Google Voice vs Grasshopper

Virtual PBX Comparisons

What is Google Voice?

What’s Google Voice? Search giant Google has its own virtual phone service, and it’s called Google Voice. Google Voice is available to anyone who has a Google account. It gives users a local number that can be forwarded to another number. Grasshopper is an alternative to Google Voice.

Note: There was a lot of speculation in the VoIP and cloud phone sphere that Google Voice would be shut down. Google originally planned to discontinue the service on May 15, 2014, but it has yet to happen. Instead, it has been partially integrated into Hangouts. Google Voice still lives on as its own service for the time being.

What features does Google Voice have?

Google Voice for Business has voicemail, voicemail transcription, share voicemails, call screening, call blocking, conference with Hangouts, greetings, international calling, and SMS to email.

How is Grasshopper different than Google voice?

Is Google Voice for business? Google Voice is for any individual consumer, while Grasshopper is designed for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Features. Grasshopper has many more features than Google Voice for Business. It has extensions, multiple numbers, customer greetings, business SMS (texting), human voicemail transcription, auto attendant, and more.

Toll free numbers. Grasshopper offers toll free numbers beginning with 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833, allowing customers to call your business easily. We also offer local numbers. Google Voice doesn’t offer toll free or 800 numbers.

Can I transfer a Google Voice number? When you sign up for Grasshopper, you own the rights to your toll free or local number. If you decide to change service providers you can take the phone number with you. With Google Voice, the number is not yours. If you wish to change numbers, there is a fee.

Customer support. If something isn’t working correctly what do you do? Grasshopper offers free 24/7 phone support and can always be reached via Twitter or Facebook. Google Voice currently offers support via their forums.

How much does Google Voice cost?

Google Voice offers free local numbers to any US resident. Domestic and outbound calls to the US (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada are mostly free of charge while international calls are billed according to a schedule posted on the Google Voice website. The Google Voice cost for international calls ranges from 1-6¢ per minute depending on where the call is going.

There is a cost to change your Google Voice number ─ however, Google Voice recently announced the ability to port numbers for $20. Porting is currently inbound and limited to cell phone numbers. You can transfer your Google Voice number to another carrier, but there is a $3 cost.

Using Grasshopper with Google Voice for Business

Grasshopper is a Google Voice alternative, but the services can be used together. If you want to take advantage of Google Voice but need the features that Grasshopper offers, you can have your Grasshopper number forwarded to your Google Voice account. The services can be used together.

What are others saying about Grasshopper and Google Voice?

“As an entrepreneur taking on different aspects of business deals Google Voice was just not cutting any deal for me.” -Joe Hobot, LiveCrun.ch

“Read your voicemail is a service where your voicemails are transcribed by a human and sent to you as an email. This means your emails and voicemails can become one and honestly, your life can be simplified in a major way!” -Morgan Linton

“That Grasshopper is a superior solution for the typical business owner is almost a given when you look at the feature set and reasonable pricing.” -LongerDays

I want more information!