What Is Grasshopper?
Siamak Taghaddos and David Hauser formed Grasshopper in 2003; the brand is currently owned by GoTo. The company’s business model focuses on a combination of affordability and helping smaller companies operate more professionally by avoiding the use of their private contact information. We ultimately rated Grasshopper as the top option for small businesses in our comparison of the best VoIP services.
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Grasshopper has three plans available—Solo, Partner and Small Business—starting at $28 per month when billed annually. Customers across all plans get access to the following features:
- Business calling and texting
- Vanity, local or toll-free phone numbers
- Call forwarding and transfers
- Extensions
- Virtual faxes
- Simultaneous call handling
- Incoming call control
- Voice mail and voice mail transcriptions
- Customized greetings
- Detailed call reports
- Instant response to missed calls
Grasshopper allows you to add as many users to your account as you need; it does not charge an additional fee for this service. You can also add additional phone numbers for $10 per month. Please note that Grasshopper is heavily focused on providing phone-based contact options. Because of this, it does not have video conferencing capabilities. It also notably lacks direct third-party integration options.
Record a custom greeting yourself or hire a professional.
How Grasshopper Works
Grasshopper primarily relies on an existing cellular service provider to send and receive calls. If you are in a location with poor reception, you can switch to VoIP or Wi-Fi calling.
After signing up for your desired service plan, you get a new business phone number for your business; choose between a local, vanity or toll-free number. You can also choose to port an existing phone number. Upon plan selection and sign-up, you would then download the app and begin using Grasshopper.
Is Grasshopper Right for Me?
Determining if Grasshopper is right for you or your business depends on your ongoing communication and collaboration needs. Smaller businesses are likely to get the most out of Grasshopper.
Grasshopper is best for:
- Very small businesses. Grasshopper’s service plans are geared toward sole proprietors, partners and small businesses with a few team members.
- Separating professional and private contacts. Grasshopper is designed for small business owners who do not have the budget or equipment for a complex phone system.
- Avoiding missed calls. The instant response tool automatically reaches out to customers whenever you miss their calls.
- Testing features without paying. Grasshopper allows you to test features free for a week before paying.
Grasshopper is not recommended for:
- Video conferencing. Grasshopper lacks video meeting tools.
- E-faxing. Grasshopper lets you receive text messages; however, you cannot send any out.
Grasshopper focuses primarily on helping small business owners avoid giving out their personal contact information. You may port an existing phone number or get a brand-new local, vanity or toll-free number. Though Grasshopper provides three plans ranging from a sole professional to a small business, we think overall Grasshopper works best for small businesses ranging from a single person to a team of several people.
This platform is probably best for fledgling teams that just want an easy-to-use phone system. Teams that want software with features such as chat rooms, video conferencing tools and extensive integrations will have to look elsewhere.
What Sets Grasshopper Apart
What sets Grasshopper apart from other VoIP phone service providers is that it continues to focus on providing phone and messaging services primarily. It has not branched out into video tools or moved to become a kind of central communication hub for businesses. While that may work for some companies, there are very small businesses that do not need or want such a complex set of services.
Grasshopper stands apart as a service that is consistently dedicated to very small businesses, deliberately maintaining a sense of simplicity and ease that is attractive to individuals or very small businesses that have a tighter budget but also just want a professional communication setup.
Unlike some competitors, it does not operate in a way that makes it clear it is best suited for small businesses on the verge of upscaling toward midsize operations. Its service plans are unambiguous and straightforward, and we found it to be an ideal VoIP provider for very small businesses and sole proprietors.
Grasshopper Features
Grasshopper’s software lets you make and receive calls through a desktop or mobile device. The following sections break down its features and our experiences testing them for this review.
Ease of Use
Grasshopper’s interface is very simple and easy to navigate. Everything you need to make calls or send messages is readily identifiable, whether using the desktop software or the mobile app. Because Grasshopper only focuses on sending and receiving calls, there is nothing to learn or set up regarding video tools or software integration. What you get is an uncomplicated phone communication service that you should be able to set up and begin using immediately.
Grasshopper offers a variety of VoIP services for business owners.
Hardware
There is no hardware to purchase with Grasshopper, another point that makes it a cost-effective solution for many smaller businesses. Though the software is primarily designed for desktop and mobile devices, you can forward calls to landline systems. Grasshopper states that it may not be the best solution for businesses that intend to spend heavily on equipment; instead, Grasshopper is best for those in need of software rather than hardware.
Software
Before you install Grasshopper’s apps, you must have an active account. Afterward, you can download the software to a desktop or mobile device and begin using it fairly quickly. Grasshopper works with Windows and Mac operating systems and iOS and Android devices. You’ll need to check the system requirements to ensure optimal compatibility.
Uptime
Because Grasshopper’s service primarily works off of your existing phone service, its uptime will likely be impacted by your phone company’s service level agreement (SLA). If, for example, your phone company has an SLA with a standard uptime of 99.999%, it is reasonable to expect the uptime to be likewise affected.
That said, should your service provider experience downtime, the app’s VoIP and Wi-Fi capabilities provide helpful alternatives for avoiding disruptions and reception issues.
Security
Grasshopper’s parent company GoTo employs a series of common security measures across all of its products and services, such as data encryption and testing for common issues using third-party auditors; current security audits include SOC2 Type II, BSI C5, SOC3 and ISO 27001.
Third-Party Integrations
Grasshopper doesn’t have any direct third-party integrations. However, third-party applications may still be able to make use of the app’s data. Specifically, popular marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) tools such as HubSpot, Marketo and Salesforce may be able to make use of data gathered from Grasshopper’s call tracking feature. If you want a wider range of integration capabilities, this software may not be the best fit.
Grasshopper Pricing and Plans
Solo
As the name states, Solo is a tier designed with the solo proprietor in mind, particularly those who operate a small side gig but would like a professional contact setup rather than relying on sharing their private phone number. Customers at this level receive a business phone number and up to three extensions. You can receive PDFs of fax messages by email, but Grasshopper does not allow you to send internet faxes.
Partner
Partner has similar features to Solo but provides three business phone numbers and up to six extensions. A single-member business team might prefer Partner, though it is aimed at partnerships of very small business teams. However, as most of Grasshopper’s features are available, a very small team could get away with using Solo and not upgrading to Partner, as there are no major incentives, aside from a couple of extra extensions, to move up a service tier.
Small Business
Small Business has everything that Solo and Partner has, plus you get up to five numbers for your business. Additionally, Small Business plan users get access to an unlimited number of extensions. This aside, there are not too many additional features or benefits to upgrading to this service tier.
Get Started With The Leading Cloud Phone System
Customer Service and Support
Grasshopper has multiple customer service options, though finding the correct contact number might not be easy. We were directed to the help article section, from where we were instructed to click the Contact Us link on a relevant article to ensure we were directed to the most knowledgeable agent.
After clicking the link, you are directed to enter your name and email address, and then you are sent to an optional page where a drop-down menu asks if you need help with an issue related to billing, sales or support. You are also instructed to briefly explain your support needs.
Fill out the information, and you receive a relevant support number for your case. You can also choose to skip this step and call the toll-free support phone number. There is 24/7 support for English, Spanish and Portuguese-speaking customers while support is available for French, German and Italian customers between 8:30 and 17:00 UTC.
When we called, we were instructed to enter the case number or press the pound key if we didn’t have one. The system made us aware of a potential wait time, but we were through within seconds. The call was placed at around 11 a.m. Central time, so the quick response time could be a matter of time of day and location. We ultimately found the responding team member to be knowledgeable and professional in answering questions and pointing out the correct solutions.
Additional Features Worth Noting
Perhaps Grasshopper’s most intriguing feature is its instant response tool. If, for example, you were away from your phone and computer and missed the call of a potential customer, the instant response feature automatically sends a text message to the caller. You can customize the auto-text message, making it easy to notify the caller of a better contact method or of when they can expect to hear from you.
What makes this feature great, especially for a small business team just getting started, is that it helps maintain a professional connection with an existing or potential customer. What would otherwise be a missed sale or opportunity might be saved thanks to the ability to automatically react to every missed call.
Grasshopper Alternatives and How They Compare
Grasshopper vs. magicJack for Business
Grasshopper and magicJack for Business are similar in that their companies focus on providing you with an affordable business phone service option. With a starting price of $9.99 per month per line, magicJack is potentially more affordable. Additionally, magicJack for Business provides hardware with VoIP phones starting at $54.99 each.
Each service has an auto attendant feature, but Grasshopper has an add-on that works with live support, adding a bit more of a professional touch to your phone system setup. Grasshopper and magicJack for Business allow you to receive faxes, but magicJack also lets you send them.
For small businesses seeking standard phone service at an affordable price, we think magicJack for Business is the better choice, especially if you anticipate purchasing VoIP phones.
Grasshopper vs. RingCentral
Grasshopper is a much simpler communication option than RingCentral, and yet RingCentral has a lower starting price of $20 per user per month with an annual subscription. When comparing features and functionality, we find that RingCentral is a greater value for the money spent. For instance, though Grasshopper’s call quality is decent, RingCentral’s video and audio were of a much higher quality.
A very small business that does not need hardware or an extensive array of features will prefer the simplicity of Grasshopper. However, small to medium businesses that want a more advanced communication service for their company should go with RingCentral.
For a more in-depth comparison, please read our RingCentral vs. Grasshopper article.
Grasshopper vs. Dialpad
Dialpad is a much more complete business communication service than Grasshopper for nearly half the starting price with a single line. That said, Dialpad charges per user; with Grasshopper, you can add as many users as you want to your service plan at no additional cost.
Unlike Grasshopper, Dialpad’s Standard plan offers unlimited domestic calling and SMS, unlimited video meetings, e-fax and multilevel auto-attendant features. While third-party integrations are not available for Standard plan users, Dialpad does provide dozens of integrations once you upgrade.
Dialpad is better suited for small to medium-sized companies that are more established and need additional communication support for their business. By comparison, Grasshopper’s simplicity would be more suited to sole proprietors and very small teams that are just starting out and need assistance with establishing a professional method of communication.
Featured Partners
1
RingCentral
$20 per user, per month (paid annually)
Yes
Yes
2
Zoom Phone
Starts at $10 per user, per month
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3
Nextiva
$18.95 per user, per month
Yes
Yes
Our Expert Opinion
Grasshopper works very well for receiving and sending calls. Though the audio wasn’t clear and there was a slightly “fuzzy” quality, callers could be understood without difficulty. Likewise, our expert could be heard by the call recipient. This was true for both the mobile and desktop versions of the Grasshopper app. We also noted that we received call notifications very fast, making it easy to intercept callers and likelier you won’t miss anyone.
The interface was simple and easy to navigate; there was enough similarity between the desktop and mobile apps to find whichever tools you need, whether it’s to make a call or send messages. If a professional or business doesn’t have much experience with setting up their own phone system, Grasshopper is a great place to start. You can quickly set up your own hold music or custom greetings.
It may not have the video meeting tools or third-party integrations other phone service providers have. However, as purely a communication tool for ensuring ease of receiving and sending calls and messages, we think Grasshopper is a great option for very small teams and bootstrap startups. It is also a smart option for individuals seeking to keep their personal contact information private while remaining accessible to clients.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How does Grasshopper work?
Grasshopper is a virtual phone service provider that lets you send and receive calls using an existing cell service. If there is poor reception, you have the option of using VoIP or Wi-Fi for calls.
Does Grasshopper work without the internet?
Because Grasshopper mainly works through your cell service, you should be able to make and receive calls even without internet access, as long as you have good reception.
Can you use a regular phone with Grasshopper?
Grasshopper works with existing mobile phones and landlines. You don’t need to buy special hardware or phones to use Grasshopper.
How do I get Grasshopper on my phone?
You must open an account with Grasshopper and select your phone number before making phone calls with Grasshopper. Once you have an account, simply download the appropriate Grasshopper app for your device so you can start placing calls and sending texts.
Are VoIP systems like Grasshopper cheaper than regular phones?
They can be. Most small businesses require internet in their offices and VoIP takes advantage of this technology so you can make and receive phone calls over that internet connection. VoIP phone services tend to be more affordable because of this. Hardware is also more affordable—you don’t even need to invest in desk phones—you can use VoIP softphones with a headset to make calls from your PC or use VoIP on your smartphone via an app.
What features should I look for in a VoIP service provider?
Most basic VoIP service providers offer unlimited calling, call recording, custom caller ID, automated attendant, speed dial, call conferencing and standard voicemail while more advanced features you can find include toll-free numbers, voice mail-to-text transfer, call forwarding, hot desking, custom ring back, call whispering, digital faxing, visual voicemail and customer relationship management (CRM) integrations.
