Trellus vs. PhoneBurner: Up to Five Lines Inside Your CRM or a Single-Line Power Dialer With Its Own CRM

The short answer

PhoneBurner is a single-line power dialer with its own CRM, email tools and, on its Premium plan, texting and inbound calling. It dials US and Canadian numbers, launches from native apps in Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HighLevel and Outreach or from its Chrome and Edge extension, and costs $140 to $183 per seat per month billed annually ($165 to $215 monthly) with unlimited dialing. Trellus is a Chrome extension that power dials, or parallel dials up to five numbers at once, inside the CRM, sales engagement platform or Google Sheet a team already uses, for $99.99 or $149.99 per seat per month, with real-time AI coaching on its Business plan. Choose PhoneBurner for one-line calling with a CRM, email and texting from one vendor; choose Trellus when reps need more than one line, live AI guidance or dialing inside platforms PhoneBurner does not list.

If your reps make a small number of researched calls and your CRM's own calling tool already logs outcomes where managers look, you may not need either.

Trellus vs. PhoneBurner at a glance

A dialer with its own CRM, or an extension beside yours

PhoneBurner is a full calling workspace. Its pricing page lists a CRM, workflow automation, sales cadences, custom dispositions, one-click voicemails, email sending with SmartSender tracking and an appointment calendar on every plan, with contact imports capped at 10,000, 20,000 or 50,000 a month by plan. Its FAQ says one disposition button can leave a voicemail, add someone to the do-not-call list, set a status, move the contact to a folder and send a follow-up email or text. Teams without a CRM can run everything there; PhoneBurner says its CRM can replace yours but does not have to.

How PhoneBurner reaches your CRM depends on the CRM. In Salesforce, an AppExchange app adds a dialer panel that dials Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, Tasks, Activities, Cases, custom objects or a report of up to 500 records, logs calls, notes, dispositions and recordings, and can push new matching leads into a live call queue. Zoho CRM and Outreach have native apps; the Outreach app dials sequence call steps that are due and needs a Salesforce account as well. In HighLevel, PhoneBurner for HighLevel is a free connector built by The Marketer's Toolkit that launches a dial session from a smart list. HubSpot has two paths: a HubSpot-built two-way sync, where reps start dial sessions in PhoneBurner, or the Dial Session Companion extension, which dials HubSpot lists, deals, companies and tasks and closes the task after the call. PhoneBurner's extension guide rates each CRM: a full API integration in HubSpot and Close, optimized page scanning in Pipedrive with no activity logging, and a generic page scan elsewhere that it says works about half the time.

Trellus is a Chrome extension each rep installs and signs in to. Reps work from the contact list or calling view their integration supports, in platforms such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo, Pipedrive, Attio and Google Sheets, and Trellus logs the result back to the same record. Contacts do not move into another CRM. Calling surfaces, dialing modes and saved fields differ by platform, so check the integration page for yours.

One line by design, or up to five

PhoneBurner chose single-line dialing on purpose. Its FAQ says multi-line dialers drop calls, which risks TCPA and TSR violations, and create an awkward pause when someone answers; its power dialer page lists parallel and predictive dialers with an "audible delay." PhoneBurner offers Power Dialing and a slower Pause and Preview mode, an adjustable ring duration, and one-click recorded voicemails that it leaves while dialing the next contact. Its optional Connect Scores add-on rates numbers Low, Medium or High for answer likelihood and can skip low scores during a session. By default it dials between 8 AM and 9 PM in the time zone of the prospect's phone number, and a summer 2026 update added per-day calling hours. It keeps a personal do-not-call list and integrates with DNC.com for registry scrubbing.

Trellus Power calls one number at a time. Power + Parallel calls up to five numbers at once and connects the rep with whoever answers, with Hot Numbers pickup ordering. On eligible parallel calls, Trellus waits for the voicemail tone to play a recorded message, and reps can record a separate introduction for phone call screeners. By default Trellus dials between 8 AM and 6 PM in each prospect's local time and holds back numbers marked Do Not Call.

One line suits warm follow-ups, callbacks and calls where the first seconds matter; more lines suit large, prepared lists where most calls go unanswered. Neither guarantees a conversation, so compare connected conversations with the intended person, and what a prospect hears on answering, rather than dials.

Connection, numbers, texting and coaching

How reps connect

PhoneBurner's Standard plan connects a dial session through a phone the rep already has; its help center says a mobile phone can carry the calls while PhoneBurner runs on a computer. The browser softphone, with Krisp noise cancellation, and ConnectMe start on Professional. PhoneBurner's system requirements recommend Chrome, a wired connection and a wired headset, and it has no mobile app. Trellus runs in Google Chrome on a Mac or Windows computer with a headset or microphone, and recommends a wired or USB headset for the clearest sound.

Phone numbers and spam flags

PhoneBurner sells numbers as an add-on, with area codes you choose, rotating number pools and local presence; its pages do not publish a number price. Local presence needs approval, with proof of business in each state you want to match. ARMOR monitors PhoneBurner-purchased numbers across major US carriers, notifies you of flags and has PhoneBurner's team work with carriers to remove false ones. Its FAQ prices it at $5 per number per month, applied to every PhoneBurner number on the account, not available on free trials or for your own verified numbers; carrier registration alone can be turned on without it. PhoneBurner stopped offering branded caller ID on September 1, 2024 and refers customers to First Orion, a separate company.

Trellus includes 5 additional numbers on Power and 8 on Power + Parallel. You can search by area code, state or city, or bring your own number, which counts toward the plan's limit. An admin completes spam remediation, first STIR/SHAKEN business verification and then the Free Caller Registry, and can then register a caller ID name; whether it shows depends on the prospect's carrier. Each number shows Clean, Warning, Flagged or Untested from checks that run about once a week.

Texting, email and inbound

PhoneBurner sends email from its server or yours, with SmartSender open and click tracking, on every plan. Premium adds SMS from PhoneBurner numbers: 1,000 outbound and unlimited inbound messages per user per month after A2P 10DLC approval, which requires an EIN and a one-time, nonrefundable $50 application fee. Premium also answers callbacks in the app, routes inbound calls by keypress menu or call group and adds a voicemail inbox. Trellus does not list texting. Its callbacks ring in the Chrome tab running Trellus or at a forwarding number you set, missed calls from the last 7 days stay in a list, and with routing on, a number can ring a team, one rep or an outside number, depending on plan. Every Trellus plan includes a LinkedIn inbox for Sales Navigator messages.

Coaching during and after calls

On PhoneBurner Professional and Premium, managers can listen to a live call, whisper to the rep or barge in from a live dial session dashboard; real-time leaderboards come with every plan. Premium adds call transcription with an AI note taker: when a rep marks a live answer on a recorded call, PhoneBurner produces a transcript, talk-time ratio and summary, and can save the summary to the contact's notes. Recordings are kept 30 days on Standard, 90 on Professional and without limit on Premium.

Trellus's Business plan adds real-time AI coaching: a live transcript and suggested responses while the rep is still on the call, in English, Spanish, French, German or Dutch. On the virtual Salesfloor, which teams can ask about in a demo, a manager can listen, request a whisper that only the rep hears, or join. Power + Parallel includes unlimited AI practice calls in 17 languages and variants, graded after each session.

Where each fits

Choose Trellus when

• Reps call from platforms PhoneBurner's integrations page does not list, such as Apollo, Salesloft, Attio or Google Sheets, or from Pipedrive, where PhoneBurner's extension does not log activity.
• Your lists are large enough that up to five lines per rep matters.
• You want live AI suggestions during calls (Business), AI practice, phone numbers included in the seat price, or calling outside the US and Canada.
• You want a lower published per-seat price without an annual contract.

Choose PhoneBurner when

• Your team or compliance policy prefers single-line dialing, with the rep on the line from the moment a prospect answers.
• You have no CRM, or want calling, email, texting, cadences and inbound call handling in one platform.
• Reps want to dial through a desk or mobile phone instead of a browser headset, or you need Salesforce report dialing of up to 500 records and automatic new-lead call queues.
• You want a free trial, unlimited dialing, done-for-you spam flag remediation and a 15% discount for annual billing.

Keep what you have when

Your current calling already reaches people and logs outcomes where managers look. A new dialer will not fix a weak list, an unclear disposition set or an unowned callback process.

Compare the cost of the same scope

Both vendors publish per-seat prices. The figures below use only those published prices; taxes, add-ons and phone numbers beyond those included are excluded.

On published list prices, Trellus costs less per seat at each scope both vendors offer, and Trellus Power + Parallel costs less than PhoneBurner Standard billed monthly. PhoneBurner's price includes unlimited dialing, a built-in CRM and email tools, and on Premium, texting, inbound calling and AI call summaries; Trellus plans include standard (Power) or high (Power + Parallel) dialing limits described in its Terms. PhoneBurner add-ons to price are numbers (price not published), ARMOR at $5 per PhoneBurner number per month, Connect Scores (Starter, Growth and Scale tiers for 1,000, 5,000 or 15,000 numbers a month, prices not published, plus $15 per extra 1,000), the $50 SMS application fee and SMS overages. Live AI coaching and team analytics are on Trellus Business, which is custom-priced; see Trellus pricing.

Check the terms as well. PhoneBurner bills monthly with no contract, or annually under a yearly contract for the discount, and accepts credit cards only. When you cancel, you can end immediately or at the next billing date, with no prorated refund, and you lose the numbers you bought. Trellus single-seat plans can pause or cancel in Billing, larger plans email billing, and numbers may be released when a plan is cancelled.

Test before you commit

1. Install where reps actually work. Connect PhoneBurner through its native app or the Dial Session Companion and note which level of support your CRM gets. Install Trellus in the same CRM and sign in as a rep rather than the admin.
2. Dial the same list in the same hour. Run PhoneBurner's single line against Trellus Power and Power + Parallel. Count conversations with the intended person, and listen to what a prospect hears after answering.
3. Reopen the record. Confirm the outcome, notes, recording or transcript link, closed task and callback landed where managers report from, with the right owner.
4. Check numbers and caller ID. Count the numbers you will need, complete spam registration and any local presence approval, and call back a number you dialed from to see where it rings.
5. Check how reps connect. Try a headset in the browser and, for PhoneBurner Standard, the rep's own phone, and confirm the plan you are pricing includes the method you tested.
6. Price the full scope. Include seats, billing term, phone numbers, spam protection, texting, the coaching tier and the cancellation terms.

Frequently asked questions

Can PhoneBurner dial more than one line at a time?

No. PhoneBurner's FAQ says it is a single-line dialer by design, to avoid dropped calls and the pause they cause. Trellus Power calls one number at a time, and Trellus Power + Parallel calls up to five numbers at once.

How much does PhoneBurner cost?

PhoneBurner's pricing page lists Standard at $165, Professional at $195 and Premium at $215 per user per month billed monthly, or $140, $165 and $183 billed annually, with unlimited dialing and a free trial. Phone numbers, ARMOR spam protection and Connect Scores are add-ons. Trellus publishes Power at $99.99 and Power + Parallel at $149.99 per seat per month.

Does PhoneBurner work inside my CRM?

PhoneBurner has native integrations with Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HubSpot, HighLevel, Outreach, monday.com and SugarCRM, connects Close through its Dial Session Companion extension and can scan other CRM pages; in Pipedrive the extension does not log activity. It also includes its own CRM. Trellus lists 28 integrations, with dialing in 20; see the Trellus dialer.

Does either offer real-time AI coaching?

Trellus Business shows a live transcript and suggested responses during the call. PhoneBurner offers live listen, whisper and barge on Professional and Premium, and AI transcripts and summaries after calls on Premium; we did not find in-call AI suggestions in its documentation.

Can I call outside the US and Canada?

PhoneBurner's FAQ says it dials only US and Canadian numbers. Trellus calls the countries your account is set up for and checks each number before dialing.

Which one books more meetings?

This comparison does not establish a performance winner. Run both on comparable lists with the same reps and compare conversations, saved outcomes and qualified meetings.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026. PhoneBurner claims come from the pages below; confirm your purchased plan and settings during evaluation. See every Trellus comparison.

• PhoneBurner pricing: Standard, Professional and Premium prices billed monthly and annually; plan comparison for softphone, ConnectMe, Krisp, live monitoring and coaching, open API, transcription and AI note taker, SMS limits and $15 overage, recording storage, import limits, inbound features, leaderboards; Numbers, ARMOR and Connect Scores add-ons; free trial and free admin account.
• PhoneBurner FAQ: single-line dialing and its rationale, any phone or softphone, up to 80 contacts an hour, disposition automations, US and Canada only, 9 PM calling cutoff, DNC list and DNC.com, direct integrations, 15% annual discount, no contract or setup fees, free trial, listen, whisper and barge.
• PhoneBurner power dialer and PhoneBurner for teams: single-line comparison with parallel and predictive dialers, how a dial session works, plan positioning, 150+ integrations through the extension, Zapier or API, call recording on all plans.
• PhoneBurner integrations, Salesforce, HubSpot, HighLevel, Zoho CRM, Outreach, Close and Clay: native and extension integrations, objects and reports dialed, logging, HighLevel connector by The Marketer's Toolkit, Outreach's Salesforce requirement, Clay template, Zapier, webhooks and API.
• Dial Session Companion extension, dialing HubSpot tasks and HubSpot sync: Chrome and Edge, integration levels by CRM, Pipedrive without activity logging, generic scan mode, task completion, two-way sync.
• Start dialing, system requirements, mobile app and summer 2026 update: Power Dialing and Pause and Preview, connection method by plan, browsers, no mobile app, default calling hours and per-day calling times.
• PhoneBurner numbers, local presence, local presence approval, Canadian numbers and branded caller ID: number pools, local presence requirements, Canadian area codes by request, branded caller ID discontinued.
• ARMOR, ARMOR FAQ, Connect Scores and Connect Score tiers: monitoring and remediation, $5 per number per month, eligibility, carrier registration without ARMOR, scoring and skipping, tier volumes and $15 per extra 1,000, and that PhoneBurner's CRM can replace yours but does not have to.
• SMS usage and billing and SMS registration fee: Premium SMS limits, $25 overage in the help center, $50 nonrefundable application fee, EIN requirement.
• Call transcription with AI note taker: Premium only, triggered by a live-answer disposition on recorded calls, summary saved to notes.
• How billing works and cancelling: monthly or annual contract, credit card only, no prorated refunds, numbers lost on cancellation.
• Trellus pricing and the Trellus product facts file at www.trellus.ai/llms.txt: Trellus plans, prices, numbers, dialing modes and limits, integrations, saved results, calling hours and Do Not Call, callbacks and routing, caller ID, countries, coaching, Salesfloor, AI practice, requirements and billing.