The short answer
Grasshopper if you want one business number that several people answer. Flat rate, unlimited users, and the price does not move when you add a person.
RingCentral if you need a system rather than a line. Routing at depth, meetings for 300, a contact center path, desk phones at scale, and a catalog that goes a long way past answering the phone.
The arithmetic first
Compared against Grasshopper's and RingCentral's published pricing, 22 October 2026.
| People who need the phone | Grasshopper | RingCentral Core |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | From $14 per month, billed annually | $20 per month |
| 3 | Solo Plus, $25 per month billed annually | $60 per month |
| 6 | Solo Plus, $25 per month billed annually | $120 per month |
| 10 | Solo Plus, $25 per month billed annually | $200 per month |
Grasshopper's Solo Plus and Small Business plans carry unlimited users, so its line is flat while RingCentral's climbs. Past about two people, the gap stops being close.
What Grasshopper charges for instead: additional phone numbers at $9 each per month, and additional extensions at $3 each. Those are the levers, and for a business with several numbers they add up in a way the flat rate does not suggest.
How else they differ
| RingCentral | Grasshopper | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user | Per account, flat rate |
| Entry | RingEX Core, $20 per user annual, $30 monthly | From $14 per month billed annually |
| Named mid tier | RingEX Advanced, $25 annual, $35 monthly | Solo Plus, $32 monthly, $25 annual |
| Free trial | 14 days, SMS not available for trial use | 7 days, no credit card |
| Included outbound texting | 25 per user per month on Core, 100 on Advanced | Unlimited, per their pages |
| Additional numbers | Varies by plan | $9 each |
| Additional extensions | Included with a user | $3 each |
| Meetings | HD meetings, 300 participants on Core | Not a headline feature |
| Contact center | RingCX, from $65 per user | No |
| In business since | 1999 | 2003 |
Two rows are worth pausing on. Grasshopper's published texting is unlimited where RingCentral's entry plan includes 25 messages per user per month. And Grasshopper asks for no credit card to start a trial, where RingCentral's trial does not include SMS at all.
Where each one stops
Grasshopper stops at being an excellent business line. If you need layered routing, large meetings, analytics, a contact center, or a platform your whole company lives in, it is not trying to be that and does not pretend to be.
RingCentral stops being sensible for a very small team on price. Paying per user for a platform built for hundreds, when three people share one number, is paying for headroom you will not use.
Choose each one when
Choose Grasshopper if several people answer one business number, if texting volume is high, if you want a vanity or toll-free number, and if a trial without handing over a card matters to you.
Choose RingCentral if the phone is one part of a wider communications stack, if you need meetings at scale, if routing is complicated, or if you expect to grow into a contact center.
A third option, briefly
Ours: SoundLine is per user like RingCentral, at $19.99 monthly or $14.99 annually, but built around a founder running more than one business, with a separate number, greeting and routing for each inside one account. On pure price for several people sharing one line, Grasshopper is cheaper than both of us and we say so on its own page.
Questions people ask
Is Grasshopper cheaper than RingCentral?
For more than one or two people, substantially, because Grasshopper charges a flat rate with unlimited users while RingCentral charges per user. For a single user the gap is small.
Does Grasshopper charge per user?
No. Its published Solo Plus and Small Business plans include unlimited users. It charges for additional numbers at $9 each and additional extensions at $3 each.
Which has better texting?
Grasshopper publishes unlimited texts. RingCentral includes 25 outbound per user per month on Core and 100 on Advanced, with a Business SMS Booster add-on at $25 per user.
Can I try both?
Yes. Grasshopper's trial is 7 days and asks for no credit card. RingCentral's is 14 days, though its terms state SMS is not available for trial use.