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Olatti vs 3CX.
3CX gives you a PBX and lets you assemble the rest: a hosting choice, a SIP trunk provider for the actual phone line, extensions to configure. Olatti is one system you sign up for and start using. Here's what actually differs, feature by feature.
A system you assemble, or a system you sign up for.
3CX makes sense if you want to choose your own hosting, your own carrier and your own desk phones, and you're happy to be the one who wires them together - or you already have an IT provider who does that as a matter of course. It's genuinely flexible, and for an organisation with plenty of extensions but few calls happening at once, the per-system licence can beat paying per seat.
Olatti is for teams who'd rather not run that project. There's no SIP trunk account to open separately and no PBX deployment to maintain. You sign up, and the number, the calling, the messaging and the recording are already one thing.
How they actually differ.
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| Olatti | 3CX | |
|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | A phone system that's also built for messaging, from day one. | A PBX platform you configure, self-host or have 3CX host, then extend with the carrier and apps you choose. |
| Getting a UK number | Included from the start, or port your existing number in for free. | Not included. You open an account with a separate SIP trunk provider first, then port your number into that. |
| Setting it up | Sign up, sign in, start calling. One system. | Choose self-hosted or 3CX-hosted, choose and configure a SIP trunk provider, then provision extensions and any desk phones. |
| Reaching someone | Double-tap a hotkey, type a name, press enter to call. | Use the Windows softphone's global hotkey, or open the desktop, web or mobile app and dial or search. |
| Desk phones | Optional. Plug one in and it shares your number and call history with the app. | Supported through auto-provisioning of certified handsets, set up via the PBX admin console. |
| Call recording | Call recording is available, with retention depending on the plan. | Recording and transcription depend on edition and configuration. Current Basic and PRO editions do not include call transcription. |
| Finding what was said | Recording is available. Searchable transcripts, summaries and storage depend on the plan. | Eligible Enterprise and AI editions can transcribe calls once the feature is configured, with results available in 3CX reporting tools. |
| Customer-facing channels | Inbound calling and drag-and-drop call routing are available. | Live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook and SMS can all route into the same client alongside calls. |
| Where your voice data goes | Processed on Olatti's own UK infrastructure, not handed to a third-party AI vendor. | Depends on the deployment and edition. Self-hosting and private transcription options are available on eligible editions. |
| How it's priced | Per-user pricing with no separate carrier or PBX licence. Recording is available; transcription, summaries and storage depend on the plan. | Commercial licences are priced annually by simultaneous call capacity, with published extension limits for each system size, plus SIP provider charges. |
3CX details checked against its official pricing page, extension policy Raspberry Pi guidance and current transcription guidance, as of August 2026.
If control and customer channels are the job, 3CX is built for it.
Choosing your own hosting, your own SIP trunk provider and your own desk phones is a genuine strength if you want that control, or already have an IT provider who manages it. 3CX goes further into omnichannel work by routing live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook and SMS into the same client as calls. For a system within 3CX's published extension limit and with few calls happening at once, licensing by simultaneous call capacity can compare well with per-user pricing.
Double-tap. Type a name. You're talking.
No SIP trunk account to open before your number works. No PBX admin console to learn before your first call. A global hotkey brings Olatti to the front from wherever you're already working. Transcripts, summaries, search and storage depend on the plan.
Teams that stopped settling.
We'd basically given up on having a business phone - everything ran through WhatsApp and our mobiles. Olatti gave us a proper number back without the clunk. Now every client conversation sits in one place and nothing slips.
My hands never leave the keyboard. Double-tap, type a name, and I'm on the call before I'd even have found the number in our old setup. It's the first phone tool that keeps up with how we actually work.
It feels like it was made by people who care, which I can't say about anything else we've used. And we've stopped losing callbacks - Olatti flags the missed call and we ring back the same day.
Questions, answered plainly.
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