3CX vs Yeastar — two PBX-software vendors compared honestly

Two product families on each side.

Yeastar S-Series: on-premise appliance PBX. Hardware box you put in your office or comms cupboard. Models from S20 (20 users) up to S412 (500 users). One-off hardware purchase plus annual maintenance licence.
Yeastar P-Series: cloud-deployed PBX, sold either as PBXaaS (Yeastar-hosted) or partner-hosted. Per-system licensing similar to 3CX.
3CX: software-only product. Runs on appliance hardware (Mini PC, similar to Yeastar S-Series), on customer's cloud VM, on 3CX-hosted cloud, or on partner-hosted cloud. Same licence either way.

The closest direct comparison is Yeastar P-Series vs 3CX (cloud-deployed, partner-managed). The Yeastar S-Series appliance compares against 3CX deployed on a Mini PC at the customer site.

Where Yeastar wins.

S-Series appliance value. A Yeastar S100 appliance handling 100 users is a one-off purchase (~£800–1,200) with low annual maintenance (~£200/yr). For firms with strict on-prem requirements, that's an attractive capex model. 3CX on a Mini PC gets to similar numbers but the licence is annual rather than embedded in hardware.
Built-in failover features. Yeastar P-Series and S-Series have first-class failover built into the licence (active-passive PBX pairs, geographic redundancy). 3CX has failover but it's at the upper licence tiers or partner-managed configuration.
Tighter SIP gateway integration. Yeastar has historically been stronger at integrating analogue lines, ISDN30, and traditional carrier interfaces alongside SIP. Useful for firms in mixed migration where some legacy is still active.
Lower entry SC for small offices. Yeastar P-Series starts at smaller capacities than 3CX's lowest paid SC tier (8 SC). For very small offices outgrowing SMB FREE 3CX, Yeastar's entry tier is sometimes cheaper.

Where 3CX wins.

Larger UK partner ecosystem. Many more UK MSPs deploy 3CX than Yeastar. Easier to find partners with size-matching specialisation, easier to switch partners if needed, easier to recruit staff with 3CX experience.
CRM and case-management integration depth. 3CX integrates with more UK-specific CRM/case-management systems out of the box — Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics, Clio, LEAP, Iris, Software of Excellence. Yeastar integrates with the major CRMs but the depth is lighter.
Better video conferencing. 3CX PRO includes integrated video; AI tier supports up to 250 participants. Yeastar video is functional but less mature.
Strong AI features at lower SC bands. 3CX AI tier from 8 SC (£480/yr) includes Teams direct routing, skills routing, and AI transcription. Yeastar's AI suite is newer and on selected tiers.
Larger third-party app ecosystem. 3CX has more third-party plugins, integrations, and call-flow modules built by the community and ISVs.

Pricing comparison (cloud-deployed, 50 users).

Line	Yeastar P-Series (partner-managed)	3CX (Port Phones managed)
All-in monthly	Yeastar~£350-450 / moPartner-dependent; typical UK Yeastar MSP pricing.	Port Phones~£400 / moPRO 16 SC + UK hosting + SIP + support.

Cloud-deployed Yeastar and 3CX-managed are similarly priced — partner-dependent variation is bigger than vendor-dependent variation. Your real cost is determined by which partner you pick, not which vendor.

Who should pick which.

Pick Yeastar S-Series if: on-prem appliance is a hard requirement (data-locality policy, no cloud reliance, hard capex preference) and you have an MSP comfortable supporting it.
Pick Yeastar P-Series if: you have a strong relationship with a UK Yeastar partner and the deployment is otherwise neutral between the two products.
Pick 3CX if: you value the larger UK partner ecosystem, you need deeper CRM/case-management integration, you want stronger video, or you're already aligned with a UK 3CX MSP. (We sell this one.)

What we'll tell you at audit.

Honestly, Yeastar is a legitimate product. If your audit reveals a strong reason to pick S-Series (on-prem appliance with no cloud dependency) or you already have a Yeastar partner relationship that's working, stay there. If you're choosing fresh, the larger 3CX UK partner ecosystem and integration depth typically wins. Book a free audit.

Book a free audit Already on Yeastar?