What is the Difference Between Asterisk and Freeswitch?

Compare the two Asterisk or Freeswitch open source PBX phone systems and take the advantages that are better for your organization.

Asterisk and FreeSWITCH

Asterisk and FreeSWITCH are two of the most widely used VoIP solution development platforms. Both can be used to create any type of complicated communication and collaboration platform.

Which VoIP platform is better: Asterisk or FreeSWITCH? FreeSwitch and Asterisk are two competitive open-source PBX phone systems to consider when choosing an open-source PBX phone system. We’ll compare and contrast some of the key features of FreeSWITCH and Asterisk. We’ll also look at some of the most popular PBX systems that run on top of each VoIP platform.

What is VoIP?

Voice over IP (VoIP) services turn your voice into a digital signal that can be transmitted over the Internet. If you call a conventional phone number, the signal is transformed into a standard phone signal before it reaches the intended recipient. A VoIP call can be made using a computer, a dedicated VoIP phone, or a normal phone connected to a special adaptor. Furthermore, wireless “hot spots” in locations such as hospitals, parks, and restaurants allow you to connect to the Internet and maybe use VoIP services while on the move.

Before going to discuss the difference between Freeswitch and an asterisk, let’s first discuss what an asterisk is and what is Freeswitch.

What is an asterisk?

Asterisk is an open-source software package developed by Digium that may be used to turn a computer into a VoIP server. Telecommunications applications can also be built with Asterisk.

You have complete access to Asterisk’s source code because it is an open-source technology. You can create your services and features based on Asterisk’s capabilities and components using this open-source software. The Asterisk software is available for free download and use. Asterisk shouldn’t require any additional hardware in most cases.

Asterisk is often used to create PBX (public branch exchange) systems for enterprises. An asterisk may be used to set up a fully functional PBX on any computer. By offering you a complete PBX solution, Asterisk has made it extremely simple to use their program to build your PBX. A PBX is a phone system that allows a company to route calls within its office and manage incoming and outgoing call traffic. A PBX was once a piece of gear that could only be operated by hand. A full-sized PBX could take up the majority of a tiny space.

Its large community makes it ideal for developing any sophisticated solution to meet a company’s communication demands. Asterisk development can be done in such a way that it can be readily integrated into the system without requiring large adjustments.

What is Freeswitch?

The most interesting aspect of FreeSWITCH is that it was established in 2006 by an Asterisk developer. It’s also a voice and text communication platform that’s free and open source. This telephony platform is meant to route and link common communication protocols using audio, video, text, or any other type of media. Sofia-Sip is the stack used by FreeSWITCH. It is fully mature, resilient, and comprehensive. Many other SIP features, such as presence, BLF, and SLA, as well as TCP, TLS, and SMTP, are also supported.

FreeSWITCH is a free and open-source application server that supports real-time communication, WebRTC, telecommunications, video, and Voice over IP (VoIP). It’s cross-platform, supporting Linux, Windows, macOS, and FreeBSD. It’s used to create PBX systems, interactive voice response (IVR) services, videoconferencing with chat and screen sharing, wholesale least-cost routing, Session Border Controller (SBC), and embedded communication appliances.

When developing a system that manages a large number of concurrent conversations or video-based apps, FreeSWITCH software development is the ideal option. As a result, FreeSWITCH development is ideal for video conferencing apps.

What is the difference between FreeSWITCH and Asterisk?

Quality of audio and video

The Asterisk development for high traffic may not be as effective as it appears, as it will result in poor audio quality. Furthermore, Asterisk development is ineffective when it comes to handling several concurrent video streams in a high-quality manner.

Configuration

For dial plan and setup, Asterisk uses a simple file. As a result, we may conclude that the asterisk configuration is straightforward. FreeSWITCH, on the other hand, uses an XML file for setup and dialing plans. It is made up of manual configuration and upkeep. The files are written in an XML-specific language. It’s a little challenging. As a result, we may conclude that Asterisk is more user-friendly than FreeSWITCH.

Flexibility

Both programs can be used in a variety of ways. They can be expanded. In comparison to Asterisk, we may say that FreeSWITCH is more flexible. Because FreeSWITCH supported a variety of languages, including.NET, JavaScript, Perl, C++, and Python, the FreeSWITCH library was simple to integrate with other programs.

Licensing

Dual licensing is included with Asterisk. Asterisk has mainly 2 licenses, one is free and the other is paid. The broad public license governs the free license. FreeSWITCH, on the other hand, is a completely free communication software solution. The Mozilla Public License governs its distribution.

Scalability

For increased call volumes, Asterisk is not the best platform. It is not a viable platform for provisioning calls because it makes use of shared resources. When there are a huge number of calls, you may have deadlocks, race situations, and data corruption. FreeSWITCH, on the other hand, is a scalable communications platform. It can readily handle high-volume call volumes. In terms of scalability, FreeSWITCH is the superior option for people who need to handle large numbers of calls.

Softswitch and PBX

The most significant distinction between the two communication platforms is that Asterisk is both a PBX solution and a foundation for creating communication apps. A FreeSWITCH, on the other hand, is just a Softswitch.

Why only use VoIPTech solutions?

After comparing these two applications, we can conclude that they both have advantages and downsides. Which features are required for the deployment of a communication system is entirely dependent on the user. If you want to make a large number of calls, FreeSWITCH is the best option. However, if a user requires easy configuration and a modest call volume, Asterisk is a preferable option. The VoIPTech solutions provide the best VoIP solutions for PBX based on both asterisk and FreeSWITCH development. Now it depends on you which is better for your organization. First compare, then choose what is best for you and your organization.