Why this guide exists
If you manage one 3CX server, the built-in admin console is fine. If you manage 20, you've felt the pain: logging into 20 portals, missing 2am trunk failures, finding out about disk-full errors from a customer email, no audit trail when something changes.
The good news: there are real tools built for this. The less-good news: the market is small, the documentation is scattered, and a lot of MSPs end up duct-taping PRTG or Zabbix together because they didn't know better options exist.
This guide covers every tool we know of that's actually used by 3CX partners to manage multiple instances — what each one does well, where it falls short, and who it's for.
How we evaluated these tools
- Built specifically for 3CX (vs general monitoring tools adapted to it)
- Multi-instance fleet view out of the box
- Alerting that reaches you on mobile (not just email)
- Setup time — minutes vs days
- Pricing transparency — public pricing vs quote-by-email
- MSP-specific features — PSA integration, white-label, escalation policies
We tested or reviewed the public documentation of every tool listed. We're the makers of Sikurd, so we have an obvious bias — we've tried to be honest about where competitors do something well.
The five tools worth knowing about
- Sikurd — Modern SaaS, mobile-first alerts, transparent pricing. Best for MSPs who want to be running in minutes.
- PBXMonitor — Long-established, deep automation features. Best for MSPs who need bulk firmware push and scheduled tasks.
- IPTechView (ABP Tech) — Distributor-aligned, US-focused, integrates with ABP's broader ecosystem.
- 3CX Instance Manager / Partner Portal — Free, native to 3CX. Best for very small fleets or as a starting point.
- PRTG / Zabbix / generic monitoring — General-purpose. Best for MSPs already standardized on one of these tools.
Sikurd
Best for: MSPs and 3CX partners who want modern, mobile-first 3CX fleet management without a sales call.
A purpose-built SaaS platform for monitoring and managing multiple 3CX instances. Real-time fleet dashboard, mobile push alerts, AI fleet intelligence, automatic service restart on failure, native PSA integrations, and white-label branding.
- Fleet dashboard with health scoring across every instance
- Live call monitoring across your entire fleet
- iOS, Android, Slack, Teams, and PSA push alerts
- AI Fleet Intelligence — ask natural-language questions about your fleet
- Native ConnectWise, Autotask, HaloPSA, and Syncro integrations
- Automatic service restart on detected failure
- White-label with custom domain
- Connects via 3CX Service Principal — no agents, no firewall changes
- Modern SaaS, running in minutes
- Mobile-first alerts and modern UI
- Transparent pricing
- AI fleet intelligence and PSA integrations are unique in this category
- AI-assisted instance import on the roadmap for 2026
- Newer to market than some competitors
- Doesn't currently do scheduled bulk firmware pushes or central backup creation
- 14-day trial vs PBXMonitor's 30
PBXMonitor
Best for: MSPs who need deep automation — bulk firmware pushes to phones and SBCs, scheduled service restarts, central backup management.
A long-running 3CX management platform (around since 3CX v15) with strong automation and bulk-task capabilities.
- Central monitoring across multiple 3CX instances
- Scheduled tasks (service restart, firewall checks, etc.)
- Firmware push to phones and SBCs
- Central backup tool
- 1–15 days of stats retention depending on tier
- Email and dashboard alerting
- Deep 3CX-specific automation features
- Long track record in the 3CX community
- Bulk config and firmware management is genuinely strong
- No public pricing — every customer gets a quote
- Trial requires emailing support, not self-serve
- Dated interface
- No native iOS/Android push notifications
- No native PSA integrations
- License model tied to PBX call licenses can be confusing
Try it: Email PBXMonitor support to request a trial.
See our direct comparison: Sikurd vs PBXMonitor.
IPTechView (ABP Tech)
Best for: US-based MSPs already in the ABP Tech ecosystem, or those who value distributor-aligned tooling.
An MSP tool from ABP Tech, a US 3CX distributor. Provides single-pane-of-glass monitoring with customizable alerts, password vault, and brandable maintenance reports.
- Fleet view of all 3CX systems with map view
- Per-customer customizable alert thresholds (e.g., simultaneous call utilization)
- Email and SMS alerts, plus PSA ticket creation
- Password vault for credential management
- Brandable monthly maintenance reports for customer billing
- Good fit for MSPs already partnered with ABP Tech
- Brandable customer reports are useful for justifying retainer fees
- Per-customer alert thresholds
- Less visibility outside the ABP Tech partner network
- No public pricing
- US-focused distribution
- Less feature documentation publicly available
Try it: Contact ABP Tech directly.
3CX Instance Manager / Partner Portal
Best for: Very small fleets, or as a starting point before you outgrow it.
3CX's own free portal for partners to see all instances tied to their Reseller ID. Activate it from the management console, link it to your Reseller ID, and you'll see your instances in portal.3cx.com.
- List of all your linked 3CX instances
- Basic status visibility
- Free for 3CX partners
- Free
- Native to 3CX
- Useful as a starting point for inventory
- Very basic — not real monitoring
- No alerting in any meaningful sense
- No PSA integration, no mobile notifications, no health scoring
- Designed as an inventory tool, not an operations tool
Already free in your 3CX Partner account.
Don't confuse this with 3CX Multi-Tenant mode, which is for hosting multiple small customers on a single instance — a different problem. See Sikurd vs 3CX Instance Manager for the full breakdown.
PRTG, Zabbix, and other general monitoring tools
Best for: MSPs who already run PRTG or Zabbix for their broader infrastructure and want to extend it to 3CX.
General-purpose network monitoring platforms. Not built for 3CX, but can be adapted with custom sensors, scripts, and SNMP/API queries.
- Custom sensor configuration for 3CX endpoints
- Existing infrastructure monitoring you already use
- Highly customizable
- One tool for everything you monitor
- You probably already own it
- Highly customizable
- Significant setup time — days, not minutes
- No 3CX-specific intelligence (trunk status, license expiry, backup health, queue/ring group monitoring)
- No call data
- Maintenance burden grows as 3CX versions change
- Not designed for MSP white-labeling or customer reporting
Use it if: You're already deep in PRTG/Zabbix and only have 2–3 3CX instances. Otherwise, a purpose-built tool will save you weeks of configuration.
How to choose
- IfYou have 1–3 instancesThenStart with the free 3CX Partner Portal. You'll outgrow it, but no need to pay yet.
- IfYou want to be running today, with mobile alerts and PSA integrationThenSikurd.
- IfYou need bulk firmware push, scheduled tasks, and central backup automationThenPBXMonitor.
- IfYou're in the ABP Tech partner ecosystem alreadyThenIPTechView.
- IfYou're already standardized on PRTG/Zabbix and have 2–3 instancesThenExtend what you have.
What to look for, regardless of which tool you choose
- Mobile push alertsEmail is not enough at 2am
- Per-instance health scoringSo you know where to look first
- SIP trunk status monitoringMost outages start here
- Backup age trackingSilent backup failures are the #1 unpleasant surprise
- Automatic remediationService restart on detected failure means most issues self-resolve before they reach a human
- PSA integrationTickets that auto-create are tickets that get worked
- Audit trailFor compliance and for figuring out what changed
- Transparent pricingIf you can't see the price, the price is 'however much we can get'