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Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE) vs. FreePBX

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE)

    Score9.6 out of 10
    N/AThe Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE) is a session border controller, which provides session control, security, interworking, and demarcation. CUBE is a software product available for licensing on the Cisco IOS® and Cisco IOS XE Software which runs on Cisco enterprise routers, but is also available for licensing as a software load for a virtual container.N/A

    FreePBX

    Score9.5 out of 10
    N/AThe FreePBX EcoSystem has developed over the past decade to become a widely deployed Open Source PBX platform in use across the world today. Sangoma now offers and supports the FreePBX appliance, a purpose-built, performant PBX solution designed and tested for optimal performance, and the only officially supported hardware solution for FreePBX. The appliance comes preloaded with the FreePBX Distro and includes a one-year warranty.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE)FreePBX
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE)FreePBX
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE)FreePBX
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Sangoma Asterisk
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    3CX
    Score7.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Sangoma Asterisk
    Score8.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE)FreePBX
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE)FreePBX
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    If you are in an environment that is primarily Cisco and switching from PRI circuits or other non-SIP circuits and are generally considered to be on an enterprise-grade platform, CUBE is likely a solid choice for you. From my experience, I cannot speak to the video handling that CUBE offers as we do not employ that, so hopefully other reviews will provide insight on that.
    Incentivized
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    Sangoma
    FreepBX is a great product if you are able and willing to manage your own PBX system. It requires some know-how to set up but once running, it works very well. There is a large community that helps answer questions, but it isn't "plug and play" so you will need to be able to research and troubleshoot your own issues (or pay for support).
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Cisco
    • Call accounting (Integration with 3rd party applications for ease of use and comprehensive CDR's)
    • Address hiding (Keeping your internal network secure with PSTN calls)
    • Internetworking between multiple protocols
    • SIP profiles (message/header customization)
    • Billing, cost counting
    Incentivized
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    Sangoma
    • Standard telephony.
    • VM to email.
    • Firewall
    • Expandable extensions.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Cisco
    • The way to configure is not so intuitive.
    • It cannot show SIP ladder diagram directly.
    • The learning curve is a bit steep.
    Incentivized
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    Sangoma
    • Phone integration/firmware can be clunky and has a learning curve.
    • Relies on crowd sourcing information as expected for open-source.
    • Requires some moderate expertise for setup.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Cisco
    I rated Cisco Unified Border Element’s (CUBE) usability an 9 out of 10. It offers excellent flexibility, reliability, and integration with Microsoft Teams Direct Routing. However, its configuration can be complex for non-experts. Once properly implemented, it provides powerful SIP control, security, and scalability in both virtual and hybrid voice environments that we require.
    Incentivized
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    Sangoma
    It works well, there isn't much more to say. You can get a free ($0) phone system packed with features, then if you need even more features then the cost is extremely cheap, and it works well. On top of this, you have complete freedom in the PBX to do as you wish, and debug and see everything
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Cisco
    It is very powerful and secure. However, for most people, it is a bit difficult to learn how to configure and debug.
    Incentivized
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    Sangoma
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    We previously used other SBC's but weren't satisfied with the performance. The support wasn't there and constant RMA's for defective hardware. Although the CUBE is expensive, it saves time and resources on support. Robust features and no downtime in 3 years. I don't believe many vendors offer products to compete in this space. You will regret to decision to go with cheaper SBC's.
    Incentivized
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    Sangoma
    3CX may be slightly easier for a novice to use, but FreePBX completely beats it when you remove that factor. You can do anything you want, and debug and see everything. Now with AI its even easier to debug and learn how the PBX works if you hit an issue
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Positive impact, saving on monthly phone bills due to sip trunk migration.
    • Positive, using a couple of CUBEs to concentrate several SIP trunk.
    • Positive, using a couple of CUBEs to route several branch outbound and inbound calls.
    Incentivized
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    Sangoma
    • Drastically reduced our direct telephony cost as we don't need to have the hardware and support.
    • Very functional and added new functionality that we did not have previously.
    Incentivized
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