Side by side

Phonebooth vs ShadowPBX

Both stand on business phone systems. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Phonebooth

Free plan AndroidiPhoneMac+2

Phonebooth combines hosted business calling with voicemail, routing, and team communication features. Its stated unlimited calling coverage is limited to the continental United States, so businesses should check whether that scope fits their needs.

Visit Phonebooth

ShadowPBX

Free plan APISelf-hosted

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.

Visit ShadowPBX

The facts

	Phonebooth	ShadowPBX
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Android, iPhone, Mac, Web, Windows	API, Self-hosted
Lowest paid plan	Phonebooth Power: $20 per user a month	Business: $29 a month
Plans published	1	8
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	phonebooth.com	shadowpbx.com
On business phone systems	#25 of 167	#29 of 167

Phonebooth: what it does well

Local business numbers and custom call routing.
Voicemail arrives with transcription and caller information.
Apps support Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows.
Free plan is available.
Phonebooth Power includes 24/7/365 U.S.-based support.

What to know first

Unlimited calling is specified for the continental United States.
Phonebooth Power costs $20 per user per month.
Two-factor authentication setup is being made mandatory.

ShadowPBX: 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

Alternatives to Phonebooth Alternatives to ShadowPBX The whole list