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Grasshopper pricing starts at $14 per month. And, compared to Grasshopper competitors like Nextiva, that's relatively affordable.
However, Grasshopper's phone system adds taxes, surcharges, and regulatory fees on top of every plan. And, depending on your state, those additions can push your monthly bill $10 to $20 higher than expected.
That's before you include add-ons like a virtual receptionist and international calling. For small businesses watching their budgets, it can be an expensive option.
In this post, we'll break down Grasshopper pricing plans, what you get, hidden fees, and more.
We'll also introduce you to iPlum, a mobile-first phone system built for team management, security, and scale.
iPlum, like Grasshopper, offers VoIP services, boasting 50+ calling and texting features as well as HIPAA compliance.
But, unlike Grasshopper's pricing plans, where the charges pile up, iPlum is affordable with its Standard tier starting at $8.99 per month.
Also read: iPlum vs. Grasshopper—Which is Best for Business?
Table of Contents
1. How much does Grasshopper cost?
2. The features you'd expect as standard that Grasshopper locks behind upgrades
3. Grasshopper taxes and surcharges
4. Where Grasshopper's pricing model breaks down for growing businesses
5. iPlum: An affordable Grasshopper alternative
6. iPlum pricing: a quick overview
7. What you get for less with iPlum
8. Grasshopper pricing vs iPlum: side-by-side cost comparison
Grasshopper pricing: is it worth it?
How much does Grasshopper cost?
Grasshopper pricing plans come in three tiers: True Solo, Solo Plus, and Small Business.
The True Solo plan starts at $14 per month, billed annually.
It's built for a single operator — one user, business phone number, and extension. It's the most stripped-back option Grasshopper offers.
The Solo Plus plan costs $25 per month on annual billing savings.
It opens up unlimited users and three extensions, all sharing a single business number. It's ideal for small teams that don't want to pay per user.
The Small Business plan costs $55 per month, billed annually.
It's the most expensive tier, and the only one that gives you access to unlimited extensions and four business phone numbers.
On monthly billing, those prices cost $26, $44, and $80, respectively, a steep increase from the annual rate.
In addition, business texting includes a $19.50 one-time registration fee plus a $1.50 monthly billing fee across all three Grasshopper plans,
Those right there are additional costs already built into the base price, even before taxes hit your bill.
The features you'd expect as standard that Grasshopper locks behind upgrades
Grasshopper's phone system presents itself as a complete solution for small businesses.
However, it locks several features that competitors like iPlum offer as standard, behind higher tiers or sold as paid add-ons.
Here's where the grasshopper pricing model starts to cost you more than the headline number suggests.
Call recording
Call recording isn't available on the True Solo plan at all.
To get it, you'd need to upgrade to Solo Plus or the Small Business plan. For any business that needs to document business calls for quality control or compliance, it comes across as a forced upgrade.
Interactive voice response (IVR)
An auto attendant or IVR is a standard feature on most VoIP systems, including iPlum. With Grasshopper, however, it's locked behind the Small Business plan.
Solo operators and small teams on lower tiers don't get it. That means no automated menu to route inbound calls professionally if you're in the True Solo plan.
Simultaneous call handling
Simultaneous calls are also unavailable on the True Solo plan.
Therefore, two people call your business number at the same time, one of them won't get through unless you're on the Solo Plus or Small Business plan.If you're trying to project a professional image, that can be an impactful limitation.
Additional extensions
The True Solo plan gives you one extension and no ability to add more. On Solo Plus, additional extensions cost $3 per month each. Only the Small Business plan gives you unlimited extensions as part of the base price.
Virtual receptionist
A virtual receptionist isn't built into any Grasshopper plans. It's a paid add-on, with US-based receptionists handling your inbound calls at an extra monthly cost.
For small businesses that want call handling without hiring staff, that fee adds up fast.
Grasshopper taxes and surcharges
Grasshopper pricing doesn't stop at the plan rate.
As a service provider, Grasshopper adds taxes and surcharges on top of every bill, which vary depending on your state.
There are two categories to know about.
First, statutory taxes — fees the government mandates, like the Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF). Second, service provider fees — surcharges Grasshopper collects to offset its own regulatory costs.
The FUSF alone can add $3 to $6 to your monthly bill, and it fluctuates quarterly. On top of that, Grasshopper charges a Regulatory Recovery Fee of roughly $1.50 to $4.00 per line.
State-level surcharges compound the problem further.
California, for example, has some of the highest telecom fees in the country. A business on the Small Business plan paying $55 per month could end up with a bill closer to $70 after state surcharges, the 911 emergency fee, and local utility taxes.
And California isn't unique. Here's what that same $55 monthly billing rate looks like after taxes in other states:
- New York: ~$65.18/month
- Texas: ~$61.88/month
- Florida: ~$63.25/month
- Illinois: ~$64.08/month
- Oregon: ~$56.38/month
For small businesses comparing actual costs, that difference can be significant.
Where Grasshopper's pricing model breaks down for growing businesses
Grasshopper's phone system works reasonably well for a solo operator who makes business calls and needs little else. However, once a business starts to grow, the pricing model gets harder to justify.
Let's unpack that.
Per-number pricing adds up fast
Additional phone numbers cost $9 per month each, on top of your plan.
A business running multiple departments or locations would need multiple numbers, and that cost compounds quickly. Grasshopper plans don't bundle numbers in a way that supports scaling businesses.
No HIPAA compliance, at any tier
Grasshopper offers no HIPAA compliance across all its pricing tiers.
That's a dealbreaker for businesses in healthcare, legal, or financial services. iPlum, by comparison, offers true HIPAA compliance in its Professional plan, at $14.99 per user.
No advanced call analytics
Sure, Grasshopper offers basic analytics.
However, advanced call analytics aren't part of any Grasshopper pricing plans. Therefore, businesses that track performance, monitor outbound calls, or report on call handling metrics will find the reporting inadequate.
Limited call routing
Grasshopper doesn't offer complex call routing on its lower tiers. It, therefore, may not handle the needs of businesses with high call volumes or those that want to route inbound calls to the right person efficiently.
iPlum: An affordable Grasshopper alternative
Grasshopper's phone system is built around a simple premise.
Give small businesses a business phone number that's separate from their personal phone. And it does that.
However, the actual costs, locked features, and added surcharges make it a harder sell once you do the math.
iPlum covers the same ground and goes further for less money.
For starters, iPlum is a mobile-first phone system built for small businesses, solo operators, and regulated industries. It runs on your existing mobile device, so there's no new hardware to buy.
And unlike Grasshopper, iPlum absorbs taxes and surcharges internally, so the price you see on the pricing page is what you pay.
iPlum also offers HIPAA compliance, encrypted texting, call recording, and voicemail transcription, features that Grasshopper either locks behind upgrades or doesn't offer at all.
For businesses in healthcare, legal, or financial services, that's important. A phone system that can't meet compliance requirements isn't a cost-saving option, but it's a liability.
iPlum's Standard plan starts at $8.99 per user per month. That's $6 less than Grasshopper's True Solo plan, and it comes with more included features.
iPlum pricing: a quick overview
iPlum offers three plans, all billed per user.
The Standard plan costs $8.99 per user per month, billed annually.
While it's the lowest tier, it covers business calls, business texting, voicemail, a phone tree and call forwarding. It also offers business number separation from your personal phone.
The Professional plan costs $14.99 per user per month, billed annually.
It adds HIPAA compliance, a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), encrypted texting, voicemail transcription, group text, scheduled texts, and call recording archiving.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise plan costs $25.99 per user per month, billed annually. It's built for regulated industries and adds call recording, ten-year archiving, and recording consent announcements.
All three plans absorb taxes and surcharges internally. There's no registration surcharge on top, regulatory recovery fee, or quarterly FUSF adjustment in your bill.
What you get for less with iPlum
iPlum's pricing holds up well against Grasshopper pricing at every tier as outlined below.
Standard plan — $8.99 per user per month
At $8.99 per user, iPlum's Standard plan costs $5 less per month than Grasshopper's True Solo plan. And it's priced per user, meaning every person on your account gets their own dedicated business phone number and extension.
The plan covers unlimited calling in the US and Canada, business texting, a phone tree with an auto attendant, call forwarding, voicemail, spam blocking, and business hours scheduling. It also runs on both iOS and Android mobile apps.
Compare that to Grasshopper's True Solo plan, which gives one user, number, extension and no simultaneous calls, or IVR for $14 per month.
Professional plan — $14.99 per user per month
The Professional plan is where iPlum pulls ahead in a meaningful way for regulated industries.
At $14.99 per user, it matches Grasshopper's Solo Plus plan price almost dollar for dollar. However, the feature gap between the two is significant.
iPlum's Professional plan adds HIPAA compliance and a BAA, encrypted texting, voicemail transcription, group text, broadcast text, scheduled texts, text templates, business contacts, and one year of text archiving.
It also gives clients a free iPlum account to communicate securely with your business.
Grasshopper's Solo Plus plan at $25 per month gives you unlimited users sharing one number, three extensions, and call recording. However, it doesn't offer HIPAA compliance, encrypted messaging or archiving.
For a medical practice, law firm, or financial services business, iPlum's Professional plan at $14.99 isn't just cheaper. It's the only one of the two that meets compliance requirements.
Enterprise plan — $25.99 per user per month
iPlum's Enterprise plan costs $25.99 per user per month. That's less than Grasshopper's Small Business plan at $55 per month. That said, the Small Business plan doesn't even offer compliance features.
The Enterprise plan adds call recording with ten-year archiving, recording consent announcements, and all Professional plan features.
For businesses in finance, insurance, or healthcare with strict recordkeeping requirements, that's a complete compliance package at a fraction of Grasshopper's top-tier cost.
Grasshopper pricing vs iPlum: side-by-side cost comparison
Here's how Grasshopper and iPlum compare on price and essential business calling and texting features.
Grasshopper FAQs
How much does the Grasshopper app cost?
Grasshopper's plans start at $14 per month, billed annually. The Solo Plus plan costs $25 per month and the Small Business plan costs $55 per month, all before taxes and surcharges.
What is the average price at Grasshopper?
Grasshopper's average plan cost sits around $25 to $55 per month before taxes. After state surcharges and regulatory fees, most businesses pay $10 to $20 more than the advertised rate.
How much does iPlum cost?
iPlum starts at $8.99 per user per month on the Standard plan. The Professional plan costs $14.99 per user, and the Enterprise plan costs $25.99 per user, all billed annually.
Grasshopper pricing: is it worth it?
Grasshopper pricing looks reasonable at $14 per month.
But once state surcharges, regulatory fees, and locked features enter the picture, the actual monthly cost racks up fast.
For a basic business phone number with call forwarding and voicemail, Grasshopper gets the job done.
But for small businesses that need HIPAA compliance, encrypted texting, simultaneous calls, or an auto attendant without upgrading to the most expensive tier, it can be significantly expensive.
iPlum starts at $8.99 per user, absorbs all surcharges, and packs more features into every plan. It provides more value from the get-go.
Click the link below to get started with iPlum.
