3CXFacebook Chat3CX vs Facebook Chat

3CX vs Facebook Chat: the same $0 for five people, compared

A business phone system with live chat against a Meta Business Suite inbox: five people cost the same on both. What decides between 3CX and Facebook Chat, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick 3CX if phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents. Pick Facebook Chat if customers only write on Messenger and Instagram and you have no budget. Five people cost the same on 3CX and Facebook Chat, $0 a month before AI; Sellio Mini is $45. 3CX and Facebook Chat share no channel in the base price; only 3CX has website chat and WhatsApp; only Facebook Chat has Instagram. Neither 3CX nor Facebook Chat includes email and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between 3CX and Facebook Chat for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glance3CX3CXFacebook ChatFacebook Chat
Built aroundPhone calls · a PBX with a chat widgetMessenger and Instagram DMs · free with a Page
Entry plan$0 · SMB Free: up to 10 users$0 · with a Facebook Page
Chat in the price$0 · live chat on the free tierNone · the website Chat Plugin was retired in 2024
AI agentNone for chat · call transcription launchingNone to buy · instant replies and FAQs
Copilot for agentsNoneMeta AI drafts · for some businesses
Free planYes · up to 10 users, 3CX-hostedYes · the whole inbox is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    3CX3CX

    As a call, or as a chat that rings the same agent queue; there is no ticket behind it. Facebook Chat has no ticket queue either.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    As a Messenger or Instagram message in the Business Suite inbox, with the customer's profile beside it. 3CX has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    3CX3CX

    The licence is per system per year, sized by simultaneous calls, not per agent; the free tier covers ten users. $0 for five people, against $0 on Facebook Chat.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    There are no seats and no price; anyone with a Page role can answer. $0 for five people, against $0 on 3CX.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    3CX3CX

    No AI agent for chat. Call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. Facebook Chat sells no AI agent either.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    No AI agent to buy. Instant replies, away messages and FAQs are rules; Meta AI drafts replies for some businesses. 3CX sells no AI agent either.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    3CX3CX

    Voice, live chat, WhatsApp, Messenger and SMS through the phone system; no email queue. website chat and WhatsApp are here and not on Facebook Chat.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    Messenger, Instagram DMs and comments; WhatsApp lives in its own app, and the website plugin is gone. Instagram is here and not on 3CX.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    3CX3CX

    The phone system itself: extensions, call queues, IVR, recordings and video meetings. Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox instead.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    Posting, scheduling and ads for the Page; nothing beyond Meta's own channels. 3CX is a business phone system with live chat instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    3CX3CX

    A day for the phone system; minutes for the chat widget once the PBX is up. Facebook Chat is none.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    None: it is already there when you have a Page. 3CX is a day for the phone system.

Sources: 3CX pricing · Facebook Chat pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The 3CX web client: the call queue with a live chat conversation in the same panel
3CX3CX. The 3CX web client: the call queue with a live chat conversation in the same panel
The Meta Business Suite inbox: Messenger and Instagram threads in one list
Facebook ChatFacebook Chat. The Meta Business Suite inbox: Messenger and Instagram threads in one list

Pricing references: 3CX pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Facebook Chat pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

3CX, Facebook Chat and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

Feature3CX3CXFacebook ChatFacebook ChatSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per system per year, by simultaneous calls
Free
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
Up to 10 users, hosted by 3CX
The whole product
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Widget rings the agent queue
Website Chat Plugin retired in 2024
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
No email queue
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Through the phone system
Separate WhatsApp Business app
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Messenger only
DMs and comments
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Internal 3CX chat only
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
None for chat
Rules, not an AI agent
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
No AI agent to bill
No AI to bill
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
No AI to hand off from
No AI to hand off from
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Calls and chats, no ticket queue
Labels and done state only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Call flows, not support automations
Instant replies, away messages, FAQs
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Call reports
Page insights
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Windows and macOS apps
Browser and mobile
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick 3CX if

  • Phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents.
  • You want a free tier for a small team that already needs a PBX.
  • You need website chat and WhatsApp in the price, which Facebook Chat does not include outright.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Facebook Chat does not ship.

Pick Facebook Chat if

  • Customers only write on Messenger and Instagram and you have no budget.
  • One or two people answer and you do not need assignment or tickets.
  • You need Instagram in the price, which 3CX does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is none here and a day for the phone system on 3CX.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $0 a month on 3CX against $0 on Facebook Chat for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat) and Facebook Chat has no AI to bill (none to buy), where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither 3CX nor Facebook Chat includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

3CX: $0 a month for five (five users on the free tier); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Facebook Chat: $0 a month for five (free for anyone with a Page role); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, more than 3CX's $0 and more than Facebook Chat's $0 for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included.

Where the two agree, and where they split

3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls; Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox built around Messenger and Instagram DMs. Both have a free plan: 3CX's is up to 10 users, 3CX-hosted, Facebook Chat's is the whole inbox is free. 3CX and Facebook Chat share no channel in the base price; only 3CX has website chat and WhatsApp; only Facebook Chat has Instagram. Neither 3CX nor Facebook Chat includes email and Telegram outright. 3CX (none for chat) and Facebook Chat (none to buy) both sell no AI agent. Neither 3CX nor Facebook Chat has a ticket queue, and only 3CX ships desktop apps. 3CX is a day for the phone system; Facebook Chat is none.

What each price leaves out

3CX: No AI agent for chat; call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. Facebook Chat: No AI agent; instant replies and FAQs are rule-based. Beside 3CX's none for chat and Facebook Chat's none to buy, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    3CX3CXSee vendorNot quoted
    Facebook ChatFacebook ChatSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    3CX3CX · Free tier, no trial clock
    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat · Not applicable; free
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

3CX vs Facebook Chat: the questions people ask

3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls; Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox built around Messenger and Instagram DMs. Neither 3CX nor Facebook Chat has a ticket queue, and only 3CX ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: 3CX $0 (SMB Free: up to 10 users); Facebook Chat $0 (with a Facebook Page).
  • Chat in the price: 3CX $0 (live chat on the free tier); Facebook Chat None (the website Chat Plugin was retired in 2024).
  • Sellio's inbox: email and Telegram, which neither 3CX nor Facebook Chat has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside 3CX and Facebook Chat on the same rows.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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