A Zoiper alternative for business
Zoiper runs on almost everything, but its free edition is for non-commercial use, and transfer and conference are in the paid one. Meow is licensed for business from the first day and built around the PBX features an office uses. Facts about Zoiper are from its own website, checked on 27 October 2026.
Can a business use Zoiper for free?
No. Zoiper describes its free desktop edition as for non-commercial use only. A business needs Zoiper 5 PRO, a one-time purchase per licence, which is also the edition with transfer, conferencing and encryption. Meow has no free edition: every feature works for 14 days without a card, and after that it is a yearly licence, for one computer or up to three; the pricing page has the current prices.
Zoiper and Meow side by side
| Zoiper 5 | Meow | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux (.deb, .rpm, tar.xz), Android, iOS | Linux (.deb, .rpm, AppImage) and Windows 10 and later |
| Free edition | Non-commercial use only | None; every feature free for a 14-day trial |
| Paid edition | Zoiper 5 PRO, a one-time purchase (€59.95 per licence before VAT) | A yearly licence per computer, or for up to three |
| Transfer and conference | In the paid edition | Included: blind and attended transfer, three-way conference |
| Encryption | TLS, SRTP, ZRTP in PRO | TLS, SRTP |
| Call recording | Yes | Yes, saved on your computer |
| Busy lamps (BLF) | Presence listed; BLF not described on its product pages | Yes |
| Call parking | Not described on its product pages | Yes, FreePBX and Asterisk parking lots |
| Voicemail indicator | Not described on its product pages | Yes, one click to dial in |
| SIP accounts | Not described on its product pages | Two registered at once, each taking calls |
| Video | Yes, up to six people | No, audio only |
| Codecs | Opus, G.722, G.711, GSM; G.729 in PRO | Opus, G.722, G.711 |
When Zoiper is the better choice
- You need macOS or a phone app: Zoiper has both; Meow runs on Linux and Windows desktops.
- You need video calls: Zoiper has them; Meow is audio only.
- You would rather pay once: Zoiper 5 PRO is a one-time purchase; Meow is a yearly licence.
- You dial from Outlook or LDAP contacts: Zoiper PRO lists that integration; Meow keeps its own contacts, with vCard import.
What Meow adds
- The FreePBX desk phone: busy lamps for colleagues, call parking, the voicemail indicator and forwarding codes, next to transfer, conference and recording. See PBX setup for what each needs on the PBX.
- Two lines at once: two SIP accounts registered together, each able to ring, and several numbers behind one account.
- A current Linux app: built for Wayland and PipeWire, tested on Fedora and Ubuntu, with an AppImage for other distributions. See Meow for Linux.
- Nothing held back: one edition, so the trial is the whole app and so is every licence.
Moving from Zoiper
Meow registers to the same PBX or provider with the same details: server, username and password. Nothing changes on the PBX for calls to work. Contacts exported as a vCard file come in with Meow's import, 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
- Zoiper: download page and editions, Zoiper 5 features and shop
- Checked on 27 October 2026. Products change; tell us if a row is out of date.
Questions
- Is Zoiper free for business use?
- No. Zoiper's free desktop edition is for non-commercial use only. Business use needs Zoiper 5 PRO, a one-time purchase per licence.
- What is a good Zoiper alternative on Linux?
- Meow is a native Linux softphone built for Wayland and PipeWire, licensed for business, with busy lamps, call parking, transfer, conference and recording for FreePBX and Asterisk. Linphone is a free, open-source alternative with video.
- Is Meow cheaper than Zoiper?
- It depends on how long you keep it. Meow is a yearly licence, for one computer or up to three, with the current prices on its pricing page. Zoiper 5 PRO is a one-time purchase of €59.95 per licence before VAT.
- Does Meow work with the same PBX as Zoiper?
- 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.
- Linphone alternative compares Meow with the free, open-source option.
- Pricing lists the plans.