Grasshopper Review

Are They The Best Service For You?

Grasshopper Review

Are you looking for a convenient business phone service, but you’re unsure whether Grasshopper is the right service provider for your company? Considering how many providers offer telephone services for business, it’s not always easy to figure out which one to use.

As a supplement to your own research, my team and I examined the details of each major business phone service. My goal is to make your decision easier by sharing this information with you in a convenient manner.

In this Grasshopper review, you’ll find an analysis of their pros and cons, pricing and features, customer reviews and more. Are they the best phone service for your business? Let's find out.

Pros & Cons of Grasshopper

Pros of Grasshopper

  • My favorite aspect of Grasshopper’s business phone service is that even their least expensive plan has unlimited minutes. When some of their competitors are offering plans with only 100 minutes a month, this is obviously a huge advantage for Grasshopper.
  • Grasshopper’s prices are flat rates. Many of their competitors charge “per user” fees which can add up quickly if you have more than just a couple employees.
  • With no long-term contracts and a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s essentially no risks involved with trying Grasshopper. Even if you ultimately don’t like it for whatever reason, you aren’t locked into a contract and you are entitled to a refund of your service fees.
  • Every Grasshopper customer receives a selection of great features. From customizable greetings to fully featured iPhone and Android apps, many of the features that competitors use to add value to their more expensive service packages are available to all Grasshopper clients.

Cons of Grasshopper

  • If you want to use Grasshopper’s voice talent to record custom messages for your business, it will cost you $75. Some competitors (like eVoice) include this service at no extra charge, while several others (like Nextiva and Talkroute) bundle voice recordings in with all but their most basic packages.
  • Customer feedback for Grasshopper is quite mixed between positive and negative. While some customers seem pleased, there are plenty of others who have their fair share of criticisms.

In my opinion, Grasshopper earns a score of 4.7/5. I’m a huge fan of their unlimited minutes offer, and the combination of a 30-day trial and no long-term contracts is very reassuring. 

Grasshopper Pricing & Features

With Grasshopper, customers have 3 options for business phone service: Solo, Partner and Small Business. Take a look at how Grasshopper presents these packages on their website, then we’ll discuss the details.

Grasshopper Pricing and Features

Between these 3 options, Grasshopper hopes to satisfy a wide variety of entrepreneurs by tailoring packages to your specific needs. To figure out which one looks like the best fit for you, let’s break down what each of these packages really includes.

All of Grasshopper’s service plans include a strong selection of standard features, including all of the following:

  • Unlimited minutes and inbound faxes, 30 day money-back guarantee, iPhone/Android apps, voicemail/fax to email, call forwarding and screening

When it comes to the differences between the 3 packages, the Solo and Partner plans only differentiate in the amount of numbers/extensions you have access to, while the Small Business tier adds a couple additional features.

  • Solo: $24/month - 1 number, 3 extensions
  • Partner: $49/month - 3 numbers, 6 extensions
  • Small Business: $89/month - 5 numbers, unlimited extensions
    • All features from Solo/Partner packages, plus:
      • Unlimited business SMS text messaging, voicemail-to-text transcription service

As you can see, Grasshopper adds unlimited text messaging service at the Small Business tier, as well as a transcription service that converts all of your voicemail messages into convenient text files that you can read from your email inbox.

It’s tough for me to pick a favorite from these options, simply because each level does a solid job of satisfying the needs of different sizes of companies. At the end of the day, the Partner package is probably my least-favorite, solely because compared to Solo it doubles the price without adding any features, other than an additional 2 numbers and 3 extensions.

Customer Reviews

I found about 200 online customer reviews for Grasshopper’s business phone service, and they’re pretty mixed between positive and critical feedback. They do have quite a few satisfied customers who frequently comment on how Grasshopper has a very high ease of use, and that the service presents a convenient answer for entrepreneurs who need multiple phone lines.

On the other hand, there are also plenty of unhappy clients who cite billing issues, as well as a handful who experience confusion regarding the voicemail feature, or have general functionality glitches.

Customer Reviews Section Last Updated 12-11-17

Conclusion: In all honesty, it’s not unusual to see mixed feedback for business phone services. Only a couple major service providers in this industry (namely Talkroute and Nextiva) have really good customer reviews, while the rest of them are quite mixed. Client feedback isn’t exactly a strength for Grasshopper, but I wouldn’t call it a negative either.

How Grasshopper Compares

At this point, I’ve invested countless hours into researching business phone services, which has naturally led me to develop some personal favorites. Of course, the goal here is to determine whether Grasshopper is right for your business, not to talk you into using the same service I personally use.

Still, Grasshopper won’t be the ideal answer for every single entrepreneur, and it’s always smart to be aware of what the competition has to offer as well. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how Grasshopper compares to another popular business phone service, Nextiva.

Pricing: At $34.95 per month, Nextiva’s base package for business phone service is a bit more expensive than the $24 monthly price point offered by Grasshopper. However, if you require a more advanced service package, Nextiva’s most expensive option is $44.95/month, which is obviously much more affordable than Grasshopper’s $89 Small Business package.

Features: Nextiva has some convenient exclusive features like Skype integration, and they offer unlimited faxes with any service package. Additionally, Nextiva receives strong customer reviews, and they also include custom message recordings with all but their cheapest service package.

Customer Support: Grasshopper provides their clients with 24/7 live U.S.-based support, which you can access via either email or phone. Nextiva can’t quite match those hours of operation, as they’re available from 8am ET to 9pm ET on weekdays and 9am to 9pm on weekends. Both companies have solid reputations for the quality and professionalism of their service reps.

Experience: Grasshopper has served over 300,000 customers since they opened for business back in 2003. Nextiva formed in 2006, and they’ve helped 150,000+ business clients with phone service since then.

Here's a Quick Breakdown

Grasshopper

Pricing Starts at $24

300,000+ customers served

Perfect for: Anyone needing an affordable business phone service & 24/7 customer support

Nextiva

Pricing Starts at $34.95

150,000+ customers served

Perfect for: Anyone needing a large scale business VoIP phone service & excellent features

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Shouldn’t I Obtain Business Phone Service From a Traditional Phone Company?

There are quite a few differences between traditional landline phone service and a provider like Grasshopper, which is usually known as VoIP (voice over internet protocol). The main advantage to a VoIP service is the portability, as you can take calls on the go with your cell phone, forward calls to other numbers, and so on. Additionally, landlines tend to be much more expensive, and often require specific phone hardware to operate. If you want to split hairs, Grasshopper isn’t technically a VoIP service because they route calls via existing phone lines rather than online, but functionally they operate very similarly.

How Secure is Their Service?

Grasshopper is very secure, as their calls are just as private as those you place with your traditional phone company. Their website is also protected by strong security certificates. In short, you can trust Grasshopper to keep your private information safe, and your phone calls secure.

How Easy is the Setup Process?

Grasshopper’s customers often write reviews about how convenient and simple the setup process is. In fact, most clients are eligible for instant activation.

Should You Use Grasshopper?

In my opinion, Grasshopper earns a score of 4.7/5. I’m a huge fan of their unlimited minutes offer, and the combination of a 30-day trial and no long-term contracts is very reassuring. That being said, if this doesn’t sound like your perfect fit, check out our Best Small Business Phone System For Startups review. Cheers!