Freedom251 › Business Phone Systems
ShadowPBX
What ShadowPBX is
ShadowPBX is an open-source, self-hosted IP phone system built in Node.js. It is installed on the user’s server and includes a single install script. Telephony features cover SIP registration, inbound DID routing, outbound routing, call queues, IVR, voicemail, recording, and supervisor monitoring. Auto, predictive, power, and progressive dialers support campaigns and Do Not Call list scrubbing. Existing standards-compliant SIP trunks connect through the web interface or API. Listed compatibility includes SignalWire, Twilio, Telnyx, Vonage, Flowroute, VoIP.ms, and Bandwidth. REST APIs cover call transfer, voicemail management, and supervisor monitoring. A Socket.IO dashboard displays active calls, extensions, statistics, and system health. Admin, Supervisor, and Agent roles provide scoped access. The MIT-licensed project says features are not gated behind paid modules. Self-hosting is free forever; managed plans start at $49 a month.
Who it suits
It suits organizations wanting a self-hosted phone system with configurable routing, dialing, recording, and SIP-trunk options. Teams can also choose managed plans.
What it does well
- Open-source MIT-licensed project
- Supports queues, IVR, voicemail, and recording
- Connects existing SIP trunks
- REST APIs for telephony administration
- Self-hosted plan is free forever
What to know first
- Self-hosted deployment requires the user’s server
- Managed Starter limits five concurrent calls
- Managed plans charge monthly
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Managed — Starter | billed monthly · 10 extensions · 5 concurrent calls · 10 GB recording storage | $49 a month |
| Managed — Pro | billed monthly · 50 extensions · 20 concurrent calls · 50 GB recording storage | $149 a month |
| Self-Hosted | forever · MIT license · No per-seat fees · all features included | Free |
| Pay As You Go | $0 / mo base · Outbound: $0.012/min (US/CA) · Inbound: free (unlimited) · 1 SIP trunk channel · Local DID: $1.50/mo · Toll-free DID: $3.00/mo | Free |
| Managed Pro | $149/mo · 50 extensions · 20 calls | $149 a month |
| Business | $29 / mo · Up to 10 channels · 1,000 min included · 3 local DIDs · 1 toll-free DID | $29 a month |
| Managed Starter | $49/mo · 10 extensions · 5 calls | $49 a month |
| Enterprise | $99 / mo · Unlimited channels · 5,000 min included · 10 local DIDs · 3 toll-free DIDs | $99 a month |
As shadowpbx.com lists them, read 22 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
ShadowPBX offers broad telephony and dialing functions with self-hosted control and API access. The free MIT option removes feature gates, while managed tiers add hosted capacity and storage limits.
Facts from ShadowPBX's own pages
- Access controls
- The product has Admin, Supervisor, and Agent roles with scoped access, and uses bcryptjs password hashing. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- APIs
- The product provides REST APIs, including for call transfer, voicemail management, and supervisor monitoring. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Auto attendant
- Yes · shadowpbx.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Bring your own trunk
- Users can connect an existing standards-compliant SIP trunk and configure it through the web GUI or API. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Business numbers
- multiple · shadowpbx.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Call routing
- custom · shadowpbx.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Company details
- The about page does not state a headquarters or founding year. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Dashboard
- A Socket.IO dashboard displays active calls, registered extensions, call statistics, and system health. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The product is designed to be installed on the user's server, and the maker advertises a single install script. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Dialers
- Dialing features include auto, predictive, power, and progressive dialers, plus campaign management and Do Not Call list scrubbing. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · shadowpbx.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Included users
- 10 · shadowpbx.com, 22 Sept 2026
- License
- The project is MIT licensed, with the maker stating that all features are available without paid modules or feature gates. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Product
- ShadowPBX is an open-source, self-hosted IP phone system built in Node.js. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Recordings
- A dedicated background worker converts RTPEngine packet captures to WAV files and links recordings to call detail records. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- The maker describes HTTPS and WSS through an Nginx reverse proxy with Let's Encrypt certificates, fail2ban protection, and SIP registration rate limiting. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Support and development
- The maker invites users to open issues and submit pull requests through the project repository. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Telephony
- It supports SIP registration, inbound DID routing, outbound routing, call queues, IVR, voicemail, call recording, and supervisor monitoring. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Trunk integrations
- The maker lists verified compatibility with SignalWire, Twilio, and Telnyx, and compatibility with Vonage, Flowroute, VoIP.ms, and Bandwidth. · shadowpbx.com, 11 Oct 2026
Where ShadowPBX stands on Freedom251
- Business Phone Systems#29 of 167