6 Best Grasshopper Alternatives for 2019

Grasshopper is a popular virtual phone service offering portable toll-free numbers and voicemail-to-email. However, it is expensive compared to other forwarding services while lacking several features found in more complete business phone systems. Therefore, when evaluating alternatives, we looked at a mix of price and features to determine the best overall.

Top 6 Grasshopper Alternatives 2019

Which Grasshopper Alternative is Right for You?

How We Evaluated Grasshopper Alternatives

Like Grasshopper, alternatives should keep business calls on your landline or mobile device separate from your personal calls by offering you a virtual phone number. Some VoIP service providers offer additional, more robust features like voicemail, multi-line management, and call routing functionality. However, the best alternatives to Grasshopper should remain affordable (or cost less) as well as be easy to use for employees of all skill levels.

We evaluated Grasshopper’s competitors based on the following:

• Price: We compared the overall price of using each service.
• Ease of use: Services should be easy to set up and use.
• Call management: We looked at the types of call management features offered by each provider, like voicemail, call forwarding, and call block capability.
• Multi-line management: We assessed each service’s ability to separate business and personal numbers on a landline or mobile phone.
• Extensions: Most virtual phone services provide support for user extensions.
• Auto-attendant: We assessed whether each provider offers an automated attendant for routing callers.
• Call quality: Audio quality during conversations should be clear.

Based on the above criteria, we find that Google Voice is the best Grasshopper alternative because it is completely free to use and provides users with a local phone number for text messages and calls. Because it comes at no cost, while providing the basic features needed to maintain a professional image, it offers the greatest value for businesses seeking a Grasshopper alternative.

Best Overall Grasshopper Alternative for Small Businesses: Google Voice

Google Voice is a free virtual phone number provider that can be used on a mobile device, landline, or computer for calls, texts, and voicemail. It offers features like call forwarding, call block, and text messaging as well as advanced features like call recording. Because it is free to use and has many of Grasshopper’s core features, we find that it is the best overall alternative on the market for most general small business users.

Google Voice Pricing

Google Voice is completely free to use. The service offers free calling to almost the entirety of the U.S. and Canada. You can call select U.S. and international numbers for an additional starting fee of 1 cent per minute. This makes it the most inexpensive, yet feature-rich Grasshopper alternative on the market.

Google Voice Features

Google Voice is a virtual phone service with a core set of features that include voicemail, call screening, and text messaging. It has call management features but lacks functions that Grasshopper has, like multiple numbers, extensions, and an auto-attendant. Still, it’s a worthy option because it is entirely free to use.

Google Voice features include:

Automated Attendant

Unlike more costly solutions such as Grasshopper and Nextiva, Google Voice does not have an auto-attendant that greets and routes. Still, it has a call screen feature that welcomes callers and asks them to provide their name before routing them to your phone. This could easily suit the needs of solopreneurs and very small teams who don’t want to pay for a fuller-featured system like Grasshopper.

Call Management

Google Voice integrates with your address book or contact list to let you know who is calling. Just like most other voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) or business phone systems, you can choose to hear the person’s name and either answer the call, send it to voicemail, or send it to voicemail and listen to it live. It’s a feature that’s very helpful for busy teams that don’t have time to field every single call immediately.

Extensions & Call Routing

Google Voice does not offer multi-user extensions like Grasshopper or Phone.com, but it does offer the ability to configure the system so that certain calls will be directed only to certain phones or directly to voicemail. Teams that are okay with sharing one number across all devices (or setting up their own free account) will be fine with Google Voice’s limitations.

Phone Numbers

Google Voice gives you a free local phone number for the majority of area codes in the U.S. However, it does not provide a toll-free number as Grasshopper does, nor does it offer international numbers like VirtualPhone.com. Still, small companies that want a local area code in their number will appreciate the free features offered by Google.

What Google Voice Is Missing

Google Voice is a free call forwarding solution that offers a strong core set of features. However, it lacks some of the more advanced benefits of paid systems such as automated attendants, extensions for multiple users, and toll-free numbers. If having those options is important to you, you may want to look at Grasshopper or even a more complete service like Nextiva.

What Users Think About Google Voice

Google Voice customers are impressed with the service’s routing features, voicemail, SMS, and screening functionality. However, there are complaints about the difficulties faced when porting phone numbers from landlines. For more user feedback, visit our Google Voice user reviews page.

Best Alternative With a Complete VoIP System: Nextiva

Nextiva is a complete voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) phone service that provides more features than the average Grasshopper alternative, with a starting price of $19.99 per user, per month. It comes with features such as an auto-attendant, voicemail-to-email transcription, and a range of conference calling abilities. This makes it a great choice for small companies and solopreneurs who are ready to move up from Grasshopper to a complete and integrated business phone system.

Nextiva Pricing

Nextiva comes in three different plans: Office Pro, Pro Plus, and Office Enterprise. Starting prices range from $19.95 to $27.95 per user, per month. Features include a free local or toll-free number, voicemail-to-email transcription, and unlimited calling. Additional features like a conference bridge and a mobile app are available depending on the plan selected.

Nextiva Tiered Features

Office Pro

The Office Pro plan starts at $19.95 per user, per month and comes with your choice of a local or toll-free virtual number. It also offers unlimited calling, voicemail-to-email transcription, and text messaging. This is slightly more affordable than Grasshopper’s Solo plan and a bit more expensive than the entry-level pricing of most Grasshopper alternatives like Phone.com.

Unlike the more expensive plans, this tier of service doesn’t include access to the company’s mobile app. It also lacks conference calling options. Still, this plan is good for businesses that just need a virtual phone number with unlimited calling.

Office Pro Plus

The Office Pro Plus edition has all of the features of the Office Pro version along with some extras. You get a professionally-recorded voicemail greeting, conference calling, and use of the Nextiva mobile app. The plan starts at $20.95 per user, per month, which is far less expensive than Grasshopper’s Partner plan.

Nextiva Office Pro Plus lacks call recording, CRM integration, and reporting features of the top-tier option. This level of service is good for those who need to hold conference calls and want to take their work phone everywhere they go via the mobile app.

Office Enterprise

Office Enterprise includes three professionally-recorded greetings as well as analytics features to tell you about your team’s call volume, total talk time, and other information. With a starting price of $27.95 per user, per month, it is much less expensive than Grasshopper’s Small Business plan.

This plan also includes access to Nextiva’s CRM features, which track customer journeys and provide advanced call routing based on sales pipelines. This functionality is not available in Grasshopper and is rare in a VoIP system in general—and it’s a reason Nextiva is considered one of the best phone systems. This plan is great for businesses that want a complete phone system that comes with customer management features in addition to basic phone functionality.

What Nextiva Is Missing

Nextiva offers a great balance between price and features for a virtual number. However, the system lacks the ability to purchase an international number for your business. If you do business internationally and want a number to reflect that, then VirtualPhone.com might be a better fit. That service offers numbers in over 120 different countries.

What Users Think About Nextiva

Customers mostly find Nextiva to be an effective service for their everyday needs. With that in mind, some of our readers say that they find the website portal to be cumbersome and poorly laid out. For more user reviews, check out our Nextiva user reviews page.

“The best part of this solution, to me, was the Nextiva app that gives the user the ability to stay connected with clients 24 hours a day, every day on my phone. The app offers free number porting, a free local number, a free toll-free number, and Cloud PBX and Advanced Call Management.”

– Jeremy Rose, director at CertaHosting

Best Grasshopper Alternative for Vanity Numbers: Phone.com

Phone.com, which starts at $12.99 per month, is a Grasshopper alternative that provides businesses with a custom vanity number in addition to features like an auto-attendant, text messaging, and voicemail. It’s perfect for companies that want a custom phone number, like 1-800-FLOWERS, that is novel and easy for customers to remember.

Phone.com Pricing

Phone.com offers service bundles ranging from $22.99 to $27.99 per user extension for unlimited calling, or $12.99 to $39.99 per month for pay-as-you-go plans for up to 1,000 minutes per month. Vanity numbers cost a one-time fee of $100 and an additional $4.99 per month.

Phone.com’s pricing plans are as follows:

• Base: $12.99 per month for 300 calling minutes or $22.99 for unlimited calling
• Plus: $19.99 per month for 500 calling minutes or $24.99 for unlimited calling
• Pro: $39.99 per month for 1,000 calling minutes or $27.99 for unlimited calling

Phone.com Tiered Features

Base

Phone.com’s Base plan is priced $12.99 per month and comes with 5,000 text messages. Like Grasshopper, it includes a mobile app as well as features like Wi-Fi calling, conference calling, voicemail-to-email, and call block. This is one of the more affordable packages available on the market.

The Base plan does not come with premium hold music or call recording features like Phone.com’s more expensive tiers. It also lacks the ability to adopt an international number like VirtualPhone.com. Still, the Base plan is a great, lower cost alternative to Grasshopper for small teams that don’t require a lot of calling minutes.

Plus

Phone.com’s Plus plan includes two local or toll-free phone numbers as well as 500 minutes of calling time for the starting price of $19.99 per month. The Plus plan also includes 10,000 SMS messages, voicemail-to-text, and premium hold music, which is not offered by Grasshopper. While this package costs about the same as other mid-level business phone systems on the market, it offers more phone numbers.

Unfortunately, Phone.com Plus is missing video conferencing, call recording, and analytics features found in the Pro plan. Additionally, it lacks CRM integration, unlike other solutions we looked at. However, it is worth noting that this feature is available as an optional add-on. The Plus tier is a perfect fit for teams that prefer SMS messaging over audio calling.

Pro

Phone.com’s top-tier Pro plan includes three local or toll-free phone numbers along with 1,000 minutes of calling time, all starting from $39.99 per month. This makes it more affordable than other upper-level business phone plans on the market. You also get 20,000 SMS messages, call analytics, and call recording, as well as video conferencing for up to 25 participants. Grasshopper, on the other hand, offers no video conferencing.

Phone.com Pro package doesn’t offer an international number like VirtualPhone.com or professionally-recorded greetings like Nextiva. However, you can order professional recordings starting at $79. The Pro plan is best suited for businesses wanting tools to analyze and save call data but also have a low call volume.

What Phone.com Is Missing

Phone.com offers CRM integration, but it costs an additional fee. If connecting data with your customer relationship management (CRM) system is an important feature to you, then you may want to look at VirtualPhone.com, which offers integration at no additional charge.

What Users Think About Phone.com

Phone.com customers appreciate the affordability of the service, and users with low call volumes appreciate the availability of pay-as-you-go plans. However, some find the quality of customer support lacking because of long wait times. For more reader opinions, check out our Phone.com user reviews page.

Best Grasshopper Alternative for International Numbers: VirtualPhone.com

VirtualPhone.com is a VoIP system that starts at $9 per month and provides customers with virtual international numbers to more than 100 countries at no additional cost. The service offers unlimited extensions, voicemail, and a virtual receptionist. The system’s features, combined with its low-priced start plans, make it an ideal Grasshopper phone alternative for teams that do business internationally and want a professional presence in those countries.

VirtualPhone.com Pricing

VirtualPhone.com has a pay-as-you-go plan as well as three paid plans. The Starter pay-as-you-go plan, which you can start using for free, goes up to $19 per month; the Medium plan costs $39 to $99 per month; and the Large edition costs between $149 and $499 per month.

With each plan, you choose a bucket of minutes or text:

• Starter: $9 per month for 200 minutes or texts, or $19 per month for 500 minutes or texts
• Medium: $59 for 2,000 minutes or texts, or $99 per month for 4,000 minutes or 3,000 texts
• Large: $199 for 10,000 minutes or texts, or $499 for 30,000 minutes or texts

VirtualPhone.com Features

In addition to allotments of minutes and text messages, VirtualPhone.com offers the choice of a local, toll-free, or international number. This is something that Grasshopper does not offer. It also features things like a softphone, call forwarding, auto-attendant, and voicemail.

VirtualPhone.com features include:

Automated Attendant

Like Grasshopper, VirtualPhone.com gives customers an automated attendant that answers and routes calls to any phone number or extension. Users can customize pre-recorded greetings for inbound callers as well. This is great for businesses that want a more professional phone presence.

Call Management

The product’s call management options include call forwarding, blocking, and holding. Similar to Grasshopper and other solutions, most of the options can be configured either through the VirtualPhone.com desktop or mobile app. It also provides the conferencing features found in full-featured VoIP services like Nextiva. This makes VirtualPhone.com good for teams that want to better manage their call volume with intuitive options.

Extensions & Call Routing

VirtualPhone.com provides unlimited extensions at every level of service. This allows every employee to have their own unique extension. Grasshopper, on the other hand, only offers unlimited extensions in its most expensive package. VirtualPhone.com is best for growing teams that want to add new extensions free of charge.

Phone Numbers

When you sign up for VirtualPhone.com, you have the choice of either selecting a local, toll-free, or international number. This gives you more options than Grasshopper, which only offers local or toll-free numbers. In comparison, services like Google Voice only provide local numbers. As the only service that provides free international numbers with each subscription, VirtualPhone.com is great for multinational organizations.

What VirtualPhone.com Is Missing

VirtualPhone.com provides a strong core set of features and flexible pricing. However, it lacks the ability to have multiple phone numbers with one account. Teams that want to have more than one unique number would probably be better served by Grasshopper, or by setting up multiple Google accounts for multiple free Google Voice numbers.

What Users Think About VirtualPhone.com

Users like VirtualPhone.com because it offers international numbers for more than 120 countries. However, customers complain that customer service can be slow to respond, especially when it comes to resolving billing issues.

Best Grasshopper Alternative for Faxing: eVoice

EVoice is a virtual phone number service that boasts integrated faxing capabilities as well as common virtual phone features like call forwarding, texting, and an auto-attendant for as little as $12.99 per month. This makes eVoice a particularly good Grasshopper alternative for real estate agents, freelancers, and other workers who want a better faxing module than what Grasshopper has to offer.

EVoice Pricing

EVoice offers four different service plans that are differentiated by the number of extensions, minutes, and phone numbers rather than tiers of features. Prices range from $12.99 per month to $79.99 per month depending on the plan selected. Outbound faxing costs an additional fee.

EVoice price plans include:

• $12.99 per month: 300 minutes, two extensions, and six phone numbers
• $29.99 per month: 1,000 minutes, five extensions, and 15 phone numbers
• $49.99 per month: 2,000 minutes, 10 extensions, and 30 phone numbers
• $79.99 per month: 4,000 minutes, 15 extensions, and 45 phone numbers

EVoice Features

All of eVoice’s plans come with features like voicemail, call forwarding, auto-attendant, and inbound fax functionality. Outbound fax costs an additional $1.95 per user, per month. All plans also come with a mobile app that allows users to take their work phone wherever they go.

EVoice Features include:

Automated Attendant

Like Grasshopper, eVoice has an auto-attendant that greets callers and routes them to their desired extension. Customers can either choose a default greeting, create a different greeting, or have a greeting professionally recorded. EVoice should suit the needs of companies that want to seem professional over the phone.

Call Management

EVoice has just about all of the call management features of Grasshopper and other competitors. Users of the system can block, forward, transfer, and screen calls. The solution also comes with caller ID, call queuing, and call recording for an additional fee. The call management functionality of eVoice is enough for any general business user.

Extensions & Call Routing

EVoice offers unlimited extensions at all levels of service. This is much better than Grasshopper, which offers a limited number of extensions unless you upgrade to the top-tier Small Business plan. Most businesses will appreciate being able to add as many extensions as they need without having to spend additional money.

Phone Numbers

EVoice allows you to choose between a local or toll-free number, which makes it match the functionality of Grasshopper. Vanity and international numbers are available for an additional monthly cost depending on what you want. This differentiates it from VirtualPhone.com, which offers international numbers free with every account. EVoice is best for teams that only need a local or toll-free number.

What EVoice Is Missing

EVoice does not offer a discount for annual subscriptions, unlike competitors such as Phone.com and VirtualPhone.com. It also lacks unlimited calling, which is something that Google Voice offers for free. Users who place importance on that should consider other options.

What Users Think About EVoice

EVoice customers find the system to be effective and easy to use. They enjoy the ability to send and receive faxes with the service, and they appreciate the number of pricing packages. However, users find the company’s customer service to be lacking.

Best Grasshopper Alternative for Call Centers: Aircall

Aircall is a virtual call center platform that offers common virtual phone features found in Grasshopper as well as similar services. The service, which starts at $30.00 per user, per month, also has customer service features not found in Grasshopper. This includes features such as call monitoring, call logging, and analytics on call center data. This is a perfect alternative to Grasshopper for larger teams that want an affordable and flexible call center solution.

Aircall Pricing

Aircall comes in two different tiers of service: the Essentials package that costs $30.00 per user, per month, and the Professional edition that costs $50.00 per user, per month. While this puts its pricing above industry average, it has call center features, like queue callback, that are rare in a virtual phone system.

Aircall Tiered Features

Essentials

The Essentials package costs $30.00 per user, per month and supports five callers in a queue. The service offers standard virtual phone features like call forwarding, blocking, and screening. It also allows all users in a plan to share a voicemail inbox. This is helpful for customer service staff to share customer messages and solve tickets quickly.

The Essentials package is much more expensive than most other virtual phone services, but it’s affordable for a call center solution because it does not require you to buy any additional hardware. You could have your entire staff take customer calls on a mobile device or computer, just like Grasshopper or many other services.

Professional

The Professional tier has all of the features of the Essentials edition and supports an unlimited call queue for $50.00 per user, per month. It also comes with queue callback, where callers can request to be called back instead of waiting on hold. It also comes with call monitoring and the ability to see call activity in real-time via an administrative console.

The call monitoring and analytics features make the Professional package a better choice for established businesses with call centers. These modules make it easy to see what all agents are up to, even if employees are remote. Organizations that want to field customer tickets more efficiently will find a good solution in Aircall Professional.

What Aircall Is Missing

Aircall is a powerful virtual phone system, but it has features that only make sense for companies that want to run customer service operations. Solopreneurs, freelancers, and smaller teams without support operations should look at Google Voice instead, which provides a free local phone number as well as basic calling and SMS features.

What Users Think About Aircall

All told, customers find Aircall to be one of the most intuitive virtual call center systems around. They find it especially effective for managing remote agents, saying that setup takes as little as ten minutes in some cases. Still, they wish that management options were as granular as more expensive, traditional call center platforms.

Bottom Line: Grasshopper Phone Alternatives

While Grasshopper is a useful product, there are other alternatives on the market that could better suit certain business needs such as service with international numbers or pay-as-you-go plans. Some systems offer features not offered by Grasshopper, or come at a much lower price.

Because Google Voice is free, it should be the first Grasshopper alternative you should consider for your company’s needs. It offers unlimited domestic calling and provides features such as call recording, voicemail, and use on desktop devices. Get started with Google Voice today.

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