What Grasshopper does

Grasshopper is a US-based, cloud-hosted virtual phone system (VoIP) purpose-built for small businesses and solopreneurs. It delivers dedicated business phone numbers — including toll-free (800/833/844/855/866/877/888), vanity, and local numbers — along with extensions, call forwarding, voicemail with transcription, business SMS, call recording, custom greetings, virtual fax, and VoIP/Wi-Fi calling, all accessible via iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows apps without on-premises hardware. The platform is sold through a three-tier subscription model (True Solo, Solo Plus, Small Business) starting as low as $14/month, with unlimited users on team tiers and add-on revenue from additional numbers ($9/month), extensions ($3/month), SMS registration and messaging fees, call blasting, and professional voice actor greetings.

The go-to-market is product-led: customers self-serve through grasshopper.com, select a number, start a 7-day free trial without a credit card, and download apps within minutes. A complementary phone-sales line and a strategic partnership with SmithAI extend distribution into AI and human virtual receptionist services starting at $95/month, with 5,000+ business clients and 20M+ calls handled on that add-on. The stated base is 150,000+ small businesses served, supported by app store ratings of 4.8/5 (Apple, 40,000+ reviews) and 4.5/5 (Google Play). Grasshopper operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of GoTo Technologies, with its legal terms routed through goto.com/company/legal. The competitive positioning is intentionally horizontal at the SMB tier — the company self-describes as the only virtual phone system purpose-built and priced for small business owners, with no per-user costs on team plans and no additional hardware required.

Name

Grasshopper

Legal name

Grasshopper

Website

https://grasshopper.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Grasshopper is a cloud-based virtual phone system serving small businesses and solopreneurs with business numbers, call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and AI receptionist services, sold via tiered subscriptions and supported on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud Business Phone System (VoIP)

akta.pro primary industry

Voice Calling (VoIP) Apps (BPAMACAC)

Keywords

• Virtual phone system
• Cloud communications
• Business VoIP service
• Small business telephony
• Business phone numbers

Headquarters

HQ city

Needham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Monthly/Annual Subscription Plans: Recurring subscription revenue from three tiered plans (True Solo, Solo Plus, Small Business) billed monthly or annually. Annual plans offer 20%+ savings. Additional revenue from add-ons like additional phone numbers ($9/month), additional extensions ($3/month), call blasting ($9/month), professional voice actors ($75/order), and international calling plans.
2. Add-on Services: Additional revenue streams from SMS registration fee ($19.50 one-time), SMS messaging fee ($1.50/month), virtual receptionist services (starting at $95/month through SmithAI partnership), and international calling plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Grasshopper is a cloud-based virtual phone system (VoIP) for small businesses and entrepreneurs, delivering dedicated business phone numbers (toll-free, vanity, and local) on users' existing devices via iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows apps with no on-premises hardware. The service bundles business calling, SMS/texting, virtual voicemail with transcription, call forwarding, call recording, extensions, custom greetings, virtual fax, and an optional AI/human virtual receptionist, sold through tiered monthly/annual subscriptions starting at $14/month.

Product overview

Grasshopper is a virtual phone system built specifically for small businesses, offering a cloud-based communication platform that provides dedicated business phone numbers without requiring additional hardware. The product portfolio centers on the Grasshopper Virtual Phone System (core product) available through three pricing tiers: True Solo ($26/month), Solo Plus ($26/month), and Small Business ($85/month), all including unlimited calling, business texting, and mobile/desktop apps. The platform offers phone number types including Toll-Free Numbers (800/833/844/855/866/877/888 prefixes), Vanity Numbers (custom word/phrase numbers), Local Numbers (area-code specific), and Number Porting. Core features include Call Forwarding, Business SMS, Virtual Voicemail with Voicemail Transcription, Call Recording, Custom Greetings, Phone Extensions, Virtual Fax, Instant Response, VoIP/WiFi Calling, Setup Assistant, and Incoming Call Management. An add-on Virtual Receptionist service (powered by SmithAI partnership) provides 24/7 AI or human call handling starting at $95/month. Platform access is via iOS/Android Mobile Apps and Mac/Windows Desktop Apps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grasshopper Virtual Phone System Cloud-based virtual phone system (VoIP) that gives small businesses a dedicated business phone number on their existing devices (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows), enabling professional call handling, business texting, voicemail, and extensions without additional hardware.
• True Solo Plan Subscription tier for single-person businesses, including 1 user, 1 phone number, 1 extension, unlimited calling, and unlimited texting.
• Solo Plus Plan Team subscription tier with unlimited users, 1 phone number, 3 extensions, unlimited calling, and unlimited texting, designed for sharing a single inbox across an entire team at no per-user cost.
• Small Business Plan Subscription tier for small businesses needing communication flexibility, including 4 phone numbers, unlimited extensions, unlimited calling, and unlimited texting.
• Toll-Free Numbers Standalone toll-free phone number offering with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, or 888 prefixes that gives a business national presence and a professional image.
• Vanity Numbers Custom toll-free numbers that spell memorable words or phrases (e.g., 1-800-FLOWERS), enhancing brand memorability.
• Local Numbers Phone numbers with local area codes that help businesses build trust and credibility in specific geographic markets.
• Number Porting Service that transfers an existing business phone number to Grasshopper at no cost, preserving the business's phone identity and continuity.
• Cloud Phone System Internet-hosted phone system requiring no on-premises hardware, accessible via broadband on any internet-enabled device including smartphones and computers.
• Virtual Receptionist 24/7 AI and/or human receptionist service (delivered through SmithAI partnership) handling appointment scheduling, lead qualification, call routing, spam filtering, and payment collection for Grasshopper subscribers, starting at $95/month.
• Mobile App (iOS and Android) iOS and Android applications that let users manage business calls, texts, and voicemails while keeping personal communications separate on the same device.
• Desktop App (Mac and Windows) Mac and Windows desktop applications that provide VoIP calling, text messaging, voicemail management, and call history viewing from desktop computers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save up to $46,860 annually by using AI virtual receptionist ($95/month) instead of in-house receptionist ($4,000/month)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature13 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SmithAIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrasshopper has partnered with SmithAI, a best-in-class virtual receptionist solution provider, to offer both AI and human virtual receptionist services to customers. The partnership enables Grasshopper to provide 24/7 call handling with appointment scheduling, lead qualification, general Q&A, and call routing capabilities. SmithAI receptionists can handle complex calls accurately and efficiently with professional live agents available on-demand. This partnership allows Grasshopper to offer comprehensive receptionist services starting at $95/month compared to typical $4,000/month for in-house receptionists.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Phone.com: Virtual phone system explicitly targeting SMBs and entrepreneurs with comparable features (toll-free, vanity numbers, call forwarding, voicemail, SMS). Direct head-to-head competitor in Grasshopper's core niche.
• Dialpad: AI-first cloud communications platform serving SMBs through enterprise with voice, messaging, and AI-powered features like real-time transcription and AI agents. Increasingly competes for the same SMB virtual phone buyer.
• OpenPhone: Modern SMB-focused virtual phone system with shared numbers, texting, and AI features. Targets the same solopreneur and small-team buyer as Grasshopper with a more contemporary product narrative.
• Ooma: VoIP provider serving both residential and small business segments with virtual phone systems and cloud PBX offerings. Overlaps with Grasshopper in serving the small business buyer with feature-comparable plans.
• Nextiva: Cloud communications platform offering VoIP, virtual PBX, and contact center for SMBs and mid-market. Competes with Grasshopper on SMB phone system plans and feature breadth.
• eVoice: Long-standing virtual phone system for SMBs with toll-free numbers, call forwarding, voicemail, and extensions. Most directly overlapping product positioning with Grasshopper, though with a more legacy brand and UI.

Broad incumbents

• Vonage: Cloud communications provider (now part of Ericsson) serving SMB and mid-market with VoIP, messaging, and APIs. Competes with Grasshopper at the SMB virtual phone layer but operates a much broader portfolio.
• RingCentral: Large incumbent cloud communications provider offering UCaaS, CCaaS, and virtual phone solutions across SMB through enterprise. Broader portfolio than Grasshopper but overlaps at the SMB tier with comparable feature sets.
• 8x8: Cloud communications provider offering voice, video, chat, and contact center for SMBs through large enterprise. Established incumbent with comparable virtual phone capabilities at the lower end of its portfolio.
• Zoom Phone: Cloud phone system from Zoom extending the broader Zoom collaboration platform into telephony. Competes for the same SMB virtual phone buyer that already uses Zoom Meetings, often bundled at attractive price points.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Grasshopper
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GetGrasshopper
• Facebookfacebook.com/grasshopper
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grasshopper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grasshopper