Grasshopper vs Google Voice: Which is Better?

Summary: Grasshopper and Google Voice are both basic, user-friendly VoIP calling platforms ideal for new or small businesses with under ten employees. Though their feature suites aren’t as robust as competitors like RingCentral and Vonage, Google Voice and Grasshopper provide unlimited calling in the US and Canada, SMS and MMS texting, custom business hour routing, voicemail transcription, and call forwarding.

Grasshopper is more expensive than Google Voice, but has a unique pricing structure with a scalable amount of users, phone numbers, and extensions in each of its three plans. Google Voice is more affordable, but unlike Grasshopper, doesn’t offer toll-free or vanity phone numbers. That said, Google Voice has several features Grasshopper lacks, including international phone numbers, call recording, built-in ring groups, and integration with other Google Workspace tools like Google Meet and Gmail.

Grasshopper is best for small teams looking for an affordable way to purchase multiple business phone numbers and extensions, including toll-free and vanity numbers. Grasshopper users don’t need advanced call management or UCaaS features, but prioritize ease of use.

Google Voice is best for solopreneurs needing a VoIP number to help their business appear more established, or current Google Workspace users looking for a basic voice calling app that integrates with their existing tech stack.

• Quick Comparison
• How We Compare Providers
• Pricing and Plans
• Feature Comparison
• Customer Experience
• Common Use Cases
• Alternatives
• Is There a Clear Winner?

Grasshopper vs Google Voice: At A Glance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81SS51uMsvM

How We Compared Grasshopper vs Google Voice

We compared Google Voice and Grasshopper across the following categories:

• Pricing and Plans: We compared Grasshopper and Google Voice pricing, available plans, monthly and annual billing options, add-on features, and overall value
• Business Phone Numbers and Extensions: We reviewed each platform’s available business phone number types (local, toll-free, international, vanity), determined if they support number porting, and evaluated the number of extensions
• Basic Voice Calling Features: We compared the providers’ basic call management features, including call forwarding, call screening, virtual faxing, call blasting, and call transfer
• Virtual Voicemail: We evaluated each provider’s approach to voicemail transcription and voicemail-to-email
• IVR and Auto Attendant: We reviewed each platform’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and auto attendant capabilities, including call flow designers, ring groups, and custom business hour routing
• Business Text Messaging: We looked at each provider’s business text messaging capabilities, including SMS and MMS limitations, group texting, and associated fees
• Call Reporting and Analytics: We reviewed each platform’s included analytics tools, looking at both real-time and historical reporting
• Customer Experience: We compared available Grasshopper and Google Voice customer support options and determined ideal use cases for each provider

Grasshopper vs Google Voice: Pricing and Plans

Summary: Grasshopper is more expensive than Google Voice, but offers a better overall value and more flexible pricing options. Grasshopper also provides more individual add-ons than Google Voice, alongside a scalable amount of included phone numbers, extensions, and users that vary by plan. That said, Google Voice can be purchased as a standalone product or as an add-on to the popular Google Workspace platform.

Grasshopper Pricing and Plans

Grasshopper offers 3 paid plans from $14-$55/user/month with annual billing and $18-$70/month with monthly billing.

All Grasshopper plans include the same feature suite, but scalable phone numbers, users, and extensions. The True Solo plan comes with 1 user, 1 extension, and 1 phone number. The Solo Plus plan includes unlimited users, 1 phone number, and 3 extensions.The Small Business plan comes with unlimited extensions and users plus 4 phone numbers.

See our Grasshopper pricing page for more details.

Google Voice Pricing and Plans

Google Voice offers three plans from $10-$30/user per month (annual billing is not available.) The two top-tier plans include unlimited users and unlimited regional/domestic locations. On-demand recording is only included in the top-tier plan, while multi-level auto attendants, ring groups, and desk phone support require the mid-tier plan.

Grasshopper vs Google Voice: Feature Comparison

We compared the following Grasshopper and Google Voice features:

• Business phone numbers
• Basic calling features
• Virtual voicemail
• IVR and virtual receptionists
• Business text messaging
• Call reporting and analytics

Grasshopper vs Google Voice: Business Phone Numbers

Summary: Unlike Google Voice, Grasshopper provides local, toll-free, and vanity numbers (and lets users purchase as many additional numbers as they’d like.) Grasshopper also offers unlimited extensions, while Google Voice doesn’t allow multiple extensions per user. That said, Google Voice offers international phone numbers in 100+ countries, while Grasshopper does not.

Google Voice offers local phone numbers to users on more affordable plans, and gives Premier plan users the option to add international phone numbers in 100+ countries. All Google users are limited to one telephone number and one extension each. Customers can’t place direct calls to Google Voice extensions and must interact with the IVR call menu prompt to connect to the desired agent or department. More affordable Google Voice plans include up to 10 domestic locations, while more advanced plans allow for unlimited regional, domestic, and international locations.

Grasshopper, on the other hand, offers local, toll-free, and vanity phone numbers–but doesn’t include international numbers. Grasshopper plans include up to four phone numbers, and the top-tier Small Business plan includes unlimited extensions. Grasshopper users can purchase additional phone numbers for $9.00/number per month, and additional extensions for $3.00/extension per month.

Both Google Voice and Grasshopper allow for number porting.

Google Voice vs Grasshopper: Basic Calling Features

Summary: While Grasshopper offers more built-in voice calling features than Google Voice, it lacks call recording capabilities or built-in ring groups (which Google Voice includes.) However, unlike Google Voice, Grasshopper supports virtual faxing.

Grasshopper offers unlimited VoIP calling in the US and Canada. All Grasshopper plans include essential call management features like call forwarding, blind and supervised call transfers, caller ID, call screening, call blocking, and simultaneous call handling. Admins can select from several pre-made hold music options or upload custom recordings.

Grasshopper users can set custom schedules and business hour routing rules, ensuring that inbound calls received after-hours are either forwarded to the correct remote phone number or sent straight to voicemail. Grasshopper even automatically routes wrong number calls to the right extension so customers don’t have to call back.

Grasshopper also supports inbound virtual faxing on all plans (as of this writing, outbound faxing is not available.) Users can view faxes online in the portal or as email attachments.

That said, Grasshopper only offers international calling and call blasting as paid add-ons–and call recording is unavailable.

Like Grasshopper, Google Voice offers unlimited calling in the US and Canada–but unlike Grasshopper, all Google Voice plans include unlimited Europe-to-Europe calling. Additionally, Google Voice offers free incoming calls to the United States (outbound international calls are charged per-minute.)

Google Voice comes with basic VoIP calling features like call blasting, call forwarding, caller ID, and spam call filtering. Google Voice also provides desk phone and ATA support, plus compatibility with Google Fi. On-demand call recording is available on the mid-tier Google Voice plan, while Premier plans include automatic call recording.

Both Grasshopper and Google Voice have basic voice calling apps accessible on desktop and mobile devices.

Grasshopper vs Google Voice: Virtual Voicemail

Summary: Grasshopper and Google Voice both include voicemail transcription and voicemail-to-email on all plans. That said, Google Voice offers better standard voicemail features than Grasshopper, like the ability to integrate with Google Calendar to automatically forward inbound calls to voicemail during meetings or after work hours. 

Google Voice records and transcribes an unlimited number of voicemail messages–even those from spam or unknown numbers–of up to 3 minutes each. Users can review transcripts on desktop and mobile devices, or within their inbox via voicemail-to-email (ideally, voicemail-to-Gmail.)

Users can add up to 10 custom voicemail greetings, turn on voicemail notifications, or call their Google Voice number to check their voicemail messages. Team members can also forward voicemail messages received on personal devices to their Google Voice number.

Google Voice admins can set custom office hours, turn on the Do Not Disturb feature, or specify the number of rings before a caller is sent to voicemail. When integrated with Google Calendar, Google Voice automatically routes calls to voicemail when the user is in a meeting or when an event is on the calendar.

Grasshopper includes in-app voicemail transcription and voicemail-to-email on all plans. Message audio and text files can be automatically forwarded to up to 15 email addresses, and users can enable real-time desktop and mobile push notifications. Each extension has a dedicated voicemail box, allowing for a higher level of customization than Google Voice.

While users can record their own voicemail greetings, Grasshopper Voice Studio provides professionally recorded voicemail greetings in English or Spanish ($75 per recording.) Voicemail messages are stored for 30 days, and there is no limit to the number of voice messages that can be left.

Google Voice vs Grasshopper: IVR and Virtual Receptionists

Summary: Grasshopper offers custom call greetings, call blasting, professional call menu recordings, and live receptionist services. However, Google Voice includes multi-level IVR on all plans, ring groups, and more advanced call path design options.

Grasshopper’s auto attendant feature lets admins create customized pre-recorded call menu options that allow customers to direct their own calls without a live agent. If you don’t want to record your call menu, use the Professional Voice Studio to have an expert record the perfect auto attendant greetings.

Admins can set basic call answering and forwarding rules based on business hours and individual employee schedules, but advanced, multi-level IVR isn’t available. Call blasting to up to 15 simultaneous numbers is available, but only as a paid add-on.

That said, Grasshopper has partnered with Ruby to offer live virtual receptionist services as a paid add-on. This way, callers will always be connected to a “real person” when they dial your business phone number, simplifying the appointment scheduling and order tracking processes.

Google Voice also has an auto attendant feature, but it is much more advanced than Grasshopper’s.

Users can record call menu greetings or create them via multi-lingual text-to-speech. Admins can select from several voice tones and accents, and even choose the speed at which call menu options are read aloud. Google Voice Standard and Premier plans include a multi-level auto attendant that lets admins further customize their call handling strategies by adding ring groups and additional options like “repeat the menu,” “disconnect,” or “transfer. Admins can set business hour rules, enable remote and in-house call forwarding, and add a “Special Announcement” to the call menu that customers can’t skip over.

Grasshopper vs Google Voice: Business Text Messaging

Summary: While Grasshopper offers unlimited SMS/MMS texting on local and toll-free numbers within the United States, it charges hefty registration and ongoing monthly fees. While Google Voice also offers unlimited SMS texting in the United States, it doesn’t support group texting, limits individual message length, and doesn’t provide the same level of MMS texting support Grasshopper does.

Google Voice offers unlimited desktop and mobile SMS messaging within the United States. Texts from unfamiliar or suspicious numbers are filtered out into spam folders, so check yours often to avoid missing important messages.

Google Voice’s business text messaging capabilities are rather limited, lacking short code messaging and limiting group texts to 8 participants. Texts that exceed 160 characters are broken up into multiple messages. While users can send photos via MMS, they can’t share video files (but can share video links.)

Grasshopper also offers desktop and mobile texting, but allows users to send and receive texts from both their local and toll-free numbers. Grasshopper offers unlimited SMS messaging in the United States and Canada. Users can send and receive group texts, photos, and videos.

Grasshopper’s Instant Response feature automatically sends a text message to new clients who call your business phone number but don’t get a response. The customizable message lets them know their call was received and can include a link to schedule a callback time.

Note that all Grasshopper plans require a one-time $19 local number registration fee for texting, plus a $1.50/month charge.

Call Reporting and Analytics

Summary: Both Grasshopper and Google Voice offer limited reporting capabilities outside of basic call logs. That said, Grasshopper offers multiple reporting types, while the top-tier Google Voice plan includes more advanced analytics powered by BigQuery.

Grasshopper’s call tracking analytics generate three kinds of reports: Usage Reports, Detail Reports, and Activity Reports.

All reports can be sorted by date, extension, and telephone number.

Usage Reports show the average call length and the number of inbound and outbound call minutes.  Detail Reports show which calls were connected, went to voice message, placed on hold, and which ones were routed to another number. They also show how long it took for a call to be successfully transferred. Activity Reports provide information on caller hangups, fax successes/failures, accepted call blasts, and rejected/fail call blasts.

Note that reports that are over 90 days old are automatically deleted.

The majority of Google Voice’s reporting features require a Google Workspace account, but searchable basic call logs are included. Google Voice users can review call lengths, the date/time of the call, the phone number, and whether the call was inbound or outbound. Call logs are available for six months.

Grasshopper vs Google Voice: Customer Experience

The below pros and cons lists represent the average user experience of Grasshopper and Google Voice.

Grasshopper User Reviews

Users agree that the best thing about Grasshopper is its clean interface and overall ease of use. Features are so intuitive that even those who aren’t especially tech-savvy have little trouble using it.

The biggest drawback of using Grasshopper is its lack of standard features for the price point. While it might look cheaper than other virtual calling providers, its bare-bones standard features mean customers often end up paying more for add-ons than they would have if they’d gone with a more feature-rich carrier’s standard plan.

Below are the provider’s top pros and cons.

Google Voice User Reviews

Voice offers an excellent basic to virtual calling features at a reasonable price point.

The fact that it integrates easily with G Suite and existing Google accounts makes unified communications a bit smoother and gives customers several options with how they’d like to reach team members. However, many wonder how much longer it will be before Voice is completely absorbed into Google Hangouts.

Additionally, even though Voice adversities itself as a “free” service, that isn’t really the case.

Though personal Google telephone numbers are free, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid business account to get the features mentioned in this article.

The section below outlines the top pros and cons gathered from user reviews.

Grasshopper vs Google Voice Common Use Cases

While both phone systems are ideal for small businesses, the below use cases show which industries commonly choose one over the other.

Grasshopper Use Cases

• Grasshopper is especially popular among healthcare providers, real estate agents, and consulting professionals.
• Healthcare professionals use its automated greeting feature to connect patients with the right department or doctor. Doctors who are on call use its incoming call management tools to prioritize calls from patients and other healthcare professionals as opposed to personal calls. The call forwarding features ensure that, in the event of an emergency, a live representative is always available.
• Real estate agents take advantage of local area codes to show clients they’re familiar with the area. Many agents have multiple local area code telephone numbers, allowing them to expand their market.
• Consulting professionals rely on the customizable instant response feature to immediately connect with potential leads even when they’re on another call. Virtual phone extensions ensure that clients can reach the right employee or department on any device.

Google Voice Use Cases

• Google Voice is best suited for solopreneurs who want to protect the privacy of their personal telephone number and give a more professional appearance.
• It is not ideal for companies with more than 5-10 employees that need multiple extensions and telephone numbers.
• Instead, it’s a good platform for things like a dog walking business, crafting side hustle, or a startup that needs a basic phone system. It’s also a good choice for professionals who get a high number of spam calls on their personal numbers, causing them to miss out on important client phone calls.
• Voice is less suited for specific industries than Grasshopper -- instead, it’s a good fit within almost any retail industry that is primarily run by 1-3 people.

Grasshopper and Google Voice Alternatives

While Grasshopper and Google Voice are ideal for small to midsize business owners without a need for complicated features and analytics, there are numerous alternatives for those looking for VoIP phone calling capabilities for companies of any size.

The below alternatives also offer, in most cases, more cost savings options than either business phone service, as they have more standard features, such as video conferencing, included in the base price.

Here's a complete breakdown of Grasshopper and Google Voice alternatives.

Grasshopper vs. Google Voice: Is There a Clear Winner?

Our research shows that Google Voice is the best option for solopreneurs who primarily need an alternative to their personal telephone numbers, but don’t need a high level of virtual calling capabilities.

Grasshopper is the better fit for small businesses that aren’t quite ready -- and may never need -- to transition to a complete virtual phone system, but that need more robust calling and text messaging features.

To learn more about other business VoIP providers and alternatives to landline desk phones, check out our interactive comparison table.