Grasshopper has given small businesses a professional phone number for a long time, with toll-free and vanity numbers, extensions and round-the-clock support. Neuron is a business phone line with a free plan and an agent built into it, so calls and texts are answered when you cannot answer them. If you want an 800 number and extensions for a small office, Grasshopper does that well. If you work for yourself and want the phone answered, Neuron includes it.
Checked against grasshopper.com on October 13, 2026
What Grasshopper does well
Toll-free and vanity numbers
Grasshopper offers toll-free and vanity numbers as well as local ones, and you can bring an existing number across. Neuron offers local numbers.
A flat price, not a price per user
Its plans are priced for the business, and the larger ones allow unlimited users with extensions for each. Plans start at $14 a month billed annually.
Extensions, fax and support at any hour
There are extensions, virtual fax, voicemail transcription, mobile and desktop apps, and support around the clock.
What Neuron does differently
A free plan with a real number
Neuron is free to start, with your own local number, 50 texts, and an agent you can try for 30 minutes of calls and 100 replies. There is no card to enter and no trial clock running.
The agent is part of the line
Grasshopper offers a receptionist through a partner, Smith.ai, as an add-on that starts at $95 a month, and its own tools are an automatic text to missed callers and a phone menu. On Neuron the agent that answers calls and texts comes with every plan, and Premium makes it unlimited for $29.99 a month.
Caller ID, Polish and search
An unknown US number arrives with a name, replies you type in a hurry go out reading well, and anything a customer ever sent you is found in seconds.
Side by side
| Neuron | Grasshopper | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. $0 a month with your own local number, 50 texts, and 30 minutes of calls and 100 replies from your agent | No free plan. 7-day trial with no card |
| Paid plans | Pro $9.99 a month, or $6.99 a month billed yearly. Premium $29.99 a month, or $239.99 a year | From $14 a month billed annually, with True Solo, Solo Plus and Small Business plans |
| Priced by | One price for the line. No charge per seat | Flat price for the business |
| Agent that answers | On every plan to try, and unlimited on Premium, for calls, texts and a chat on your website | A partner add-on through Smith.ai, from $95 a month. Built in: an automatic text to missed callers and a phone menu |
| Carrier registration for texting | Part of setting up your line | You register, and pay $19.50 once plus $1.50 a month |
| Toll-free and vanity numbers | Local numbers only | Yes |
| Extensions and virtual fax | No | Yes |
| Bring your existing number | Not yet. You start with a new number | Yes |
| Apps | iPhone, Mac, and a web app that runs in any browser, including on Android | Mobile and desktop apps |
What we say about Grasshopper comes from its own website on the date above, and prices change, so check there before you decide. If we have something wrong, write to info@neuronmessaging.com and we will correct it.
Which one to choose
Choose Grasshopper if you want a toll-free or vanity number, extensions for a few people, fax, or a number you already own carried across.
Choose Neuron if you work for yourself and want a local number that is answered. You can start free, and an agent on your calls and texts costs $29.99 a month without limits, where a receptionist add-on elsewhere starts at several times that.
Frequently asked questions
Does Grasshopper have a free plan?
Grasshopper has a 7-day free trial and no free plan, as of October 13, 2026. Neuron has a free plan with a real local number and 50 texts.
Does Grasshopper include a virtual receptionist?
Not in its plans. Grasshopper offers one through a partner, Smith.ai, as an add-on that starts at $95 a month, as of October 13, 2026. Neuron includes an agent that answers calls and texts on every plan.
