A Linphone alternative for FreePBX offices
Linphone is a free, open-source softphone with video, chat and apps for every platform. Meow does less, on purpose: it is an audio softphone for Linux and Windows desks on FreePBX or Asterisk, with the busy lamps and parking a desk phone has. Facts about Linphone are from its own website, checked on 27 October 2026.
Linphone and Meow side by side
| Linphone | Meow | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux (AppImage), Android, iOS | Linux (.deb, .rpm, AppImage) and Windows 10 and later |
| Price | Free and open source (GPLv3); a proprietary licence is available | Paid licence after a 14-day trial with every feature |
| SIP accounts | Several | Two registered at once, each taking calls |
| Transfer | Blind and attended | Blind and attended |
| Conference | Audio and video, with screen sharing | Three-way, by merging two calls |
| Call recording | Audio and video | Audio, saved on your computer |
| Voicemail indicator | Yes | Yes, one click to dial in |
| Busy lamps (BLF) | Presence; BLF not described | Yes |
| Call parking | Not described in its documentation | Yes, FreePBX and Asterisk parking lots |
| Video and messaging | Yes | No, audio calls only |
| Encryption | TLS, SRTP, ZRTP, DTLS-SRTP | TLS, SRTP |
| Codecs | Opus, G.722, G.711, G.729, iLBC, Speex and more | Opus, G.722, G.711 |
When Linphone is the better choice
- It has to be free or open source: Linphone is GPLv3; Meow is a paid, closed-source product.
- You need video, chat or screen sharing: Linphone has all three; Meow is for audio calls.
- You need macOS or a phone app: Linphone runs on both; Meow runs on Linux and Windows desktops.
- You want end-to-end encryption: Linphone offers ZRTP and its own end-to-end scheme; Meow encrypts with TLS and SRTP between you and your PBX.
What Meow adds
- The FreePBX desk phone: busy lamps for colleagues from FreePBX's own hints, call parking with the parked caller's number, and call forwarding through the PBX's feature codes. See Meow with FreePBX.
- Packages for the office: .deb and .rpm for Ubuntu and Fedora as well as an AppImage, and a Windows installer with a silent switch. See Deployment.
- Built for today's Linux desktop: a Wayland window (X11 supported too) with audio through PipeWire.
- A company behind it: a commercial licence from qFiber LTD, with support from the people who build it.
Moving from Linphone
Meow registers to the same PBX with the same details: server, username and password. Nothing changes on the PBX for calls to work. Contacts come in from a vCard file, and the extensions you want to watch go into the Team panel for their busy lamps.
Getting started goes from install to the first call.
Sources
- Linphone: linphone.org and its supported features list
- Checked on 27 October 2026. Products change; tell us if a row is out of date.
Questions
- What is a good alternative to Linphone?
- For an office on FreePBX or Asterisk that wants busy lamps, call parking and two lines on Linux and Windows desktops, Meow. For a free cross-platform app with video, Zoiper's free edition (non-commercial use only) or Linphone itself.
- Does Linphone support busy lamps (BLF)?
- Linphone's feature list describes presence over SUBSCRIBE/NOTIFY but does not describe busy lamps for PBX extensions or call parking. Meow shows FreePBX and Asterisk busy lamps and parking lots.
- Is Meow open source like Linphone?
- No. Meow is a commercial product from qFiber LTD, free for 14 days and then licensed. Linphone is open source under GPLv3.
- Does Meow work with the same PBX as Linphone?
- Yes. Both are standard SIP clients and register to FreePBX, Asterisk, 3CX and SIP providers with the same server, username and password.
Related
- Linux softphones compared sets Meow, Linphone, Zoiper and MicroSIP side by side.
- Zoiper alternative compares Meow with Zoiper's free and PRO editions.
- Download starts the 14-day trial.