Salesforce Service Cloud3CXSalesforce Service Cloud vs 3CX

Salesforce Service Cloud vs 3CX: $975 apart for five people

An enterprise service CRM against a business phone system with live chat: 3CX is $975 a month cheaper for five people. What decides between Salesforce Service Cloud and 3CX, and a third option for small teams.

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

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The short answer

Pick Salesforce Service Cloud if the rest of the company runs on Salesforce and support must share the record. Pick 3CX if phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents. For five people, 3CX is $975 a month cheaper than Salesforce Service Cloud ($975 a month on Salesforce Service Cloud against $0 on 3CX), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only 3CX's figure comes under. Salesforce Service Cloud and 3CX share no channel in the base price; only Salesforce Service Cloud has email; only 3CX has website chat and WhatsApp. Neither Salesforce Service Cloud nor 3CX includes Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between Salesforce Service Cloud and 3CX for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceSalesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud3CX3CX
Built aroundCases on the CRM · channels bought separatelyPhone calls · a PBX with a chat widget
Entry plan$25/user/mo · Starter Suite$0 · SMB Free: up to 10 users
Chat in the price$195/user/mo · Core, plus messaging add-ons$0 · live chat on the free tier
AI agentFlex Credits · Agentforce; Max includes 2.75M a yearNone for chat · call transcription launching
Copilot for agentsIn AgentforceNone
Free planNone · trials on Starter to AdvancedYes · up to 10 users, 3CX-hosted

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud

    As a case on the Salesforce record, routed by Omni-Channel to a queue or an agent. 3CX has no ticket queue behind its conversations.

    3CX3CX

    As a call, or as a chat that rings the same agent queue; there is no ticket behind it. Salesforce Service Cloud raises a ticket where 3CX keeps a conversation.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud

    $25 buys the Starter Suite; the service editions run $195 on Core to $550 on Max, with channels as add-ons. $975 for five people, against $0 on 3CX.

    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 $975 on Salesforce Service Cloud.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud

    Agentforce is sold in Flex Credits by usage; only Max includes an allowance. 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat) instead.

    3CX3CX

    No AI agent for chat. Call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. Salesforce Service Cloud meters AI (Flex Credits) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud

    Email and web on the editions; chat, messaging, WhatsApp and voice are bought as add-ons. email is here and not on 3CX.

    3CX3CX

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

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud

    The whole CRM: sales, marketing, commerce, analytics and thousands of AppExchange apps. 3CX is a business phone system with live chat instead.

    3CX3CX

    The phone system itself: extensions, call queues, IVR, recordings and video meetings. Salesforce Service Cloud is an enterprise service CRM instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud

    Weeks to months: an implementation, often with a partner. 3CX is a day for the phone system.

    3CX3CX

    A day for the phone system; minutes for the chat widget once the PBX is up. Salesforce Service Cloud is weeks to months.

Sources: Salesforce Service Cloud pricing · 3CX 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 Service Cloud console: the case with the contact, the knowledge panel and Omni-Channel
Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud. The Service Cloud console: the case with the contact, the knowledge panel and Omni-Channel
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

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

Salesforce Service Cloud, 3CX 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.

FeatureSalesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud3CX3CXSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per user; channels and AI on top
Per system per year, by simultaneous calls
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None; trials
Up to 10 users, hosted by 3CX
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Messaging add-on
Widget rings the agent queue
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Email-to-case
No email queue
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Messaging add-on
Through the phone system
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Messenger via add-on
Messenger only
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)
Slack is a Salesforce product
Internal 3CX chat only
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Agentforce
None for chat
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
Flex Credits by usage
No AI agent to bill
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Routes to a queue
No AI to hand off from
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Cases
Calls and chats, no ticket queue
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Flow
Call flows, not support automations
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and Tableau
Call reports
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick Salesforce Service Cloud if

  • The rest of the company runs on Salesforce and support must share the record.
  • You have an implementation partner and a budget for add-ons.
  • You need email in the price, which 3CX does not include outright.
  • You need a ticket queue, which 3CX does not have.

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.
  • Five people cost $975 a month less than on Salesforce Service Cloud ($0 against $975), before AI.
  • You need website chat and WhatsApp in the price, which Salesforce Service Cloud does not include outright.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $975 a month on Salesforce Service Cloud against $0 on 3CX for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: Salesforce Service Cloud meters AI (Flex Credits) above the seats and 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat), where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram, which neither Salesforce Service Cloud nor 3CX includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Salesforce Service Cloud on Core: $390, $975 and $1,950 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. 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. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $930 less than Salesforce Service Cloud and more than 3CX's $0 for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $1,855 under Salesforce Service Cloud.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Salesforce Service Cloud is an enterprise service CRM built around cases on the CRM; 3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls. Only 3CX has a free plan (up to 10 users, 3CX-hosted); Salesforce Service Cloud offers a free trial. Salesforce Service Cloud and 3CX share no channel in the base price; only Salesforce Service Cloud has email; only 3CX has website chat and WhatsApp. Neither Salesforce Service Cloud nor 3CX includes Instagram and Telegram outright. Salesforce Service Cloud meters AI (Flex Credits) above the seats; 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat). Salesforce Service Cloud has tickets and 3CX does not, and only 3CX ships desktop apps. Salesforce Service Cloud is weeks to months; 3CX is a day for the phone system.

What each price leaves out

Salesforce Service Cloud: Agentforce by Flex Credits; Max includes 2.75M a year, others buy by usage. 3CX: No AI agent for chat; call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. Beside Salesforce Service Cloud's Flex Credits and 3CX's none for chat, 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
    Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service CloudAssumed $2$960
    3CX3CXSee 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.

    Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud · Free trials on Starter, Pro, Core and Advanced
    3CX3CX · Free tier, no trial clock
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

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

Continue your research

FAQ

Salesforce Service Cloud vs 3CX: the questions people ask

Salesforce Service Cloud is an enterprise service CRM built around cases on the CRM; 3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls. Salesforce Service Cloud has tickets and 3CX does not, and only 3CX ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Salesforce Service Cloud $25/user/mo (Starter Suite); 3CX $0 (SMB Free: up to 10 users).
  • Chat in the price: Salesforce Service Cloud $195/user/mo (Core, plus messaging add-ons); 3CX $0 (live chat on the free tier).
  • Sellio's inbox: Instagram and Telegram, which neither Salesforce Service Cloud nor 3CX has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside Salesforce Service Cloud and 3CX 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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