Google Voice vs Grasshopper: Which is Better?

The battle between Google Voice and Grasshopper has been going on for years. Both are excellent phone services, with many similarities and some key differences worth exploring before you decide on one or the other.   

So which is better? Let's look at each of them, and find out which one offers you the most for your money.

Google Voice vs. Grasshopper - Pricing

The first thing to compare between Google and Grasshopper is the pricing. The price of these phone services varies greatly. We’ll start with Grasshopper.

Grasshopper offers three paid plans that are primarily based on the number of people you have in your organization. The Solo plan starts at $26/month, which is intended for solopreneurs and individuals that are working side gigs. This plan comes with one phone number, and three extensions.

Grasshopper also offers two more plans priced at $44/month for partnerships/small businesses with one to three employees, and $80/month for small to medium businesses.

The $44/month plan comes with three phone numbers, and six extensions. The $80/month plan has five phone numbers and unlimited extensions. Unfortunately, this means that your employees won’t all be assigned their own phone number.

Grasshopper does offer a 7-day free trial that is available for all tier levels.

Google Voice also offers three paid plans along with a free version intended solely for personal use. 

Google Voice pricing is based on features and the number of employees that you have. Their Starter plan is $10/per user/per month and is primarily for a small business with 10 users or less

Google Voice offers two higher-priced plans with more features at $20-$30 per user, per month. The higher priced plans allow for unlimited users. However, the price increase from the $20 to $30 plan is based on the additional features of advanced reporting and data region reporting.

Google Voice's Starter plan is a less expensive option for a solo entrepreneur. Grasshopper may be a better choice for a small to medium-sized business because their Partner plan comes packed with tons of valuable features and is not priced per user.

Google Voice vs. Grasshopper - Features

Another key difference between these two services is the features they offer. Tons of different features may seem similar, but when you start to dig in and explore them, you will see that Google Voice and Grasshopper each have their own unique benefits.

To better understand these differences, let's take a look at some of the most popular features of each of these services.

Google Voice offers its users the ability to make free domestic phone calls without incurring long-distance charges. This is great for entrepreneurs who are not based in one specific location or have employees spread out across the country or world.

Outbound calls can be made from anywhere in the world using your GV number. Google Voice will also transcribe voice messages into text, which is useful when you cannot listen to your messages in full or are on the go.

Grasshopper offers the same features for all of their plans which is useful when you are on the lower-priced plans. As you get to the top-tier plan, you may be wondering why there aren't more features.

The primary features of Grasshopper include call forwarding, virtual fax, call transfers, and simultaneous call handling. Some of these features are not found on Google voice which gives Grasshopper some distinct advantages if your business needs the ability to do virtual faxing.

Picking a winner in the feature category isn't as straightforward as one may think. Having more features doesn't automatically make the service provider the winner. They have to be features that you actually will use and are relevant for your business.

Google Voice is an excellent option if you want to pay a lower price and need limited features, while Grasshopper will give you tons of features at every price point that could be useful to your business as it grows.

Which One is Easier to Use?

As many entrepreneurs know, nobody wants to deal with complicated phone systems. When your company is small or just starting out, it can be challenging to learn how to use all the bells and whistles of an advanced telephone system.

Google Voice offers a simple user interface that is easy to understand for beginners and gives you access to advanced features.

Grasshopper is also easy to use but lacks many advanced features that you would expect with a high-end telephone system. This means that if your business needs a system for remote workers or call centers, Grasshopper may not be the right solution for you in the long run.

Most people are already familiar with Google and find Google Voice to be a similar experience to what they are used to.

In the end, it is easier to pick a winner for this category as Google Voice comes out slightly ahead because their user interface is easy to understand without a lot of training or fiddling around. This can be a big win for your business if you have a small staff, and everyone needs to make calls using the service.

Is Google Voice or Grasshopper Better?

Some would say that both Google Voice and Grasshopper are excellent services. Both can help your business stay connected with clients, prospective customers, partners, etc...

Grasshopper is the better choice if you want lots of features and a professional phone system, while Google Voice can help you save money if you only need the basics.

In the end, it's up to you to decide which service will be suitable for your business now and as it grows in the future.

For quick reference, here’s a comparison table that may help you decide between Google Voice and Grasshopper:

Best Alternative to Google Voice and Grasshopper

Although both Google Voice and Grasshopper have their unique benefits, they also have many limitations. These limitations can make it difficult for your business to find the right solution in terms of features, prices, and ease of use.

Ring4 offers most of the features from both companies but expands upon them to provide your business a better all-around solution. And, at the low price of just $8 per user, per month with the annual plan, it’s also cheaper than Google Voice and Grasshopper. 

Ring4 offers an exceptional way for businesses with larger or remote teams to easily manage all of their calls. Add to that the fact that each employee can have their own phone number that they can access from their mobile device, and your phone number can be set up in less than 30 seconds, and it becomes pretty clear that Ring4 is a no-brainer for remote teams looking to scale.

Ring4 allows you to track your company in a central hub that is easy to use and gives you the insights you need to keep your company moving forward. Click here to learn more about the many reasons that businesses are leaving their VoIP providers, and switching to Ring4.