CMP-04 GRASSHOPPER
Grasshopper pricing in 2026: what the three plans cost, the add-ons nobody quotes, and the best Grasshopper alternatives
Grasshopper publishes three plans, all billed annually and all flat for the whole account rather than per user: True Solo at $14 a month ($168 a year) with one number and one extension, Solo Plus at $25 a month ($300 a year) with one number and three extensions, and Small Business at $55 a month ($660 a year) with four numbers and unlimited extensions. Solo Plus and Small Business both carry unlimited users. The costs that do not appear in that headline are the ones worth planning for: additional phone numbers are $9 a month each, additional extensions on Solo Plus are $3 a month each, and business texting is not included on any plan, carrying a $19.50 one-time registration fee plus $1.50 a month. Figures read from Grasshopper's own pricing page on August 12, 2026. The best Grasshopper alternatives in 2026 are Phoner ($15 to $29 per user, month to month, no seat minimum), Quo (formerly OpenPhone), and Google Voice.
The full ranked field is in the guide to the best VoIP for small business, entry pricing for every provider sits yearly against monthly in the business phone system comparison, and Phoner's plans are listed in plain dollars on the pricing page.
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WHERE GRASSHOPPER IS GENUINELY STRONG
Grasshopper practically invented the virtual phone number for entrepreneurs and it still does that job well. The flat account bill is easy to budget and does not move when you hire, unlimited minutes are genuinely unlimited, setup takes minutes, and the upper two plans carry unlimited users. It also sells toll-free and vanity numbers, which Google Voice does not, and it now includes automatic call recording configurable per extension along with a phone menu. Several comparison articles still ranking for Grasshopper say it has neither. That is out of date, and this page said the same thing until we checked the source on August 12, 2026 and corrected it.
WHERE PHONER FITS
Phoner is what you move to when the unit of pricing stops fitting. Grasshopper charges by numbers and extensions; Phoner charges per person, $15 to $29, month to month with no seat minimum. That buys ring groups written as readable rules, a visual IVR phone menu you can inspect before paying, business texting included on the Team plan rather than as a metered add-on, and extra numbers at a flat $5 a month instead of $9.
In practice the deciding features are usually the team call routing and call recording.
Phoner vs Grasshopper, line by line
| What you are buying | Phoner | Grasshopper |
|---|---|---|
| Price shape | $15-29/user/mo | $14-55/mo flat per account |
| Contract | Month to month | Annual pricing published |
| IVR phone menu | Visual builder, Team plan | Phone menu + extensions |
| Team routing and ring groups | Yes, rules you can read | No ring group feature published |
| Business texting | Yes, Team plan | $19.50 setup + $1.50/mo add-on |
| Call recording + consent tools | Recording + consent announcements | Yes, automatic per extension |
| Toll-free and vanity numbers | Yes, $5/number/mo | Yes, extra numbers $9/mo each |
| Number porting | Free, number stays live | Yes |
| Apps | iOS, Android, desktop, web | iOS, Android, desktop |
Swipe sideways for the full table
COMPETITOR FIGURES ARE PUBLIC LIST PRICES AND POSITIONING AS OF 2026. VERIFY BEFORE BUYING.
Phoner's side of the table starts at $15/user/mo on the Starter plan and $29 on Team, the plan most small teams pick, both month to month. Extra local or toll-free numbers are a flat $5/number/mo. Where the two products tie on a row, the difference is usually how visibly the feature is built: see the team call routing page for exactly how Phoner does it.
Grasshopper pricing: the three plans and what each one actually includes
Grasshopper prices per account rather than per user, which makes a direct comparison with per-seat products genuinely awkward and is the reason so many roundups get it wrong. What you are buying is a quantity of published numbers and extensions, not a quantity of people: the upper two plans carry unlimited users. Read from Grasshopper's own pricing page on August 12, 2026. Its month-to-month rates are not legible on that page, so this table shows only the annual figures it publishes as yearly totals.
| Plan | Per month, billed annually | Billed as | Numbers and extensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grasshopper True Solo | $14 | $168 a year | 1 number, 1 extension, 1 user |
| Grasshopper Solo Plus | $25 | $300 a year | 1 number, 3 extensions, unlimited users |
| Grasshopper Small Business | $55 | $660 a year | 4 numbers, unlimited extensions, unlimited users |
| Phoner Starter | $15 per user | $19 per user monthly | A business number, voicemail to text, the apps |
| Phoner Team | $29 per user | $35 per user monthly | Adds the IVR phone menu, ring groups, texting, recording |
Swipe sideways for the full table
GRASSHOPPER PRICES ARE FLAT FOR THE WHOLE ACCOUNT, NOT PER USER · ITS MONTH-TO-MONTH RATES ARE NOT LEGIBLE ON ITS OWN PRICING PAGE SO WE DO NOT STATE THEM · ADD-ONS ARE EXTRA ON EVERY TIER: $9 PER ADDITIONAL NUMBER, $3 PER ADDITIONAL EXTENSION ON SOLO PLUS, AND BUSINESS TEXTING AT $19.50 ONE-TIME PLUS $1.50 A MONTH · FIGURES READ AUGUST 12, 2026 · PHONER FIGURES ARE OUR LIST PRICES · TAXES AND REGULATORY FEES ARE EXTRA ON BOTH · VERIFY BEFORE BUYING
What Grasshopper charges on top of the plan price
A flat plan price is only flat until you need a second number or want to send a text. These are the published add-ons, and they matter because they are priced above the category norm: an extra number costs $9 a month at Grasshopper against $5 at Phoner, Quo and Zoom Phone. Business texting is the one that surprises people most, because it is included in the plan at most competitors and is a separate metered line item here.
| Add-on | Grasshopper | Phoner |
|---|---|---|
| Additional phone number | $9 a month each | $5 a month each |
| Additional extension | $3 a month each on Solo Plus | Not applicable, priced per user |
| Business texting | $19.50 one-time registration, then $1.50 a month | Included on the Team plan |
| Call recording | Included, automatic per extension | Included on the Team plan with consent announcements |
| Toll-free and vanity numbers | Available, billed as an additional number | $5 a month each |
Swipe sideways for the full table
A2P 10DLC TEXT REGISTRATION IS A CARRIER REQUIREMENT AND CARRIES FEES AT EVERY PROVIDER INCLUDING OURS · GRASSHOPPER ADD-ON FIGURES READ FROM ITS PRICING PAGE ON AUGUST 12, 2026
Where the flat bill stops being the cheaper option
Per account is cheaper until roughly the second or third person
A flat $14 for one operator beats $15 per user, and it keeps beating it right up to the point where the flat tier no longer covers what you need. The comparison people get wrong is assuming flat always wins. It wins on a one-person account and loses the moment you need the larger Grasshopper tier, because that tier costs multiples of the entry price while Phoner is still charging $15 or $29 for the seats you actually use.
Extensions are routing destinations, not seats
This is the distinction that decides whether the flat price is a bargain or a trap. Solo Plus gives you one published number and three extensions; Small Business gives you four numbers and unlimited extensions. An extension sends a caller to a destination, it is not a full seat with its own direct dial and its own mailbox. So "unlimited users" is true and also narrower than it sounds: ten people can share the account, but they are sharing one or four published numbers between them. If every person needs their own line, price the numbers, not the people.
No published ring group, which is the gap worth checking
Grasshopper documents a phone menu and extensions but does not publish a ring group feature that rings a whole team simultaneously or in sequence to catch whoever is free. That behavior is standard on per-user systems and is a common reason small teams move. Because Grasshopper does not state it either way in its published materials, confirm the exact routing you need with them directly rather than taking any comparison article, this one included, as the final word.
Grasshopper does have call recording, and most comparisons say otherwise
A large number of articles ranking for Grasshopper comparisons state flatly that it has no call recording. That is out of date. Grasshopper publishes a call recording product with automatic recording you configure per extension, for inbound calls, outbound calls or both, and it recommends enabling an automatic announcement on inbound calls. This page carried the older claim until August 12, 2026, when we read the source and corrected it. Where recording matters the surrounding obligation matters too: consent rules differ by state and are worth reading before switching anything on.
Extra numbers add up differently on each model
A second published number, a toll-free line for the website, or a vanity number for print each cost money everywhere. On Phoner an extra number is a flat $5 per month regardless of plan. On flat-rate accounts additional numbers typically push you toward the next tier rather than adding a small line item, so price the number of numbers you need, not just the number of people.
Leaving is straightforward, and worth asking about first
Vanity and toll-free numbers port like any other, and under FCC portability rules an unpaid balance is not grounds to refuse a release. Porting into Phoner is free and usually completes in 1 to 2 weeks with the old line still ringing. Ask any provider what the exit looks like before you sign, because the answer is far easier to get while they are still selling to you.
Who should pick which
PICK GRASSHOPPER IF
Pick Grasshopper if you are genuinely solo and want one predictable flat bill for a business line over your cell phone, with no per-user math at all.
THEIR LIST PRICE: $14-55/MO FLAT PER ACCOUNT
PICK PHONER IF
Pick Phoner the day someone else starts answering: ring groups, a phone menu callers can use, recording with consent tools, and texting, at per-user pricing that starts below Grasshopper's flat rate.
PHONER: $15-29/USER/MO, MONTH TO MONTH
Leaving Grasshopper does not mean a new number
Your number is yours and moves with you. Phoner's free number porting takes about 1-2 weeks, and the line keeps ringing on Grasshopper until the moment it switches over. Set up your phone menu and ring groups in Phoner while you wait, then the cutover is invisible to callers.
PORT ORDER · GRASSHOPPER → PHONER
Sign up for Phoner and submit the port with a recent Grasshopper bill.
Keep answering on Grasshopper. The number never goes dark.
In 1-2 weeks calls ring your Phoner apps. Cancel the old account.
PORTING FEE: $0 · DOWNTIME: NONE
Common questions about switching
Can I move my Grasshopper number to Phoner?
Yes. Porting is free and usually takes 1-2 weeks. Your Grasshopper number keeps working during the port, so callers never notice the move. Vanity and toll-free numbers port the same way.
Is Phoner cheaper than Grasshopper?
It depends entirely on headcount, because the two are priced in different units. Grasshopper True Solo is $14 a month flat for the account against Phoner Starter at $15 per user, so Grasshopper wins for one person. Phoner Team at $29 per user passes Grasshopper Solo Plus at $25 after the first seat, and what the difference buys is ring groups, a visual IVR builder, texting included rather than metered, and extra numbers at $5 instead of $9.
What is the best alternative to Grasshopper?
For a team that has outgrown extensions, Phoner at $15 to $29 per user adds ring groups, a real phone menu, business texting, and call recording. Quo, formerly OpenPhone, suits text-heavy teams. Google Voice is the cheapest option for one person who only needs a number and voicemail.
Does Grasshopper have call recording?
Yes. Grasshopper offers automatic call recording that you enable per extension, for inbound calls, outbound calls or both, and it recommends turning on an automatic announcement for inbound calls. Many comparison articles still say Grasshopper has no recording, which is no longer accurate. Recording brings consent obligations that vary by state, so check the rules where your callers are.
How much does Grasshopper cost per month?
Grasshopper publishes three plans, all flat for the whole account rather than per user: True Solo at $14 a month, billed annually at $168; Solo Plus at $25 a month, billed annually at $300; and Small Business at $55 a month, billed annually at $660. Figures read from its own pricing page on August 12, 2026. Its month-to-month rates are not legible on that page.
What is not included in Grasshopper's plan price?
Three add-ons are billed on top of every plan. Additional phone numbers are $9 a month each, which is above the $5 charged by Phoner, Quo and Zoom Phone. Additional extensions on Solo Plus are $3 a month each. Business texting is not included at all: it carries a $19.50 one-time registration fee plus $1.50 a month, where most per-user competitors bundle it.
Does Grasshopper charge per user?
No. Grasshopper bills a flat rate for the whole account, and Solo Plus and Small Business both carry unlimited users. What the plan limits instead is published phone numbers and extensions: one number on True Solo and Solo Plus, four on Small Business. That makes it cheaper than per-seat products as headcount grows and more expensive if every person needs their own direct line.
Can two people answer the same Grasshopper number?
Callers reach a numbered extension after the greeting or phone menu, and Solo Plus and Small Business carry unlimited users behind those extensions. Grasshopper does not publish a ring group feature that rings a whole team at once or in sequence, so confirm the exact routing behavior you need directly with them. Simultaneous and sequential ringing is standard on per-user systems.
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