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I am researching possibilities for my next PBX system, and am trying to decide between 3CX and AsteriskNOW.

The only thing I don’t like about 3CX is the recurring cost of keeping the software updated, which of course would not be an issue with AsterixNOW.

I prefer the Windows platform over Linux based on my familiarity with Windows, however, that wouldn’t keep me from running AsterixNOW.

The one feature of 3CX that I really like is the “3CX Assistant”. Is there an alternative to it for AsterixNOW?

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I used to use Asterisk @Home before it was bought out and changed into Trixbox CE. The original program was kept going as PBX In a Flash.

I would recommend PBX In a Flash as it uses the FreePBX web interface, Webmin, and other web interfaces. It also includes iptables and Fail2Ban by default, which helps keep it secure, in addition to being informed by email about software updates. It's a great Asterisk appliance package.

Trixbox CE on the other hand does not have as high security details by default, nor are updates as coordinated. Also the whole forking off Trixbox Pro has left a lot of controversy regarding support for the opensource versions.

Asterisk will work well with a variety of phones like Polycom, Astra, etc. Provisioning can be done via FTP or TFTP, etc.

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You're not going to get anything as rich as 3CX assistant without doing a lot of the assembly yourself (Ikea style assembly, not saw-the-tree down style). I support several asterisk installations and only a few of of them haven't presented headaches. If you have something that works and is not prohibitively expensive I wouldn't trade a few dollars for a potential timesink.

If you're looking for a drop-in for 3CX I'd probably recommend something with a commercial support path if you need it - elastix + kommunicator comes fairly close to what you have. Any freepbx-based dist and and softphone combo should come fairly close to 3cx, but they are very different beasts and be careful not to underestimate the time it will take you.

I agree with tegbains WRT trixbox. Avoid it.

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