Grasshopper is a budget-friendly virtual phone system that connects your existing line to its platform—helping you manage business communications better. In this Grasshopper review, it scored a perfect rating in customer service and ease of use, thanks to its 24/7 support and easy installation process. While it generated high scores on features, note that it lacks video conferencing and offers limited collaboration tools.
Grasshopper Review: At a Glance
What We Liked:
- Fast and robust faxing capabilities
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Custom voicemail greetings
- All features available in all plans
What's Missing
- Requires an existing phone line
- No video conferencing features
- Limited collaboration tools
- Lacks unlimited international calling
When to Use Grasshopper
- Looking for virtual phone numbers: Grasshopper is one of our recommended best virtual phone number providers, offering a full range of telephony features.
- Customized professional voicemail greeting: Grasshopper lets you order and deploy professionally recorded greetings in English and Spanish.
- Work-from-home teams: Grasshopper is on our list of best home office VoIP services. It adds business phone features to your existing home or business phone service.
When to Use an Alternative
- Companies with large call volumes: Bigger companies looking for enterprise-level call volumes may prefer providers like RingCentral.
- Needs international phone numbers: Grasshopper only offers international calling, not virtual international phone numbers. Check out 8×8 if you need this functionality.
- Looking for a phone system with video conferencing features: Grasshopper doesn’t have video conferencing capabilities. To get this service, explore other VoIP software like Nextiva.
Grasshopper Deciding Factors
If you’re wondering what is Grasshopper phone service, it’s an all-inclusive platform for managing and sending calls and listening to voicemail. Grasshopper has desktop and mobile apps, which is great for remote workers. Its features and capabilities make it more cost effective than traditional business phone lines as well as other advanced virtual phone services and voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) systems.
Moreover, Grasshopper comes with a range of different phone number options and other advanced features like auto-attendant and conference calling. However, unlike other providers, such as 8×8, Grasshopper doesn’t provide international phone numbers.
Best For | Smaller teams looking for a budget-friendly VoIP phone system |
Standout Features |
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Monthly Pricing Plans |
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Annual Discounts Available |
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Free Trial | 7-day trial |
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Grasshopper Alternatives
Grasshopper provides solutions for a wide range of small business needs, all for a monthly flat-rate fee. Services include voicemail, custom greetings, and business phone numbers, but it does not offer a wide range of integrations, hardware rental, and unlimited international calling. Also, Grasshopper does not offer video conferencing and lacks most collaboration tools that its alternatives provide.
If you’re making your Grasshopper pros and cons list and note that you need these features, consider the three providers below, or read our complete list of the best Grasshopper alternatives.
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Best For | Teams looking for an exceptional overall package of features, hardware rental, usability, and affordability | Companies wanting a solid package with a powerful auto-attendant solution | Organizations with an international presence that need an unlimited overseas calling feature |
Monthly Starting Price | $30 per user | $30.95 per user for one to four users | $15 per user |
Read Review |
Looking for more options? Check out our list of best business phone systems you may consider.
Grasshopper VoIP pricing has three tiers. All plans include desktop and mobile apps, business texting, call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and virtual fax. Plans only differ on the number of phone numbers and extensions included. Add-on services like call blasting and international calling are also available. Rates vary per feature and begin at $10 monthly.
Grasshopper Pricing & Plans | Solo Plus | Partner | Small Business |
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Best For | Solopreneurs and freelancers | Small teams with 1-3 employees | Small businesses and home offices |
Monthly Pricing | $34 | $56 | $92 |
Annual Pricing* | $28 | $46 | $80 |
Phone Numbers | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Extensions | 3 | 6 | Unlimited |
Business Texting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Call Transfers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Instant Response | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Virtual Fax | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Mobile & Desktop Apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*Annual plans are paid in full at the beginning of the billing cycle.
Grasshopper has released a True Solo plan that’s designed to provide solopreneurs with a virtual phone system, and it costs only $14 per month.
Grasshopper Features
Grasshopper is a comprehensive virtual phone system with VoIP features recommended for solopreneurs and small business owners. Its live receptionist option, instant response, and custom greetings add brand credibility and professionalism. Its plans—providing access to all features—are ideal for those with growing needs. Upgrades are only required when more phone numbers and extensions are needed.
Grasshopper’s main strengths are its premium features, such as virtual fax, voicemail, and international calling. Users can choose from virtual phone number options, which include vanity, local, and toll-free numbers.
We gave Grasshopper a score of 4.5 because regardless of your plan, all features and functionality remain the same. Its flat-rate pricing allows you to add more users without paying extra on your monthly bill. The subscriptions include one to five phone lines, three to unlimited extensions, and unlimited calling and texting within the continental U.S. Calls to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands incur international rates.
Grasshopper allows users to make and receive business calls and texts from anywhere at any time using the desktop or mobile application. Users can route calls simultaneously and answer multiple calls at once, so customers will always be able to reach someone.
Grasshopper’s mobile and desktop applications (Source: Grasshopper)
Grasshopper allows you to send and receive unlimited texts on your Grasshopper business number. Separate personal and business phone numbers and use the messaging service to conveniently update customers, confirm appointments and reservations, and send instant replies to first-time callers.
Business texting is free on your virtual Grasshopper phone number. (Source: Grasshopper)
This feature allows you forward incoming calls to multiple phones simultaneously to ensure no calls fall through the cracks. If you have a small team that works in shifts, Grasshopper allows you to create custom schedules that forward incoming calls to specific numbers based on the time and date. You can also redirect calls to prerecorded greetings and pitch to potential customers while waiting.
Use forwarding to send a call directly to voicemail. (Source: Grasshopper)
Grasshopper scored a 4.38 for its niche features, offering advanced features typically seen on higher-tiered plans with other providers. Features, such as international calling, simultaneous call handling, and custom greetings, are available with all subscriptions. Still, other services like voice studio and live receptionists are unlocked as add-on paid features.
Click on each feature below to learn more about Grasshopper’s top niche offerings:
Grasshopper lets you record messages to give the right impression and establish credibility during calls. Upload audio messages or avail of Grasshopper’s voice studio services, recorded by a professional voice actor. Professional greetings are priced at $75 per order. Custom greetings are also available for toll-free or local numbers.
Elevate your credibility with unique greetings (Source: Grasshopper)
Simultaneous call handling ensures your customer calls never go unanswered. Incoming calls are automatically forwarded until someone from the team answers, and with Grasshopper, team members are able to take multiple calls at a time.
Clients will never hear a busy signal. (Source: Grasshopper)
Grasshopper works with Ruby Receptionists to provide virtual receptionist services. Its U.S.-based voice talents help users deliver personalized customer experiences through professionally recorded greetings. This is an excellent option for small businesses that can’t afford to have 24/7 live agents. Receptionists will greet your callers with a personalized message based on your preferences.
Boost business by including live answering to your phone system (Source: Grasshopper)
Grasshopper offers 24/7/365 sales and support options. Grasshopper users get round-the-clock support access via phone, email, Twitter, Facebook, and chat. It also has a support center where users can access its knowledge base with guides outlining fixes and manuals for software use.
Grasshopper is extremely fast and easy to set up with no additional hardware requirements, making it a breeze to use. This makes it extremely functional for always-on-the-go or non-tech-savvy small business owners.
Most Grasshopper phone service reviews find that it delivers a decent VoIP system that allows businesses to keep personal and business phone numbers separate. Users found that Grasshopper makes managing phone numbers and calls more efficient. It’s an excellent option for growing businesses wanting to balance feature-rich phone services and a limited budget.
At the time of publication, Grasshopper has earned the following scores on popular user review sites:
- Software Advice: 4.4 out of 5 based on 331 reviews
- G2: 4.1 out of 5 based on 138 reviews
- TrustRadius: 6.6 out of 10 based on 88 reviews
Some of the most popular features include call screening, message alerts, and business messaging. Customers reported that once the presets are established, it basically runs on its own. However, there are users who said call quality can still be improved, and texting is still quite limited. Overall, the majority of feedback regarding Grasshopper’s services has been positive.
How We Evaluated Grasshopper
In the process of evaluating Grasshopper’s capabilities and value for money, in addition to price, we looked at general and niche features, range of customer service options, ease of use, and customer experience and feedback. Learn how we evaluated Grasshopper by clicking on the tabs below:
20% of Overall Score
Small businesses often have limited budgets, making cost an essential consideration. With that, we looked at whether Grasshopper pricing offers a free plan, volume- and annual-based discounts, and if base plans cost less than $30 monthly.
25% of Overall Score
The Grasshopper virtual phone system offers extensive features essential to small businesses, such as unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada and a mobile app. We also looked at the guaranteed uptime service level agreement and whether the system offers video and audio conferencing.
20% of Overall Score
In addition to general features, we looked at advanced features that set Grasshopper apart from other providers. We checked for features like integrations, overseas calling, and international numbers. On this item, we noted Grasshopper does not offer video conferencing.
10% of Overall Score
We checked Grasshopper’s range of customer support avenues. We looked into typical channels: 24/7 service hours, live chat, voice channel, and email support.
10% of Overall Score
To gauge Grasshopper’s ease of use, we referred to users’ feedback about the system’s interface, menu options, and general navigation. Based on our time with the platform, we analyzed the technical skill required to set it up and operate.
15% of Overall Score
When we calculated Grasshopper’s expert score, we evaluated Grasshopper reviews, specifically customer feedback on third-party websites and our experiences with the software. We looked at how popular it is among users and their thoughts about the platform.
Bottom Line
In our assessment of how Grasshopper works and the extent of its features, we found it offers a comprehensive set of virtual phone features that work best for freelancers and small or home-based businesses. Our Grasshopper review highlights the advanced features that most providers include in their more expensive plans, such as auto-attendants, customized greetings, fax, and voicemail.
This VoIP provider is a complete business phone line that you can take anywhere—providing great value for small businesses looking to add credibility to their brand. Visit Grasshopper for a free seven-day trial that does not require any credit card information.
