Grasshopper vs Google Voice
Grasshopper vs Google Voice: two cheap ways to look like a business.
Grasshopper is a flat-rate number that forwards to your cell. Google Voice is a per-user line inside Workspace. Both are fine until the phone actually needs answering.
7-day free trial on every plan · No per-minute charges · Competitor facts verified September 2026
Grasshopper and Google Voice are the two names solo operators and tiny teams compare when they want a business number without a business phone system. Grasshopper is priced per account, from $18 a month, offers local, toll-free and vanity numbers, and forwards calls to whatever phones you already own, with no integrations of any kind. Google Voice is priced per user, from $10 a month plus a Google Workspace license for team use, offers local numbers only, and lives inside Gmail, Calendar and Meet. Both are monthly. The right pick depends on how many people share the number and whether it needs to be toll-free.
ROUND BY ROUND
Grasshopper vs Google Voice, where each one wins.
Pricing
Grasshopper winsGrasshopper True Solo is $18 a month ($14 annual) for one number and one extension; Solo Plus is $32 for one number, three extensions and unlimited users. Google Voice Starter is $10 per user plus a Workspace license from $7, about $17 for one person but $51 for three, and Standard with an auto-attendant is $27 per user. For a solo owner the two are close; for two or more people sharing one line, Grasshopper's flat account price wins clearly.
Where Ody lands: Ody is per user at $19 on Starter, with no other subscription required and taxes the only extra.
Number types
Grasshopper winsGrasshopper sells local, toll-free and vanity numbers, includes one to four per account by plan, and adds extras at $9 a month. Google Voice provides local numbers only, cannot port toll-free numbers in, and charges a small unlock fee to port a personal Voice number out. If your marketing needs an 800 number or a memorable vanity line, Google is not an option.
Where Ody lands: Ody includes local and toll-free numbers, one per user, with extras at $5 a month and free porting.
Texting
EvenGrasshopper offers unlimited US and Canada texting after 10DLC registration, which is its top complaint: $19.50 plus $1.50-10 a month, $15 per rejected resubmission, and no registration for sole proprietors without an EIN. Google Voice texts US recipients only, with no Canada, and reviewers report business sends being spam-filtered. Grasshopper is better once it works; Google is easier but narrower. Even.
Where Ody lands: Ody includes per-user US and Canada texting on every plan and handles 10DLC registration during onboarding.
Apps and integrations
Google Voice winsGoogle Voice's advantage is where it lives: inside Gmail, Calendar and Meet, with clean browser and mobile apps, good voicemail transcription, and Gemini note-taking on Standard and Premier. Grasshopper's iOS, Android and desktop apps are simple and reliable, but there is no CRM, no Zapier, no API and analytics capped at 90 days. Neither integrates with a CRM, but Google at least integrates with the tools a Workspace team already uses.
Where Ody lands: Ody includes a shared inbox, 43 integrations, a REST API, webhooks and MCP for ChatGPT and Claude on every plan.
Contracts and support
EvenBoth are monthly with no contract; Grasshopper also offers a prepaid annual plan at about 20% off. Grasshopper includes 24/7 phone and chat support and a 7-day no-card trial, but cancellation requires a phone call with your account PIN. Google Voice is managed and cancelled from the Workspace admin console, with support through Workspace channels and no trial for Voice itself. Better support against easier exit: a draw.
Where Ody lands: Ody bills monthly or annually, with a 7-day trial and plan changes in the app.
PRICING
What each one actually costs.
Grasshopper
Per-account (not per-user) pricing, no contract, 7-day no-card trial. Extra numbers $9/mo, extra extensions $3-5/mo; texting requires 10DLC registration ($19.50 one-time + $1.50-10/mo campaign fee, $15 per rejected resubmission) and is not offered to sole proprietors without an EIN; receptionist add-ons are sold through partner Ruby (from roughly $160-250/mo); international calling needs a $500 advance deposit. Cancellation is by phone with the account PIN, not in-app.
Google Voice for Google Workspace
Team use requires a paid Google Workspace subscription (from $7/user/mo), so the realistic minimum is about $17/user/mo. No published annual discount. Standalone single-user US-only plans launched July 2026. The free personal tier is unfit for business texting under 10DLC rules.
Ody
One number per user included; extra local or toll-free numbers $5/mo each. Business texting needs one-time 10DLC registration ($20 setup + $4/mo per texting number, handled during onboarding). International calling is a $5/mo add-on with $5 of usage included. Plans are billed monthly or prepaid annually (annual saves up to 30%). Taxes apply; there are no per-minute charges and no AI credits.
Try for free →PRICE PER TEAM SIZE
What a team pays each month.
Monthly billing, September 2026 list prices, before taxes and fees. Grasshopper is per account: True Solo ($18, one number, one extension), Solo Plus ($32, one number, three extensions, unlimited users) and Small Business ($70, four numbers, unlimited extensions); recording is Solo Plus and up. Google Voice Standard ($20/user) is the first tier with an auto-attendant and ring groups, plus the $7/user Google Workspace license required for team use; Starter ($10 plus Workspace) has neither. Ody Growth ($33/user monthly, $23 annual) includes IVR, auto recording and the AI receptionist.
SIDE BY SIDE
Feature by feature, all three.
Competitor facts from their published pricing & docs, verified September 2026. Ody facts mirror our pricing page.
| Feature | Grasshopper | Google Voice for Google Workspace | Ody |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI answering | |||
| AI receptionist answers calls | GrasshopperPartner add-on via Ruby (AI, human or hybrid), from ~$160-250/mo | Google Voice— | OdyIncluded on every plan |
| What the AI costs | GrasshopperRuby partner pricing, from ~$160-250/mo | Google VoiceNot offered | Ody$0 extra. No credits, no minute bundles |
| AI call summaries & transcripts | Grasshopper— | Google VoiceStandard+ (Gemini note-taking, English only) | OdyGrowth+ |
| Turn AI on/off per line & hour | Grasshopper— | Google Voice— | Ody✓ |
| Phone system | |||
| US & Canada calling | Grasshopper✓ | Google Voice✓ | Ody✓ |
| Business texting (SMS/MMS) | GrasshopperUnlimited US/CA after 10DLC ($19.50 + $1.50-10/mo); no sole proprietors | Google VoiceUS recipients only; reviewers report spam-filtered sends | OdyUS & Canada, 10DLC handled |
| Phone number included | Grasshopper1-4 per account; extras $9/mo | Google Voice1 per user | Ody1 per user; extras $5/mo |
| Toll-free numbers | GrasshopperLocal, toll-free & vanity | Google Voice— | Ody✓ |
| Free number porting | Grasshopper✓ | Google VoiceYes (unlock fee on personal numbers) | Ody✓ |
| Phone menus (IVR) | GrasshopperBasic extensions | Google VoiceStandard+ ($20) | OdyGrowth+ |
| Auto call recording | GrasshopperSolo Plus+ only | Google VoicePremier only ($30) | OdyGrowth+ |
| Voicemail transcription | Grasshopper✓ | Google Voice✓ | Ody✓ |
| Video meetings | Grasshopper— | Google VoiceVia Google Meet (Workspace) | Ody— |
| Hardware required | GrasshopperNone (forwards to your cell) | Google VoiceNone (browser + mobile apps) | OdyNone. Browser + iOS app |
| Team & integrations | |||
| Shared team inbox | Grasshopper— | Google Voice— | Ody✓ |
| CRM integrations | Grasshopper— | Google Voice— | Ody43 integrations, every plan |
| ChatGPT / Claude (MCP) | Grasshopper— | Google Voice— | Ody✓ |
| Developer API & webhooks | Grasshopper— | Google Voice— | OdyEvery plan |
| Analytics & reporting | GrasshopperCapped at 90 days | Google VoicePremier (BigQuery) | OdyGrowth+ |
| Commercial | |||
| Seat minimum | GrasshopperNone | Google VoiceNone (Starter caps at 10) | OdyNone |
| Contract | GrasshopperMonthly or annual; cancel by phone | Google VoiceMonthly | OdyBilled monthly or annually. Change plans in-app |
| Fees above list price | Grasshopper10DLC fees, $500 international deposit, sales tax; add-ons per number/extension | Google VoiceRequires Google Workspace ($7+/user/mo) | OdyTaxes only. No recovery or E911 line items |
| Free trial | Grasshopper7 days | Google VoiceNone for Voice itself | Ody7 days, every plan, full product |
| Support | Grasshopper24/7 phone and chat | Google VoiceGoogle Workspace support | OdyEmail (Starter), live chat (Growth), phone + onboarding (Enterprise) |
| Self-serve setup & plan changes | GrasshopperSetup yes; cancellation requires a phone call | Google Voice✓ | Ody✓ |
VERDICT BY USE CASE
Which one should you pick?
$10 on top of the Workspace bill, one clean app inside Gmail and Calendar, and cancellation in the admin console. Grasshopper costs more for a single user and adds nothing a Workspace user needs.
Solo Plus is $32 a month for one number, three extensions and unlimited users. Google Voice charges per user plus per Workspace license, so three people pay $51-81.
Local, toll-free and vanity numbers on every plan. Google Voice offers local numbers only and cannot port toll-free in.
Neither Grasshopper nor Google Voice answers a missed call or syncs to a CRM. Ody includes a 24/7 AI receptionist, a shared inbox and 43 integrations on every plan from $19 per user.
EVERYTHING INCLUDED
The whole phone system,
with the AI built in. One price.
Scroll through what every Ody workspace ships with: a number, calling and texting, a shared inbox, and a receptionist that never clocks out.
ChatGPT
Claude
CursorGo deeper, feature by feature.
All features →FAQ
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