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Comparison · Meetings
3CX vs Fourwaves
A side-by-side editorial comparison of 3CX and Fourwaves — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
3CX vs Fourwaves: at a glance
What is 3CX?
3CX sets the end of 2026 to switch off its own transcription service.
3CX is closing its bundled AI services and moving customers to AI they run or connect themselves. On November 13 it confirmed its transcription service switches off at the end of 2026, with ENT+ subscriptions moving to AI Edition. V20 Update 10 fills in the replacement: Grok support, MCP, improved AI agents and local transcription on a Mac, plus simpler audio conferencing, a pop-out dialer and delegated call recording review.
What is Fourwaves?
Fourwaves doubles Free plan submissions to 50 and reworks reviewer assignment.
Fourwaves ships small dated updates most days. November 11 raised the Free plan from 25 to 50 submissions, and November 12 added a four-step Assign reviewers window. Earlier in November it brought offline mobile check-in for Pro organizers and saved email templates for Advanced and Pro.
3CX vs Fourwaves: editorial side-by-side
3CX
6.3MEETINGS
3CX sets the end of 2026 to switch off its own transcription service.
◆ Current state
3CX is closing its bundled AI services and moving customers to AI they run or connect themselves. On November 13 it confirmed its transcription service switches off at the end of 2026, with ENT+ subscriptions moving to AI Edition. V20 Update 10 fills in the replacement: Grok support, MCP, improved AI agents and local transcription on a Mac, plus simpler audio conferencing, a pop-out dialer and delegated call recording review.
◆ Where it's heading
Update 10 widens the choice of AI provider and moves more processing onto hardware customers own, while adding manager controls around recordings. The release is shipping in pieces through how-to posts rather than one changelog.
◆ Prediction
Expect Update 10 to reach general release and more posts on the self-hosted AI Server ahead of the January 2027 licence conversion.
Fourwaves
5.0MEETINGS
Fourwaves doubles Free plan submissions to 50 and reworks reviewer assignment.
◆ Current state
Fourwaves ships small dated updates most days. November 11 raised the Free plan from 25 to 50 submissions, and November 12 added a four-step Assign reviewers window. Earlier in November it brought offline mobile check-in for Pro organizers and saved email templates for Advanced and Pro.
◆ Where it's heading
Most releases go to organizer tools for running the event and the review process, with features gated to paid plans. The Free plan increase is the first move in this run that widens the entry tier rather than adding to paid ones.
◆ Prediction
Expect more steps in the submission and review workflow to follow the new reviewer window; whether the Free plan change is part of a wider pricing revision is unclear from the entries.
Alternatives to 3CX and Fourwaves
Other Meetings products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either 3CX or Fourwaves.
Eventcombo
Eventcombo adds webinar demo checklists to its 2027 buyer guides.
JW Player
JW Player's Android SDK 4.28 adds live Chromecast and new background audio controls.
Nextcloud Talk
Nextcloud Talk v23.0.14 fixes Firefox video and keeps v25 waiting at RC3.
Kurento
Kurento's JavaScript client gets a 7.3.1 point release with no notes.
TrueConf
TrueConf takes its on-prem pitch to GITEX after a month of PHP patches.
See all 3CX alternatives → · See all Fourwaves alternatives →
Recent activity from 3CX and Fourwaves
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 20h ago3CX3CX Transcription Service to be Switched Off End of 2026
- 1d ago3CXStop Selling Features. Start Selling Business Outcomes
- 1d ago3CXDelegate Call Recording Review and Protect Sensitive Calls in 3CX V20 Update 10
- 2d agoFourwavesNew four-step window for assigning reviewers
- 2d ago3CXV20 U10 Extending Our AI Lead: Improved Agents, MCP, and Local Transcription on a Mac
- 3d agoFourwavesFree plan now includes 50 submissions, up from 25
- 3d ago3CXTest Where Calls Go When Your 3CX AI Agent Is Unavailable
- 4d agoFourwavesOffline mobile check-in for Pro organizers
- 4d ago3CXSize Your 3CX AI Server for Today, Scale It for Tomorrow
- 5d agoFourwavesParticipant pages show the same data to organizers
- 9d agoFourwavesSaved email templates for Advanced and Pro organizers
- 10d agoFourwavesAustralia/Sydney added as a reference timezone
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 3CX and Fourwaves?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. 3CX is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is 3CX better than Fourwaves?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. 3CX is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Meetings products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to 3CX?
Top 3CX alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "3CX alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/3cx for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Fourwaves?
Top Fourwaves alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Fourwaves alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fourwaves for the full list with editorial commentary on each.