Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to invest in physical business phone systems with tons of wires and hardware. Now, you can connect the people in your company and with your customers quite easily. One of the best products in this software category is Grasshopper, as it is simple to use and comes with all essential communication tools.
However, based on our communication software analysis, this platform is still not the go-to app for many businesses despite its comprehensive functionalities. Apparently, there are some minor issues to take note of as well as a simple difference of preference.
Thus, many use different Grasshopper alternatives. These systems rival the product in many ways, from the extensiveness of their feature sets to the affordability of their pricing plans. So, to help you figure out which software can meet your needs, we will be breaking down the different capabilities of these virtual phone systems for you.
An Overview of Grasshopper
Grasshopper is a popular virtual phone system that is ideal for small business owners. It provides them with toll-free numbers that are great for a national presence and marketing. Also, you can even create local numbers to improve your hyperlocal presence. Furthermore, you can even generate vanity numbers to help you increase brand recall.
What’s also great about Grasshopper is that it’s affordable. You don’t have to invest much to get its full benefits. Plus, you get 24/7 support for any Grasshopper plan being offered. It also sends texts automatically to clients and prospects that you just can’t reach via the phone.
Furthermore, you can port your current number to Grasshopper. This means that when you have a great phone number with many people having it handy, you can continue to use it when you transition to Grasshopper’s virtual phone system. Moreover, its pricing plan starts at a low $26 a month for one number and three extensions billed annually.
Reasons to Look for Grasshopper Alternatives
Sure, Grasshopper is a comprehensive app with features such as incoming call control, extensions, voicemail, call forwarding, business texting, virtual fax, call transfers, and instant response. However, your plan or service is quite limited to the number of hardware you already have. So, it is not like other PBX or virtual phone systems that come with extra hardware.
This is a small concern as you can scale up your hardware anytime you need to. However, it is an extra headache for some when they set it up for the first time. This is because they have to connect other devices to the software service themselves. Some businesses just want to buy products and services for PBX and virtual phones without worrying about anything else.
Still, Grasshopper is a very good choice if you need a business-grade Voice over IP (VoIP) solution for small businesses. The only problem is that it is harder to use for growing companies and larger corporations that require more complex PBX systems.
Top Grasshopper Alternatives
In this section, we listed down the top Grasshopper alternatives on the market today. However, we did not list them down in any order as even though they are similar, they have stark differences. Moreover, each of their differences makes each of them a go-to application for many. For example, some have higher price tags because they include hardware in their plans. These may not be a good choice for small businesses but can be great for enterprise-level organizations.
1. RingCentral
RingCentral is a cloud-based voice communication platform great for organizing business conferences and online meetings, among others. Thus, it eliminates many needs when it comes to setting up a traditional PBX setup. Moreover, RingCentral allows you to manage your calls even offsite. Thanks to its apps for Android and iOS, you can take the platform wherever you go, provided that you have an internet connection.
Its key features include visual voicemail, video conferencing, call forwarding, audio conferencing, internet fax, unlimited business SMS, and call monitoring. Other features rounding out this offering include collaboration tools, reporting, user templates, paging, shared lines, and many others.
RingCentral also integrates well with other apps, such as Zendesk, Okta, Salesforce, Box, and Outlook, among others so you can extend its functionalities. For pricing, plans start at $29.99 per month per user. There is also a free trial option that you can try to check out all its features.
2. Nextiva
Nextiva Business Communication Suite is one of the best Grasshopper alternatives out there because it includes unlimited calls and faxes. Moreover, this cloud-based unified communications solution also offers other key features such as auto attendants, instant conference calling, instant messaging, call queueing, number portability, and many others.
All of these help users decrease management headaches and concentrate on improving customer experience. Just like other top hosted-VoIP tools, it outsources its management to an efficient company. In this way, they can free up resources and time for their IT and maintenance departments. Moreover, thanks to its cloud-based setup, you can manage your PBX via a centralized system easily.
Furthermore, the user interface is easy to understand with a slick design. It can also scale easily with your business needs. Plus, it integrates well with CRM platforms and even Outlook. Lastly, pricing starts at $19.95 per month.
3. Vonage Business
Vonage Business is another popular business phone system that easily scales with your operations. It is also effortless to use, just like the other Grasshopper alternatives. The app helps you with your communications by centralizing and systematizing your network. Thus, it creates a better environment for productivity by opening up communication lines.
Furthermore, you can customize the features that you can use with Vonage Business. Key capabilities include an admin portal, mobile apps, call logs, call recording, HD voice calls, conference calls, caller ID, toll-free numbers, local numbers, call monitoring, and, chat among others.
Moreover, Vonage Business integrates well with other business apps like CRM software. It works seamlessly with Salesforce, Clio, G Suite, Slack, and even Zoho CRM, to name a few. Lastly, pricing starts at $19.99 per month per line, plus taxes and fees. This is just for mobile. However, you can make use of its free trial plan to gauge if it fits your operations best.
4. Jive Communications
Cloud-based Jive Communication is very efficient and cost-effective. It provides its clients with enterprise-grade telephone systems and services. Also, it offers excellent phone call quality, just like the other applications here. With an easy-to-use software interface, it can help you manage your PBX easily from the cloud.
Key features include group calls, voicemail to email, and auto-attendants. Other tools that round out the solution include local numbers, unlimited extensions, music on hold, time-based routing, toll-free numbers, call recording, call queuing, conference bridges, and call analytics. Moreover, it has applications for both Android and iOS devices. Thus, you can manage your business call processes anywhere and anytime if you have an internet connection.
Furthermore, Jive Communications integrates easily with Salesforce, Redtail, Zoho, Microsoft, Clio, and many other partners. It also has a very good pricing scheme. For one to 99 users, it is available from $19.95 to $29.95 per month.
5. 8×8
8×8 is a great company if you want both hardware and software installed. It has plans for small businesses and enterprise-level organizations as well. 8×8 is an advanced system for virtual phone systems. It comes with tools, such as speech analytics and a multichannel contact center. There even a co-browse feature and higher-tiered plans.
Also, what’s great about 8×8 is that it provides all these comprehensive features via a very intuitive interface. It is so easy to use that a teenager can set it up for you. Plus, you can choose which phone accessories you can connect with the software. These include hardware options, ranging from conference phones to fax adapters.
Moreover, it integrates well with other apps like HubSpot, NetSuite applications, G Suite, Slack, and even CRM platforms. In this way, you can easily connect it to your legacy systems and other applications. It is also available via quote-based plans as it is personalized just for you.
6. Mitel
Mitel is a provider of communication, collaboration, and contact center solutions for both small businesses and enterprise-level organizations. It is being used by different organizations, ranging from sports and entertainment to the health care industry. Plus, it is one of the most trusted providers out there rivaling Avaya, Cisco, and RingCentral for cloud communications.
Key tools include business VoIP, enterprise-grade security, collaboration tools, power dialer, sentiment gauge, speech analytics, and many more. What’s great about this app is that you can customize the deployment according to your needs.
However, Mitel’s notable clients are quite on the enterprise-side of things. Thus, it is not a go-to application for small business owners. But, it is priced very well, costing users $20.99 per user a month. This plan is also complete with PBX features, conferencing, and collaboration tools.
7. Dialpad
Last but not least on our list of Grasshopper alternatives is Dialpad, a best-in-class PBX system that’s simple to use and is available to both small businesses and large enterprises. It provides you with voice call features, contact center management, and AI capabilities that are all lounged on the cloud. Thus, you can manage your virtual phone system easily from anywhere.
Furthermore, Dialpad is a comprehensive suite for businesses. It provides different products and modules for different users. For example, you can only avail of UberConference that allows you to hold online meetings, complete with notetaking features. It also has DialpadSupport for delivering contact center solutions, which comes with CSAT survey tools. Of course, its flagship product called DialpadTalk is your complete business phone system that can work in any device, anywhere, and any time.
To top it all off, you can extend the capabilities of Dialpad, thanks to its integrations. It works seamlessly with other tools, including G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Slack, Zapier, and Salesforce, among others. Lastly, it is priced quite reasonably with paid plans starting at $15 a month per user when billed annually.
What’s the Best Grasshopper Alternative?
Well, there you have it, our list of Grasshopper alternatives. But, it is tough to answer the question of what is best for you. However, we can give you ideas on how to choose one, according to your business’s scale and needs.
Firstly, Grasshopper is best for small businesses because it doesn’t offer hardware solutions. That said, if you are representing an enterprise-level organization that requires heavy-duty phone systems, you might want to choose 8×8 or Mitel instead.
Secondly, while Grasshopper offers a great set of tools, it is not a platform that can easily adapt to the changing needs of your business. So, if you want a scalable solution, you can opt to select RingCentral or Vonage Business.
All in all, the best way to find the best alternative for you is just to try out all these apps using their free trial options. In this way, you’ll get the hang of their interface, features, and service.
Alternatively, if you are looking for customer-facing communication tools, you might want to expand your search a little bit. Some of the best call center software on the market might just offer the functionalities that you require.