Comparison

Linphone vs UNIVERGE ST500

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Linphone

This open-source app provides free audio/video calls and text messaging over the internet. It allows users to be reachable at any time via WiFi or mobile data, offering secure communication and file sharing. Advanced users can customize various settings for SIP-compatible VoIP services.

Highlights
  • High definition audio/video calls
  • Audio conference calls
  • Picture and file sharing
  • Always reachable with push notifications
  • Secure communication options
  • SIP-compatible VoIP integration
Features
Read full description

Linphone is an open source internet SIP phone or Voice Over IP phone (VoIP). Linphone is an open source app offering free audio/video calls and text messaging. With Linphone, you can be reachable at any time, even if the app is closed, with a WiFi or 3G/4G internet connection. Linphone key features: * high definition audio and video calls * audio conference calls with various participants * pictures and file sharing * Linphone accounts reachable at any time, even if the app is closed (thanks to push notifications) * secure communication (encryption options) * compliant with a large number of SIP-compatible VoIP service providers allowing to reach everyone that has a "classic" phone line. Linphone is available on the main mobile and desktop operating systems and offers various specific features for advanced users (codecs, transport standard, encryption options, DTMF...). For more information, see Linphone project website: www.linphone.org Note for developers and professionals: Linphone can be rebranded and customized to meet specific needs. Contact Belledonne Communications www.belledonne-communications.com for any specific development query.

About

UNIVERGE ST500

This app allows users to make and receive business calls from their mobile devices as if they were at their desk. It integrates with iOS contacts and offers various call management features, simplifying business communications and potentially reducing mobile call costs.

Highlights
  • Make and receive business calls from mobile
  • Integrates with iOS phone contacts
  • Call history grouped by contact
  • Hands-free and Bluetooth headset support
  • Video call capabilities
  • Security and encryption via TLS and SRTP
  • Voicemail access and message waiting indicator
Features
Read full description

Today’s competitive and fast past business environment means that employees are no longer bound to a desk - you need to be mobile and be able to work where your work takes you. NEC’s UNIVERGE ST500 softphones for iPhone allow you to make and receive calls from virtually anywhere, as if you were at your desk. While in the office connect to the Wi-Fi to handle your calls. While outside the office you can use your mobile data (3G / 4G) to handle you calls, and you can reduce incurring mobile call costs (See Notes below). Deploying a ST softphone can save your company money by no longer having employees call-forward their desk phones to their mobile. Staff will also be able to make free internal calls and inexpensive local calls from the softphone rather than all calls being made directly from their mobile phone. By only giving out your desk phone number (not your mobile number), you will always be contactable and you will only have a single call history and work voicemail to check. The ST500 simplifies your communications. [Application features] ・Integration to iOS phone contacts ・Call history (Missed / Incoming / Outgoing) grouped by contact ・Custom star code dial panel for quick dialling ・Hands-free mode ・Bluetooth Headset ・Video call(H.264/AVC) ・Voice codecs: Opus, G.722.1, G.711A/μlaw, G.722, G.729a ・Dial plan ・iOS CallKit support ・iOS PushKit support [Call features] ・Security and encryption via TLS and SRTP ・Make and Answer calls ・Call waiting ・Hold / Retrieve hold ・Transfer ・Call park ・Station hunt groups ・Call pickup ・Dial DTMF (RFC 2833/In-band) ・Call forward – All, Busy, No Answer and Logout ・Voicemail access and Message waiting indicator NOTE: To work outside your corporate Wi-Fi, you will require a VPN connection or a Session Border Controller. THE ST500 is free to use on your NEC Phone systems (SL2100, SV9100, SV9300 or SV9500), but requires an activation code that you can obtain from your NEC representative. It may also requires spare licences capacity on your phone system to create a standard SIP extension.

Screenshots

Linphone4 screens
UNIVERGE ST5004 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Linphone at 35% against UNIVERGE ST500's 13%. UNIVERGE ST500's advantage is rating (3.0 vs 2.7). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

UNIVERGE ST500 holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 9 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of Linphone's written reviews are positive against 13% of UNIVERGE ST500's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Linphone ships an update every 2 months, UNIVERGE ST500 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Linphone versus UNIVERGE ST500: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLinphoneUNIVERGE ST500
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (10 ratings)3.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.2% of reviews — better12.5% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBelledonne Communications SARLNEC Corporation

Customer experience

Linphone

All ratings10 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews460 reviews
Positive35.2%
Neutral14.3%
Negative50.4%

UNIVERGE ST500

All ratings9 ratings
Positive44.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative55.6%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive12.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative75.0%

Bugs and requests

Linphone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Incoming calls not working properly
  • Settings not saving correctly
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for multiple SIP accounts
  • Improve user interface and navigation
  • Provide more customization options
  • Enhance audio quality and noise cancellation

UNIVERGE ST500

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Linphone

No in-app purchases

None

UNIVERGE ST500

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Linphone free?
Linphone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is UNIVERGE ST500 free?
UNIVERGE ST500 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Linphone or UNIVERGE ST500?
UNIVERGE ST500 is rated higher. Linphone averages 2.7 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while UNIVERGE ST500 averages 3.0 from 9 ratings.
Do Linphone or UNIVERGE ST500 have ads?
Neither Linphone nor UNIVERGE ST500 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Linphone or UNIVERGE ST500?
Linphone ships an update every 2 months, and UNIVERGE ST500 every 3 months. Most recently, Linphone was updated on November 6, 2026 and UNIVERGE ST500 on November 3, 2026.

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