Quo vs Grasshopper: per-user or flat-rate phone service for a small crew

Quo or Grasshopper: what is the real difference?

The billing unit. Quo charges for each person who uses the phone system, and every one of those users gets a number. Grasshopper charges for the account: one monthly price, with users added at no extra cost on its larger plans and calls routed to people by extension. For a solo operator the two cost about the same. For a crew of five, the gap opens up quickly, and which side it favors depends on whether each person needs their own line.

The second difference is how much each company writes down. Both publish a plan grid and texting fees, and Quo also publishes a step-by-step port-out article. Grasshopper's pages said nothing about moving your number out.

Every figure on this page comes from the two companies' websites, help centers and terms, or from Trustpilot, read on October 31, 2026. We re-read Grasshopper's pricing, plan and add-on pages and Quo's cancellation wording on November 3, 2026. Taxes and carrier fees come on top of every price here.

What does Quo cost?

Quo's pricing page lists three plans, priced per user:

Extra numbers are $5 a month each. Automated texts sent through Quo's API, Zapier or Make cost one cent per outgoing segment. A shared number on Starter is capped at 10 users. The trial runs 7 days.

Sona, Quo's AI agent, has its own tiers: 10 calls free on every plan, then $25 a month for 40 calls, $49 for 100, $99 for 250 and $199 for 600, with each extra call costing $1.00 down to $0.45 depending on the tier.

What does Grasshopper cost?

Grasshopper's pricing page, read November 3, 2026, lists three plans, each priced for the whole account:

Prices are subject to sales tax, and the page says annual billing saves over 20%. It also offers a 7-day trial with no card and says purchases are backed by a 7-day money-back guarantee.

Grasshopper's September 18, 2026 post about Quo uses the same Solo Plus figure, $25 a month or $300 a year for a shared line, and says phone menus, call transfers and custom ring order come with its plans.

Add-ons cost extra. Grasshopper's small business page lists extra numbers at $9 a month, extra extensions at $3 a month, call blasting at $9 a month and recorded voice-actor greetings at $75 an order. The pricing page's feature table shows the same $9 and $3 on annual billing, and $10 and $5 on monthly billing. Its trial page says the 7-day trial needs no card and includes one number, three extensions and 50 talk minutes, and leaves out premium numbers and text messaging.

Grasshopper doesn't build its own AI answering. Its virtual receptionist page says it has partnered with Smith.ai for AI and human receptionists, with the AI receptionist starting at $95 a month. Quo's Sona is built into Quo itself.

Which costs less for a three-person crew?

A made-up company: an owner and two crew leads who each answer customer calls. Using the prices above:

• Quo Starter, annual: 3 users at $15 is $45 a month, with three numbers. Monthly billing makes it $57. Phone menus and call transfers need Business, which is $69 a month for three users on annual billing.
• Grasshopper Solo Plus: $25 a month for the account on annual billing ($300 a year), or $32 billed monthly, with one number and three extensions shared by all three people.

So Grasshopper costs less when the crew shares one business number and extensions are enough to get callers to the right person. Quo is the better buy when each person needs a number of their own, or when you want automatic recording and AI summaries on every call. Add texting registration to either: $19.50 once on both, then $1.50 to $3 a month on Quo or $1.50 a month on Grasshopper.

What do texting and 10DLC cost on each?

Before a business can text customers through software on a standard local number, it has to register with The Campaign Registry, a process called 10DLC. Our guide to 10DLC registration covers what it is and why carriers require it.

Quo includes texting to US and Canadian numbers with no set limit. Its fair use policy (revised December 1, 2025) still lets Quo impose limits and charge overages. That policy bars cold calling and messaging, messages without consent and opt-out wording, and any use of bots or auto-dialers. Registration is a one-time $19.50, then a monthly fee from $1.50 to $3 that depends on your use case.

Grasshopper says on its texting page to register your business number, then start texting. That page also says texting is free on the trial, while the trial page says texting is not included and needs a paid plan. Its 10DLC post, dated May 30, 2024, lists the registry's own fees as $4 to apply as a brand, $15 to vet each campaign, and $2 to $10 monthly per campaign, and says Grasshopper charges no additional fees of its own. The feature table on the pricing page, read November 3, 2026, is more current: a $19.50 one-time registration fee, which a note on the page splits into $4.50 to register with The Campaign Registry and $15 for carriers to review your use case, and a $1.50 monthly messaging fee it describes as the registry's charge. Get the figure for your use case in writing before you sign. Our 10DLC fees by vendor guide lays out what other phone vendors charge.

What happens to your number and data when you leave?

Quo explains the exit in detail. Its port-out article says porting out takes an active paid account and isn't possible during the trial. You fill in a request form, and Quo emails the account number, PIN and service address within 24 to 48 business hours. The move itself usually takes 1 to 14 days. Finishing the port does not cancel your subscription, so contact support afterward, and download voicemails first.

Quo's pages disagree about how long a number survives a cancellation. The pricing page FAQ says 60 days. The subscription help article says 30 days at most, or 14 if the cancellation followed failed payments. The terms (revised June 11, 2025) say no more than 45 days. Plan on the shortest. The same terms let you request a data export within 30 days of termination, say help with the export is billed at Quo's standard rates, and say your data may be deleted 90 days after termination.

Grasshopper says porting your existing number in is free, and gives you a temporary number while the port runs, per its porting page. That page says nothing about porting out or what happens to a number after cancellation. Grasshopper is a GoTo brand, and GoTo's terms (last updated September 2026) name Grasshopper Group LLC. They say services renew automatically unless you give notice at least 30 days before the term ends, that payments are final and non-refundable apart from listed exceptions, that ending without cause makes future minimum commitments through the term due at once, and that after termination, on request, you get limited access for up to 30 days to retrieve your content.

Whichever you pick, store the login and port-out PIN with the company's records, not on one person's phone. The steps for moving it are in how to port a business phone number.

What do Trustpilot reviewers say?

We read both Trustpilot pages on October 31, 2026, and summarize recent reviews in our own words.

Quo had a TrustScore of 4.2, labeled Great, from 1,122 reviews: 72% five-star and 19% one-star. The profile is claimed and replies to all negative reviews. Recent praise covers easy setup, a simple app and responsive support, and having business calls and texts on a personal phone. Recent complaints cover service interruptions, texts that didn't send reliably, a slow refund reply and a hard-to-reach phone line for support.

Grasshopper had a TrustScore of 3.0 from 362 reviews: 29% five-star and 57% one-star. The profile is claimed and replies to 95% of negative reviews. Recent praise covers patient support reps and easy daily use. Recent complaints cover calls going straight to voicemail, voicemails that won't play, slow or blocked ports out, an account closed with little explanation, and a checkout total that rose after taxes and fees.

Which should you choose?

Choose Quo if each person on the crew needs a number of their own, you want automatic recording, AI summaries and CRM connections on the Business plan, you plan to text customers and want the registration fee in writing up front, or you care most about a documented way out.

Choose Grasshopper if the whole company shares one business number, you want a flat monthly bill that doesn't grow with each new hire, extensions and a phone menu cover how you route calls, and you are comfortable confirming the port-out steps with its sales team before you pay.

Choose neither yet if you haven't written down who answers which calls, what happens after hours and which calls get a text back. Our phone setup checklist walks through those decisions, and they shape the result more than the vendor does.

Or have it set up for you: our business phone service ports the number into your company's name and handles the routing and texting registration.

Frequently asked questions