What Is a SIP Softphone?
A softphone is software that behaves like a telephone. A SIP softphone is one that speaks the Session Initiation Protocol, the open standard behind business phone systems, SIP trunks and most VoIP carriers. Sign in with a SIP username, password and server, and the app registers as one of your extensions: it rings when your business number is dialled, it places calls with your company caller ID, and it does hold, transfer, voicemail and conferencing like a desk phone would.
That standards part is what separates these apps from WhatsApp, Teams or FaceTime. Those work only with other users of the same app. A SIP softphone works with the public telephone network through whatever SIP provider or PBX you point it at, so you can change carriers, mix desk phones and laptops on one number, or run the same app against Asterisk at the office and a hosted PBX at a client.
You need three things: the app (this guide), a SIP account from a SIP trunking provider or your PBX, and a headset or the device's own microphone. Nothing else. There is no hardware to buy, and a trunk with IPComms bills $0.009 a minute with numbers from $1.50 a month and no per-channel fees, so a softphone is the cheapest business line you can put in front of a person.
Quick Comparison: 10 Best SIP Softphones
| Softphone | Platforms | Price | Encryption | Mobile push | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Zoiper 5 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Free; Pro license one-time | Paid (Pro) | Yes (mobile) | Best overall, every platform |
| 2. Linphone | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Free, open source | Free TLS/SRTP/ZRTP | Yes (mobile) | Best free encryption |
| 3. MicroSIP | Windows | Free, open source | Free TLS/SRTP | n/a (desktop) | Best lightweight Windows client |
| 4. Groundwire (Acrobits) | iOS, Android | One-time purchase (about $10) | TLS/SRTP included | Yes, carrier-grade | Best paid mobile softphone |
| 5. Sipnetic | Android | Free | TLS/SRTP | Yes | Best free Android softphone |
| 6. Bria Solo | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Subscription per user | TLS/SRTP included | Yes | Best for teams that want support |
| 7. PhonerLite | Windows | Free | TLS/SRTP | n/a (desktop) | Simplest Windows softphone |
| 8. Telephone | macOS | Free, open source | Basic | n/a (desktop) | Minimal native Mac client |
| 9. Grandstream Wave Lite | iOS, Android | Free | TLS/SRTP | Yes | Free mobile with QR provisioning |
| 10. Blink | macOS, Windows, Linux | Free, open source (Pro on Mac) | TLS/SRTP/ZRTP | n/a (desktop) | Standards-heavy desktop client |
Ranked by how often we would hand each one to a new customer. Prices and features are as published by each developer in September 2026; app-store pricing changes, so check the official download link in each review.
Best Softphone by Platform
Windows
MicroSIP for a fast, encrypted, 10 MB client; Zoiper if you want the friendlier interface; Bria for managed teams.
macOS
Zoiper or Linphone for a full-featured client; Telephone when you want a native, minimal dialer from the App Store; Blink for TLS/SRTP/ZRTP and presence.
Linux
Linphone (Flatpak/AppImage) or Blink; Zoiper ships .deb and .rpm packages too.
iPhone and iPad
Groundwire if calls must never be missed; Linphone or Grandstream Wave Lite for free.
Android
Sipnetic is the free pick with real push notifications; Groundwire is the paid one; Linphone and Zoiper both work well on recent Android versions.
Android softphones tested and compared · Sipnetic setup guide
The 10 Best SIP Softphones, Reviewed
Each app was registered to an IPComms trunk over UDP and, where supported, TLS, and used for inbound and outbound calls on Windows 11, macOS, Ubuntu, iOS and Android. We looked at setup friction, audio on G.711 and Opus, encryption, incoming-call reliability on mobile, and what the free tier leaves out.
1. Zoiper 5 — Best overall, every platform
Zoiper is the softphone most SIP providers hand new customers, and for good reason: one interface on every desktop and mobile OS, a setup wizard that gets a trunk registered in under two minutes, and rock-solid audio on G.711. The free edition covers everyday calling on a single account with hold, transfer, contacts and call history.
The catch is encryption. TLS/SRTP, G.729, video and multiple accounts are in the paid Pro license (a one-time purchase per platform). If you only need clear calls on a trusted network, free Zoiper is enough; if you connect from coffee shops or handle anything sensitive, budget for Pro or pick Linphone. Our Zoiper setup guide walks through the exact settings.
2. Linphone — Best free encryption
Linphone is the open-source workhorse. It runs everywhere, supports several accounts at once, does HD audio with Opus and G.722, adds video and messaging, and, uniquely among the free options here, includes TLS and SRTP encryption at no cost. Security-conscious teams and anyone on a TLS-only trunk should start here.
The interface is plainer than Zoiper's and the mobile push service is run by the Linphone project rather than your carrier, so test incoming-call reliability on your handset before rolling it out to a team.
3. MicroSIP — Best lightweight Windows client
MicroSIP is a 10 MB open-source Windows softphone built on PJSIP. It starts instantly, sits in the tray, supports TLS/SRTP and G.729 for nothing, and has a command-line interface and tel: URL handler that make it a favourite for click-to-dial from CRMs and for call-center desktops. A portable build runs from a USB stick with no installer.
It is Windows-only and deliberately spartan: no video, no fancy contact sync. For a headset-and-dial-pad workstation it is hard to beat, which is why it leads our Windows softphone comparison.
4. Groundwire (Acrobits) — Best paid mobile softphone
Groundwire is the app to buy when a mobile phone has to ring every time. Acrobits runs its own push-notification service, so incoming calls arrive with the app closed and without draining the battery, and it integrates with iOS CallKit so SIP calls look and behave like cellular calls. Encryption, multiple accounts, call transfer and conferencing are all included.
It is a one-time purchase per platform, roughly ten dollars, with no subscription. For field staff, on-call rotations or anyone forwarding a business number to a personal phone, it pays for itself the first time a free app misses a call.
5. Sipnetic — Best free Android softphone
Sipnetic is the free Android app that solved the problem Groundwire charges for: reliable incoming calls through push notifications without wrecking battery life. It supports multiple SIP accounts, TLS/SRTP, Bluetooth headsets and Android's native call screen.
There is no iOS version and the developer is small, so keep a fallback in mind, but for Android users who will not pay for an app it is our first recommendation. Setup details are in the Sipnetic guide.
6. Bria Solo — Best for teams that want support
Bria (CounterPath, now part of Alianza) is the commercial standard: a polished client on every platform, a web portal that provisions accounts centrally, call recording, presence and busy-lamp fields in the team edition, and a support desk behind it. Everything is encrypted by default.
It is subscription-priced per user, which adds up across a company, and the free tier is deliberately limited. Choose it when you are equipping a team and want one vendor to call when a user's headset stops working.
7. PhonerLite — Simplest Windows softphone
PhonerLite is a compact free Windows softphone from Germany with a plain, tabbed configuration screen, TLS/SRTP support, and unusually good diagnostics: it shows you registration status and SIP responses in plain language, which makes it a handy troubleshooting tool even if you deploy something else.
Development is slow and the look is dated, so it suits technicians and small offices rather than a modern branded rollout.
8. Telephone — Minimal native Mac client
Telephone is a tiny, free, open-source softphone from the Mac App Store that does exactly three things: register, dial, and answer. It uses the native macOS look, integrates with Contacts, and gets out of the way.
It has no video, no push and few knobs, so treat it as the Mac equivalent of MicroSIP for a desk that just needs a dial pad. Mac users who want more should look at Zoiper or Linphone above.
9. Grandstream Wave Lite — Free mobile with QR provisioning
Wave Lite is Grandstream's free mobile softphone and, despite the branding, it registers to any standard SIP provider, not only Grandstream PBXs. It handles up to six accounts, TLS/SRTP, Bluetooth, and QR-code provisioning so you can hand a user a printout and have them registered in seconds.
The interface is utilitarian and push reliability sits between the free and paid tiers above. It is a good pick for organisations that already run Grandstream hardware and want one vendor on every device.
10. Blink — Standards-heavy desktop client
Blink, from AG Projects, is the standards nerd's softphone: full TLS, SRTP and ZRTP, ICE and NAT traversal done properly, presence, chat and file transfer over SIP. Linux users in particular get a mature, actively maintained client here.
It is more than most users need and the Windows build lags the Mac and Linux ones, so it earns a place for engineers and Linux desktops rather than as a company default.
How to Choose a Softphone
- Codecs. Every app supports G.711 (the PSTN standard). Opus or G.722 adds HD audio between SIP endpoints; G.729 saves bandwidth on poor links and is usually a paid extra except in MicroSIP.
- Encryption. If calls leave a trusted network, you want TLS (signalling) plus SRTP (audio) and a provider that offers TLS on port 5061. Free in Linphone, MicroSIP, Groundwire, Sipnetic, Wave Lite and Blink; paid in Zoiper.
- Push notifications on mobile. The single biggest difference between a phone that rings and one that does not. Groundwire, Sipnetic, Bria, Linphone and Wave Lite have it; desktop apps do not need it.
- Multiple accounts. Consultants and MSPs need one app registered to several PBXs. Linphone, Groundwire, Bria, Wave Lite and Blink handle it; free Zoiper does not.
- NAT traversal. All ten work behind ordinary routers when the provider does the media relay for you, as IPComms does. STUN and ICE settings matter only for peer-to-peer setups.
- Headsets and hotkeys. Call-center desks want answer/hang-up buttons on the headset to work (MicroSIP, Bria and Zoiper support HID headsets) and click-to-dial from the browser or CRM (MicroSIP and Zoiper register tel: and callto: links).
- Management. Rolling out to 50 people? Bria's portal provisioning or Wave Lite's QR codes beat typing credentials into fifty phones.
How to Download a Softphone Safely
“Free softphone download” is a well-worn search term, and download portals know it. Several wrap legitimate installers in adware, or host old builds with known vulnerabilities. Rules that keep you out of trouble:
- Download only from the developer's site or the official Microsoft, Apple or Google store. Every review above links to the real source.
- Check the publisher name on the installer's signature (Windows) or the developer name in the store listing before you install.
- Skip anything that asks you to install a “download manager” first, or that bundles a browser toolbar.
- Keep the app updated: SIP stacks get security fixes, and store builds update themselves.
- Never type your SIP password into a web page that is not your provider's portal. Softphones need it; websites do not.
Connecting Any Softphone to IPComms
Every app on this list registers to IPComms with the same handful of settings. Create an extension or trunk credential in the customer portal and copy these fields into the app:
SIP server / domain: your SIP domain from the portal (new accounts look like yourcompany.s1.ipcomms.net; legacy accounts use sip.ipcomms.net) Username / auth name: the extension or trunk username shown in the portal Password: from the portal (rotate it there if it is ever shared) Transport and port: UDP or TCP 5060, or TLS 5061 with SRTP for encrypted calls Codecs: G.711 u-law first; Opus if the app offers it STUN: leave off; IPComms relays media for NATRegister, dial your own mobile, and call the number back. If both directions work you are done. Step-by-step screens for the two most common apps are in the Zoiper guide and the Sipnetic guide; PBX users configure the extension on the PBX and point the app at the PBX instead, as covered in the FreePBX and Asterisk PJSIP trunk guides.
Troubleshooting Common Softphone Problems
Registration fails (401, 403, timeout)
Re-check the username, password and domain character by character; the domain is part of the credential. A 403 from IPComms usually means the account is not active or the IP is blocked after repeated bad passwords. A timeout means UDP 5060 or TLS 5061 is filtered by a firewall: switch transport to TCP or TLS, which pass through most networks.
Calls connect but there is no audio, or audio one way
Almost always NAT or a firewall blocking RTP. Turn off the app's own STUN/ICE settings, let the provider relay media, and on office firewalls disable SIP ALG. Our one-way audio guide covers each router family.
Incoming calls do not ring on mobile
Use an app with push notifications and exempt it from battery optimisation on Android. Apps that try to keep a permanent SIP registration alive in the background are killed by the OS within minutes.
Choppy or robotic audio
Move from congested 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi to 5 GHz or Ethernet, check other devices are not saturating the uplink, and prefer G.711 or Opus over G.729 on good connections. On a laptop, close video calls running in parallel.