If you’re hunting for an affordable VoIP phone system, CallHippo’s free Basic plan probably caught your eye. Who doesn’t want to pay $0 per user per month for a business phone system?
Unless, of course, that’s not the whole story.
The truth is CallHippo is more expensive than you’d think — and the free plan doesn’t include phone numbers, minutes, or caller ID. It gets even more frustrating when you realize how many limitations there are. This includes the number of times you’ll have to upgrade for basic features like call recording.
You can use this guide to get the real scoop on CallHippo’s pricing, including its plans, features, and hidden fees. We also explain its restrictions and limitations — and how the right VoIP provider can help you sidestep them.
TL;DR
CallHippo isn’t a great option for small businesses because it doesn’t have transparent pricing. It also lacks productivity features and requires multiple upgrades to unlock basic tools.
CallHippo business phone pricing and plans
CallHippo offers two levels of service for businesses: an office phone system billed as the Essential plans. Plus, a set of plans for call centers called the Pro Suite plans. For enterprise brands, it offers an outbound Dialer and access to AI voice and chat agents known as CallHippo AI. You can also purchase add-ons for AI call transcriptions and summaries, caller ID names, and more.
Essential plans
Let’s break it down in the chart below:
How much do CallHippo’s Essential plans cost, and what features will you get on each?
| Feature | Basic | Starter | Professional | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per user per month | $0 per user per month, Pay only for numbers | $18 | $30 | $42 |
| Click to Dial | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Text messaging | Limit not specified | 100 per user per month | 500 per user per month | 1000 per user per month |
| Reports & analytics | X | Basic | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Call recording | X | X | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| AI voicemail transcription | X | X | X | ✔️ |
| Call Tags | X | X | X | ✔️ |
| Shared inbox | X | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Multilingual IVR | X | X | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Basic
Pricing: $0 per user per month, requires paying for phone numbers
Best for: Solopreneurs who need a basic business number for very minimal calling and texting
CallHippo markets this as a free plan, but it’s not truly free since every phone number comes at an extra cost. The price of numbers isn’t listed publicly, so you’ll need to sign up or talk to sales to know what you’ll pay.
You get access to the following features:
- Click to dial
- Identify a phone number’s time zone before a call
- WhatsApp Business API
- Voicemail
- SMS and MMS
Keep in mind, texts aren’t included. You’ll be charged $0.01 per message in the US. If you want included messages in your plan, you’ll need to upgrade to the Starter plan — but even there, the number of texts is capped.
Starter
Pricing: $18 per user per month
Best for: Teams that make customer calls to mobiles and landlines.
With the Starter plan, you can unlock basic features like:
- ‘Unlimited’ minutes
- 100 SMS messages per month
- Call logs with one-month storage only
- Call forwarding to a device
- Shared inbox
- Business hours
- Number porting
Notice we said ‘unlimited’ here — because CallHippo’s minutes only include landline and mobile numbers. You have to pay extra to reach ‘specialty’ and ‘premium’ numbers, and you’ll only get 100 free SMS messages per user per month. You can’t even access all your call logs since old conversations get deleted after one month.
Professional
Pricing: $30 per user per month
Best for: Businesses that don’t text a lot of customers.
CallHippo’s Professional plan provides everything in Starter plus a few extra key features like:
- 500 SMS messages per month
- Call recording
- Custom greetings
- Voicemail transcriptions
- Multilingual IVR
- Reports that summarize user and call activity
But notice again, there’s a lack of scalability — you still have to pay extra to reach specialty and premium numbers.
Ultimate
Pricing: $42 per user per month
Best for: Small businesses that want more advanced call routing but can live without unlimited texting.
CallHippo’s second most expensive Essentials plan unlocks all the features available on previous plans, as well as:
- 1,000 SMS messages per user per month
- Custom integrations
- Custom ring time
- IVR, also known as interactive voice response
- Call blocking
- Holiday routing
- Personalized onboarding
- Dedicated onboarding
- Call tagging
Unfortunately, there’s no way to unlock unlimited texts per user per month here, which could be a problem as your business grows. Plus, you’re mostly unlocking features you can get on traditional phone plans, including call blocking and phone menus.
Pro Suite plans
How much do CallHippo’s Pro Suite plans cost, and what features will you get on each?
Let’s break it down in the chart below:
| Feature | Bronze | Silver | Platinum | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per user per month | $32 | $40 | $48 | Contact Sales |
| Call recordings | $0.005 per minute | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Voice broadcasting | X | X | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Leaderboard (Gamification) | x | X | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Reports / analytics | X | X | ✔️ | Custom reports |
| Multiple-level call transfer | X | X | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Custom ring time | X | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Support | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | Priority |
Bronze
Pricing: $32 per user per month
Best for: Call center teams who don’t record a lot of customer calls.
The Bronze plan offers the same basic features as the Starter plan, including unlimited calls to mobile and landlines.
Here are more features you can expect to unlock:
- Shared inboxes
- Call mute
- Click to dial
- Call forwarding
- Skill-based call routing
- Webhooks
- Campaign management
While you’ll unlock call recording on this plan, be prepared to pay an extra $0.005 per minute. But you won’t be able to pause or resume your recordings, which may be frustrating if you only need to capture a few minutes of each call.
Silver
Pricing: $40 per user per month
Best for: Call centers that need to manage long queues and keep agents motivated with leaderboards.
In addition to unlocking all Bronze plan features, the Silver plan gives you access to free call recordings and call dispositions. You’ll also get the following tools:
- Call reminders
- Leaderboards
- Pause and resume recordings
- Call tagging
- Call queue
- AI voicemail transcription
You get a few AI tools to work with on this plan, including voicemail transcriptions so you can quickly get context for missed calls. However, the best AI tools are locked behind the Platinum plan or the AI add-on, which costs $10 per user per month.
Platinum
Pricing: $48 per user per month
Best for: Call center teams that need to send post-call surveys.
The Platinum plan is the most expensive plan in the Pro Suite solution. It comes with all the features previously locked behind paywalls, including conference calling and integrations with Google Drive. You’ll also get access to:
- DID groups
- Compliance call recording
- Speed to dial
- Call barging and call whispering
- IVR
- Post-call survey
Just keep in mind the Platinum plan doesn’t come with popular AI features despite its expensive price point. If you want call transcriptions, call summaries, sentiment analysis, or smart dashboards, you’ll need to pay for the AI add-on.
Enterprise
Pricing: Custom quote, requires a 20-user minimum.
Best for: Large sales teams with a global customer base and high call volume.
The Enterprise plan is meant for large enterprises that need to call across borders. It includes unlimited calling in 48 countries, along with advanced tools to help manage compliance.
You’ll also get access to the following features:
- Dedicated compliance support
- Power dialer
- Speech analytics
- Custom reports
- Developer reports
Keep in mind, pricing isn’t public. You’ll need to contact sales for a quote. And with a 20-user minimum, it’s not a fit for small or growing businesses.
Optional add-ons
- AI add-on: $10 per user per month for AI-powered call transcriptions, call summaries, advanced call analytics, and voicemail transcriptions.
- CNAM, also known as caller ID name: $100 one-time fee per account. It’s only available for US calling.
- Call Scribe: $15 per user per month to see transcriptions of recorded calls.
- Remediation Service: $100 per number for CallHippo’s help if a carrier labels your number as spam.
- Dashboard User: $15 per user per month for agents to access the CallHippo web app. Keep in mind the web dialer is not accessible for dashboard users.
- SMS Services: $3 per month to activate A2P 10DLC texting in the US and Canada, plus a one-time setup cost of $15 per account.
- Spam Watch: $2 per number per month for number monitoring that limits your likelihood of getting labeled as spam.
CallHippo Parallel Dialer
CallHippo’s parallel dialer automates call initiation and helps save reps’ time by filtering out unproductive or machine-answered calls.
Basic plan
It costs $25 per user per month to access:
- AI smart DID routing
- Queue calls
- Auto-pacing dial ratio
- Controlled multiple call attempts
- Time zone dialing
Keep in mind you’ll need to upgrade to access unlimited calling in the US and Canada.
Ultimate plan
It costs $200 per user per month to access everything in the $25 per month plan, plus:
- Unlimited calling in the US and Canada
- Automatic machine detection accuracy
CallHippo AI
CallHippo sells its AI features as three separate products. This includes an AI Voice agent that automatically manages inbound calls. It also provides an AI chatbot that handles messages on platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. Plus, if you want to access features like AI call transcriptions, you’ll need to buy its AI Copilot service. Let’s take a closer look at each.
AI Voice Agent
- AI Core Agent: $0 per month for 100 free minutes, one free AI agent, five concurrent calls
- AI Pro Agent: $399 per month for five AI agents, up to 2,500 minutes, 25 concurrent calls, and $0.16 per minute after 2,500 minutes
- AI Max Agent: $799 per month for 10 AI agents, up to 5,000 minutes, 50 concurrent calls, and $0.16 per minute after 5,000 minutes
- AI Ultra Pro Max Agent: $1,199 per month for 20 AI agents, up to 7,500 minutes, 80 concurrent calls, and $0.16 per minute after 7,500 minutes
AI Chat Agent
- Basic: Free for three users, includes contact management, file sending, multi-accounts, and performance indicators
- Bronze: $20 per user per month for shared inbox, business hours, contact timeline, and admin chat review
- Silver: $28 per user per month for broadcast messages, AI chat assistant, unified inbox, and data export
- Gold: Contact sales for quick reply, contact timeline, and API / Webhook
AI Copilot
AI Copilot costs $10 per user per month and is designed to provide guidance to call center teams. Here are the features included:
- Call summaries
- Key topics tracking
- Voicemail transcription
- Sentiment analysis
- AI-powered call transcription
- Performance dashboards
- Talk ratio analysis
Don’t let CallHippo’s prices fool you: they’re more than what you see advertised online.
Take these hidden fees, for example:
- Texting limits: You only get 100 SMS on the Starter plan, 500 SMS on the Professional plan, and 1,000 SMS on the Ultimate plan. Exceeding this limit comes with a per-text rate ranging from $0.01 to $0.94 per outbound SMS.
- Toll-free numbers and minutes: CallHippo advertises one free number for each user on your account, but this doesn’t include toll-free numbers. You also don’t get unlimited calling to the US and Canada — you have to pay per minute, depending on the country in question. The website isn’t totally clear on pricing here, but documents hidden in the help desk suggest $12 per month for the US toll-free number and $0.033 per minute for incoming call charges.
- Call forwarding charges: CallHippo users get charged twice for forwarded calls. First, you have to pay incoming call charges for your CallHippo number since the call rings there first. Then you have to pay outgoing call charges since your CallHippo number is technically sending an ‘outbound’ call to another number. Assuming you’re using a local US number and forwarding to another local US number, that’s an inbound charge of $0.020 per minute and an outbound price of $0.018 per minute. Keep in mind, this cost could be higher if you’re located in Alaska or Hawaii.
- Call transcription: You’d think call transcription would be a basic feature — but with CallHippo, this costs extra. Call transcription is only available as an AI add-on, which starts at $10 per user per month.
- Carrier registration fees: CallHippo charges between $3 and $10 per month, depending on use case. You’ll also need to pay a one-time fee of $15. If you want SMS services in the US and Canada, be prepared to pay an additional $3 per user per month.
- International calling: The cost of reaching an international country with CallHippo depends on your location and number type. Their rates vary dramatically depending on the number you purchase — and as you can see, their fee spreadsheet makes things even more confusing.
- Caller ID: This feature is only available in the US and requires an additional $100 fee.
5 things to keep in mind before committing to CallHippo
Here are a few more reasons to consider CallHippo alternatives:
1. Customer support is unreliable
CallHippo doesn’t make it easy to get help, especially if you’re on a lower tier. Past users have reported below-average response times, poor issue resolution, and frustrating communication gaps.
We’ll let these CallHippo reviews speak for themselves:
- “Issues with the system. Multiple excuses for why it wasn’t working. Charged for 7 users month after month even after telling support we were only showing 3 active. Instead of doing the right thing they argued why it was happening and still wouldn’t assist in fixing the user issue, so they could keep collecting more money. Horrible customer service in the end.” — G2
- “Literally tried for a full week to reach 1 human being at this company to ask a technical question before purchasing and nobody got back to me. If I can’t get a response when I’m trying to give them money, I definitely won’t get a response when I need help…” — Trustpilot
Other reviewers had issues with the virtual phone system not being user-friendly:
2. Basic call recording and transcriptions are pricey
Several of CallHippo’s critical tools are trapped behind add-ons, upgrades, and usage costs. For example:
- You only get call recording if you upgrade to the Professional plan.
- With the Essentials Solution, you’ll have to pay per minute for call recording unless you upgrade to the Silver plan.
The kicker? Most of these features are table stakes with other VoIP providers, so they don’t cost extra each month or require paid add-ons.
3. Texting creates bottlenecks instead of solutions
CallHippo’s unnecessary texting limits could prevent you from creating (or responding to) important conversations.
On the second tier, users only have access to 100 SMS messages per month — which isn’t very much if you have dozens of customers.
Upgrading to the highest business phone tier unlocks 1,000 SMS messages per month. But considering other VoIP systems offer unlimited text messages on every plan, it’s hard to see the value (especially when you’re paying double the price of an average plan).
4. There aren’t really “unlimited minutes”
When CallHippo says it offers ‘unlimited minutes,’ it actually means you have unlimited minutes for landline and mobile numbers. You’re forced to pay per-minute rates to contact premium, toll-free, and ‘specialty’ numbers which likely include international numbers.
Users have to pay up front for calling credits, to the tune. Keep in mind there’s a minimum credit purchase of $10. If you don’t keep your credits stocked, you might miss important calls or be unable to place an outbound call, depending on the recipient.
5. Workflow automations locked behind higher tiers
Want CallHippo to put your daily tasks on autopilot? Unless you’re willing to upgrade your plan, this may not be possible.
For example:
- The best integrations including CRMs are only available on the Ultimate plan that costs $42 per user per month.
- You can’t record custom greetings until you pay for the second-highest Professional tier that costs $30 per user per month.
- Call transfers to mobile are only available on the Ultimate plan. Keep in mind that other platforms like Quo, formerly OpenPhone, offer this feature on mid-tier plans.
- Holiday routing is only available on the Ultimate plan, which could be frustrating if you’re a smaller business trying to set clear expectations.
With so many features locked behind higher tiers, you may feel forced to upgrade before you’re financially ready.
Quo: A more effective alternative to CallHippo
So does it make sense to buy virtual phone numbers through CallHippo? With basic features like conference calling starting at $48 per user per month, it’s expensive, inflexible, and likely not scalable for small business owners.
The good news is that Quo is the exact opposite — according to user reviews. We offer unlimited inbound and outbound calling, advanced features through third-party integrations, and multiple AI tools on each of our plans.
Here’s how Quo and CallHippo compare:
| Features | Quo | CallHippo |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $15 per user per month | $18 per user per month |
| Unlimited calling | ✓ | Limitations on toll-free, premium, and specialty numbers |
| Unlimited SMS, MMS to US & Canada | ✓ | Starts at 100 SMS per user per month |
| Toll-free numbers | ✓ | Cost extra |
| Additional phone numbers | $5 per number | Varies |
| Number porting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Call recording | ✓ | Requires upgrade |
| Shared phone numbers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Group text messaging | ✓ | X |
| Shared contacts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-replies | ✓ | Requires upgrade |
| Text message templates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Slack integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI features | ✓ | Requires add-on that costs $10 per user per month |
| Gmail integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zapier integration | ✓ | Requires upgrade |
| iOS and Android apps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web-based apps | ✓ | ✓ |
1. Simple and straightforward pricing
Quo starts at $15 per user per month — no catch, no add-ons, and no hidden fees. You can see how much everything costs directly on our pricing page and choose a plan depending on your business needs.
Want to check our prices before calling overseas? With Quo, you can check international calling and texting rates at any time.
There’s also no mystery around our unlimited calls and texts. Send as many as you want in the US and Canada — the same goes for toll-free numbers.
2. Call and text as one voice
With the help of Quo’s shared phone numbers, it’s easy to split responsibility for incoming calls. Every member of your number gets notified of incoming calls and texts, which means anyone can pick up the phone and answer questions.
You can do a lot more with your Quo account because every Quo plan allows for collaboration. You can:
- Streamline handoffs with our warm transfer tool.
- Delegate tasks with internal threads and mentions.
- Leave custom contact notes for everyone on your team.
Quo also makes it easier to get more work done as a team. Unlike CallHippo, which caps simultaneous calls at 30%, you can make unlimited concurrent calls with our shared phone numbers.
3. Manage availability for a better work-life balance
Between vacations, holidays, sick days, and personal time, you (and your business hours) will invariably change.
That’s why Quo makes it easy to quickly update your hours and keep customers and coworkers informed.
First, you can set your business hours, which you can adjust whenever you need. Then, you can set up a custom away voicemail and enable Do Not Disturb so you can relax when the day is done.
Plus, your team members can easily adjust their hours so they don’t receive work notifications while away from their phones. They can also set their statuses, switch on DND, or turn off number notifications, depending on their schedule or time zone.
4. Easy integrations with your CRM and other tools
With Quo as your business phone system, you don’t have to worry about missing key conversations. We connect with the tools you already use — including your CRM — so all calls, texts, and contact info are seamlessly synced between accounts.
Want to connect with more than HubSpot and Salesforce? We pair with 7,000+ other apps. For example, you can connect with helpdesk software like Zoho, plug into collaboration tools like Slack, and even set up Zaps with our Zapier integration.
And speaking of automations. . .
5. Optimize workflows with automations and call flows
Quo makes it easy to put redundant tasks on autopilot. Whether you’re working on a desktop or using our mobile app, it’s quick and easy to:
- Set up auto-replies. This makes it easy to set customer expectations, even if you miss their call or text.
- Schedule messages. Your text only goes out if the customer hasn’t responded first (and always queues up in their time zone).
- Create round-robin call orders. That way, key players on your number get notified of incoming calls first while ensuring there’s always someone around to pick up the phone.
- Generate AI text message responses. With two to three suggested responses based on past conversations, you’ll never suffer from analysis paralysis again.
- Write snippets. Also known as canned messages or text templates, you can use set snippets to answer FAQs even faster.
- Set up an AI agent to automatically answer calls. Sona, Quo’s AI agent, takes messages, answers FAQs, and logs calls when your team can’t pick up the phone.
Pros and cons of CallHippo pricing plans
CallHippo may make sense for larger international teams. However, it may not be a cost-effective option for growing small businesses or startups on a budget.
Pros
- International numbers available: You can purchase phone numbers in over 50 countries.
- Enterprise features: You have the option to enable SSO, DID routing, and more.
- Omnichannel platform: CallHippo’s Omnichannel platform lets you integrate with popular apps such as Telegram, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Cons
- Limited call history: You can’t access call histories beyond one month unless you upgrade to CallHippo’s second-highest tier.
- Expensive plans: CallHippo’s Starter plan is ~20% more expensive than comparable business communication platforms.
- No truly unlimited minutes: You’ll have to pay for inbound calls to premium, toll-free, and specialty numbers.
- No unlimited SMS: The most expensive plan only unlocks 1,000 SMS messages per user per month. Keep in mind, other providers like Quo offer unlimited SMS on every plan.
See why Quo is the best virtual phone service provider
CallHippo might offer lots of bells and whistles, but for growing small businesses, it’s more fluff than substance. That’s why dozens of growing brands have switched from CallHippo to Quo — the #1 business phone system, as rated by G2.
We offer startup-friendly features and pricing designed to grow alongside your business. All you need is an internet connection and a phone or computer to get started.
Plus, we offer a scalable solution to grow alongside your business. That means truly unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada starting at $15 per user per month. You’ll get access to CRM integrations like HubSpot and Salesforce. Quo also provides call monitoring software like group calls, which lets you listen in on conversations while muted to shadow new team members and see how they’re doing.
See for yourself why Quo is the best CallHippo alternative by signing up for a seven-day free trial.
