparison.
Among providers that publish a per-extension price, the platform fee is R49 to R79 per extension per month (median R65, 11 providers, rate cards sampled to 27 September 2026), before calls, numbers and handsets. Some sell in blocks instead: Switch Telecom’s 10-extension block works out at R26 an extension, plus its SIP trunk.
Estimated monthly platform spend from published, dated prices. Excludes call charges and handsets; some prices exclude VAT. Count extensions, not people: reception, the boardroom and a shared warehouse phone each count. Not sure how many you need? Use the sizing guide.
| Setup | Free at some providers, a once-off fee at others. |
| Calls | Pay per second, or a bundle of minutes for a fixed fee. |
| Numbers | A monthly rental per number. You can usually keep (port) your existing numbers. How SA business numbers work → |
| Handsets | Optional. Phone and laptop apps cost nothing extra; desk phones are bought or rented. Desk phone, softphone or app? · Which phones work → |
For most small and mid-sized businesses, hosted wins. Three questions tell you if that includes you.
| Factor | Hosted switchboard cloud PBX | On-premise PABX box in your office |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | No hardware; handsets optional | Cabinet, cards and licences bought outright |
| Monthly cost | R49–R79 per extension (published rate cards) | Lines plus a maintenance contract |
| Getting set up | Remote, typically days | On-site installation, typically weeks |
| Adding a person | A few clicks in the portal | New cards or licences, and a technician |
| Working remotely | Same extension anywhere with internet | VPNs and extra hardware |
| Load shedding | Switchboard stays up; calls divert to mobiles | Goes silent when the office loses power |
| Bad internet | Call quality suffers | Internal calls still work |
Two things decide how well hosted works for you: the internet speed calls need, and how you stay reachable during load shedding.
Some names you will hear are platforms: the switchboard software itself, like 3CX, Yeastar or Microsoft Teams Phone. A provider is the company that runs a switchboard for you, connects it to the phone network and picks up when something breaks. Which one you buy from changes how you pay, who sets it up and who you call.
| Question | Buy from a provider hosted, one service | Buy a platform 3CX, Yeastar, Teams Phone |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A working phone system: switchboard, numbers, calls and support in one | The software licence. Numbers and call minutes still come from a provider (a SIP trunk or calling plan) |
| How you pay | A monthly fee per extension, often month-to-month, plus calls | A licence fee (3CX per year by simultaneous calls; Teams Phone per user on top of Microsoft 365), plus the line and calls |
| Who sets it up | The provider, remotely | A certified partner, or your own IT team |
| Day-to-day changes | You, in the provider’s portal, or ask them | You or your partner, in the platform’s admin console |
| When it breaks | One support desk | Possibly two: whoever supports the software, and whoever supplies the line |
| Suits | Businesses that want it handled | Businesses with IT people who want control, or that already run on Microsoft Teams |
The line blurs in practice: many providers run 3CX or Yeastar as their own hosted service. Then you buy it like a provider service, with one bill and one support desk. Before you sign, ask which platform sits underneath and who supports it. Our 3CX, Yeastar and Teams Phone reviews explain each platform.
Weighing up platforms? 3CX vs Yeastar 3CX vs Teams what 3CX costs what Yeastar costs
Decided a hosted switchboard suits you? Five checks narrow the field before you look at names.
WhichVoIP sells no phone systems. Many “best provider” lists in South Africa are written by a provider that puts itself first; ours scores every provider we review on the same five measures: price, features, customer reviews, reliability and support. Sponsors are marked and scored exactly like everyone else. Use the checks above, then rank by the measure that matters most to you.
8 and above6.5 to 7.9below 6.5– not enough reviews to score
Every provider is scored on the same rubric, sponsors included. How we score · how we make money
Published prices, terms and support side by side – the same providers ranked above.
Nothing, in practice. They are names for the same product: a business switchboard run from the provider’s data centre over the internet, instead of from a cabinet in your office.
Among South African providers that publish a rate card, the platform fee is R49 to R79 per extension per month, with a median of R65 across eleven providers (sampled to 27 September 2026). Calls, number rental, setup and handsets are extra.
VoIP carries the voice over the internet. A cloud PBX is the switchboard software on top that manages extensions, queues, menus and recording. Most providers sell the two as one bundle.
Setup is remote, so a small system is usually live within days rather than the weeks an on-premise PABX installation takes. Porting your existing numbers runs in parallel: the new provider drives it, and it usually completes within 7 to 10 working days. How porting works →
Sometimes. Standard SIP desk phones from Yealink, Grandstream, Poly, Cisco and Snom usually register to a new provider with a configuration file. Proprietary handsets from an old on-premise PABX (Panasonic KX, Avaya, Mitel) generally do not, so you would use softphones or new handsets.
The switchboard itself stays up because it runs in the provider’s data centre. Your office phones need power and internet, so put the router and handsets on a UPS or inverter; if the office goes dark, most providers can divert calls to mobile apps or numbers automatically. That is a real advantage over an on-premise PABX, which goes silent when the power does.
Yes, if you satisfy both POPIA and RICA. RICA lets a business record calls it is party to, as long as callers are told, usually by an announcement at the start of the call. POPIA then requires a lawful basis, secure storage and a limit on how long you keep recordings. Most cloud PBX platforms include recording; the policy is yours. The full POPIA recording checklist →
On WhichVoIP’s independent five-dimension rubric, Switch Telecom (a WhichVoIP sponsor, scored on the same rubric) scores highest at 8.6 out of 10, followed by Euphoria Telecom at 7.7 and TRUENAV and Voys at 7.6. Best for you depends on headcount, whether you want month-to-month terms, and whether you need Teams calling or a contact centre, which is what the comparison page and the reviews are for.
Covering South African business telecoms since 2010, with coverage in ITWeb, Bizcommunity, Engineering News and MyBroadband. Newsroom →
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