I Built a Free Cold Calling Dialer That Replaces $200/Month Software

Malik Taimoor Awan — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 01:26:28 +0000

I Built a Free Cold Calling Dialer That Replaces $200/Month Software

Most cold calling tools cost $50-200 per user per month. I built one that's free, open-source, and runs in your browser.

The Problem

I was working with a small sales team that needed to make cold calls. They looked at:

RingCentral — $30/user/month
Dialpad — $25/user/month
Five9 — $150+/user/month
Vicidial — Free but requires a dedicated server and is ancient

None of these fit their budget or needs. So I built Open Cold Dialer.

What It Does

It's a full-featured cold calling CRM that runs in your browser:

Core Features

Browser Softphone — Make calls directly from your browser using SIP.js
Multi-Provider SIP — Works with SignalWire, Telnyx, Twilio, or any SIP server
Lead Management — Add leads manually or import from CSV
Campaign Management — Organize leads into campaigns
Call Scripts — Templates with objection handling responses
Call History — Track every call with outcome and notes
Dashboard — Real-time stats on your calling activity

Tech Stack

Frontend:  React 18 + Vite + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS
Backend:   Express.js + SQLite (zero config!)
Auth:      JWT with bcrypt
SIP:       SIP.js (WebRTC)

How It Works

1. Self-Hosted (Recommended)

git clone https://github.com/6t9xstar/Open-Cold-Dialer.git
cd Open-Cold-Dialer

# Backend
cd backend
npm install
npm run seed  # Loads 20 sample leads
npm run dev

# Frontend (new terminal)
cd frontend
npm install
cp .env.example .env.local
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 and you're running.

2. Docker

docker compose up -d
docker compose exec backend npm run seed

3. With Real SIP Calls

Add your SIP provider credentials to .env.local:

VITE_SIP_URI=sip:your-extension@your-domain.sip.signalwire.com
VITE_SIP_PASSWORD=your-password
VITE_SIP_WS_URL=wss://your-domain.sip.signalwire.com
VITE_SIP_CALLER_ID=+1XXXXXXXXXX

The Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  Browser                     │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌───────────┐  │
│  │ React UI│  │ SIP.js   │  │ WebRTC    │  │
│  │         │  │ Client   │  │ Audio     │  │
│  └────┬────┘  └────┬─────┘  └─────┬─────┘  │
│       │            │              │         │
└───────┼────────────┼──────────────┼─────────┘
        │            │              │
   ┌────▼────┐  ┌────▼─────┐  ┌────▼─────┐
   │ Express │  │ SignalWire│  │ Browser  │
   │ API     │  │ / Telnyx  │  │ Mic      │
   │ (REST)  │  │ (SIP)     │  │          │
   └────┬────┘  └──────────┘  └──────────┘
        │
   ┌────▼────┐
   │ SQLite  │
   │ DB      │
   └─────────┘

The key insight: SIP.js handles the telephony directly from the browser. No need for a SIP server — just connect to your provider's WebSocket endpoint.

Why I Chose These Tools

SIP.js

The library that makes browser-based calling possible. It handles:

SIP registration
Making/receiving calls
Audio via WebRTC
DTMF tones

SQLite

Zero-config database. No PostgreSQL, no MySQL — just a file. Perfect for:

Single-server deployments
Easy backup (copy one file)
No database admin needed

Vite

Blazing fast development. Hot module replacement means changes appear instantly.

Comparison with Alternatives

Feature	Open Cold Dialer	RingCentral	Vicidial
Price	Free	$30/user/mo	Free*
Self-hosted	Yes	No	Yes
Open Source	Yes	No	Yes
Setup Time	5 minutes	30 minutes	2+ hours
UI	Modern React	Modern	PHP (2005)
Browser-based	Yes	Yes	No
Lead Management	Built-in	Extra	Basic
CSV Import	Yes	No	Yes
Call Scripts	Yes	No	Basic

*Vicidial is free but requires a dedicated server and is complex to set up.

What's Next

I'm working on these features:

[ ] Audio device selector (choose mic/speaker)
[ ] Call recording
[ ] Parallel dialing (power dialer mode)
[ ] Voicemail detection
[ ] DNC list management
[ ] AI call summaries

Try It Out

The project is open-source and ready to use:

GitHub: github.com/6t9xstar/Open-Cold-Dialer

git clone https://github.com/6t9xstar/Open-Cold-Dialer.git
cd Open-Cold-Dialer/backend && npm install && npm run seed && npm run dev

If you find it useful, please give it a star on GitHub. It helps others discover the project.

Questions?

Open an issue on GitHub or drop a comment below. I'm happy to help you set it up.

Built with React, TypeScript, SIP.js, and a lot of coffee.

DEV Community: Malik Taimoor Awan

I Built a Free Cold Calling Dialer That Replaces $200/Month Software

I Built a Free Cold Calling Dialer That Replaces $200/Month Software

The Problem

What It Does

Core Features

Tech Stack

How It Works

1. Self-Hosted (Recommended)

2. Docker

3. With Real SIP Calls

The Architecture

Why I Chose These Tools

SIP.js

SQLite

Vite

Comparison with Alternatives

What's Next

Try It Out

Questions?