Talkroute vs Grasshopper 2026: Which Business Phone Is Cheaper for Your Team?

Talkroute and Grasshopper get compared constantly because they are aimed at exactly the same person: a small business owner who wants a real business number on their cell phone without buying a full office phone system. They cost about the same on the surface. Underneath, they are built on two very different pricing ideas, and that decides which one is cheaper for you.

Talkroute charges per plan, with a set number of users included, and says its price includes telecom taxes and fees. Grasshopper charges per account with unlimited users on its middle plan, but limits extensions and phone numbers, and its own pricing page says prices are subject to sales tax.

I pulled both price lists from each company’s own pricing page on 22 September 2026, reading the data the pages load rather than the rendered page. I run Ecommerce Paradise and a high-ticket store of my own, and on a $4,000 order the customer usually calls before they buy. Which phone system answers that call matters more than most people think.

The Quick Verdict

Choose Grasshopper if you want call recording, call summaries and a phone menu for the lowest price. Its Solo Plus plan includes all three at $25 a month on annual billing, where Talkroute only gives you call recording on its $59 Pro plan and lists no call summaries on its phone plans at all.

Choose Talkroute if you want several phone numbers, a predictable all-in bill with taxes included, video meetings and Zapier or webhooks on every plan, and you are happy paying month to month with no annual commitment.

For most one or two person stores, Grasshopper is the better value. For a small team running several brands or numbers, Talkroute usually wins.

Pricing Side by Side

Grasshopper’s annual prices are published and roughly 20% below monthly. Talkroute only publishes month-to-month prices and says annual plans exist if you ask. Talkroute also advertises 10% off the first year for new clients.

What Each Costs for Your Team Size

Here is the cheapest sensible setup on each, as a monthly cost. Grasshopper is shown on annual billing, which is how most people buy it, and Talkroute on its published month-to-month price.

One note on the 5-person row: Talkroute Plus includes 3 mailboxes, so if all 5 people need their own voicemail, Pro at $59 with 10 mailboxes is the better buy.

On sticker price Grasshopper wins every row, often by a lot. But two things narrow the gap. Grasshopper’s pricing page carries the line “Pricing subject to sales tax”, and its checkout data includes a “Taxes and Surcharges” line, while Talkroute says it does not add telecom taxes, the Universal Service Fund or other regulatory fees. And Grasshopper’s annual prices mean paying a year up front, where Talkroute’s are month to month. If you compare Grasshopper’s monthly prices instead, Solo Plus is $32 against Talkroute Plus at $39.

The Universal Service Fund charge most VoIP providers pass through funds phone and internet programs run by the Universal Service Administrative Company. It varies by quarter, so I have not added an estimate to the Grasshopper column. Just know the Grasshopper number is before tax and the Talkroute number is the whole bill.

First-Year Cost: Two Worked Examples

Monthly prices hide the real comparison, because Grasshopper’s best prices need a year paid up front and both charge for texting setup. So here is what the first 12 months actually cost in two setups I see all the time with students. These use the published list prices only, before any promo codes.

Example 1: solo owner who wants call recording and texting. On Grasshopper that is Solo Plus on annual billing at $300 for the year. Add the $19.50 texting registration and 12 months of the $1.50 messaging fee, which is $18, and the first year comes to $337.50 before sales tax and surcharges. On Talkroute, call recording means Pro at $59 a month, so $708 for the year, with texting registration and the monthly messaging fee included. Talkroute’s 10% first-year discount for new clients would bring that down, but it is still roughly double. For this owner, Grasshopper is the clear winner.

Example 2: three people running three brands, each brand with its own number, no recording needed. On Talkroute that is Plus at $39 with 2 numbers included, plus 1 extra number at $5, so $44 a month or $528 for the year, taxes included. On Grasshopper it is Solo Plus on annual billing at $300, plus 2 extra numbers at $9 a month each, which is another $216, so $516 for the year before tax. Once tax and surcharges are added to the Grasshopper side, the two are close to even, and Talkroute lets you pay monthly instead of committing for a year.

Add a fourth brand and the gap moves toward Talkroute, because each extra number is $5 there and $9 to $10 on Grasshopper. Four numbers comes to $588 for the year on Talkroute Plus, taxes included, against $624 on Grasshopper Solo Plus with 3 extra numbers, before tax. Grasshopper’s Small Business plan includes 4 numbers but costs $660 a year, so it only makes sense if you also want its unlimited extensions.

Features: Where Each One Wins

Grasshopper is the more feature-rich of the two at the low end. For a one-person store, getting call recording, summaries of recorded calls, a phone menu, reporting and business hours for $25 a month is a lot, and Talkroute cannot match that until $59.

Talkroute’s advantages are team-shaped rather than solo-shaped. Several numbers included, video meetings, and integration tools on every plan are the things a small team with a few brands actually uses. If you want to log calls into your CRM or post missed-call alerts into Slack, Talkroute gives you Zapier and webhooks even on Basic.

Texting: Fees and Limits

Both can charge for US texting registration on local numbers, because carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered through the A2P 10DLC system run by The Campaign Registry. Twilio’s documentation explains the process well. What each provider charges on top is different.

Grasshopper breaks its $19.50 down as $4.50 to register your company with The Campaign Registry and $15 for carriers to review your campaign. On Talkroute, the cheapest way to text is a toll-free number, which avoids registration and campaign fees entirely. If you text customers heavily, this is a real point for Grasshopper: its comparison table lists business texting as unlimited on every plan, while Talkroute’s 500 a month on Basic runs out quickly once each MMS counts as 3 messages.

Trials, Contracts and Cancelling

Both offer a 7-day free trial. Grasshopper’s page says “No credit card required”, which is the friendlier of the two. Talkroute’s FAQ says you will not be charged if you cancel within the 7 days, but “Refunds can not be issued after your trial period has concluded and we don’t prorate for partial months.”

Neither requires a long contract. Grasshopper says service “is provided on a monthly or annual basis” and you can change plans. Talkroute says “No contracts. Pay month-to-month and cancel anytime.”

Professional greeting recordings cost differently too. Talkroute’s Voice Studio is $20 per recording, with 5 included on Pro. Grasshopper lists a one-time fee of $75 for its Voice Studio recording.

How I Would Set Up the Calls on Either One

Whichever you pick, the setup matters more than the brand. On a high-ticket store the phone is a sales channel, not a support line, so I build the call flow around that.

First, put a phone menu in front of the line with two options: sales questions and existing orders. Sales calls ring the person who closes, and order calls go to whoever handles tracking and returns. On Grasshopper that needs Solo Plus or above. On Talkroute it needs Plus, which includes 1 menu, or Pro for unlimited menus if each brand needs its own.

Second, set business hours so after-hours calls go straight to voicemail with a greeting that says when you will call back. Both include voicemail transcription on every plan, so you can read the message and call back within the hour, which on a $3,000 order is often the difference between a sale and a lost customer. Business hours are on every Grasshopper plan and on Talkroute Plus and Pro.

Third, record the sales calls if you can. Listening back to the calls you lost is the fastest way I know to fix a sales script, and it is also how you train a VA to take calls for you. This is where Grasshopper’s pricing is strongest, because recording starts at Solo Plus.

One thing to watch on the cheapest Grasshopper plan: True Solo shows call forwarding as “Not Available” in the comparison table, and the page describes forwarding “to a single number of your choosing”. That is fine for one person on one cell phone, but it is another reason I would start on Solo Plus.

Keeping Your Number, Apps and Support

Both let you bring an existing number. Talkroute’s site says you can “Keep your existing numbers when switching”, and Grasshopper also supports porting an existing number in. Talkroute’s FAQ says porting is free for most US and Canadian numbers and usually takes 3 to 5 business days. If you already print a number on your store, emails and supplier applications, port it rather than starting fresh.

Both also work from apps rather than a desk phone. Talkroute lists desktop, mobile and web apps on every plan, and Grasshopper lists mobile and desktop apps for desktop, iPhone and Android. For a dropshipping store run from a laptop, either works well.

On support, Grasshopper has the edge on paper. Its comparison table lists 24/7 support on every plan, by phone, email, social media and chat. Talkroute also lists “24/7 support” on every plan, but its small print explains that means email support tickets. Live chat and phone support run 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

My advice on timing: start the trial on a new number first, test the menu, voicemail and texting, and only then port your main number. Do not port in the middle of a busy sales week or while you are running ads, because a porting delay means missed calls on the orders that matter most.

Which I Would Pick for a High-Ticket Store

Solo owner, first store: Grasshopper Solo Plus on annual billing. For $25 a month you get the phone menu, call recording and summaries of your recorded calls, which is exactly what helps you follow up properly on big-ticket calls. True Solo at $14 is cheaper but drops all three.

Owner plus a VA: still Grasshopper Solo Plus, since users are unlimited and you have 3 extensions.

Small team running several brands: Talkroute Plus or Pro. Extra numbers are about half the price of Grasshopper’s, you get 2 or 3 numbers included, and the taxes-included pricing makes the bill easy to forecast.

You want everything connected: Talkroute, for Zapier and webhooks on every plan.

You want AI summaries of every sales call: look at Dialpad, which includes them at $15 a user a month on annual billing. Grasshopper summarises the calls you record. I compare those options in my business phone systems comparison by team size.

For the detail on each, read my Talkroute pricing breakdown. The Grasshopper side is covered in my Grasshopper pricing guide.

And do not overthink the phone system before the store exists. A business number matters when you start contacting suppliers, because many brands check they are dealing with a real business. The full process is in my step-by-step supplier guide.

The legal side, from forming the company to getting the EIN, is in my business formation guide. If you have not picked a niche yet, start with the high-ticket niches list.

And if the model itself is new to you, read what high-ticket dropshipping actually is first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Talkroute or Grasshopper cheaper?
On sticker price, Grasshopper is usually cheaper, especially on annual billing: Solo Plus is $25 a month with unlimited users. But Grasshopper’s prices are subject to sales tax and surcharges, while Talkroute says its prices include telecom taxes and fees.

Which has call recording?
Grasshopper includes call recording on Solo Plus and Small Business. Talkroute only includes it on Pro at $59 a month.

Does either include call summaries?
Grasshopper includes call summaries on Solo Plus and Small Business, which it describes as a quick recap of recorded calls, plus AI call sentiment. Talkroute’s phone plans list no call summaries; its separate AI Receptionist add-on summarises only the calls it handles.

Which is better for multiple phone numbers?
Talkroute. Plus includes 2 numbers and Pro includes 3, and extra numbers are $5 a month, against $9 to $10 a month on Grasshopper.

Do Talkroute and Grasshopper have free trials?
Both have 7-day free trials. Grasshopper says no credit card is required. Talkroute does not issue refunds after its trial ends.

Is calling unlimited on both?
Talkroute includes unlimited US and Canada minutes. Grasshopper lists unlimited minutes, with international calls billed per minute.

Can I keep my existing business number?
Yes. Both let you port an existing number. Test the service on a trial number first, then port once you are happy with it.

Do both have mobile apps?
Yes. Talkroute lists desktop, mobile and web apps on every plan, and Grasshopper lists mobile and desktop apps for iPhone and Android.

Related Articles

• Talkroute Pricing 2026
• Talkroute Review 2026
• How to Set Up Talkroute
• Talkroute Alternatives 2026
• Grasshopper Pricing 2026
• Grasshopper Alternatives
• How to Get a Business Phone Number Suppliers Will Accept
• Dialpad Alternatives 2026

Trevor Fenner

Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.

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