CMP-11 GRASSHOPPER VS GOOGLE VOICE
Grasshopper vs Google Voice in 2026: pricing per account against per user, and which is cheaper at your team size
Grasshopper and Google Voice are priced in opposite directions, which is why one is not simply cheaper than the other. Grasshopper bills a flat rate for the entire account, $14 a month on True Solo, $25 on Solo Plus and $55 on Small Business billed annually, and its two upper plans carry unlimited users. Google Voice bills $10 per user on Starter, $20 on Standard and $30 on Premier, and every one of those users also needs a Google Workspace subscription billed separately. So Google Voice is cheaper for one or two people and Grasshopper is cheaper from roughly the third person on Google Voice Standard, or the sixth on Starter, before Workspace is even counted. The two other differences that decide most purchases: Google Voice holds the auto attendant and ring groups back to Standard at $20, and Google Voice does not sell toll-free numbers at all. Phoner sits alongside both at $15 to $29 per user, month to month, with no seat minimum and toll-free numbers at $5.
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 OR GOOGLE VOICE IS GENUINELY STRONG
Both of these earn their place on a shortlist and neither is a bad product. Grasshopper has been doing this longer than almost anyone and the flat account bill is genuinely easy to budget: one number, a few extensions, unlimited minutes, and a price that does not move when you hire. It now includes automatic call recording per extension and a phone menu, which older comparison articles still say it lacks. Google Voice is the better deal for a genuinely small headcount and it is the obvious pick if your company already lives inside Google Workspace, because the number sits in the same account as the mail and the calendar, voicemail transcription is good, and administration is one console rather than two.
WHERE PHONER FITS
Phoner is worth a look here for the reason both of these products struggle with: a published number that several people answer, without buying a suite or a flat plan sized for someone else. You get a visual IVR phone menu, ring groups written as readable rules, business texting, and toll-free and vanity numbers at a flat $5 per number, from $15 per user with no seat minimum and month-to-month billing at every tier. If the reason you are comparing these two is that one is too flat and the other needs Workspace underneath, that is the gap.
In practice the deciding features are usually the IVR phone menu and toll-free numbers.
Grasshopper vs Google Voice pricing, and why the two columns are not comparable
The single most common mistake in this comparison is putting $14 next to $10 and calling Google Voice cheaper. They are not the same unit. Grasshopper's figure is the whole account and Google Voice's is one person, so the comparison only means something once you fix a team size, which the next table does. Grasshopper figures were read from its own pricing page on August 12, 2026, and Google Voice figures from Google's on August 9, 2026.
| Plan | Price | What the price buys | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grasshopper True Solo | $14 a month, billed annually at $168 | Unlimited minutes, 1 number, 1 extension | One user, flat for the account |
| Grasshopper Solo Plus | $25 a month, billed annually at $300 | Unlimited minutes, 1 number, 3 extensions | Unlimited users, flat for the account |
| Grasshopper Small Business | $55 a month, billed annually at $660 | Unlimited minutes, 4 numbers, unlimited extensions | Unlimited users, flat for the account |
| Google Voice Starter | $10 per user a month | Local number, voicemail transcription, no phone menu | Up to 10 users, plus Workspace each |
| Google Voice Standard | $20 per user a month | Adds the auto attendant, ring groups and call queues | Unlimited users, plus Workspace each |
| Google Voice Premier | $30 per user a month | Adds automatic recording and BigQuery reporting | Unlimited users, plus Workspace each |
| Phoner Starter | $15 per user a month, $19 monthly | A business number, voicemail to text, the apps | No seat minimum |
| Phoner Team | $29 per user a month, $35 monthly | Adds the visual IVR menu, ring groups, texting, recording | No seat minimum |
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 · GOOGLE VOICE BUSINESS TIERS REQUIRE A GOOGLE WORKSPACE SUBSCRIPTION PER USER, BILLED SEPARATELY, AND GOOGLE RENDERS THAT PRICE AS AN IMAGE SO WE LEAVE IT OUT RATHER THAN GUESS · GRASSHOPPER READ AUGUST 12, 2026, GOOGLE VOICE AUGUST 9, 2026 · TELECOM TAXES AND FEDERAL UNIVERSAL SERVICE PASS-THROUGH ARE EXTRA ON ALL THREE · VERIFY BEFORE BUYING
What each one costs per month at 1, 3, 6 and 12 people
This is the table that actually answers the question, and it is the one nobody publishes, because it requires treating a flat account price and a per-seat price as the same kind of number. Google Voice is cheaper at the very small end and stops being cheaper faster than most people expect: it passes Grasshopper Solo Plus at three users on Starter and two on Standard, and it passes Small Business at six on Starter and three on Standard. Every Google Voice column below excludes the Google Workspace subscription each user also needs, so in real billing each crossover arrives sooner than shown.
| Team size | Grasshopper Solo Plus | Grasshopper Small Business | Google Voice Starter | Google Voice Standard | Phoner Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $25 | $55 | $10 | $20 | $29 |
| 2 people | $25 | $55 | $20 | $40 | $58 |
| 3 people | $25 | $55 | $30 | $60 | $87 |
| 6 people | $25 | $55 | $60 | $120 | $174 |
| 12 people | $25 | $55 | Not available, 10-user cap | $240 | $348 |
Swipe sideways for the full table
ALL FIGURES ARE PER MONTH ON ANNUAL BILLING · GOOGLE VOICE COLUMNS EXCLUDE THE REQUIRED GOOGLE WORKSPACE SUBSCRIPTION PER USER · GRASSHOPPER COLUMNS ARE FLAT FOR THE ACCOUNT BUT SHARE 1 AND 4 PUBLISHED NUMBERS RESPECTIVELY, WHILE EACH GOOGLE VOICE AND PHONER USER GETS THEIR OWN LINE, SO THE ROWS ARE NOT LIKE FOR LIKE · READ THE SECTION BELOW BEFORE USING THIS TABLE TO DECIDE
What the crossover table does not tell you
Unlimited users on Grasshopper does not mean unlimited phone lines
This is the caveat that makes the flat price honest rather than magic. Solo Plus carries unlimited users but one published number and three extensions, and Small Business carries four numbers with unlimited extensions. An extension is a routing destination, not a full seat with its own direct line. So a ten-person company on Small Business is ten people sharing four numbers, while ten people on Google Voice Standard have ten distinct numbers and ten mailboxes. If everyone needs their own direct dial, the flat price is not covering the same thing and the crossover table above understates Grasshopper.
Google Voice holds back the two features small teams actually shop for
The $10 Starter tier is the one every roundup quotes and it has neither an auto attendant nor ring groups. Both arrive on Standard at $20, which is double the advertised entry price. That matters more than it sounds, because a phone menu and a group ring are usually the entire reason a business stops forwarding calls to a cell phone and buys a system at all. Price Standard, not Starter, if more than one person answers the published number, and note that Starter also caps at 10 users.
Google Voice does not sell toll-free numbers
Google Voice assigns local US numbers. It does not offer numbers in the toll-free codes, 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and 833, on any business tier. If a national 800 presence is part of what you are buying, Google Voice cannot supply it and the only route is porting a toll-free number in from another provider. Grasshopper does sell toll-free and vanity numbers, which is a genuine and often decisive point in its favor. Phoner includes toll-free and vanity numbers at a flat $5 per number per month.
The Workspace requirement is the hidden line on the Google Voice bill
Google Voice business tiers are not standalone products. Every user on Starter, Standard or Premier also needs a Google Workspace subscription, billed separately, so the real per-person cost is the Voice license plus the Workspace license. For a company already paying for Workspace this is genuinely free of extra cost and Google Voice looks excellent. For a company that is not, it means adopting an entire productivity suite to get a phone line. We are deliberately not printing a Workspace figure here: Google renders those prices as images rather than text, and we would rather leave the cell empty than publish a number we could not read from the source.
Grasshopper does have call recording now, whatever older comparisons say
A large number of articles ranking for this matchup, including some published this year, state that Grasshopper has no call recording. That is out of date. Grasshopper publishes a call recording product with automatic recording configurable per extension for inbound calls, outbound calls or both, along with a recommended automatic announcement for inbound calls. On the Google Voice side, automatic recording sits on Premier at $30. We had this wrong on our own Grasshopper page until August 12, 2026 and corrected it the day we checked the source.
The add-on charges are where the flat bill leaks
Grasshopper's extras are priced higher than the category norm and they are easy to miss when you are looking at a flat headline. Additional phone numbers are $9 a month each, against $5 at Phoner, Quo and Zoom Phone. Additional extensions on Solo Plus are $3 a month each. Business texting is not included in the plan price at all: it carries a $19.50 one-time registration fee and a $1.50 monthly messaging fee on every tier. None of those are large individually, and all of them are the kind of thing that turns a $25 plan into a $40 bill once you have three numbers and texting switched on.
One is a phone company and the other is a feature of a suite
This is the difference that outlasts any price table. Grasshopper sells phone service and nothing else, so support, porting and number management are the product. Google Voice is one service inside Workspace, which is a real advantage when your directory, your single sign-on and your admin console are already Google, and a real disadvantage when they are not. Ask yourself which console you want to be in when something breaks at 9am, because that answer tends to be more durable than a few dollars per seat.
Who should pick which
PICK GRASSHOPPER OR GOOGLE VOICE IF
Pick Grasshopper if you want one predictable bill that does not move as you add people, you need more than one published number, or a toll-free line matters. Pick Google Voice if you are one or two people, you already pay for Google Workspace, and a local number with good voicemail transcription in the same console as your email is genuinely all you need.
THEIR LIST PRICE: GRASSHOPPER $14-55/MO FLAT · GOOGLE VOICE $10-30/USER
PICK PHONER IF
Pick Phoner if a team answers the phone and neither pricing shape fits: a visual IVR menu you can inspect before paying, ring groups with rules in plain language, business texting, recording with consent announcements, and toll-free numbers at $5, from $15 per user with no seat minimum and no annual contract.
PHONER: $15-29/USER/MO, MONTH TO MONTH
Leaving Grasshopper or Google Voice 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 or Google Voice 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 OR GOOGLE VOICE → PHONER
Sign up for Phoner and submit the port with a recent Grasshopper or Google Voice bill.
Keep answering on Grasshopper or Google Voice. 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
Which is better, Grasshopper or Google Voice?
Google Voice is better for one or two people who already pay for Google Workspace and only need a local number with voicemail transcription. Grasshopper is better once you have a small team, need more than one published number, or need a toll-free line, because its price is flat for the whole account and Google Voice does not sell toll-free numbers at all.
Is Google Voice cheaper than Grasshopper?
Only at the very small end. Google Voice Starter is $10 per user against Grasshopper Solo Plus at $25 flat for the account, so Google Voice wins at one or two people. It passes Solo Plus at three users and Grasshopper Small Business at six, and on Google Voice Standard at $20 it passes them at two and three users. Those crossovers also exclude the Workspace subscription each user needs.
What is the difference between Google Voice and Grasshopper?
The pricing model and the number types. Grasshopper charges a flat rate for the whole account, from $14 to $55 a month, with unlimited users on its upper plans and toll-free numbers available. Google Voice charges $10 to $30 per user, requires a Google Workspace subscription underneath, holds the auto attendant and ring groups back to the $20 Standard tier, and sells only local numbers.
Does Google Voice offer toll-free numbers?
No. Google Voice assigns local US numbers and does not sell numbers in the 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833 codes on any business tier. The only way to use a toll-free number with it is to port one in from a provider that does sell them. If a national toll-free presence matters, this is usually the point where Google Voice comes off the shortlist.
Do you need Google Workspace for Google Voice?
For the business tiers, yes. Google Voice Starter, Standard and Premier each require a Google Workspace subscription for every user, billed separately from the Voice license. That makes Voice close to free for a company already on Workspace and considerably more expensive for one that is not, because the real cost per person is both licenses added together.
How much does Grasshopper cost per month?
Grasshopper publishes three plans billed annually: True Solo at $14 a month, or $168 a year, with one number and one extension; Solo Plus at $25 a month, or $300 a year, with one number and three extensions; and Small Business at $55 a month, or $660 a year, with four numbers and unlimited extensions. All three are flat for the whole account rather than per user.
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. Older comparison articles frequently say Grasshopper has no recording, which is no longer accurate. Google Voice includes automatic recording on Premier at $30 per user.
Does Google Voice have an auto attendant?
Not on the $10 Starter plan. The auto attendant, ring groups and call queues all sit on Google Voice Standard at $20 per user per month. Since a phone menu is usually the reason a business buys a phone system rather than forwarding to a mobile, Standard is the tier most teams should be pricing, which doubles the entry cost people usually quote.
How many users can Google Voice Starter have?
Google Voice Starter caps at 10 users. Standard and Premier are uncapped. The Starter limit rarely bites before its feature limits do, because Starter has no auto attendant and no ring groups, so most teams move to Standard for the routing long before they reach the tenth seat.
Can multiple people answer the same number on Grasshopper?
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 with them directly. Ring groups are standard on per-user systems including Google Voice Standard and Phoner.
Is there a better alternative to both Grasshopper and Google Voice?
It depends which limit you are hitting. Phoner at $15 to $29 per user is month to month at every tier with no seat minimum, a visual IVR builder, ring groups, business texting, recording with consent announcements, and toll-free and vanity numbers at $5 each. Quo, formerly OpenPhone, suits text-heavy teams. RingCentral is the heavier suite if you have desk phones and an IT function.
Can I keep my number if I switch from Grasshopper or Google Voice?
Yes. Under FCC local number portability rules you keep your numbers when you change providers, and a carrier cannot refuse to release a number because of an unpaid balance. Vanity and toll-free numbers port the same way as local ones. Porting into Phoner is free and usually takes 1 to 2 weeks, with the old line still ringing until the cutover completes.
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