Your office phone system shouldn't cost more than your office rent. We compared them all so you don't have to.
Written by Mechelle Gindra, Editor · Last verified: October 2026
Independent Reviews
Sponsors Always Disclosed
Rankings Are Scored, Not Sold
12 Providers Compared
The top-scored Cloud PBX provider in South Africa is Switch Telecom at 8.6/10, and published rand seat prices run from R26 to R65 per user or extension a month, ex VAT; most sit between R49 and R65. The cheapest hosted seat is Switch Telecom at R26 per extension (sold in blocks of ten); Microsoft Teams Phone is billed in US dollars, from US$10 per user a month for the licence before calling. Four bill month-to-month and six charge no setup fee.
Published seat price
R26–R65
Per user or extension a month, ex VAT
Providers compared
12
One five-part rubric, one score
Month-to-month
4 of 12
Switch, United, Vox, NoPBX
No setup fee
6 of 12
Free or R0 activation
1. Our top 3 Cloud PBX picks for 2026
Sponsored partners are shown first in these picks. Sponsorship never changes a score, a verdict or a position in the comparison table below. How sponsorship works.
★ Sponsored partner
Centracom 7.4/10
Hosted PBX (Cloudcall) on own Tier 1 voice carrier network Read the review →
★ Sponsored partner
Kinetix Connect 7.1/10
3CX Hosted PBX and Dedicated Cloud PBX, with SIP trunks Read the review →
★ Sponsored partner
Innovo Networks 7.5/10
Hosted PBX, contact centre and Teams Direct Routing Read the review →
2. All Cloud PBX providers side by side
Sort by score or price, filter by team size, contract and setup fee. Every score links to the full review.
Not published — ask for per-minute rates with the quote
3CX Specialist
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Comparison price is the entry-tier price per extension, excluding 15% VAT, shown alongside each provider’s verbatim published price. Mandatory add-ons such as SIP trunks are listed separately and are not folded into this figure. Quote-based providers are shown as quote-based. All rand prices and call rates on this page exclude 15% VAT. Prices published in euro are converted at the ECB reference rate of €1 = R19.04 (31 July 2026) and shown as estimates.
Ten seats on this table start at R260 a month on Switch Telecom's 10-extension block; at R65 per extension (United Telecoms, NoPBX, Yeastar), the highest rand seat price here, the same 10 seats cost R650, before call charges and VAT.
3. How to choose a Cloud PBX provider in South Africa
Six checks to run before you sign. Provider examples come from the table above; the advice around them is ours.
1. Start with your actual call volume
Problem: The seat price is only part of the bill, and call charges can cost more than the seats.
Switch Telecom charges R260 per 10 extensions a month, plus calls at 24c a minute to landlines and 43c to mobiles (30-second increments, 60-second minimum), ex VAT.
Innovo Networks starts at R49 per extension a month, with calls at 25c a minute to landlines and 35c to mobiles, billed per second, ex VAT.
NoPBX Pay As You Go is R65 per extension a month with 200 minutes included, plus R90 a month on multi-user systems; calls are R0.57 a minute to landlines and R0.79 to mobiles, billed per second. Infinity is R349 per extension with 1,000 pooled minutes, then R0.54 a minute. All ex VAT.
A low seat price with expensive minutes can cost more than a dearer seat with cheap minutes, so compare on your own call pattern, not the headline.
Ask: for a monthly cost projection on your last three months of call records, with seat fees and call charges shown separately.
2. Check load shedding resilience
Problem: The PBX runs in a data centre, but your office router and desk phones lose power, so inbound calls need somewhere to go.
Switch Telecom includes a browser and mobile softphone for every extension at no extra charge, plus call forwarding.
Vox Telecom lists automatic mobile failover, and United Telecoms a mobile app with automatic call redirect.
NoPBX runs on the mobile network with a smartphone as the extension, so there is no office equipment to keep powered.
Telkom Business, Centracom, Innovo Networks, Kinetix Connect and Yeastar do not publish a load shedding provision.
Ask: what happens to an inbound call when your office has no power, and show it working on a test call. If a provider cannot explain that clearly, keep looking.
3. Understand contract lock-in
Problem: A fixed term keeps you paying if service gets worse.
Switch Telecom, United Telecoms, Vox Telecom (OmniOne) and NoPBX bill month-to-month. Axxess has no contract, but its CallTime is for personal use: Axxess's terms sell it to natural persons, not businesses.
Telkom Business asks for 12, 24 or 36 months. Its configurator prices PABX Cloud as one flat monthly price, not per extension: R77 on 12 months and R69 on 36 months.
3CX paid editions are annual licences. Microsoft Teams Phone is billed monthly or annually through Microsoft 365, and the carrier's terms apply on top.
Centracom, Innovo Networks and Kinetix Connect do not publish contract terms. Yeastar via DSL Telecom is month-to-month; other resellers set their own terms.
A longer term can buy a lower monthly price (Telkom's 36-month rate is R8 less than its 12-month rate), so weigh the saving against being locked in.
Decide: month-to-month, or a fixed term only with a written exit clause for sustained SLA breaches.
4. Don't overvalue features you won't use
Problem: Recording, wallboards and CRM links often sit on a higher tier or cost extra, so you can pay for features nobody opens.
Innovo Networks charges R49 per extension for Starter, R99 to add call recording, analytics and Teams Direct Routing, and R149 to add the omni-channel contact centre.
Telkom Business sells CRM, call recording and analytics as add-ons to its iPECS Cloud PBX.
Axxess has no IVR, call recording or CRM integration. NoPBX includes an auto attendant but no call recording.
3CX, Microsoft Teams Phone, Yeastar and Innovo Networks publish an API. Switch Telecom provides API access to Enterprise customers on request, without public developer documentation.
Start from the everyday features: an auto attendant, ring groups, voicemail to email, call recording and a mobile app. A five-person office rarely needs a wallboard; a 50-seat sales floor usually does.
Do this: list the features your team uses today, then ask which tier includes each one and what it adds per extension.
5. Test support and call quality before you commit
Problem: Call quality and support response only show once you are live, and leaving a fixed term is expensive.
Switch Telecom support runs Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00, with weekend and public holiday standby for Business and Corporate SLA customers.
Centracom runs a 24/7 service desk with a separate after-hours line. Innovo Networks has 24/7 remote and on-site engineers. United Telecoms lists 24/7 phone, email and chat.
Switch Telecom and NoPBX have free setup and month-to-month billing. The free 3CX edition covers up to 10 users, self-hosted.
Yeastar support comes from its SA resellers (e.g. DSL Telecom), so quality depends on the partner.
How a provider handles you as a prospect is a fair preview of how it will handle you as a customer.
Do this: run a pilot on your own connection, make calls in your busiest hour, and log a support ticket after hours.
6. Verify the ICASA licence
Problem: If a voice provider is not licensed or exempt, you have no regulatory recourse in a dispute.
Switch Telecom (licensed since 2007), United Telecoms, Vox Telecom, Telkom Business, Axxess and Centracom hold ECNS and ECS licences.
Innovo Networks resells a licensed operator's network under an ECS exemption. Kinetix Connect publishes no licence number.
3CX, Yeastar and Microsoft Teams Phone are software platforms. The licence sits with the SIP trunk or carrier you connect them to.
NoPBX runs on licensed mobile networks. Confirm NoPBX's own licensing directly.
Ask: which ICASA licence or exemption the provider holds, and the licence number, then check it on the ICASA website.
✓
The short version: price on total monthly cost for your real call volume, prefer month-to-month or a 30-day SLA exit, and test the mobile app during load shedding before you sign.
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Compare like for like: Switch Telecom, Innovo Networks and NoPBX quote ex VAT, Axxess quotes incl. VAT, and United Telecoms and Telkom Business do not state a VAT basis. 3CX is priced in euros a year and Microsoft Teams Phone in US dollars. Switch Telecom and 3CX price the seat without the SIP trunk. Add the trunk (from R100 for 4 channels at Switch; partner-supplied for 3CX) before you compare totals.
4. How we score Cloud PBX providers
WhichVoIP's ratings are calculated using a weighted scoring model across five dimensions. Every provider is evaluated using the same criteria, and no provider can pay for a higher score or a higher position in the comparison table. Sponsored partners are shown first, and labelled as such, in the top picks above the table. Our revenue comes from connecting businesses with providers — not from providers buying visibility.
25%
Pricing Value
25%
Feature Set
20%
Customer Reviews
15%
Reliability & Uptime
15%
Support Quality
Scores are recomputed when review data, pricing or features change. The "Last verified" date in the header is the month of the most recent source check behind the facts on this page. Unlike provider-run comparison pages that rank their own products first, WhichVoIP is editorially independent.
Every score on this page comes from the same five-part rubric, recomputed whenever pricing or review data changes.
5. Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Cloud PBX in South Africa?▼
The most affordable Cloud PBX option in South Africa is 3CX, whose free edition supports up to 10 users if you host it yourself. For a fully hosted solution, Switch Telecom has the lowest verified seat price at R26 per extension per month, sold in blocks of ten (R260 per block). Switch prices seats and SIP trunks separately, so add a trunk from R100 for 4 concurrent channels — you size channels to your call concurrency, not to your headcount, so a 30-seat site may still only need 4 to 8 channels. All prices on this page exclude 15% VAT. However, the cheapest option depends on your call volume — providers with low base fees but high per-minute rates can cost more than a premium plan if your team makes hundreds of calls daily. WhichVoIP recommends getting quotes from at least two providers based on your actual monthly call volume for an accurate comparison.
Does Cloud PBX work during load shedding?▼
A Cloud PBX system itself stays online during load shedding because it's hosted in a data centre with backup power. However, your ability to make and receive calls depends on your local internet connection and power. If your router goes down, so do your desk phones. The workaround: most Cloud PBX providers offer a mobile app (softphone) that lets you take business calls on your cellphone using mobile data. United Telecoms and NoPBX both include mobile apps. Some providers also offer automatic call forwarding to mobile numbers when your office connection drops. When evaluating providers, ask specifically: "What happens to incoming calls during a power outage at our office?"
What's the difference between Cloud PBX and VoIP?▼
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is the underlying technology that transmits voice calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines. Cloud PBX is a complete business phone system that uses VoIP as its foundation but adds enterprise features: auto-attendant menus, call routing, extensions, ring groups, call recording, and voicemail-to-email. Think of it this way — VoIP is the engine, and Cloud PBX is the entire car. If you just need to make cheap calls, a basic VoIP service or SIP trunk is enough. If you need a professional phone system with multiple extensions and call management, you need Cloud PBX.
Can I keep my existing phone number when switching to Cloud PBX?▼
Yes, in most cases. The process is called number porting, and all major South African Cloud PBX providers support it. Porting a number typically takes 5–10 business days in South Africa, depending on the losing carrier. Geographic numbers (011, 021, 031, etc.) and national numbers (010, 087) can both be ported. The porting process is managed by your new provider — you'll need to provide your current service agreement details and a letter of authority. Porting fees vary and are once-off: NoPBX does not charge to port your first number, SureTel charges R40 excl. VAT per number, TrueNav R50, Wanatel R150 and Switch Telecom R160 excl. VAT per geographic number. During the transition, a good provider will set up temporary call forwarding so you don't miss calls.
How much internet bandwidth do I need for Cloud PBX?▼
Each concurrent call on a Cloud PBX system uses approximately 100 Kbps (0.1 Mbps) of bandwidth in each direction using the standard G.711 codec. For a 10-person office where up to 5 people might be on calls simultaneously, you'd need at least 1 Mbps of dedicated bandwidth — though 2–5 Mbps is recommended for comfort. Most South African fibre connections (10 Mbps and above) handle Cloud PBX without issues. The bigger concern is latency and jitter, not raw speed. A stable 10 Mbps fibre line will deliver better call quality than an unstable 50 Mbps connection. If you're on wireless (LTE/5G), Cloud PBX will work but call quality may fluctuate during network congestion.
Do I need to buy new phones for Cloud PBX?▼
Not necessarily. You have three options: use IP desk phones (Grandstream, Yealink, Snom, Poly — from R590 for a Grandstream GRP2601P to R5,799 for a Poly Edge E450 at SA retail, incl. VAT; see our VoIP phone comparison), use softphones on your computer (free software), or use mobile apps on your smartphone (included by most providers). Many businesses start with softphones and mobile apps, which cost nothing extra, and only buy desk phones for reception or staff who prefer physical handsets. If you already own SIP-compatible IP phones, they'll likely work with any Cloud PBX provider — just ask your new provider to confirm compatibility with your specific model. Avoid buying phones before choosing a provider, as some offer rental or subsidised handsets.
Is Cloud PBX secure? Can calls be intercepted?▼
Modern Cloud PBX systems use TLS encryption for signalling and SRTP encryption for voice traffic, making call interception extremely difficult. Reputable providers also implement firewall protection, intrusion detection, and regular security audits. The main security risks are weak passwords on extensions (which can lead to toll fraud) and unsecured network configurations. When evaluating a provider, ask whether they offer TLS/SRTP as standard, whether they monitor for unusual call patterns (toll fraud detection), and where their data centres are located. Providers hosting locally in South Africa keep your voice data under SA jurisdiction, which may matter for POPIA compliance.
What happens if my Cloud PBX provider goes out of business?▼
This is a legitimate concern, especially with smaller providers. If your Cloud PBX provider shuts down, your service stops and you'll need to port your numbers to a new provider — which can take 5–10 business days, during which you could lose incoming calls. To protect yourself: choose providers with a track record of at least 5 years in the SA market, avoid paying more than 1 month in advance, and always have your number porting details readily available. Keeping a backup mobile number that customers know is also sensible. WhichVoIP only lists providers that are ICASA-licensed and have demonstrated financial stability, but we always recommend month-to-month contracts for maximum flexibility.
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