The Grasshopper vs RingCentral Guide: Which Is Best For Your Business?

The Google Voice vs RingCentral GuideIf you’re in the market for affordable VoIP service, you may be wondering how Grasshopper vs RingCentral compare. Both companies offer high-quality VoIP service with tons of features that empower you to better communicate with customers and coworkers alike. The right provider for your business will depend on a number of factors, including the size of your business and your budget. 

If you want to understand how RingCentral vs Grasshopper compare, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll discuss how they’re the same, how they’re different, alternatives to both, and what types of businesses should choose each one. By the end, you should have a pretty good idea of which provider is right for your business. While we’re based in Atlanta, we serve the entire US including Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston. Click the button below to get a free quote or call us at 866-594-9166.

Request A Quote

The Vonage vs RingCentral Guide

Grasshopper vs RingCentral

Since 2003, both Grasshopper and RingCentral have been providing VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone service. VoIP lets you make and receive phone calls over the internet, rather than over a traditional telephone wire. This typically saves you tons of money and gives you more features than POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service). Some of these features include call routing, phone extensions, multi-level auto attendant, and more. 

Grasshopper and RingCentral are some of the best VoIP providers on the market. But both platforms offer different features and cater to different businesses. 

How Are They the Same?

Looking at Grasshopper vs RingCentral, both platforms share a number of features in common. Here are some ways that Grasshopper and RingCentral are the same:

• Cloud-based communication: Both RingCentral and Grasshopper offer cloud-based phone systems, which lets you access your communication tools and features from anywhere with an internet connection. 
• Virtual phone numbers: Both services offer virtual phone numbers, allowing your business to establish a professional presence with dedicated phone lines separate from your personal phone. 
• Voicemail: RingCentral and Grasshopper offer business voicemail as well as voicemail transcription. 
• Call forwarding: Both platforms support call forwarding, which lets you direct calls to a specific number or extension. 
• Mobile apps: Both services offer mobile applications that let you stay connected and manage your communications on the go. 
• Business texting: Both RingCentral and Grasshopper VoIP services include business texting features, allowing you to send and receive text messages using your business phone number. 
• Professional greetings: Both platforms let you set up professional greetings to ensure a professional and branded image when your customers or clients call. 
• Easy setup: Both RingCentral and Grasshopper provide easy setup processes with no hardware to install so you can quickly deploy your VoIP service. 

 

How Are They Different?

While both companies offer cloud-based business phone systems, they each cater to different types of businesses. When it comes to RingCentral vs Grasshopper, here are some of the ways the platforms differ from one another: 

• Scale and target audience:

  • RingCentral is a more comprehensive platform that offers unified communications, including voice, video, texting, and team messaging. It caters to businesses small and large, with the ability to scale up as the business grows.
  • Grasshopper VoIP service, on the other hand, is more focused on business phone systems for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. Scaling up is possible, but only to a limited extent. 

• Features:

  • RingCentral offers a broader set of features that enables communication and collaboration. RingCentral works well for businesses with remote and hybrid work environments by including video conferencing, team messaging, and a wide range of business app integrations. 
  • Grasshopper: Grasshopper primarily focuses on providing essential phone system features, like call forwarding, voicemail, and business texting. It does not offer video conferencing or team messaging. 

• Integrations: 

  • RingCentral has an extensive set of integrations with various third-party business apps (over 300). Businesses that rely on multiple tools for their operations find these integrations help streamline their workflow. 
  • Grasshopper is a straightforward business phone system with a focus on reliable VoIP service. The only third-party integrations Grasshopper offers are Skype and Google Voice. 

• Scalability:

  • RingCentral is designed to scale with the needs of growing businesses, with plans and features suitable for both small and large organizations. 
  • Grasshopper is tailored for smaller businesses and does not offer the same level of scalability. 

• Pricing: 

  • RingCentral uses a per-user pricing model. The more users you have, the more you’ll pay for service. Pricing starts at $19.99/user/month, when billed annually, and goes up depending on the level of service needed.
  • Grasshopper using a straight pricing model. Pricing starts out at $28/month, when billed annually, for an unlimited number of users. For solopreneurs, they offer a plan that costs $14/month for a single user. 

Best Alternatives

Both RingCentral and Grasshopper VoIP are great options for businesses looking for a cloud-based phone system. However, after comparing Grasshopper vs RingCentral, you may find that neither seems to fit your needs perfectly. Here are some of the best alternatives to both RingCentral and Grasshopper:

• Nextiva: Our number one recommendation for cloud-based business phone systems is Nextiva. They offer all the tools you need to communicate and collaborate in a single platform, including voice, video conferencing, and team chat. Nextiva also provides robust call analytics and reporting as well as award-winning customer support. 
• Vonage: For a VoIP solution that’s more robust than Grasshopper, Vonage is an excellent choice. Vonage comes with voice, video conferencing, and business texting. Plus, it has over twenty third-party integrations, like Salesforce, MS Teams, and Slack. 
• New Horizon Communications: If you’re looking for a provider that can handle all of your business telecom needs, New Horizon Communications is an excellent choice. Their UCaaS product offers voice, video conferencing, chat, and voicemail transcription and integrates with some popular CRMs, like Sugar and Salesforce. Plus, they offer network services, like fiber business internet, as well as managed services, like firewall and security. 

 

The Ooma vs Vonage Guide

 

When Businesses Should Choose Grasshopper

Grasshopper VoIP offers reliable, cloud-based business phone systems that work especially well for smaller businesses. Here are some circumstances when your business should consider Grasshopper: 

• Small businesses: If your business is very small or just starting out, Grasshopper is a great option. Their flat pricing makes them super affordable. 
• Solopreneurs: Grasshopper works well if you’re running your own business on your own. It provides you with essential phone system features that can lend credibility to your business. 
• Simple communication needs: If your business only needs basic communication features, Grasshopper provides a straightforward and cost-effective solution. 
• Flexibility: Grasshopper’s cloud-based system allows for flexibility for remote and hybrid workforces, allowing employees to access phone system features from various locations. 

 

When Businesses Should Choose RingCentral

RingCentral is a top VoIP provider to businesses around the world. RingCentral might be the right provider for you in the following circumstances:

• Medium to large enterprise: With its large number of features and customization capabilities, RingCentral can accommodate the complex needs of medium to large enterprises. 
• Growing businesses: For businesses that are growing, RingCentral offers solutions that can scale up with you as your communication needs change.
• Multi-location businesses: If your company has multiple offices or locations, RingCentral can centralize communication and collaboration tools to promote seamless interaction between teams. 
• Global businesses: With international calling and support in multiple languages, RingCentral is a great choice for businesses with international operations. 
• Collaboration-heavy businesses: If your company prioritizes collaboration, RingCentral is a great option. With video conferencing, team messaging, and file sharing, RingCentral can facilitate better collaboration. 
• Integration-dependent businesses: For businesses that rely on various tools and platforms, especially industry-specific tools, RingCentral integrates with over 300 third-party applications 

 

Pros of Grasshopper VoIP

Grasshopper offers cloud-based phone service for small businesses, solopreneurs, and startups. Here are some of the pros of Grasshopper: 

• Professionally image: Businesses that are small or just starting out establish a professional image with Grasshopper VoIP. Grasshopper utilizes your existing cell service but gives you a virtual business number to keep your private information safe. Plus, custom greetings, automatic response, and call management features help you gain credibility with clients. 
• Flexibility: Grasshopper’s mobile app lets users manage calls and messages on the go, making it especially great for businesses with mobile workforces. 
• Virtual phone numbers: With Grasshopper, you can choose local or toll-free virtual phone numbers and expand your presence beyond your physical location to reach a broader audience. 
• Call forwarding: Grasshopper offers call forwarding, which lets you route calls to the most appropriate number or extension so customers can reach the right person or department. 
• Easy setup and use: Grasshopper is known for its quick deployment and user-friendly interface. 
• No hardware required: Because Grasshopper is a cloud-based VoIP solution, you don’t need to purchase any physical hardware for your business phone system. All you need is an internet connection and your cell phone, laptop, or tablet. This is easier for you to maintain and saves you tons of money. 

 

Pros of RingCentral VoIP

RingCentral offers unified communications tools for businesses both small and large and comes with a number of advantages. Here are some of the key pros of using RingCentral: 

• Scalability: RingCentral is highly scalable and can accommodate your business communication needs, whether your business is small or large. Plus, RingCentral can easily scale with you as your business grows, handling an increasing number of features and users as your needs change. 
• Unified Communications: Beyond VoIP, RingCentral offers unified communications in a single platform. That includes voice, video, messaging, and collaboration features all in one place. 
• Global presence: With international calling capabilities, support for multiple languages, and international phone numbers, RingCentral can help you conduct business on an international scale. 
• Video conferencing: RingCentral offers video conferencing and collaboration tools that enable remote and hybrid teams to work together efficiently. 
• Integrations: Integrating third-party apps into your phone system helps you and your employees work more efficiently. RingCentral offers a wide range of business app integrations that connect you to essential software and services. 
• Customization: RingCentral allows you to customize communication settings like hold music and greetings to align with your brand image. 
• Customer support: RingCentral offers customer support and training resources to help your business effectively use and optimize the platform. Both phone support and chat are available 24/7.   

 

The Vonage vs RingCentral Guide

 

Cons of Grasshopper VoIP

While Grasshopper is a great solution, it might not be the right solution for everyone. Here are some of the cons of Grasshopper: 

• Limited advanced features: Grasshopper is designed to be simple. As a result, it lacks some advanced features offered by other platforms like RingCentral. 
• Limited scaling: Grasshopper works best for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Its scaling capabilities are limited, and businesses in need of complex setups may find it lacking everything they need.
• No video conferencing: Grasshopper VoIP offers voice calling and business texting but has no video conferencing. This is great for businesses with simple needs. However, if your business relies on video conferencing, this will be a disadvantage. 
• Customer support limitations: While Grasshopper does offer 24/7 phone support and a knowledge center, it does not offer chat support.  

 

Cons of RingCentral VoIP

RingCentral is a top provider with lots of benefits. However, it does have some disadvantages. Here are some of the cons of RingCentral: 

• Learning curve: RingCentral has an huge assortment of features and capabilities and can take a while to learn. Training and onboarding may be necessary, especially for employees with limited experience with technology. 
• Limited IVR: RingCentral’s IVR system offers limited options for customization, which can be a drawback if your company has complex needs. 
• Customer service support: While RingCentral offers multiple channels of customer support, some users have noted frustration with slower response times. 

 

VoIP Features of Both

When comparing features of RingCentral vs Grasshopper, each provider shares some in common while also offering unique features. Some of RingCentral’s notable features include: 

• Unlimited domestic calls
• Voicemail transcription
• IVR and multi-level auto attendant 
• HD voice and AI noise cancellation
• End-to-end encryption
• Call queues
• Call recording 
• Call monitoring features like call barge and call whisper
• Over 300 integrations with top business applications, like Salesforce, Slack, Google, and more
• 99.999% uptime 
• Team messaging and file sharing
• Audio conferencing
• HD video
• Video conferencing with whiteboards, breakout rooms, and more
• Internet fax
• File sharing
• Analytics and reporting with call log reports, real-time quality-of-service analytics, and more
• Developer platform and access to APIs
• Business SMS and MMS

 

Some of Grasshopper’s notable features include:

• Unlimited domestic calls
• Voicemail transcription
• Mobile and desktop apps
• Business texting
• Virtual fax
• Unlimited users (on Solo Plus, Partner, and Small Business plans)
• Extensions
• Call forwarding
• VoIP and WiFi calling
• Instant response (text automatically sent to customers after missed call)
• Custom greetings
• Call transfers
• Simultaneous call handling
• Incoming call control, including call screening, call blocking, and business hours
• Call reports

 

When it comes to Grasshopper vs RingCentral features, RingCentral is the clear winner by sheer number. However, for businesses that only need a simple phone system, Grasshopper offers a good combination of essential phone system features. 

Grasshopper vs RingCentral: Conclusion 

Comparing RingCentral vs Grasshopper, both platforms offer unique advantages. Grasshopper might be the right VoIP solution for you if your communication needs are simple, your budget is on the smaller side, and you have a small business. On the other hand, RingCentral works well for growing and established businesses with complex communication and collaboration needs. 

If you need help choosing a VoIP provider, OneStop Communications can help! We’ll compare the pricing and plans of top providers, like Nextiva, Vonage, and more, to help you find the right VoIP solution for your business.  

Request A Call

The Nextiva Vs RingCentral Guide

Share this post?