10 Best Grasshopper Alternatives with AI Answering

Grasshopper gives you a business number that rings your cell phone. That's the whole product. When you can pick up, it works fine. When you can't, the caller hits voicemail, and most callers in 2026 won't leave one. That single gap drives most searches for Grasshopper alternatives.

Marcus runs a two-truck plumbing company on Grasshopper's Solo Plus plan. He spent an hour under a sink last Tuesday and surfaced to two voicemails and one hang-up. The hang-up was a water heater replacement, an $1,800 job, and the caller had already booked the next plumber on Google. Sound familiar?

That gap is exactly what AI answering fixes, and it's why so many owners are pricing out Grasshopper alternatives. Grasshopper has no AI answering at all: its official fix is Ruby, a live human answering service that starts around $160/mo, double the cost of Grasshopper's top plan. Meanwhile, the market has sprinted ahead. According to Fortune Business Insights, the conversational AI market is projected to grow from $18 billion in 2026 to over $82 billion by 2034, and business phones are one of its fastest-moving corners.

TL;DR:

• Grasshopper forwards calls to your cell and can't answer one for you. There's no AI receptionist, no integrations, and no API on any plan.
• The best Grasshopper alternative for most small teams is dialnote: $49/mo flat with unlimited users, an AI receptionist that answers 24/7 at $0.89/min, and a phone menu that controls how much AI you pay for.
• Full phone systems with AI answering: dialnote, Quo (formerly OpenPhone), Dialpad, RingCentral, GoTo Connect, Nextiva, and Phone.com. AI-only services that bolt onto any number: Smith.ai, Rosie, and Goodcall.
• Only some vendors publish AI pricing. Phone.com charges $29.99/mo and RingCentral starts at $39/mo, while GoTo Connect, Nextiva, and Dialpad all send you to sales.
• You can port your Grasshopper number to any provider here in 1 to 3 weeks.

Quick comparison: the 10 best Grasshopper alternatives

Here's the side-by-side snapshot before we go deep on each option.

*Annual billing where offered; prices verified August 2026 from vendor pricing pages and shift often, so check before you buy. **Smith.ai's 4.9 is for its human receptionist plans; the AI product has a smaller review base.

Why are people looking for a Grasshopper alternative?

Because Grasshopper can't answer a call for you. It's a forwarding layer: your business number rings your cell, and a missed call goes to voicemail. There's no AI receptionist on any plan, no CRM integrations, and no API, so the only way to get calls answered is to bolt on a human service that costs more than Grasshopper itself.

The pricing is genuinely cheap. True Solo runs $14/mo on annual billing ($18 monthly) for one user, one number, and one extension. Solo Plus is $25/mo ($32 monthly) with three extensions, and Small Business is $80/mo ($92 monthly) with four numbers and unlimited extensions. So what does that low sticker price actually buy? Forwarding, voicemail transcription, and a basic auto-attendant. That's the list.

The reviews tell the rest of the story. Grasshopper sits at 3.9 on G2 and around 2.1 on Trustpilot, and the complaints cluster hard: you can't cancel through the website or app, A2P texting registration fails and blocks business SMS for weeks, support is slow to fix either, and the app itself feels dated, with users reporting dropped calls and push notifications that silently fail. A phone product that misses calls quietly is the worst kind of cheap.

What to look for in a Grasshopper alternative

Four things separate a real upgrade from a sideways move.

AI answering that's actually included, at a published price. This is where vendors hide the ball. Phone.com publishes its AI price ($29.99/mo) and so does dialnote ($0.89/min with free credits). But GoTo Connect, Nextiva, and Dialpad all gate their AI answering behind a sales call, which makes budgeting a guessing game.

A phone system and AI on one bill. Three tools on this list (Smith.ai, Rosie, Goodcall) are AI-only: they answer calls but don't replace Grasshopper as your phone system, so you'd still pay for business calling somewhere. That's fine as a first step. It's rarely the cheapest end state.

A phone menu that routes calls before the AI. Every AI answering tool meters usage somehow: per minute, per call, or per caller. The fastest way to overspend is letting AI answer everything. A phone menu sends billing and sales to a person or a mailbox and routes only the calls that need coverage (say, after-hours and overflow) to the AI.

Number porting. Your Grasshopper number moves with you. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling a new number you don't need.

For a deeper feature checklist, our guide to the best AI receptionist software breaks down what separates a capable AI agent from a glorified voicemail.

The 10 best Grasshopper alternatives with AI answering

The first seven are full phone systems with AI answering built in or bolted on. The last three are AI-only services you can point any number at, including a Grasshopper number you're not ready to leave.

1. dialnote: best overall Grasshopper alternative

dialnote fixes the two things Grasshopper can't: it's a real phone system for your whole team, and it answers calls when you can't. The $49 Team plan covers unlimited users at one flat price, and it's where the AI receptionist and phone menu switch on.

The AI answers 24/7, asks your qualifying questions, books meetings through Calendly or Cal.com, sends texts, transfers urgent calls to a teammate, and speaks 14 languages. Usage is billed at $0.89/min with free credits included each month, and the phone menu routes calls first, so the AI only handles the calls you choose. Marcus's water heater caller would've been booked before the competition's phone even rang.

What users say: Teams switching from forward-to-cell tools describe the same before-and-after: calls that used to die in voicemail now come back as a transcript, a booked meeting, and a text confirmation. The flat bill is the other theme, because adding a fourth or fifth teammate costs nothing.

Best for: Small teams leaving Grasshopper who want the phone answered, not just forwarded. See exactly how the two stack up in our dialnote vs Grasshopper comparison.

2. Quo (formerly OpenPhone): best for teams that live in text

If you've seen OpenPhone recommended as a Grasshopper alternative, this is the same product: OpenPhone rebranded to Quo in 2026. It's a modern per-user phone system built around shared numbers and a shared text inbox, and its Sona AI agent answers missed calls, takes messages, answers FAQs, and texts callers scheduling links.

Every plan includes 1,000 Sona credits a month, which covers about 10 AI-answered calls. Past that, credit packs run $25/mo to $199/mo, which works out to roughly $0.45 to $1.00 per call.

What users say: G2 reviewers love the interface and texting workflows, and it shows in the 4.7 rating. The consistent gripes are support response times and connection issues when reps work off Wi-Fi, which matters if your team is in trucks, not at desks.

Best for: Small teams that text customers as much as they call them and want a modern app with AI answering included in small doses.

3. Dialpad: best per-seat AI feature depth

Dialpad is the AI-first phone system of the group. Even its cheapest seat includes real-time transcription, AI summaries, and a natural-language auto-attendant that routes callers by what they say. For pure included-AI-per-dollar on a per-seat plan, it's hard to beat at $15/user/mo.

The catch? Answering is the one AI thing it won't quote publicly. Dialpad's autonomous AI agents, the ones that handle a call end to end, are credit-based and priced by sales conversation only. We compare it against nine rivals in our best Dialpad alternatives guide.

What users say: The transcription accuracy earns steady praise, and teams that live in Google Workspace find it slots right in. Recurring complaints center on calls dropping during transfers, transcription lag on long calls, and the gap between the $15 sticker and what a sales team actually pays.

Best for: Teams that want built-in AI note-taking and coaching on every call and are comfortable negotiating the answering piece with sales.

4. RingCentral: best for integrations and enterprise features

RingCentral is the heavyweight: voice, video, fax, SMS, and a catalog of 300+ integrations. Its AI Receptionist (AIR) is a real multilingual answering agent that books appointments and syncs to your CRM, priced from $39/mo as an add-on (or $49/mo standalone with 100 minutes, then $0.50/min).

What users say: Reliability and breadth get consistent credit, and AIR's early reviews say it handles routine calls well. The loudest complaints are about money, not features: first bills that come in a third higher than quoted, and metered AI usage that's hard to forecast at volume.

Best for: Teams of 20+ that need deep integrations and can absorb enterprise-style billing. Oversized for a two-truck operation.

5. GoTo Connect: best way to stay in the Grasshopper family

Here's the twist: GoTo, the company that owns Grasshopper, sells a proper AI receptionist, just not on Grasshopper. GoTo Connect is its full phone system, and the AI Receptionist add-on answers, routes, and takes messages around the clock. If you like the Grasshopper brand but outgrew the product, this is the in-family upgrade path.

The frustration is pricing. GoTo's pricing page now lists every plan as "Contact Sales", and the AI Receptionist add-on has no public price either (it's included only in the top CX Complete bundle). The most recent reported list prices put Phone System around $26/user/mo and Connect CX around $34. Will that AI receptionist ever trickle down to Grasshopper itself? We honestly don't know, and GoTo hasn't said, which is a risky thing to wait on.

What users say: Admins like how easy it is to run without an IT department. The recurring negatives are call quality wobbles, waiting days for support resolutions, and the sales-gated pricing, which several reviewers call out as a reason they shortlisted elsewhere.

Best for: Grasshopper users who want to stay under the GoTo umbrella and don't mind negotiating prices with sales.

6. Nextiva: best support on a unified platform

Nextiva pitches a unified customer platform: phone, SMS, chat, and social in one place, with a strong reputation for picking up its own support line. Its XBert AI Receptionist is an add-on on the Core and Engage plans, with broader AI bundled into the $75 Scale tier.

Pricing needs a careful read. Core is $15/user/mo on annual billing but $23 monthly, and Engage doubles from $25 annual to $50 monthly, one of the biggest annual-vs-monthly gaps in the industry. XBert's price isn't published; third-party reporting puts it around $99/mo for 100 conversations, then about $0.99 per extra conversation, but treat that as reported, not quoted.

What users say: The support reputation is earned, with reviewers repeatedly describing quick, competent phone help. The friction shows up early instead: complicated setup, billing line items that weren't in the quote, and AI features that need a sales conversation to even price.

Best for: Service businesses that value reachable support above all and plan to commit annually.

7. Phone.com: closest to Grasshopper prices, with AI added

Phone.com is the budget pick that still answers the phone. Plans start at $15/user/mo on annual billing, and its AI-Connect add-on is $29.99/mo for 100 minutes of AI answering: it fields calls 24/7, filters spam and robocalls, routes by intent, answers FAQs from a knowledge base you feed it, and books appointments synced to Google or Outlook calendars.

That published price matters. Among the per-user systems here, only Phone.com and dialnote will tell you what AI answering costs without a sales call.

What users say: Trustpilot skews positive (4.3) with praise for helpful individual support reps. The thinner G2 base (3.5) is blunter: billing increases that arrive without warning and a system that hiccups at bad moments. It's a real step up from Grasshopper, but it's still a budget product.

Best for: Solo operators and two-person shops that want Grasshopper-level prices and an AI receptionist for under $50 total.

AI-only answering services (keep your current number)

The last three don't replace your phone system. They answer calls you forward to them, which means they work with any provider, even Grasshopper. That makes them the fastest fix if you're mid-contract, though you'll keep paying for business calling separately.

8. Smith.ai: best hybrid of AI and human receptionists

Smith.ai is the only option here that offers both an AI receptionist and trained human receptionists, with escalation between them. Its AI plans recently restructured: there's now a genuinely free tier (25 calls a month), then Pro at $150/mo for 75 calls and Enterprise at $500/mo for 300. Everything bills per call, not per minute, and the human plans start at $300/mo for 30 calls.

Watch the add-ons. Appointment booking, follow-up texts, call recording, and live-agent escalation each carry per-call fees on the human plans, and reviewers describe $10 calls turning into $13. We covered the whole pattern in our Smith.ai alternatives breakdown, and if you're weighing AI against human answering generally, our AI receptionist vs live answering service guide runs the numbers.

What users say: The service quality reviews are excellent, especially from law firms and professional services on the human plans. The billing reviews are not: surprise overages when volume spikes, escalation fees firing without being enabled, and slow exits. Predictable coverage, less predictable invoices.

Best for: Professional services that want a human voice available and will watch the per-call meter closely.

9. Rosie: simplest AI answering for solo owners

Rosie is a no-frills AI receptionist for solo operators: live in minutes, trained on your website and Google profile, answering 24/7 from $49/mo. It takes messages, answers common questions, and texts you the details of every call.

Read the tiers before buying. The $49 Professional plan texts callers a booking link but can't book an appointment in-call; actual calendar booking and live transfers start on the $149 Scale plan. And the overage rate past your minute bucket isn't published on the pricing page, which we'd like to see fixed.

What users say: There's the honest catch: almost nothing verified exists on G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot yet, and the App Store listing has a handful of ratings. The vendor claims 1,900+ businesses. The feedback that does circulate praises setup speed and warns about blowing through minute buckets with long-winded callers.

Best for: One-person businesses that need calls answered and messages taken today, at the lowest price that credibly works.

10. Goodcall: predictable per-caller pricing

Goodcall flips the meter: instead of minutes, it bills per unique caller per month, with unlimited minutes on every plan. Chatty callers, long questions, repeat calls from the same customer, none of it costs extra. For businesses with talkative regulars, that's the most predictable bill in the category.

The trade-off is polish. Reviewers describe the voice as noticeably robotic with more lag than newer rivals, and the Starter plan's single logic flow forces upgrades early. If that trade-off worries you, our Goodcall alternatives guide compares ten better-sounding options.

What users say: The review footprint is thin and mixed, which is worth weighing. Fans call it a solid level-one receptionist for the money. Critics cite the robotic voice, conversation loops on unusual requests, and slow support responses.

Best for: Local shops with lots of repeat callers that want a flat, minutes-free bill and can live with a more mechanical voice.

How to choose the right Grasshopper alternative

Start with one question: do you need a new phone system, or just answering? If Grasshopper's forwarding still suits you and you're mid-contract, an AI-only service (Smith.ai, Rosie, Goodcall) bolts on this week. If you're replacing the whole thing, a phone system with AI included costs less than running two tools within a few months.

Then match the pick to your pain:

You want one flat bill and the phone answered: dialnote. $49/mo for the whole team, AI receptionist and phone menu included, published rates for everything.

Your team texts more than it calls: Quo. Best-rated app here, with AI answering included in starter doses.

You want maximum included AI per seat: Dialpad, if you'll negotiate the answering piece with sales.

You need enterprise integrations: RingCentral, with eyes open on fees and metered AIR minutes.

You want to stay with GoTo: GoTo Connect, if quote-only pricing doesn't bother you.

Support quality decides it: Nextiva, on annual billing.

Lowest total cost for a solo operator: Phone.com with AI-Connect, or Rosie if you keep your current phone setup.

Honestly? In 2026, a business phone that can't answer a call for you is half a product. Every option above fixes that. Grasshopper doesn't, and at $14 to $80 a month it's not even saving you much for the privilege.

Which one actually fits your business? Call your own number after hours, then call a trial number from two of these. Ask a tricky question about your own services. The difference stops being abstract in about ninety seconds.

Can you keep your Grasshopper number when you switch?

Yes. Your Grasshopper numbers port to any provider on this list. The port takes 1 to 3 weeks, your new provider files the paperwork, and callers never notice the change.

Two Grasshopper-specific tips. First, don't cancel until the port completes; cancelling early can strand the number, and Grasshopper's own cancellation process (phone only, no self-serve) is a known complaint. Second, if you've fought Grasshopper's A2P texting registration, porting to a provider that handles registration for you clears that up in the same move. Our porting from Grasshopper guide walks through the exact steps and timelines.

The bottom line

Grasshopper was built for a world where forwarding calls to your cell was enough. That world ended when your competitors' phones started answering themselves.

The alternatives split cleanly. AI-only tools (Smith.ai, Rosie, Goodcall) patch the answering gap and leave your phone bill alone. Per-user systems (Quo, Dialpad, RingCentral, GoTo Connect, Nextiva, Phone.com) give you a modern platform where AI is included in doses, gated behind sales calls, or metered on top. And dialnote gives you the whole thing on one flat bill: a team phone system with unlimited users, an AI receptionist at a published $0.89/min, and the phone menu that keeps that meter under your control.

If Marcus's hang-up call sounded familiar, start a free 10-day trial of dialnote, no credit card needed, or put our pricing next to your Grasshopper bill plus whatever a missed water heater job costs you.