BaronTEL operates its own Canadian VoIP infrastructure and provides business phone services nationwide.
Hosted VoIP replaces traditional phone lines with a cloud-based business phone system that supports remote teams, call routing, auto attendants, voicemail-to-email, and number porting across Canada.
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Understand the real differences in cost, features, and flexibility for Canadian businesses
This guide explains how modern hosted PBX compares to traditional phone systems, and where BaronTEL's Essential, Professional, and Enterprise plans fit in.
A straightforward comparison for Canadian offices, clinics, professional firms, retail, and call centres
For many Canadian businesses, the decision comes down to two main options:
Below, we compare both approaches in terms of cost, features, reliability, mobility, and maintenance, and show how BaronTEL's Essential, Professional, and Enterprise plans can replace legacy systems with predictable pricing and full support.
Plain-language definitions before we dive into the numbers
Hosted PBX (cloud phone system) means:
With BaronTEL, hosted PBX is delivered through our Essential, Professional, and Enterprise plans, each with a clear feature set and per-user pricing.
Traditional PBX (legacy phone system) means:
This model made sense years ago. In 2025, most Canadian businesses see better value and flexibility with hosted PBX.
Actual costs for Canadian businesses based on 2025 market data
Essential: $16.95 × 10 = $169.50/month
Professional: $24.95 × 10 = $249.50/month
Enterprise: $32.95 × 10 = $329.50/month
✓ No upfront costs
✓ Includes maintenance & support
✓ Month-to-month or term options
Upfront Hardware: $10,000-$13,000
(PBX cabinet + 10 phones + installation)
Monthly Costs: $620-$1,050/month
(SIP trunks $120-$300 + maintenance $500-$750)
First Year Total: $17,440-$25,600
Essential: $16.95 × 20 = $339/month
Professional: $24.95 × 20 = $499/month
Enterprise: $32.95 × 20 = $659/month
✓ Add users instantly
✓ Remote work ready
✓ Canadian support included
Upfront Hardware: $14,500
($6,500 PBX + $3,000 phones + $4,000 licenses + $1,000 setup)
Monthly Costs: $1,400/month
(Lines, maintenance, IT support)
Two-Year Total: ~$48,000
vs. BaronTEL Professional: $11,976
Essential: $16.95 × 50 = $847.50/month
Professional: $24.95 × 50 = $1,247.50/month
Enterprise: $32.95 × 50 = $1,647.50/month
✓ Enterprise features
✓ Scalable instantly
✓ Multi-location support
Upfront Hardware: $25,000-$50,000
(Enterprise PBX system at this scale)
Monthly Costs: $2,500-$4,000/month
(Lines, maintenance, dedicated IT staff)
First Year Total: $55,000-$98,000
vs. BaronTEL Enterprise: $19,770
BaronTEL offers both month-to-month and 3-year term pricing.
Contact us for volume discounts on larger deployments and a custom migration assessment from your current system.
What you actually get with each approach
| Feature | Hosted PBX (BaronTEL) | Traditional PBX |
|---|---|---|
| Core voice calling | Included with all tiers | Included |
| Unlimited Canada/USA calling bundles | Available on all plans | Varies – often more expensive |
| Auto attendants (IVR) | Essential: 1 IVR Professional & Enterprise: Unlimited IVRs |
Often extra or complex to change |
| Music on hold | Professional & Enterprise | Usually add-on or custom work |
| Call recording | Professional & Enterprise | Often requires extra hardware/licences |
| Call queues & ring groups | Essential: none Professional: 1–2 queues & ring groups Enterprise: multiple advanced queues |
Available, but typically expensive and harder to manage |
| SMS/text messaging | Available on Professional & Enterprise plans | Generally not offered |
| Remote work / softphones | Desk phones & softphones from anywhere | Office-bound – remote options are limited |
| System maintenance | BaronTEL handles the system, including phones when using our supported 5-port router | Customer or 3rd-party vendor must maintain PBX hardware & software |
| Scalability | Simply add more users and features as needed | Often requires hardware upgrades or new systems |
| Upfront investment | $0 – Start immediately | $10,000-$50,000+ before first call |
Three service tiers designed for real-world Canadian businesses
Ideal for small offices needing simple, reliable phone service. Includes unlimited Canada/USA calling, voicemail-to-email, softphone support, and 1 auto attendant (IVR). Excludes music on hold, call recording, call queues, and ring groups.
Best for growing businesses requiring a complete phone system. Includes everything in Essential plus unlimited auto attendants, music on hold, ring groups, 1–2 call queues, call recording, conferencing, paging, and SMS/text messaging.
Built for call centres and complex operations. Includes everything in Professional plus multiple advanced call queues, queue statistics, real-time monitoring/wallboard, detailed call history and logs, and enhanced SMS/text messaging capabilities.
With a traditional PBX, your team or a 3rd-party vendor is responsible for hardware, firmware, backups, and repairs. With BaronTEL Hosted PBX, you do not manage the system. Our team looks after the hosted platform, updates, and reliability. When your office uses our supported 5-port router and recommended equipment, BaronTEL also handles phone maintenance and support, so you enjoy a true managed service instead of another piece of equipment to worry about.
With a traditional PBX, you buy, install, and maintain hardware in your office. With a hosted PBX from BaronTEL, the phone system runs in our Canadian data centres and you simply plug in phones or use apps. We handle upgrades, maintenance and reliability for you.
Yes, in most cases. A single on-site PBX can go down with power failures, hardware problems or office Internet issues. BaronTEL hosts your PBX on redundant servers with multiple carriers and power sources. If a device in your office fails, your numbers can still ring softphones, mobiles or other locations.
A traditional PBX usually requires a large upfront purchase ($10,000-$50,000+) plus yearly maintenance contracts. With BaronTEL hosted PBX, you pay a simple per-user monthly fee with maintenance, upgrades and Canadian support included. No surprise "service call" invoices. We offer both month-to-month and term pricing options.
You can use desk phones, cordless phones, or just softphones and mobile apps. Hosted PBX gives you the flexibility to support office staff, hybrid workers and fully remote teams while keeping one professional business number and call flow.
BaronTEL does. Your team does not touch the PBX. Our engineers handle all maintenance, firmware updates and configuration changes. When you have our managed 5-port router at the site, we also take care of phone maintenance and changes for you.
We'll review your current phone setup, estimate savings, and recommend the right BaronTEL plan for your business.
Call us today: Toronto 416.477.5411 | Toll-Free 888.241.8647