Grasshopper is popular with solo entrepreneurs and very early-stage startups because it's cheap and simple — it gives you a business phone number that forwards to your personal cell. That's it. No desk phones, no call recording, no voicemail transcription, no ring groups. For a one-person side hustle, Grasshopper works. But the moment you hire your second employee or need real business phone features, Grasshopper becomes a bottleneck.
Grasshopper Is a Virtual Number, Not a Phone System
This is the most important distinction. Grasshopper doesn't provide VoIP phone service — it's a virtual phone number that forwards calls to your existing phone. You can't use desk phones. You can't transfer calls between employees. There's no call recording. There's no voicemail transcription. There's no integration with your CRM. There's no SMS from a shared business number. It's a call forwarding service with a professional greeting. For a Montana accounting firm with 8 CPAs, a dental practice with 3 locations, or a construction company with field crews — Grasshopper simply doesn't have the features.
Pricing: Cheaper or Just Less?
Grasshopper's plans range from $14-$80/month depending on extensions and numbers. At the small-business tier (~$28/month for 3 extensions), you get call forwarding, voicemail, and a greeting. That's all. Big Sky Telecom's $21.50/user/month plan includes full VoIP phone service, desk phone support, call recording, auto attendant, ring groups, voicemail-to-email, business SMS, mobile softphone, and CRM integrations. Dollar for dollar, Big Sky Telecom delivers 10x the functionality.
Remote Work: Grasshopper's One Advantage — and Why It's Not Enough
Grasshopper's entire model is mobile-first — calls forward to your cell, period. That works for a solo consultant working from a coffee shop. But for a Montana team with 5+ people working remotely across Missoula, Helena, and the Bitterroot Valley, you need presence indicators (who's available), call transfers between remote team members, shared call queues, and conference bridging. Big Sky Telecom's softphone app provides all of this on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. Your remote team operates as if they're all in the same office.
Growing Teams: The Moment Grasshopper Breaks
Montana businesses that start with Grasshopper almost always hit a wall around 3-5 employees. Common breaking points: a client calls and needs to be transferred to a specific person (Grasshopper can't do that). The office needs call recording for compliance or training (Grasshopper doesn't offer it). The receptionist needs to see who's on a call before transferring (Grasshopper has no presence indicators). The owner wants to stop using their personal cell for business calls (Grasshopper forwards to personal phones — that's the whole product). Big Sky Telecom is where Grasshopper businesses graduate to.
Support: Online-Only vs. Local and Personal
Grasshopper support is email and chat. There's no phone support on their base plan. When you're a 10-person law firm in Hamilton and your phones stop working, email support isn't acceptable. Big Sky Telecom provides a dedicated account rep in Missoula with under-1-hour response times. We'll come to your office if needed.
The Bottom Line
Grasshopper is a great starter product for solo entrepreneurs. But it's not a business phone system — it's a call forwarding service. Once your Montana business has 2+ employees, needs call recording, wants desk phones, or requires real phone system features, Big Sky Telecom is the natural upgrade.
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Big Sky Telecom provides hosted VoIP, business phone systems, and managed IT services to small and mid-sized businesses across Western Montana. Locally owned and operated in Missoula, MT since 1998.