No. 66of 174 ·Business Phone Systems

Palephone

Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · Self-hosted · API

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.3

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Runs widely4 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Palephone is free, GPL-2.0 communications software for teams that want to host their own calling, chat, meetings, files, PBX workflows, and governance controls. Its calling tools include SIP accounts, advanced call routing, extensions, ring groups, queues, IVR, voicemail, recording, and call park. Messaging and meetings provide direct messages, rooms, channels, presence, file sharing, scheduled meetings, polls, Q&A, transcripts, and attendance. Collaboration features cover folders, file versions, wiki pages, tasks, approvals, apps, bots, connectors, and automation records. Governance tools include retention, eDiscovery, DLP, audit logs, sensitivity labels, information barriers, data residency records, and security score reporting. Palephone lists clients for macOS, Linux, Windows, and Android, with server installation through Docker Compose, Linux packages or binaries, a Windows installer, or bare-metal Linux. Production deployments connect external services separately, potentially including Matrix, databases, storage, speech systems, telephony, and emergency calling. The public server package does not enable its built-in SIP registrar path by default.

Who it is for

Palephone suits teams seeking self-hosted communications across desktop and mobile platforms. It is also aimed at operators needing PBX, collaboration, and governance features.

What is good

Free plan and GPL-2.0 license
Advanced routing and broad PBX features
Clients for macOS, Linux, Windows, and Android
Multiple server installation paths
Extensive governance and audit controls

What to know first

External production services must be connected separately
Built-in SIP registrar is disabled by default
TLS and media-path setup require operator attention

Verdict

Palephone combines calling, collaboration, and governance in a self-hosted package. Teams should account for separate production dependencies and the disabled default SIP registrar path.

Palephone plans and pricing

All plans

Free Free Described as free, open source software Self-hosted; production dependencies must be installed or connected separately drcpbx.com · 12 Oct 2026

Compared on business phone systems

Free plan: Yes
Call routing: advanced
Desktop and mobile apps: Yes

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The record

Product: Palephone is free, open-source communications software for teams to run calling, chat, meetings, files, PBX workflows, and compliance controls.
Calling: Calling and PBX features include SIP accounts, call routing, extensions, ring groups, queues, IVR, voicemail, call recording, and call park.
Messaging and meetings: Messaging and meeting features include direct messages, rooms, channels, presence, file sharing, scheduled meetings, polls, Q&A, transcripts, and attendance.
Collaboration: Collaboration features include folders, file versions, wiki pages, tasks, approvals, apps, bots, connectors, and automation records.
Governance: Governance features include retention, eDiscovery, DLP, audit logs, sensitivity labels, information barriers, data residency records, and security score reporting.
Integrations: The site describes a Matrix-backed chat path and lists external systems including coturn, PostgreSQL, ClamAV or YARA, Whisper or Vosk, Ollama or vLLM, storage, PSTN, and E911 providers.
Integration limits: The site says provider contracts and readiness checks do not replace certified integrations or carrier acceptance testing, and production deployments must connect external services separately.
Security: The setup guidance recommends TLS for deployments reachable outside a trusted local machine and says media privacy also depends on the media path, SRTP settings, and TURN deployment.
Deployment: Pale Server can be installed with Docker Compose, Linux packages or binaries, or a Windows installer, and the site also documents bare-metal Linux installation.
Platforms: The site lists client downloads or setup instructions for macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android.
Known limit: The built-in SIP registrar path is not enabled by default in the current public server package.
Support: The site provides operator documentation for installation, user creation, client setup, TLS, troubleshooting, and production deployment.
License: Palephone is GPL-2.0 software.
External systems: Production deployments may need external services such as Matrix, coturn, PostgreSQL, ClamAV or YARA, Whisper or Vosk, Ollama or vLLM, storage, PSTN, and E911 providers.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Business Phone Systems in 2026#66 of 174

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Sources

drcpbx.com· checked 12 Oct 2026