Softphone

A softphone is an application that registers with our platform over the internet. When a call comes in to your CallFactory number, the softphone rings on your computer — just like a desk phone would. You answer, talk, and hang up from the app.

We provide the SIP credentials so your softphone can register with our platform. Once connected, you can make and receive calls, see caller information, and transfer calls — all from your computer screen.

While most providers resell a home-made softphone or a skinned third-party app, our clients want the best. That is why we work with Linphone — a highly regarded softphone used by major telecom operators like Orange, BT, Swisscom, and Taiwan Mobile. You can see CallFactory listed alongside these brands on Linphone’s client page.

A home-brew softphone is not the best solution. Linphone is purpose-built, actively maintained, and available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. It is also fully open source — with 47 active contributors on GitHub — which means continuous development far beyond what any single provider could commit to a softphone. For larger companies and organisations, this matters: you can inspect exactly what is being installed on your equipment, read the source code, and even contribute to it.

Linphone shines on desktop, where it can fully replace the need for a physical desk phone. It also works on mobile if you want to receive calls over the internet — though our fixed on mobile solution is the better choice for mobile, as it delivers calls over the mobile network rather than the internet.

Linphone licences and VoIP accounts are downloaded and managed directly from your CallFactory dashboard. No separate portals, no manual provisioning. Set up a new softphone user in minutes.

Because Linphone uses a licence with a serial number, it can be re-used by multiple users. When a colleague leaves and someone new joins, you reassign the licence — no extra cost. Beware of per-user pricing on other platforms, where costs grow as colleagues come and go. With CallFactory, you pay for the licence, not for every person who ever uses it.

On a desktop or laptop, softphones work well. The app stays open, maintains its VoIP registration, and rings reliably when a call comes in. Paired with a headset, your computer becomes a fully functional phone — ideal for teams that make or receive many calls, as it keeps your hands free for typing.

Desktop softphones are a good choice for office-based and remote workers who sit at a computer throughout the day. They avoid the cost of a physical desk phone while offering the same calling experience.

On a mobile phone, softphones have a known problem. Because they are apps, the operating system can close them in the background or put them into sleep mode. When this happens, incoming calls do not reach you — and you do not know about it until a customer complains.

If it is important for you to receive every call on your mobile, do not rely on a softphone app. Instead, use fixed on mobile — calls are delivered over the mobile network via our own interconnect, bypassing the app entirely. This way calls always come through on your mobile phone, without relying on an app or an internet connection.

Ask yourself: how important is it for you to receive every call? If the answer is very important, avoid using a softphone app on mobile.

Softphones work alongside desk phones, mobile phones, and SaaS applications in the same phone team. A typical setup might ring a desktop softphone and a desk phone simultaneously during office hours, and fall back to a mobile phone outside hours.

You configure this from your dashboard. Mix and match devices freely, change the setup at any time, and add or remove team members as needed — all under the same business number.