Grasshopper vs Talkroute
We give Grasshopper a 3.0 GPA and Talkroute a 2.6, out of 4.0. Grasshopper grades higher on value for money and ease of use. Talkroute grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Grasshopper
Virtual business number on your own phone, priced per account
Talkroute
Virtual phone system with call menus, texting and video meetings
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAGrasshopperVery good | 2.6GPATalkrouteGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BPlus is $39 a month for 3 users plus $5 for each extra, so $49 for five, about $9.80 a head, inside this category's cheaper quarter ($14). Those are monthly prices. On your own, Basic is $19. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day free trial with no credit card needed. No free plan. | CA 7-day free trial: cancel inside the 7 days and nothing is charged. No free plan. |
| Features | 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. | CLocal and toll-free numbers, call menus and extensions, texting, voicemail and video meetings for 100. It covers the basics, but recording and reporting need Pro, texts are capped (2,000 a month on Plus), and the AI receptionist is in beta. |
| Ease of use | A4.75 from about 46,000 App Store ratings. Pick a number, install the app and the calls start ringing. | CNo App Store rating on record. There's a call menu and extensions to set up, and local numbers need texting registration first. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, which few here match, plus an API. Zapier is the only listed integration. |
| Best for | a second business number on your own phone | one flat price for a few people and a call menu |
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: Grasshopper and Talkroute. How we grade
Price against what you get
Grasshopper starts at $14 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Talkroute starts at $19 a month and scores 2.7.
Grasshopper scores higher and starts $5 a month lower. Of the other business phone systems on the chart, none scores higher than Grasshopper for less, and 4 score higher than Talkroute 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
- Grasshopper starts at $14 per month, billed annually. Talkroute starts at $19 per month for 1 user, plus $5 per additional user.
- Only Talkroute lists a web app.
- Only Talkroute lists a Linux app.
- Grasshopper also covers transcription and shared inbox.
- Talkroute also covers video calls.
At a glance
| Grasshopper | Talkroute | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $14 per month, billed annually | $19 per month for 1 user, plus $5 per additional user |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | 7-day free trial; cancel within 7 days and nothing is charged |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Grasshopper | Talkroute |
| Price read from | grasshopper.com | talkroute.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Talkroute
- Small businesses that want one price for a few users
- Teams that want call menus and extensions without desk phones
- Linux users, since Talkroute ships a Linux desktop app
Worth knowing
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.
Talkroute
- The pricing page shows monthly prices only; it says annual plans save money but gives no annual prices.
- Call recording, reporting and a HIPAA business associate agreement need the Pro plan.
- Texting from local numbers needs registration: $19 once on Basic or $15 on Plus, plus $1.50 a month on Basic.
- The AI Receptionist (beta) starts at $39 a month plus $0.40 per AI minute, and bulk texting at $55 a month; both need a phone plan.
Key features
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.
Talkroute
- Local and toll-free numbers
- Each plan includes 1 to 3 local or toll-free numbers with unlimited calling; more numbers are $5 a month, and US and Canadian numbers port in free.
- Call menus and extensions
- Plus adds a call menu with single-digit extensions, simultaneous ring and hours of operation; Pro adds unlimited menus and multi-digit extensions.
- Business texting
- SMS and MMS from the business number, with 500 to 5,000 texts a month included; toll-free numbers register for texting at no charge.
- Video meetings
- HD video meetings for up to 100 people with screen sharing and in-meeting chat, included free with every phone plan for a limited time.
- Call recording and reporting
- Pro adds call recording, scheduled call forwarding, reporting and five professionally voiced greetings from Voice Studio.
- AI Receptionist
- A beta add-on that answers calls 24/7, books appointments, takes messages and writes call summaries and transcripts.
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.
Talkroute
Basic$19
per month for 1 user, plus $5 per additional user
1 phone number, 1 mailbox, 500 texts a month, unlimited calling (reasonable use), forwarding and routing, video meetings, apps and the API.
Plus$39
per month for up to 3 users, plus $5 per additional user
2 numbers, 3 mailboxes, 2,000 texts a month, a call menu with single-digit extensions, simultaneous ring, live call transfer and business hours.
Pro$59
per month for up to 10 users, plus $5 per additional user
3 numbers, 10 mailboxes, 5,000 texts a month, unlimited menus, multi-digit extensions, call recording, reporting, Voice Studio and a HIPAA BAA.
EnterpriseCustom
For 20+ users, with 10+ numbers, bulk texting and user discounts, an SLA, a dedicated account manager and priority onboarding.
Ways to pay less
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.
Talkroute
- Other savings
10% off the first year for new clients
A banner on Talkroute's site offers new clients 10% off their first year, with no annual purchase required.
