Calilio vs Grasshopper
We give Calilio a 2.0 GPA and Grasshopper a 3.0, out of 4.0. Grasshopper grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Calilio
Low-cost virtual phone system with call and text bundles per user
Grasshopper
Virtual business number on your own phone, priced per account
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACalilioFair | 3.0GPAGrasshopperVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$12 a head for five on Standard, billed yearly ($15 monthly), inside this category's cheaper quarter ($14). Standard stops at 10 users, and the IVR and power dialer need Premium at $28. | ASolo Plus is $25 a month billed yearly for unlimited users. Add two $3 extensions so all five of you get one and it's about $6.20 a head, under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter. On your own, True Solo is $14. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no free trial on record, so you pay before you can try it. | CA 7-day free trial with no credit card needed. No free plan. |
| Features | CCalls, texts, call recording, ring strategies and forwarding, with IVR, a power dialer and live monitoring on Premium. The gaps: minutes come in bundles (200 out and 100 in on Standard), AI transcription is 10 minutes on Standard, and the API isn't out yet. | CA local, toll-free or vanity number, a shared inbox for calls, texts and voicemail, extensions, recording with AI summaries, auto-replies and fax. It does that job fully, but it's a smaller job: no integrations, and advanced routing is on Small Business. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. Once the bundle runs out you're watching a prepaid wallet, and US texting needs A2P registration first. | A4.75 from about 46,000 App Store ratings. Pick a number, install the app and the calls start ringing. |
| Platforms and integrations | BThe browser, a Chrome extension and iPhone and Android apps, so phone and computer are covered. But only HubSpot and Pipedrive connect, with Salesforce and Zoho coming soon, and there's no desktop app. | BMac, Windows, iPhone and Android apps, so phone and computer are covered. No web app and no integrations on record, which keeps it off the top grade. |
| Best for | solo founders on a tight phone budget | a second business number on your own phone |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Calilio and Grasshopper. How we grade
Price against what you get
Calilio starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Grasshopper starts at $14 a month and scores 3.0.
Grasshopper scores higher, and starts $2 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other business phone systems on the chart, none scores higher than Calilio for less, and none scores higher than Grasshopper for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Calilio starts at $12 per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly). Grasshopper starts at $14 per month, billed annually.
- Only Calilio lists a web app.
- Only Calilio lists a browser extension.
- Only Grasshopper lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Grasshopper also covers shared inbox.
At a glance
| Calilio | Grasshopper | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $12 per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $14 per month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Calilio Pte. Ltd. | Grasshopper |
| Price read from | calilio.com | grasshopper.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Calilio
- Solo founders and small teams on a tight budget
- Businesses that call and text mostly in the US and Canada
- Teams that want numbers in many countries from one account
Grasshopper
- Solo founders who want a business number on their own phone
- Small teams that want a flat bill however many people answer
- Businesses that need a toll-free or vanity number
Worth knowing
Calilio
- Calls and texts beyond the bundle come out of a prepaid wallet; outbound US and Canada calls are $0.0178 a minute and US texts $0.0034 each.
- Standard is capped at 10 users, and IVR, the power dialer and live monitoring need Premium.
- There is no desktop app; Calilio runs in the browser, a Chrome extension and the mobile apps. API and webhook access is marked coming soon.
- Texting US numbers needs A2P 10DLC registration: $4.50 for the brand and $15 for campaign screening, plus monthly campaign fees.
Grasshopper
- Sold only in the US and Canada; international calls are billed per minute by destination.
- Texting needs carrier registration: a $19.50 one-time fee and $1.50 a month on every plan.
- Extra numbers cost $9 a month each on annual billing ($10 monthly), and extra extensions $3 ($5 monthly).
- The pricing page shows annual prices and says annual billing saves over 20%; only Solo Plus's monthly price ($32) was readable.
Key features
Calilio
- Free number and numbers in 100+ countries
- One free local US, Canada or UK number per user, with more numbers to buy or port in over 100 countries and number sharing across the team.
- Bundled minutes and texts
- Each plan includes US and Canada calling minutes and SMS each month; after that, calls and texts are charged per minute or segment from a wallet.
- Call routing
- Simultaneous, sequential and round-robin ring strategies and call forwarding on Standard; IVR and business hours on Premium.
- Power dialer and live monitoring
- Premium adds a power dialer with call dispositions, plus listen, whisper, barge-in and end-call controls for supervisors.
- AI transcription and voice agent
- Plans include a small monthly allowance of AI transcription and AI Voice Agent minutes: 10 each on Standard and 100 each on Premium.
- CRM integrations
- HubSpot and Pipedrive integrations, with Salesforce and Zoho CRM marked as coming soon.
Grasshopper
- A second number on your phone
- Pick a local, toll-free or vanity number and use it through the mobile or desktop app, keeping business calls apart from a personal number.
- Shared inbox
- Calls, texts and voicemails sit in one thread per customer, and the inbox is shared so the whole team sees the same history.
- Extensions and call forwarding
- Forward calls to any number and add extensions for staff or departments: one on True Solo, three on Solo Plus and unlimited on Small Business.
- Recording and AI call summaries
- Call recording with transcription, plus call summaries and AI sentiment drawn from customer calls.
- Automated replies
- Instant Response sends a set text reply when a call is missed, and scheduled auto-replies cover hours when no one is working.
- Virtual fax
- Inbound faxes arrive by email and in the app, without a fax machine.
Plans
Calilio
Standard$12
per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Up to 10 users. A free number, 200 outgoing and 100 incoming US/Canada minutes, 100 texts each way, call recording, ring strategies and forwarding.
Premium$28
per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Unlimited users. 1,000 outgoing and 500 incoming minutes, 500 texts each way, IVR, a power dialer, live call monitoring, bulk SMS and AI call analytics.
EnterpriseCustom
A custom plan for larger usage, with a dedicated account manager, developer support, and phone and WhatsApp support.
Grasshopper
True Solo$14
per month, billed annually
One user, one local or toll-free number and one extension, with unlimited calls and texts.
Solo Plus$25
per month, billed annually ($32 billed monthly)
Unlimited users at no extra cost, one number and three extensions; more extensions cost $3 a month each.
Small Business$55
per month, billed annually
Unlimited users, four numbers and unlimited extensions, with advanced call routing and call tracking.
Ways to pay less
Calilio
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Calilio's pricing page offers 20% off for annual billing: Standard is $12 a month billed annually ($144 a year) against $15 monthly.
Grasshopper
- Annual discount
Annual savings over 20%
Grasshopper's pricing page says annual billing saves over 20%; its comparison page gives Solo Plus as $25 a month annually against $32 monthly.
