Published : December 6, 2021Whether you are running a small business or starting a new one, you will need an office phone system to facilitate business communications. That’s because 92% of all customer interactions happen over the phone.
However, you will need a robust business phone system that caters to the unique needs of your business and is scalable. It should also offer great flexibility to both customers and your employees without costing a fortune.
And when you’re looking for such a phone system, the chances are you will find two providers more often: Grasshopper and Google Voice.
Both Grasshopper and Google Voice are reliable, feature-rich, and facilitate business communications at an affordable rate, making choosing one difficult.
To help you make a more informed decision, we have created this comparison guide in which we compare the key factors of both providers. This includes pricing, features, usability, and customer support. Let’s get started.
Grasshopper vs. Google Voice: An Overview
Grasshopper is one of the best small business virtual phone systems. It offers versatile calling and messaging options, enabling you to offer great customer service. You can choose from a range of toll-free, vanity, and local numbers to facilitate business communications. You can also port your current virtual number to Grasshopper.
( Source: novocall )
On the other hand, Google Voice is a cloud-based phone solution that’s ideal for small businesses. Though it is scalable, the features are somewhat limited to SMEs. It is also perfect for companies that rely on G-Suite services (Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, etc.). Google voice auto attendant, voicemail transcription, and voicemail greetings are some of its standout features.
Both Grasshopper and Google Voice are reliable, offer 24/7 support, are scalable, and provide necessary calling features for small businesses.
However, they both differ in terms of features offered, pricing, and ease of use, making it crucial to analyze every aspect of the VoIP providers. And that’s exactly what we will do now.
Grasshopper vs. Google Voice: Features
By default, both Grasshopper and Google Voice offer the basic calling features in all their plans. For instance, each has a mobile & desktop application, call forwarding, voicemail, and activity reporting.
However, when you dive deeper, they differ a lot in terms of features and plans. Let’s take a look at them.
Grasshopper Features
All Grasshopper plans include
- Mobile & desktop apps
- One business phone number
- Business texting
- Call forwarding
- VoIP + WiFi calling
- Virtual fax
- Voicemail
- Extensions
- Instant response
- Custom greetings
- Call transfer
- Ruby receptionist
The premium plans offer more business phone numbers and extensions.
Google Voice Features
The basic Google Voice plan include
- Up to 10 users
- Free calling to the US from any country
- Unlimited SMS in the US
- Voicemail transcription
- 24/7 support
- Usage and activity reporting
- Call forwarding
- Google Meet and Calendar integration
When you upgrade your plan, you get a multi-level attendant, ring groups, desk phone support, and eDiscovery for calls, voicemail, and SMS records, advanced reporting (BigQuery), and data regions (that will be available soon).
If you’re in a hurry, check out this tabular comparison of Grasshopper vs. Google Voice.
In conclusion, when you compare Grasshopper and Google Voice, the former offers more features, making it perfect for small businesses. Plus, Grasshopper allows you to buy local and toll-free numbers, which Google Voice doesn’t. Callhippo also offers wide range of feature that google doesn’t support. You can also look at Googlevoice alternative for detailed comparison.
You May Also Read : Is Google Voice HIPAA Compliant & Safe for Healthcare Use?
Grasshopper vs. Google Voice: Plans & Pricing
VoIP is a SaaS product that requires you to pay a monthly fee. Therefore, your budget and the cost of the virtual phone system play a vital role in choosing the right one for your business.
That said, let’s understand how Grasshopper and Google Voice differ in pricing.
Starting with Grasshopper, it has three plans: Solo, Partner, and Small Business.
The Solo is priced at $29 per month. However, it offers all the basic features mentioned in the previous section, i.e., one business phone number, business texting, call forwarding, custom greetings, call transfers, etc.
When you upgrade your plan to Partner at $49 per month, you will get all the above benefits plus three phone numbers and six extensions.
The top-tier plan of Grasshopper, Small Business, is priced at $89 per month and offers five phone numbers with unlimited extensions.
When it comes to Google Voice, it also has three plans: Starter, Standard, and Premier.
The Starter plan that costs $10 per month allows you to add up to 10 users, 10 domestic locations, free calling to the US from anywhere, free calling to Canada from the US, voicemail transcription, and 24/7 support.
The Standard plan costs $20 per month and offers a multi-level attendant, ring groups, desk phone support, and eDiscovery for calls, voicemail & SMS records.
The top-tier plan of Google Voice, Premier, costs $30 per month and offers advanced reporting and data regions (coming soon).
Overall, when you compare the prices of Google Voice and Grasshopper, you will find that the former is more affordable. However, you should also consider the features you’re getting in each plan. If Google Voice has all the features your business needs, then you should pick it as it is more pocket-friendly than Grasshopper.
Grasshopper vs. Google Voice: Customer Support
Customer support is one of the vital aspects to look for in a business phone system. It will help you resolve issues in your phone system quickly and prevent a bad customer experience.
The good news is, both Grasshopper and Google Voice offer 24/7 support in all their plans.
Overall, Grasshopper and Google Voice are head-to-head in customer support, and there’s no clear winner.
You May Also Read : Google Voice Not Working: 8 Common Issues With Google Voice
Grasshopper vs. Google Voice: Integrations
Integrations connect your business systems, thereby syncing all your workflows and improving productivity. The more integration options your VoIP system offers, the better.
Sadly, Grasshopper and Google Voice are not very good with integrations.
In conclusion, Grasshopper offers more integrations than Google Voice, as the latter integrates only with its by-products.
Grasshopper vs. Google Voice: Best for International Calling
If you are purchasing a business phone system for international calling, it is crucial to check the charges for long-distance calls.
For instance, if you want to call your customers in the UK via Google Voice, the charges start from $0.01 per minute, while Grasshopper charges $0.02 per minute.
Similarly, the charges start from $0.01 per minute in Google Voice and $0.03 per minute in Grasshopper to call Australia.
While this might seem like a small difference, the bills add up significantly when you make hundreds (or thousands) of international calls every month.
In conclusion, when comparing the international calling prices of Grasshopper and Google Voice, the latter has a clear edge as it offers more affordable per-minute calls to almost every country. However, again, it is crucial to check if it has all the features you need. Choosing a vendor just because it is cheaper could do more harm than good.
Grasshopper vs. Google Voice: Which One Should You Choose?
In the battle of Grasshopper vs. Google Voice, the right one for your business depends on your unique requirements.
Both Grasshopper and Google Voice are undoubtedly efficient and reliable. However, they differ in terms of features and pricing. And that’s what you need to consider before signing up.
To make things easier for you, here’s when to choose which one.
Choose Grasshopper: If you are looking for a business phone system with features like simultaneous call handling, call transfer, and custom greetings. Grasshopper also allows you to purchase local and toll-free phone numbers in a country of your choice.
Choose Google Voice: If you have a limited budget and need features like free US and Canada calling, voicemail transcription, and an analytical dashboard. You can also choose Google Voice if you primarily use Google products like Gmail, Google Meet, and Google Calendar.
If none of the VoIP providers meet your expectations, we have a perfect alternative for you, i.e., CallHippo. It provides more features than Google Voice and Grasshopper and is cost-effective.
Let’s look at what makes CallHippo better than Grasshopper and Google Voice.
You May Also Read : How to Use Google Voice in Canada
CallHippo – The Perfect Alternative to Grasshopper and Google Voice
Established in 2016, CallHippo offers features that suit the needs of small businesses and enterprises alike.
Trusted by more than 5000+ brands, CallHippo allows you to purchase local and toll-free numbers in over 190 countries. You can even port your existing virtual phone number to CallHippo and leverage all the features to provide the best possible customer experience.
Here are some reasons to choose CallHippo over Grasshopper and Google Voice.
1- More Features in Pocket-friendly Price
No matter which plans you pick, CallHippo provides one free phone number of your choice per user. You can assign the same number to multiple employees to make and receive calls.
For instance, in the basic plan (which costs $16 per month per user), you can forward calls to a number of your choice, making remote work more efficient. Other key features in the most basic plan include voicemail, teams, shared inbox, and skill-based call routing.
The Silver plan (which costs $24 per month per user) offers free call recording, IVR, call queuing, user working hours, call reminder, after-call work, internal team calling, holiday routing, intelligent reports, call tagging, gamification, and reports via email.
When you upgrade your plan to Platinum (which costs $40 per month per user), you get a dedicated account manager, sticky agent, power dialer, voice broadcasting, multi-level IVR, call transfer, call barging, call whisper, and call script.
CallHippo also allows you to create a custom plan with only the features you need, thereby reducing unnecessary spending.
2- Integrates With More than 85+ Tools
CallHippo integrates with all of your business tools. Whether you use HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Freshdesk, Intercom, Zendesk, Shopify, or Zoho, CallHippo integrates with them all.
These integrations help you automate tedious processes and boost agent productivity. For instance, by integrating CallHippo with CRM, your representatives can pull complete customer information, including their name, previous interactions with your business, and the products they use. This will enable you to offer a more personalized customer experience to every individual.
3- Local and International Phone Numbers
Calling customers from a local phone number increases the chances of the call being picked up. Plus, it helps build trust with them as they feel you belong to the same location as theirs.
On the other hand, toll-free numbers encourage people to reach out to you. Since they won’t be charged anything, they can talk freely, and you can use their feedback to improve your product.
With CallHippo, you can buy local and toll-free numbers from more than 190 countries. Browse from our database of millions of phone numbers to pick the best one for your business.
You can even purchase unique numbers for your marketing campaigns. By assigning one number to each campaign, you can prove the ROI for each campaign (offline and online). And while customers call different numbers, every call will be redirected to your main phone line, thereby enhancing the efficiency of your operations.
4- Compliant With Necessary Regulations
As a leading VoIP phone system, CallHippo prioritizes security and compliance for its customers.
CallHippo is HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-compliant that keeps patients’ sensitive information private and secure.
Additionally, CallHippo complies with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), protecting your data safely and increasing the credibility of your services.
CallHippo is also PCI-compliant. This means you can accept payments over the phone while keeping sensitive card information away from the system.
Other major benefits of CallHippo VoIP include:
- 99.99% uptime guarantee
- You can call your entire team at one go
- Robust analytics and dashboard to help you understand the agent’s performance, enabling you to coach them accordingly
Final Thoughts
Choosing between Google Voice and Grasshopper isn’t easy. However, by defining the features you need in your business phone system, you can make a more informed decision.
While Google Voice and Grasshopper are excellent VoIP providers, they don’t offer as many features as CallHippo. Moreover, CallHippo is more affordable and guarantees 99.99% uptime in every plan.
What are you waiting for? Choose your VoIP system today!
FAQs:
1. Is Google Voice better than Grasshopper?
The comparison between Google Voice vs. Grasshopper depends on specific needs. Google Voice, a free service by Google, suits personal use or small businesses. Grasshopper, tailored for businesses, provides professional features like toll-free numbers and multiple extensions, offering a more robust solution for companies.
2. Is there a better Google Voice alternative?
There are several alternatives, including CallHippo, DialerHQ, Grasshopper, RingCentral, Nextiva, and Dialpad, that cater to diverse needs. Consider these options based on features, pricing, and scalability, searching for the best fit for your requirements.
3. Who are Google Voice’s competitors?
Google Voice faces competition from services like CallHippo, Grasshopper, RingCentral, Sideline, Line2, Dialpad, VirtualPBX, 8×8, and Vonage. These providers offer distinct features, serving various audiences in the communication space.
4. Does Grasshopper record phone calls?
No, Grasshopper does not offer built-in call recording features.
5. What are the disadvantages of Google Voice?
While Google Voice offers advantages, it has limitations. These include limited international calling options, integration constraints, dependence on internet connectivity, limited customer support, and fewer features for large businesses.
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Updated : November 12, 2024
Rohit Rajpal is a technical content writer with hands-on experience in the VoIP and telephony space. His expertise comes from closely collaborating with product teams to craft clear, technical documentation and user guides for telecommunication software. Rohit’s deep knowledge of VoIP technology allows him to address complex technical issues and provide insightful solutions.
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