Grasshopper vs Sonetel (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Grasshopper if

• Fits if you're a solo founder who wants a business line without carrying a second phone
• Works for a few people answering the same number on one bill

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you're outside the US and Canada, as that's the only place it's sold
• Not for you if calls need to log into a CRM, since no integrations are on record
• Tight if you need several numbers on Solo Plus, at $9 a month for each extra one
• Watch out: texting needs carrier registration, $19.50 once and $1.50 a month on every plan
• Watch out: only Solo Plus shows a monthly price, $32, and advanced routing needs Small Business at $55

Pick Sonetel if

• Fits if you want local numbers in a few countries forwarded to your phone
• Works for small teams that want pay-as-you-go calling with no contract

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay on Basic, because every number and call is charged and the bill follows the countries you pick
• Skip it if you want your business number shown on app calls without paying, as that needs a paid plan and verified identity
• Watch out: SMS is only available on some types of numbers
• Watch out: prices exclude VAT, and the default yearly rates are per user per month

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.

Sonetel

• Basic charges separately for each number and for calls, so cost depends on the numbers and countries chosen.
• Showing your business number on outbound app calls needs a paid plan and verified identity.
• SMS is available only on some types of numbers.
• The page lists prices excluding VAT, and the yearly rates shown by default are per user per month.

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.

Sonetel

Numbers in many countries

Local, national and toll-free numbers can be rented in many countries, with existing numbers ported in. Prices start at $1.79 a month.

Calls in the app or forwarded

Calls ring in the iPhone and Android app or the web app, or forward to any phone. SMS works only on some number types.

Recording and AI call notes

Premium and Business record calls and add transcripts, written summaries, a 1 to 5 score for customer calls and suggested follow-up emails.

Voice menu and voicemail

Voice response menus route callers to people or teams. Voicemail arrives by email on every plan, transcribed and summarised on paid plans.

SIP trunking and API

A Communications API and SIP trunking are offered, with the per-minute trunk rate lower on higher plans.

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.

Sonetel

• Basic$0

  No plan fee. Number subscriptions and call charges apply, 1,000 AI credits shared across the account, SMS-to-email, 2 GB of storage.

• Premium$9.95

  per user / month, billed annually ($13.95 billed monthly)

  1 free number per user, free calls to 40+ countries, 40% off other calls, recording, transcripts, summaries, voice menu, 1,000 AI credits.

• Business$29.95

  per user / month, billed annually ($39.95 billed monthly)

  5 free numbers per user, 50% off other calls, extended support, 5,000 AI credits a month and 1 TB of storage per user.

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.

Sonetel

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing lowers the monthly rate

  Premium is $9.95 a month billed yearly against $13.95 billed monthly, and Business is $29.95 against $39.95, according to the plan data on the pricing page.