Grasshopper integrations: Features + 10 limitations

The average small business software stack uses 162 apps per year, so it’s critical to keep your tech stack organized. Integrating key apps with your business phone system can be a great way to keep all your data connected.

Of course, not every VoIP platform integrates with third-party apps. Even if they do, they might be clunky and limited. That’s the problem with Grasshopper’s integrations: you only get two, and they’re mostly just for call forwarding.

This guide explains everything you should know about Grasshopper’s integrations — including its features and limitations — so you can decide if it’s right for your team. If you need a more integrated phone system, we provide a Grasshopper alternative at the end of this guide.

Does Grasshopper let you integrate with third-party apps?

While Grasshopper did offer limited call forwarding to Skype and Google Voice, Grasshopper no longer integrates with any apps.

Using Grasshopper as your virtual phone system could prevent you from integrating with the tools you actually need. This might cause issues as your business starts to scale and you need to automate workflows for your team.

For example:

• No HubSpot phone integration means you can’t automatically track call activity in your CRM. You have to manually enter data to make updates or changes by switching between tools.
• You can’t connect to tools where your team is already chatting, like Slack or Microsoft Teams. Since Grasshopper has no threads and mentions, you can’t communicate on-platform. Your best (and only) option is to tab between separate tools.
• Grasshopper doesn’t offer an API. This means there’s no way to automate specific text touchpoints, send SMS notifications to your email inbox, or push voicemail transcriptions to Slack channels or other company apps.

10 more Grasshopper limitations to keep in mind

Grasshopper’s two third-party ‘integrations’ are not enough for most business owners.

But they’re not the only limitations you need to keep in mind.

Here are 10 more drawbacks when using Grasshopper as your business phone service:

1. Hard for teammates to work together to solve customer issues 

Grasshopper was designed for solopreneurs first and foremost. Even if you upgrade, you won’t find many features for teams.

For example, Grasshopper doesn’t provide internal threads or mentions, preventing you from tagging reps to ask questions or delegate tasks.

2. The base plan only lets you have one user

Speaking of being designed for solopreneurs, Grasshopper’s base plan was designed for one user only. 

If you have two or more users, you’ll have to upgrade to the Solo Plus plan — which is nearly twice the cost of the base plan (and still only includes one business phone number for your whole team).

3. Texting limitations that affect how you serve customers

You can send SMS and MMS messages through Grasshopper. Unfortunately, you’ll find several limitations if you read the fine print.

For example:

• You can’t send SMS messages with Grasshopper to a Canadian toll-free number.
• There’s no way to send or receive SMS messages on international numbers.
• You can’t send MMS messages or group texts from toll-free numbers. 

Another limitation? Few text message automations. There’s no way to create snippets to answer frequently asked questions or queue scheduled texts to customers in different time zones.

4. Auto-replies are only for missed calls

Speaking of Grasshopper’s limited automations, you can send auto-replies from your Grasshopper number, but it’s only for missed calls. Here’s a closer look:

• Grasshopper doesn’t let you send auto-replies to callers who leave a voicemail or hang up before selecting an extension.
• Your auto-reply message is limited to 160 characters max, which might make it difficult to write out everything you need to say.
• You can only customize one auto-reply per phone number. For example, there’s no way to create custom auto-replies for voicemails versus text messages.

5. Expensive add-ons that might not be worth the cost

Grasshopper charges for expensive add-ons that most business phone services include in their base plans.

For example:

• Additional phone numbers cost $9 per number per month
• Additional extensions cost $3 per extension per month
• Custom greetings in the Grasshopper Voice Studio cost a $75 one-time fee
• Vanity numbers cost a $30 one-time fee

But this isn’t the end of Grasshopper’s additional expenses. . .

6. International calling requires a $500 deposit

Want to make and receive international calls? If you do with Grasshopper, you need to pay a $500 deposit. You can’t even do this until your account is 60 days old, which isn’t ideal if you’re migrating from another provider.

Even if you do pay Grasshopper’s international calling deposit,  keep in mind the following restrictions:

• There’s no way to send or receive texts from international numbers.
• You’ll have to pay international rates to make and receive calls if you’re located outside the continental US (think Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) and Canada.
• If you’re based in the continental US and Canada, you also have to pay international rates to reach customers in certain parts of the US (e.g., Alaska and Hawaii).

7. Additional extensions require an upgrade

The True Solo plan only offers one extension per account. If you upgrade to the Solo Plus tier, you only get three extensions. Additional extensions cost $3 extra per user per month on top of your plan ($25 per user per month).

Would you rather pay for unlimited extensions? You’ll have to upgrade again to the Small Business plan ($55 per user per month). This is more than double the cost of the Solo Plus plan and only includes four phone numbers.

Keep in mind this is just the tip of the pricing iceberg. Learn more about Grasshopper pricing in our dedicated guide.

8. Outdated UI that’s difficult to use

Grasshopper is a legacy provider with a UI to match — it’s hardly been updated over the last twenty years. Dozens of reviewers cite frustrating navigation tools, a clunky UX, and unintuitive mobile apps.

See for yourself with these recent Grasshopper reviews:

“The Grasshopper platform is slow, visually outdated, and the smartphone app had multiple glitches while in use — it was often easier to close the app and start over when attempting to make a second or third call in a row.” — G2

“The website’s settings were hard to navigate, and setting up the incoming call workflow was too cumbersome.” — Capterra

9. Can only store voicemails and call recordings for a short amount of time

Need to keep a paper trail for quality assurance or training? Grasshopper won’t make this easy.

Grasshopper stores voicemail emails in your email folder indefinitely and provides access to up to 14 months of communications history in the mobile app’s conversations tab. However, voicemails and call recordings are only accessible within the Grasshopper app itself for 30 days.

10. Limited call transfers

Grasshopper is primarily a call forwarding app — it’s certainly not built to be a call transferring app.

Let’s say you take a call on Grasshopper’s desktop app and need to transfer it to a coworker who’s using the mobile app. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible on Grasshopper’s system. 

Use Quo’s integrations so you don’t have to juggle multiple platforms  

Grasshopper’s limited integrations weren’t an issue 20 years ago. But in the age of big data, it’s less than impressive — and their limited features don’t hold a candle to modern VoIP integrations.

That’s why most growing businesses migrate from Grasshopper to modernized phone systems — including Quo, the #1 business phone solution as rated on G2.

With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), you can set up direct CRM phone integrations with the tools you’re already using, including:

• HubSpot. Log all call activity in your CRM, like call recordings and voicemails. Plus, you can sync your HubSpot contacts to Quo so their contact information appears when they call your Quo phone number.
• Slack. Push voicemails, missed texts, and phone calls to the right reps or channels. That way, everyone knows which messages to prioritize and can stay on top of critical conversations.
• Salesforce. Automatically log call recordings, text messages, and more. You can also initiate OpenPhone calls directly from Salesforce so you don’t need to open both apps at once.
• Gong. Look more closely at your phone and text interactions. You can search for common questions and objections, extract call stats, and search for competitor names so you can better understand your customers.
• Google Contacts. Sync existing Google contacts to your Quo account. You’ll see your contact’s Google profile photos and caller IDs whenever they ring your Quo number. You can also sync more than one Google account so everyone on your team can access the same set of contacts.
• Email. Send notifications to any email address when your Quo number receives voicemail messages, texts, or calls. This makes it easier to keep an eye on your inbox so you can answer questions and comments from anywhere with a WiFi connection.
• Zapier. Tap into more than 7,000 third-party integrations. You can automate your workflow with triggers and actions — like sending a follow-up text if you don’t get a response from a lead after a certain number of days.

Want to take your integrations one step further? Just tap into the Quo API:

• Build a one-way contact sync from your CRM to Quo. Every time a contact in your CRM updates, the contact in Quo will automatically update, too. This saves your team time from having to manually enter the details themselves.
• Log all call activity that happens in Quo into your CRM. This includes call recordings, call transcriptions, and voicemails, so you never have to guess what your top priorities are, no matter what platform you’re using.
• Set up text messages so they automatically send to customers if they take a specific action. For example, if customers fill out a form to make an appointment, you can automatically send them a reminder text.

The best Grasshopper alternative: Quo

If your business needs more than just basic call forwarding integrations, Grasshopper isn’t the phone system for you. But if you’re ready to connect with tools that build better relationships with your customers, then Quo is exactly what you’re looking for.

With more than 7,000 apps at your beck and call, it only takes minutes to automate your tech stack. You can also tap into dozens of other VoIP features like:

• Unlimited calls to the US and Canada so you can contact customers without worrying about calling fees
• Call recordings that make it easier to review calls and offer reps coaching
• Call views that let you easily keep track of customer calls
• SMS and MMS support that lets you communicate with customers who prefer to text
• Auto-replies, scheduled texts, snippets, and other automations that save your team time
• Unlimited call recording and voicemail storage so you never have to worry about losing important information

• Toll-free and local numbers for every new member on your account to help you keep costs down
• Cloud-based apps you can use from anywhere — your laptop, desktop, tablet, or mobile phone (Android and iOS)

Test Quo’s integrations with your team by signing up for a seven-day free trial.

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