Asterisk vs Wazo Platform
Asterisk
asterisk.org
Wazo Platform
wazo-platform.orgSide by side
| Figure | Asterisk | Wazo Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Voice APIs | 8.0 (#9) | 8.2 (#7) |
| Spec score · Interactive Voice Response Software | 8.1 (#5) | 8.2 (#4) |
| Deployment | Asterisk can be downloaded as source code, and the site points users to install it on a modern cloud Linux instance. | Wazo Platform can be deployed and scaled on bare metal, virtual machines, or containers. |
| Founded | 1999 | 2016 |
| Integrations | The site says Asterisk can connect communications to applications, including Salesforce automation or CRM systems using AMI. | The maker says APIs can integrate third-party services, including billing capabilities, speech-to-text, AI, and sentiment analysis. |
| Interfaces | Computer-telephony interfaces include AGI, AMI and the Asterisk REST Interface (ARI). | The platform provides mobile- and web-friendly WebRTC, REST API, WebSockets, and Webhooks interfaces. |
| Purpose | Asterisk is an open source framework for building communications applications and turns an ordinary computer into a communications server. | Wazo Platform is an open-source project for building carrier-grade programmable IP communication infrastructures. |
| Support | Sangoma offers five support levels for core components of current open source Asterisk versions, with Level 5 reserved for customers requiring an SLA and engineering support. | Wazo Platform is community supported through Mattermost, its forum, and JIRA bug tracking. |
Plans
In their own words
Asterisk
Asterisk is a free, open-source framework for building communications applications and turning an ordinary computer into a communications server. It powers IP PBX systems, VoIP gateways, conference servers, call centers, voicemail servers, and IVR systems. Listed functions include call routing, recording, queuing, conferencing, voicemail, automated attendants, and call transfers. Computer-telephony interfaces include AGI, AMI, and the Asterisk REST Interface (ARI); listed VoIP protocols include SIP, H.323, IAX, Jingle/XMPP, MGCP, and SCCP. Asterisk can connect communications to applications, including CRM systems through AMI. The source code can be downloaded, and the project points users to installation on a modern cloud Linux instance. Building applications requires working knowledge of Linux, scripting, networking, and telephony. Asterisk is distributed under GPLv2; Sangoma offers commercial licensing for uses incompatible with that license. The Asterisk forum provides community help with installation, upgrades, and operation.
Wazo Platform
Wazo Platform is a free, open-source stack of telecom microservices for building programmable voice, video, messaging, and presence services. Its capabilities include audio and video calls, chat, call centers, conferences, voicemail, custom call routing, and an auto attendant. Interfaces include WebRTC, REST APIs, WebSockets, and Webhooks, described as mobile- and web-friendly. The microservices are developed in Python, and APIs are described through OpenAPI specifications. Asterisk, RTPEngine, and Kamailio make up the telecom engine; RabbitMQ, NGINX, and PostgreSQL support the technical core. Wazo can be deployed on bare metal, virtual machines, or containers. The documented all-in-one installation uses Debian 12 Bookworm and Ansible; minimums for a small production installation of about 50 users are 2 CPUs, 4 GiB RAM, and 50 GiB storage. The GPL-3 license allows free use, including commercial use. APIs can integrate billing and services such as speech-to-text, AI, or sentiment analysis. Community support is available through Mattermost, a forum, and JIRA.