TRUENAV Review
TRUENAV is a Goodwood, Cape Town cloud PBX company that has run managed phone systems for twenty years and prices its Business plans at R55 and R65 per extension with the trunk, installation and 24/7 remote support included. It suits a small business that wants setup and support inside one monthly number; its own TRUEPBX platform and managed 3CX are quoted per engagement.
Is TRUENAV worth shortlisting?
Yes. TRUENAV publishes two Business plans, R55 and R65 per extension, with the trunk, installation and 24/7 remote support in the price, and carries one of the strongest public review records in South African cloud PBX after twenty years in Goodwood. The trade-off is that its own TRUEPBX platform and the managed 3CX option are still quoted per engagement. Start from the Business plan that fits your headcount and ask what moves you off it.
- Registered asTRUENAV (Pty) Ltd, trading as uThetha Telecoms until 2022
- Trading since2006
- Based inGoodwood, Cape Town
- PlatformOwn TRUEPBX platform, or managed 3CX
- Starting costR55 per extension per month, trunk and support included
- Public rating4.8 on Google from 123 reviews
Support folded into the price, and customers who stay for a decade
TRUENAV has run managed phone systems from Goodwood for two decades, first as uThetha Telecoms and since 2022 under its current name, and the customers who review it on Google have often been with the same team for five to fourteen years. The Business plans bundle what other suppliers itemise: the VoIP trunk, installation, a dedicated account manager and round-the-clock remote support are in the per-extension rate, with call recording, porting and uncapped voice packages priced on the same page.
Two things temper it. TRUEPBX, the company’s own hosted platform, is new and its customer record is still the 3CX-era one; and the Advanced Cloud 3CX and onsite 3CX options are quoted on concurrent calls rather than priced, so a larger buyer still needs a discovery call. On-site response is concentrated in the Western Cape.
Commercially this suits a small business that wants support and setup in one number, not a line item.
Is TRUENAV likely to suit you?
Tick what applies to your business.
Pros and watch-outs
What TRUENAV does well, and where to push back at quote stage.
- Trunk, installation, a dedicated account manager and 24/7 remote support are inside the per-extension rate
- Porting, call recording and uncapped voice packages are priced on the product page, not on request
- Two platform paths: TRUENAV’s own TRUEPBX, or managed 3CX licensed on concurrent calls
- Advanced Business adds WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams integration, wallboards and call-centre reporting
- B-BBEE Level 2 certification for tender scoring, and on-site installation in the Western Cape
- TRUEPBX, Advanced Cloud 3CX and onsite 3CX are quoted per engagement, so larger deployments need a discovery call
- TRUEPBX is new; the long customer record was earned on managed 3CX
- Basic Business allows one concurrent call per extension and tops out at 30 extensions
- Advanced Business is a one-year agreement by default, with month-to-month on request
- No owned network, no published uptime figure and no ICASA licence detail; calls terminate through an upstream carrier
Score breakdown
Five categories that decide whether TRUENAV earns a slot on your shortlist. The headline is the weighted sum, so you can check the arithmetic.
Basic Business Cloud PBX is a published R55 per extension per month and Advanced R65, with the VoIP trunk, 24/7 remote support and installation included, month-to-month on Basic, and call recording, porting and uncapped voice packages all priced on the page. Held below 8.5 because TRUEPBX, Advanced Cloud 3CX and onsite 3CX remain quote-only.
Two product paths covering proprietary (TRUEPBX) and managed 3CX, with CRM integration, video conferencing and mobile apps; Advanced Business adds two concurrent calls per five extensions, Tier 1 datacentre hosting, WhatsApp and MS Teams integration, and call-centre reporting with wallboards.
Google 4.8/5 across 123 reviews on the Goodwood listing (read 4 September 2026) – the largest verified Google sample in its batch and well above the cohort. No HelloPeter profile.
Runs its own TRUEPBX platform alongside managed 3CX, with Tier 1 datacentre hosting on the Advanced plan, so it controls the switching layer; but no owned network, no ICASA licence detail and no published uptime figure.
24/7 Silver Remote Support and a dedicated account manager are included on both published plans, with client tenure beyond ten years across testimonials and a strong Google record. Held below 8.0 because on-site field response is concentrated in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
Pricing and call rates
Everything you will pay on the two published Business plans, and the lines to have quoted for TRUEPBX and 3CX. Verified at truenav.com on 4 September 2026; VAT basis not stated on the page.
| Cost area | Published rate | Buyer question | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Business Cloud PBX | R55/ext/month, trunk + 24/7 remote support + installation included; month-to-month (verified 4 Sep 2026) | Is the 1-concurrent-call-per-extension limit enough at your peak? | Published |
| Advanced Business Cloud PBX | R65/ext/month, adds 2 concurrent calls per 5 extensions, Tier 1 datacentre hosting, WhatsApp and Teams integration, wallboards; 1-year standard, month-to-month available (verified 4 Sep 2026) | Which advanced features justify the R10/ext step-up for your team? | Published |
| TRUEPBX (proprietary) | Quote-only | What’s the monthly rate per user or per concurrent call, and how does TRUEPBX scale as we grow? | Confirm at quote |
| Advanced Cloud 3CX | Quote-only, concurrent-call licensing | How many concurrent calls do we actually need at peak, and what’s the licence tier cost at that level? | Confirm at quote |
| Onsite 3CX PBX | Quote-only | What’s the upfront hardware cost vs the ongoing managed support fee? | Confirm at quote |
| VoIP trunking | Trunk included on Basic and Advanced; uncapped voice packages R336/month (4 in / 2 out) and R995/month (6 in / 4 out) | Do the uncapped channel counts match your peak, and what are the metered rates outside them? | Published |
| Setup and onboarding | Installation included on Basic and Advanced; porting R50 per number, R150 per Telkom number, R1,000 managed porting | How many numbers will you port, and is any of it Telkom? | Published |
| Call recording | Optional R30/ext/month for 500 minutes on Basic and Advanced | What happens past 500 minutes, and what retention is included? | Published |
| Support tier | 24/7 Silver Remote Support and a dedicated account manager included on Basic and Advanced; on-site installs available | What does on-site response cost outside the Western Cape? | Published |
| Contract terms | Month-to-month on Basic; 1-year standard on Advanced with month-to-month options | Notice period, and any porting or hardware clawback on early exit? | Published |
For a 3CX-based quote, the licence itself is priced by 3CX in euros on its own pricelist by concurrent-call tier; TRUENAV adds managed support, the trunk and onboarding on top. Ask for the licence line itemised so you can compare like for like.
What real customers say
Unedited Google reviews from TRUENAV’s Goodwood listing, which averages 4.8 across 123 reviews, read on 4 September 2026.
“We are a GP Practice in Goodwood and our telephone system is extremely important in our line of business. Darren and his team has suppied and supported our system since 2020 and because of their efficient and reliable business conduct, we had no 2nd thoughts that they were also the right company to use to upgrade our printers recently…”
“Since 2019, Truenav, led by Darren and his exceptional team, has been an outstanding partner, delivering efficient, reliable, and customer-centric solutions. Their proactive approach, quick problem-solving, and commitment to excellence have been invaluable to our success as a Namibian-based company.”
“We have been with Truenav for more than 10 years now. I highly recommend their services. Very helpfull, responsive and professional.”
Read the sample with its shape in mind. A hundred and twenty-three reviews at 4.8 is the largest strongly positive Google record in South African cloud PBX, and the reviews name the same people over many years, which is rarer than the number. The record was earned on managed 3CX deployments; TRUEPBX is too new to have its own. No HelloPeter profile exists to cross-check.
The TRUENAV product line
What you can actually put on the contract.
TRUENAV-branded proprietary hosted PBX
Cloud-hosted PBX with voicemail-to-email, auto attendant, call forwarding and call queuing. Pitched as a scalable alternative to on-premise hardware, with TRUENAV providing the managed-support layer.
Managed 3CX with concurrent-call licensing
Cloud-deployed 3CX with CRM integration, video conferencing, mobile apps, end-to-end encryption and SIP-attack protection. Licensing scales on concurrent calls rather than per-extension headcount.
Customer-owned hardware deployment
For organisations preferring on-premise rather than hosted. Quote-scoped per project, with TRUENAV providing installation and ongoing managed support.
Choose TRUENAV if
- You want one monthly number that already includes the trunk, the install and after-hours support
- You are a small business in the Western Cape that values an account manager you can name
- You are weighing a managed 3CX deployment and want a partner with a long record on it
- B-BBEE scoring counts in your procurement
Consider another if
- You need more than 30 extensions and want the price in writing before a call
- Your tender requires a published uptime figure or the supplier’s own ICASA licence
- You are outside the Western Cape and need on-site response
- You would rather buy an established proprietary platform than an early TRUEPBX release
Alternatives to compare
Three providers worth quoting alongside TRUENAV, each stress-testing a different decision driver.
Switch Telecom
A hosted switchboard at R260 per block of ten extensions on a licensed network the supplier runs itself, with every price published and no lock-in. Quote it if network ownership and month-to-month terms matter more than bundled support.
Wanatel
Published tiers from R225 a month for five extensions with per-second billing and free inter-branch calls, but office-hours support only. Quote it if you want the lowest bundle price and can live without after-hours cover.
Euphoria Telecom
A Cape Town platform of its own from R65 per extension, with native Zendesk, Zoho, Freshdesk and Teams integrations on the Enterprise tier and per-second prepaid billing. Quote it if your sales team lives in a CRM.
All 11 cloud PBX providers, scored on the same rubric, sit side by side on Compare phone systems.
South African essentials
Four local signals to verify before signing.
TRUENAV publishes no licence detail; calls terminate through an upstream carrier. Ask which carrier carries the trunk and which licence tier TRUENAV itself operates under.
Porting is R50 per number, R150 per Telkom number or R1,000 for a managed range, once-off. Ask for the porting date in writing before you cancel the old line.
24/7 Silver remote support and a dedicated account manager are included; on-site response is Cape Town and Western Cape. Ask what on-site cover costs elsewhere.
Basic is month-to-month; Advanced is a one-year agreement by default with month-to-month on request; 3CX and TRUEPBX are per engagement. Confirm the notice period and any clawback.
How this score was built
Scores are editorial guides, not guarantees. TRUENAV’s 7.6 is the weighted sum of the five dimension scores above: 0.25×8.0 + 0.25×7.5 + 0.20×7.4 + 0.15×7.2 + 0.15×7.8. TRUENAV is not a sponsor, and sponsorship does not move a score.
- Pricing value, 25%Rate transparency, setup friction, contract flexibility
- Feature set, 25%Controls, analytics, integrations, admin usability
- Customer reviews, 20%Aggregate rating and volume on Google and HelloPeter, treated as directional, never definitive
- Reliability and uptime, 15%Infrastructure ownership, hosting location, published uptime evidence
- Support quality, 15%Support hours, location, and what customer reviews say about resolution
FAQ
Short answers for the questions buyers typically ask before requesting quotes.
What’s the difference between TRUEPBX and Advanced Cloud 3CX?
TRUEPBX is TRUENAV’s own-branded proprietary hosted PBX product, pitched as a scalable cloud alternative to on-premise hardware. Advanced Cloud 3CX is the managed 3CX deployment, which licenses on concurrent calls rather than per extension. The right choice depends on whether you prefer a TRUENAV-controlled platform or the wider 3CX ecosystem.
Does TRUENAV publish per-extension rates?
For its Business Cloud PBX range, yes: Basic Business is listed at R55 per extension per month and Advanced Business at R65 (verified at truenav.com on 4 September 2026). During 2025 TRUENAV had moved to a quote-driven model, and a “Stop Paying Per Extension” blog post explains its preference for concurrent-call pricing on the 3CX side – TRUEPBX and Advanced Cloud 3CX are still quoted per engagement.
How long has TRUENAV been operating?
20 years. The company was founded as uThetha Telecoms in 2006 in Goodwood, Cape Town, and rebranded TRUENAV in 2022. Multiple customers visible on the Google Business Profile have been with the team for 10 years or more.
Is TRUENAV B-BBEE certified?
Yes. TRUENAV holds B-BBEE Level 2 certification, which is relevant for tender evaluations and procurement scoring on South African contracts.
Does TRUENAV install on-site?
Yes, for deployments in Cape Town and the Western Cape. National cloud deployments are supported, but on-site field response outside Western Cape depends on the buyer’s own IT capacity or a partner arrangement.
What customer-review signal does TRUENAV have?
4.8 stars across 123 Google reviews on the Goodwood listing as of 4 September 2026. Multiple customer testimonials embedded on the Advanced Cloud 3CX page show 5 to 14 year client tenure, indicating consistent service delivery rather than a churned customer base.
Sources, disclosure and what changedWhere this review’s facts come from, how WhichVoIP gets paid, and the update history
- TRUENAV Cloud PBX pageUsed for the two-product structure (TRUEPBX + Advanced Cloud 3CX), product positioning and CTAs. Verified 18 May 2026. Open source →
- TRUENAV TRUEPBX product pageUsed for the TRUEPBX-branded proprietary hosted PBX positioning, scalability and feature claims. Open source →
- TRUENAV Advanced Cloud 3CX pageUsed for the concurrent-call licensing model, CRM integration claims and the embedded customer-review widget (which shows 4.8 stars across 114 reviews; the Google listing itself read 4.8 across 123 on 4 September 2026). Open source →
- Google Business ProfileUsed for the aggregate rating, 4.8 from 123 reviews on the Goodwood listing, and the verbatim quotes. Read 4 September 2026. Open source →
TRUENAV is not a WhichVoIP sponsor. WhichVoIP may receive a referral fee or quote preference when you request quotes through our platform. All published rates verified at primary source on the “Last verified” date. Read our full editorial policy and scoring methodology.
- 6 September 2026Quote-request links re-routed to the phone-systems quote form after the primary-category decision; no other change.
- 6 September 2026Page rebuilt in the updated review layout. The 3CX licensing price table and its FAQ were removed: the euro list prices dated from May and sit on 3CX’s own site, so the page now points there instead of carrying a converted copy. Alternatives expanded to three with reasons, South African essentials rewritten to the four standard checks, journey rail and collapsed sources block added. Facts and score unchanged from the 4 September verification.
- 4 September 2026Editorial pass after the evening re-read: the narrative no longer describes TRUENAV as quote-only – the Basic and Advanced Business Cloud PBX plans are published at R55 and R65 per extension and now lead the pricing story, with TRUEPBX and 3CX as the quote-based options. Google rating re-read at source (4.8 across 123); the review widget on truenav.com lags at 114.
- 4 September 2026Pricing value re-scored from 6.5 to 8.0 after a live re-read of truenav.com: both Business Cloud PBX plans are published per extension (R55 Basic, R65 Advanced) with trunk, 24/7 remote support and installation included, plus published call recording (R30/ext), porting (R50 / R150 / R1,000) and uncapped voice packages (R336 / R995). The headline moves from 7.2 to 7.6 on the five-dimension weighting; six table rows that read “Quote-only” now show the published figures. TRUEPBX and the 3CX options remain quote-only.
- 4 September 2026Headline price reconciled to the WhichVoIP record: Basic Business Cloud PBX R55/ext/month and Advanced Business R65/ext/month, verified at truenav.com on 8 August 2026. Pricing table and FAQ updated; the Pricing value score has not yet been re-assessed and is queued for re-scoring under the five-dimension rubric.
- 21 May 20263CX licensing RRP table re-verified against the live 3cx.com pricelist. The prior table carried stale USD figures and the retired “Enterprise” edition; it has been rebuilt to 3CX’s current published EUR pricelist with the BASIC / PRO / AI editions (PRO 8 SC €380, 16 SC €760, 32 SC €1,285), with indicative ZAR estimates at EUR/ZAR R19.30. No score change – the table is a 3CX-side benchmark, not TRUENAV’s own pricing.
- 18 May 2026Re-verified at primary source. TRUENAV restructured its Cloud PBX offering into TRUEPBX (new proprietary product) and Advanced Cloud 3CX (managed 3CX with concurrent-call licensing). Per-extension rates previously cited are no longer published. Added 3CX licensing RRP benchmark as the published floor for 3CX-based quotes. Score adjusted accordingly.
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