Compare grasshopper and Inboxen on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Communication tools, Tiered monthly subscription starting at $14/month…
At a Glance
grasshopper
Inboxen
Primary category
Communication
Communication
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Tiered monthly subscription starting at $14/month with a free trial; USA and Canada only
Open Source
Starting price
Not documented
Free
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Not documented
Platforms
iOS, Android, Desktop App, Mobile App
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
grasshopper
No individual plan breakdown documented yet.
Inboxen
Self-Hosted — Free N/A (AGPL-3.0 license)
Public Hosted Instance — Not available N/A
Pros & Cons
grasshopper
Pros
No hardware required — works as an app layer over an existing mobile phone or landline
Choice of local, toll-free, or vanity business numbers with unlimited extensions on higher plans
Voicemail transcription and instant automated text replies help solo operators stay responsive
Backed by GoTo, an established communications company, for platform stability and support
Free trial available to test the service before committing to a paid plan
Cons
Service is only available in the USA and Canada, limiting use for international businesses
Focused on number/call/text management rather than a full VoIP PBX, so it lacks the deeper call-center and analytics depth of platforms built for larger support teams
Advanced features like the virtual receptionist and extra phone numbers are positioned as paid add-ons rather than included in base pricing
Requires a stable Wi-Fi or data connection since calls route over VoIP rather than a traditional carrier line
Inboxen
Pros
Fully open source and self-hostable under AGPL-3.0
Strong privacy-first design philosophy, including data deletion on shutdown
AGPL license guarantees the code stays open even in hosted derivatives
No cost beyond your own server to run an instance
Development continues actively on Codeberg despite the original hosted service closing
Cons
The original public hosted instance at inboxen.org has shut down, so there is no ready-to-use hosted option
Requires real self-hosting skills in Python, Django, PostgreSQL and server administration
No official mobile apps
Smaller community and support base than commercial alias services like SimpleLogin
Documentation is developer-oriented rather than consumer-friendly
Use Cases
grasshopper
Inboxen
Self-hosted disposable email aliasing — Deploying a private instance to generate disposable aliases for website and service signups.
Evaluating open-source alias infrastructure — Reviewing or forking an AGPL-licensed Django codebase as a reference for building similar privacy tooling.
Contributing to an open-source privacy project — Submitting pull requests or patches to the actively maintained Codeberg repository.