What Is Quo (formerly known as OpenPhone)? Key pricing and features information

Quo, formerly known as OpenPhone, is an AI communications platform for growing SMBs and lower mid-market teams. What originally launched as a lightweight business phone system for startups and small businesses has evolved into a much broader communications platform - one focused on AI tools, workflow automations, integrations, advanced analytics, and team collaboration. Today, Quo's product direction increasingly resembles platforms like Dialpad, with a strong emphasis on AI assisted communication workflows, operational integrations with enterprise tool sets, and collaborative team messaging layered into customer communications.

That shift is visible throughout Quo's platform. The company has expanded well beyond basic business calling and texting into CRM integrations with platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive, along with agentic AI call handling through its Sona AI agent, workflow automations, sales call analytics, and collaboration tools built for larger teams with more complex operational needs. Quo has also built its product around modern team collaboration, including team chat threads layered directly into customer conversations inside a shared workspace experience. At the same time, Quo has increasingly highlighted larger flagship customers - including organizations like the Chicago Cubs, Texas A&M, and Farmers Insurance - to reinforce the company's move toward more advanced, higher seat business environments. (source: Quo website)

For some businesses, especially those scaling sales, support, and operations teams, that direction may be appealing. Companies that already rely on pipeline management tools, automation platforms, and collaborative workflows may find real value in Quo's AI forward approach and expanding feature set. But for many very small businesses, the platform's growing complexity, per user pricing structure, and collaboration-heavy workflow model can create more setup, more management overhead, and more cost than they originally expected from a business phone system.

For most small business owners, the goal is simpler than any of that. Make sure calls get answered, texts do not get lost, the team stay connected using shared business number, and a personal number does not end up carrying all the weight. If that sounds like you, it is worth understanding exactly where Quo is headed before you commit.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at Quo's pricing, features, collaboration model, AI capabilities, and integrations to better understand who the platform is really built for — and why its evolution toward an AI-first communications and collaboration platform may create friction for the traditional small business use case.

Quo offers a wide range of phone system features, especially for businesses looking for AI and integrations built into the experience.

• Calling and texting for business communication
• Internal team messaging and collaboration within the same customer conversation thread
• CRM integrations with platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot
• AI agent to train to answer calls
• Analytics, recordings, and other advanced tools on higher plans

Integrations for large sales, service, or operations setup

The integrations they highlight most — Salesforce, Zapier, HubSpot, pipeline management tools, and marketing automation platforms — point to businesses that already have more established systems in place. Often part of a larger sales, service, or operations setup where the phone system needs to connect into an existing tech stack. Those are not usually the tools a two-person shop is looking for.

Agentic AI: Built for scale or built for you?

Quo's AI agent, Sona, is built for businesses that want to automate more of the customer experience and reduce manual work as they scale. That can include handling calls, supporting follow-up workflows, and helping teams manage customer communication with less hands-on effort. This type of automation works well for medium-sized, tech savvy businesses, with a heavy flow of inbound calls to support or sales staff. But for many small businesses, it can feel like more system and more workflow than they really need in a virtual phone system provider.

Prioritizing large team collaboration

Quo layers internal team communication on top of customer communication so that everything lives in one place. Specifically made with large teams or customer support organizations in mind, the product consolidates all of their internal and external communications into a single thread. When internal conversations and customer conversations are in the same space, it is easy to get them mixed up. The last thing any business wants is to accidentally send a note about a customer, directly to that customer. For a small business owner with a team of 2 to 5 people, that extra layer of team collaboration usually isn't necessary. It can feel like more product than they need, and it can take focus away from what matters most - which is clear, reliable customer communication. Many entrepreneurs prioritize their customer communication, not their team alignment. Small businesses tend to put customers first, while Quo's setup puts much more emphasis on internal

Unique collaborative number setup

Quo also sets teams up in a different way than what many small businesses need. With Quo, each person on the team typically gets their own dedicated business number, so you're not actually sharing one number across your team. On Quo's lowest plan, shared numbers are only available for teams of up to 10 people. If your team goes beyond 10 people, even seasonally, you're forced into the next tier at $33 per user per. This quickly creates a real billing and account management headache for seasonal businesses who add temporary staff during busy periods.

With multiple business numbers, the question becomes which number to advertise on flyers, trucks, business cards, and Google listings.

What many small businesses need is one business number for your team to share, and for customers to easily remember. This makes it easy for your team to stay up-to-date on the latest customer communication, and also easy for your customer to only remember one number to associate with your business.

Quo gives each user a dedicated business number, and unlimited calling and texting are included across all plans. Business that need traditional phone system basics like phone menu, call forwarding, and ring order, are forced to select their middle plan, which starts at $33 per user per month. So if you're a small business trying to set up one shared number with the right call handling in place, the real cost can climb pretty quickly.

For a cost-conscious entrepreneur with a team 4, you can expect Quo to cost $95/month, or $1,140/year. This is at their lowest tier offer which doesn't include phone menu, call transfer, or ring order – all which are basic necessities for any small business. The cost only grows to access these features:

• Starter: $95 per month, or $1,140 per year
• Business: $165 per month, or $1,980 per year
• Scale: $235 per month, or $2,820 per year

Provider	Price	Pricing Model	Unlimited Users	Shared Numbers	Support
Quo	$19/user/mo	Per User	No	No	Tier-based
Grasshopper	$25/mo	Flat rate	Predictable team pricing	Yes	24/7 human support, all tiers

Quo also offers 1,000 automation credits for all plans to incorporate and use their AI Agent, Sona. The 1,000 automation credits will handle 10 calls. Be careful with the volume of calls sent to the AI agent - every call after is an additional $1. If you're a business with 100 calls per month, that's an extra $90/month that you may not have budgeted for.

• Per user pricing gets expensive as your team grows

  Quo charges per user, so every added team member increases your monthly cost. This makes growth feel expensive for seasonal businesses with fluctuating employee numbers, or entrepreneurs looking to onboarding a small team.

• Getting a true shared number takes more than you might expect

  If your goal is one business number to advertise, one number to give to customers, and one number that everyone on your team can answer, Quo may not be the best solution for you. Each user is given their own Quo phone number, and phone menus still aren't available on the entry plan.

• AI "solutions" often frustrate customers who want a real person, not a bot

  Features like Quo's AI agent, Sona, can answer customer calls and questions - but that also changes the experience on the other end of the line. Many customers expect a personal response, and having an AI agent take the first interaction can feel less human, and less aligned with the kind of service people are hoping to get.

• Important call handling features are reserved for higher plans

  Features like phone menus, call transfers, and custom ring orders are not included on Quo's Starter plan. These core phone features are essential to any entrepreneurs communication operations, yet require an update to Quo's middle tier, making the entry level plan feel limited for small businesses that need those tools right away.

• Real time support is tied to higher plans

  Quo offers email ticket support, live chat, and inbound phone support, depending on which plan you've selected. If you're considering the more cost conscious plan, you'll want to look closely at which options are at your disposal, because email ticket support may be your only option. The more direct support options are generally tied to the higher plans that are more likely to be used by larger teams and enterprises.

If you value simple, predictable expenses and a system that grows with you, Quo is not the best fit. Some key phone features are kept behind pricing tiers, which can feel like a never-ending upcharge.

"I signed up 2 months ago. I purchased their three numbers and paid for the entire year upfront, almost $1K, and this was the biggest mistake I ever made…

I came, I spent, and I learned, so if you want to learn something from someone's experiences, then it's better to NOT sign up with Quo [OpenPhone]. Their interface looks better, but their service and support are worst and not friendly. All in all, after sale service is ZERO."

G2 Reviews

Grasshopper is the top Quo alternative for small businesses, specifically for solopreneurs and small teams who want a professional phone system they can rely on without the extra costs. Here's how Grasshopper sets itself apart:

• One shared business number

  Grasshopper makes it easy for your team to work from a shared business number – that means one phone number for customers to recognize, one number to advertise, and one number to manage. No more handing out personal numbers, or juggling separate numbers, or trying to piece together customer conversations across different devices. Everyone on your team can see the customer conversation history, and answer calls via the Grasshopper app. You can simply add extensions, route calls to the right person via their extension, and keep customer communication organized under one professional number your customers already know.

• Clear, affordable pricing

  Grasshopper keeps pricing simple and predictable. An entrepreneur with a team of 4 can share one business number for just $25 per month, or $300 per year. That's saving +$840/year compared to Quo. Unlike Quo's per user pricing, your Grasshopper bill doesn't increase every time you add another person, which makes it much easier for small businesses to grow without watching the phone bill grow with them. This peace of mind is priceless.

• 24/7 human, responsive support

  Access expert, human guidance around the clock, because Grasshopper understands entrepreneurs work more than just a 9-5. Plus, get 24/7 human support on every Grasshopper plan. Whether you're starting out with a side gig and opt for a lower plan, or have a team of 10 and opt for a higher plan, you can count on getting 24/7 human support.

• Professional image from day one

  Choose from local, toll free, or vanity business numbers to create the right first impression. Features like automated greetings, AI generated greetings, call forwarding, and voicemail transcription help your business sound polished, organized, and responsive from the start. For small businesses that want to look established without adding more manual work, those tools can help create a more professional customer experience from the very first call.

• All the practical features small businesses actually need

  Grasshopper includes the features many small businesses expect to have from the start, including business texting, extensions, mobile and desktop apps, phone menus, call transfers, and custom ring order. Instead of pushing practical call handling features to a higher tier, Grasshopper gives small businesses a more complete setup from day one.

Grasshopper's simple pricing model and robust feature set make it easy for small businesses to look credible, stay organized, and focus on the business and the customers. With Grasshopper, projecting professionalism and managing communications is both affordable and effortless.

Quo is not built for every business. If you are running a medium or large team, managing a high volume of inbound calls, and already working out of platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot, then Quo was genuinely built with you in mind. The AI tools, the integrations, and the team collaboration features all make sense for a business that has the scale and infrastructure to take advantage of them.

If you are a small business owner, a solopreneur, a side hustler, or a small team that just needs a professional number you can share with your team, key phone features, and a bill that stays predictable, Quo is more product than you need. Grasshopper was built for exactly that. One number, one price, and everything you need to sound professional from the very first call.

Most small businesses aren't looking for more software to manage. They're looking for a single business number they can share with their team, answer from anywhere, and use on the phones they already have. They want a communication system that feels simple from day one.

Ready to skip the fine print, fees, and frustration? Start your free trial with Grasshopper and experience clear pricing, real support, and a business phone system that grows with you.