Virtual Phone Number: 7 Tested Services for 2026 (Rental, Verification, and Business Compared)
"Virtual phone number" is 3 different products
Search results for "virtual phone number" mix three categories that share the word "virtual" but solve different problems:
Category A — Per-code verification. You pay for a number that receives one SMS code, and then it is gone. You pay per code, from $0.30 at 5sim and from $0.39 at TwoLine. No persistent number, no monthly fee. Best for: one-off signups on accounts that will never need another SMS (WhatsApp Business, Mercari, Discord, Telegram). Examples: TwoLine, 5sim, SMSPool.
Category B — Monthly second-line rental. You rent a number by the month, usually around $9.99. The number stays yours while you pay, for receiving SMS and sometimes outbound calling. Best for: a side project that needs to receive replies, a freelance client line, a Tinder profile that won't expose your real cell. Examples: Hushed (US/Canada), Burner (US/Canada), TextVerified (US, per rental). TwoLine does not sell this category.
Category C — Business virtual phone system. You pay $14.99–$55+ per month for a business-grade virtual line with voicemail transcription, business hours, auto-attendant, team forwarding, CRM integration. Best for: a 1–50-person business that needs a real receptionist-style phone presence. Examples: Sideline, Grasshopper, RingCentral, OpenPhone.
The pricing differences (from $0.39 vs $9.99 vs $25) reveal the actual product differences underneath. Take Daniel, a freelance accountant with one US client (details lightly fictionalized for privacy). His mistake was renting a Category C product for a Category B job. He paid $25/month for an auto-attendant when he needed a simple receive-and-call number at well under half that price. Pick the category that matches your need before you compare specific providers.
How this comparison was made
This comparison looks at what each provider publishes: prices, countries, refund terms, and number type. It also draws on public user reports. For each service, the questions are simple. Which job is it built for, what does it cost to do that job, and what happens if the code never arrives? Grasshopper gets less attention on SMS because the business plan minimum is $14/month and inbound SMS verification isn't its primary use case.
TwoLine does not publish its own delivery measurements, and this guide publishes none for any provider. Acceptance depends on the app, the country, and the number type, and it changes over time. Apps decide for themselves whether to accept a number. Reddit threads in r/PrivacyPals, r/NoContract, r/sales, and r/smallbusiness are a useful public source, across hundreds of user reports. Treat them as a direction, not a benchmark.
The 7 services, one by one
1. TwoLine: one-time numbers for a single SMS code
Verdict tag: Category A (one-time number). Best if you need one SMS code and want to see the live price before you create an account.
TwoLine sells one-time numbers for SMS verification. You search for the app, pick a country and a line, see the live price with no account, then buy from your balance. Acceptance varies by app. Apps decide for themselves whether to accept a number.
Prices are live and start at $0.39. They vary by app, country and line. You pay from a TwoLine balance: - Card top-ups start at $4.99 for $5 of balance - Crypto top-ups start at $9.99 - Balance is not cash and buys numbers on TwoLine
A number lasts long enough for one code, usually 10 to 20 minutes, sometimes shorter. The order page shows the exact end time. If no code arrives by the end of the window, the full price returns to your TwoLine balance automatically. You can also cancel after 2 minutes. Once a code has been delivered the purchase is final.
Where TwoLine wins: You see the live price before you create an account. It covers hundreds of apps and websites, and countries vary by app and change with stock. The refund to your balance is automatic if no code arrives. Codes appear on your private order page, tied to your account. It is not a public inbox. You can top up by card or crypto.
Where TwoLine falls short: One number is for one code. You cannot keep it, renew it, or reuse it for later logins. That makes TwoLine the wrong tool for any account that may need a future SMS. No outbound calling (Hushed, Sideline, Grasshopper have it). No lifetime tier. The $4.99 minimum card top-up can be more than one code costs. Not a business phone system: no auto-attendant, no team forwarding. TwoLine does not sell numbers for banks, payment apps, money transfer, crypto exchanges, securities accounts, or government identity services. Those are refused at checkout.
I built TwoLine. It is in this guide because it fits one sub-niche inside the virtual-phone-number search: a single code. For a number you want to keep, the services below fit better.
2. Hushed — established US/Canada with lifetime tier
Verdict tag: Category B. Best for a US/Canada virtual number you'll keep for 5+ years (lifetime tier $99) or for users who need outbound calling alongside SMS.
Acceptance varies by app. Hushed is a virtual second line, so strict apps may refuse this number type.
Pricing tiers: 7-day pass $1.99, monthly $9.99, annual $49.99, lifetime $99 one-time (with 90-day inactivity reclamation). Prices as published when this guide was last reviewed. Check the provider's site before you buy.
The lifetime tier is the standout — no other service in this guide offers it.
Where Hushed wins: Mature carrier relationships, Apple/Google IAP-paid, nine years operating history. Outbound calling included.
Where Hushed falls short: US/Canada only. No UK, NL, DE coverage. Numbers can fail strict-checking platforms. Not a business phone system.
3. Sideline — US/Canada business line with calling
Verdict tag: Mixed (B leaning C). Best when you'll make a lot of outbound calls and want light business features (voicemail transcription, business hours) without paying for a full Category C business phone system.
Acceptance varies by app. Sideline leans on business carrier routing, but strict apps may still refuse this number type.
Pricing: $9.99 a month per line, with team plans starting at $14.99/line/month for 2+ lines. Prices as published when this guide was last reviewed. Check the provider's site before you buy.
Where Sideline wins: Business-grade carrier routing leans business-mobile. Real outbound calling with voicemail transcription. Custom business hours, away messages. The closest thing in this guide to a "real" business phone line at consumer pricing.
Where Sideline falls short: US/Canada only. Higher minimum than Hushed monthly. No multi-country coverage. Business framing means UI assumes work use.
4. Grasshopper — business virtual phone system
Verdict tag: Category C (business virtual). Best when you actually run a 1–50-person business and need an auto-attendant, team forwarding, CRM-style features.
Acceptance varies by app. Grasshopper isn't built primarily for inbound SMS verification, so strict apps may refuse this number type. Its main job is inbound and outbound business calling.
Pricing: $14/month (Solo, 1 line), $25/month (Partner, 3 lines), $55+/month (Small Business, unlimited lines). Prices as published when this guide was last reviewed. Check the provider's site before you buy.
Where Grasshopper wins: True business virtual phone system. Auto-attendant, voicemail transcription, business hours, team extensions, CRM integration via Zapier. Toll-free + local US numbers. Long operating history (15+ years).
Where Grasshopper falls short: Overkill for personal use or single-client freelance, which was Daniel's mistake. Pricing assumes business value capture. US-only for the cheapest tier. Inbound SMS verification works but isn't the product's primary job — for verification-heavy use, monthly second-line apps are cleaner.
5. TextVerified: US non-VoIP numbers, paid per rental
Verdict tag: Mixed (A and B). Best for US users who want non-VoIP routing and a number for a few days to a few months.
Acceptance varies by app. TextVerified markets non-VoIP routing, but apps decide for themselves whether to accept a number.
TextVerified specializes in non-VoIP US numbers. It says it sources physical-SIM-class routing rather than consumer VoIP. Pricing is per rental rather than per month: a 1-day rental might cost $1.50, a 30-day rental $9, a 6-month rental $30+. Prices as published when this guide was last reviewed. Check the provider's site before you buy.
Where TextVerified wins: Its stated routing class is different from consumer apps, though no one outside the provider can audit upstream sourcing. Rental lengths run from days to months, so it sits between a one-time number and a monthly app.
Where it falls short: US-only. Pricing structure is awkward to compare against monthly subscriptions. UI is dated.
6. 5sim — cheapest per-code, 50+ countries
Verdict tag: Category A. Cheapest virtual-code option globally.
Acceptance varies by app and country. Number quality varies, so strict apps may refuse some routes.
5sim covers 50+ countries with US codes starting at $0.30. Top-up via crypto (USDT primarily) or card. Mature platform with a decade of operating history.
Where 5sim wins: Cheapest, widest country selection.
Where it falls short: Dashboard is dense. Telegram-only support. Crypto-first. Number quality varies.
7. SMSPool — US per-code with non-VoIP routing
Verdict tag: Category A. Best for US one-shot virtual verification when you want both Stripe and crypto payment.
Acceptance varies by app. SMSPool sells non-VoIP numbers, but strict apps may still refuse them.
SMSPool runs an explicitly non-VoIP US inventory. Pricing $0.50–$2 per code.
Where SMSPool wins: Cleaner US carrier routing than crypto-first competitors. Auto-refund. Stripe + crypto.
Where it falls short: US-only. Higher minimum than 5sim.
Country coverage: where each virtual number service actually works
| Service | US | Canada | UK | NL | DE | Other countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TwoLine | varies | varies | varies | varies | varies | Varies by app, live stock |
| Hushed | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Sideline | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Grasshopper | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | (toll-free + local US) |
| TextVerified | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5sim | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 50+ countries |
| SMSPool | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
For virtual numbers specifically: country breadth narrows the field hard. If you need one code on a UK or NL number → check TwoLine's live stock or 5sim per-code. Availability is live, so no country is promised. If you need a UK or NL number you keep → no monthly app in this guide covers it, so use a local SIM or a carrier eSIM. If US/Canada → Hushed has the longest track record. If another country → 5sim per-code is the realistic answer, and TwoLine is worth checking where stock allows.
Provider Risk Score (will this virtual number still work in 12 months?)
The same scoring method I used in the SMS-Activate alternatives post, TextNow alternative post, Hushed alternative post, rent-a-phone-number post, WhatsApp second-number post, temporary phone number post, and second phone number app post. Four signals: payment processor health, number sourcing geography, SMS routing transparency, public uptime data. Each scored 0–3, summed for a total out of 12.
How to read 0–3: 3 = established and transparent (Google, Apple/Google IAP, Stripe + public docs). 2 = solid with one weak signal. 1 = single fragile rail or no public transparency. 0 = known reliability problem.
Based on payment processor stability, operating history, ToS scans, and carrier routing data as of May 1, 2026.
| Provider | Payment | Geography | Routing | Transparency | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grasshopper | 3 (Stripe + business contracts) | 3 (US carrier business) | 3 (Twilio-class business routing) | 2 (business documentation) | 11 of 12 |
| Hushed | 3 (Apple/Google IAP, Stripe) | 3 (US/CA carriers) | 2 (proprietary routing) | 2 (some public uptime) | 10 of 12 |
| Sideline | 3 (Apple/Google IAP) | 3 (US/CA business carriers) | 2 (Twilio-class routing) | 2 (business documentation) | 10 of 12 |
| SMSPool | 2 (Stripe + crypto) | 2 (US non-VoIP) | 2 (stated providers) | 2 (active dashboard) | 8 of 12 |
| TextVerified | 2 (Stripe) | 2 (US non-VoIP) | 2 (stated non-VoIP) | 2 (active blog) | 8 of 12 |
| 5sim | 2 (crypto + cards) | 3 (50+ countries) | 1 (rotating sources) | 1 (limited) | 7 of 12 |
| TwoLine | — | — | — | — | Not scored (our own product) |
Grasshopper tops because of 15+ years of operating history and Twilio-class business routing. Hushed and Sideline tie at 10. SMSPool and TextVerified tie at 8. 5sim's wider country coverage trades against routing transparency. TwoLine is not scored because it is our own product.
This isn't a buy/avoid scoreboard. It's a confidence weighting: if I had to bet on which virtual numbers exist in roughly the same form in May 2027, I'd weight Grasshopper, Hushed, and Sideline higher.
What I'd do today (decision tree)
Three questions, one primary pick per leaf. No "it depends" loops.
Q1: What's the actual job?
If a one-off SMS code (signup only) → Q2-A. If a persistent personal/freelance number → Q2-B. If a business with multiple lines + auto-attendant → Q2-C.
Q2-A: One code only. Default: TwoLine. Prices are live and start at $0.39. They vary by app, country and line. If no code arrives by the end of the window, the full price returns to your TwoLine balance automatically. Get a number. Disclosure: I built TwoLine. Use 5sim ($0.30–$0.80) if it is cheaper for your app, or if TwoLine has no stock for your country. Use SMSPool only if both miss your specific use case. If the account may ever need another SMS, skip this branch and go to Q2-B.
Q2-B: Persistent personal or freelance number. One more question:
Q3: Which country and how persistent?
- US, persistent for 1–12 months → Hushed monthly at $9.99, or TextVerified per rental if you want stated non-VoIP routing.
- US/Canada, planning to keep 5+ years with weekly use → Hushed lifetime at $99 with a calendar reminder.
- UK or Netherlands → your own local SIM or a carrier eSIM. No monthly app in this guide covers those countries, and TwoLine is the wrong tool for a number you keep.
- Outbound calling matters as much as SMS → Sideline ($9.99 a month) or Hushed monthly.
Q2-C: Business with auto-attendant, team lines, CRM. Default: Grasshopper Solo at $14/mo for 1 line, Partner at $25/mo for 3 lines. Use Sideline if you only want a single business line without the full virtual-phone-system stack.
Five+ leaf nodes, each with one primary pick.
Stop overthinking — your move right now
If you only need one SMS code, stop reading here. Get a number on TwoLine. You see the live price with no account, prices start at $0.39, and the full price returns to your balance if no code arrives.
If you need a persistent virtual number: - US under $10/month → Hushed monthly at $9.99 - US/Canada with $99 lifetime upside → Hushed - UK or NL → your own SIM or a carrier eSIM (TwoLine only covers one code at a time) - Real business with multiple lines → Grasshopper Solo at $14/mo
Don't over-research a $0.39–$55 decision for an hour. The cost of trying the wrong tool is small; the cost of analysis paralysis is hours of your time.
Where the cheap "free virtual phone number" services lose
A handful of sites in the SERP advertise "free virtual phone numbers." The math is real (no payment) but the underlying product is broken in three ways:
- Free public SMS receiver sites publish public numbers anyone can read. Verification SMS arrives, anyone refreshing the page can see your code, your account is hijackable in real time. Don't use these for anything that matters. (See the temporary phone number guide for the full breakdown.)
- Free apps (TextNow, TextFree) run consumer VoIP routing. Strict-checking platforms (banking, dating, WhatsApp, marketplaces) flag the routing and can ban accounts soon after signup.
- Google Voice is genuinely free for US residents but the signup gate requires an existing US phone — locks out international users.
For real virtual-number verification on strict platforms, expect to pay per code (from $0.30 at 5sim, from $0.39 at TwoLine) or by the month (around $9.99 at Hushed). Anything significantly cheaper is paying for the product with reduced number quality. Even then, apps decide for themselves whether to accept a number.
FAQ
What is a virtual phone number?
A virtual phone number is a phone number that doesn't tie to a physical SIM card you carry. It routes through carrier infrastructure or VoIP and forwards calls and SMS to whatever device you've configured (an app, a web dashboard, a forwarding number). Three categories exist: per-code verification (from $0.30 per SMS), monthly second-line rental (around $9.99 a month), and business virtual phone system ($14.99–$55+/mo).
What's the cheapest virtual phone number?
For one SMS code: 5sim from $0.30 (crypto first) or TwoLine, where prices are live and start at $0.39. They vary by app, country and line. For a 30-day rental: Hushed at $9.99 a month, or about $9 per rental at TextVerified. For a business virtual phone system: Grasshopper Solo at $14/month. Anything cheaper tends to recycle VoIP routes that strict apps refuse.
Can I get a free virtual phone number?
Yes — public SMS receiver sites publish free US numbers anyone can read, but they fail strict-checking platforms (banking, marketplaces, dating apps, WhatsApp). Free apps (TextNow, TextFree) work for casual texting but fail verification on strict platforms. Google Voice is free for US residents with an existing US phone for signup verification. For one real code, a paid one-time number is the safer route: TwoLine prices are live and start at $0.39, and the full price returns to your balance if no code arrives.
Will a virtual phone number work for WhatsApp Business?
It can, with the right routing class, but apps decide for themselves whether to accept a number. Public user reports say free apps and consumer VoIP routes (TextNow) are refused more often than paid numbers. A one-time number cannot receive future codes, so add email recovery and an authenticator right after signup, and use your own SIM for a business account you must not lose. See the dedicated WhatsApp second-number post for the full breakdown.
Can I keep a virtual phone number permanently?
Sort of. Hushed offers a $99 "lifetime" tier with 90-day inactivity reclamation — keep using the number quarterly and you keep it. Annual tiers (Hushed $49.99/yr) approach the same effect. Monthly subscriptions (Burner, Sideline, Grasshopper) run indefinitely as long as you pay. The closest to "truly forever" is Hushed lifetime; nothing else matches that economics. TwoLine numbers cannot be kept. One number is for one code. You cannot keep it, renew it, or reuse it for later logins.
Do virtual phone numbers work for banking 2FA?
Mostly no. Banks reject most VoIP and rental numbers via Twilio Lookup or similar carrier-class filters. Some smaller fintech apps accept them, but big banks (Chase, Bank of America, etc.) reject them. TextVerified's non-VoIP US numbers and Grasshopper's business-class numbers pass more often than consumer apps but still fail at the largest banks. For banking 2FA, use a real SIM. TwoLine does not sell numbers for banks, payment apps, money transfer, crypto exchanges, securities accounts, or government identity services. Those are refused at checkout.
What's the difference between a virtual phone number and a second phone number?
Largely overlapping marketing terms. "Second phone number" usually implies a mobile app for personal use; "virtual phone number" usually implies either per-code verification or a business virtual line. Both refer to the same underlying infrastructure (carrier-routed numbers without a physical SIM you carry). Pick by what the actual job is — receive verification SMS, hold a personal second line, or run a business — not by which marketing word the SERP result uses.
How do I get a US virtual phone number from outside the US?
Three options: (1) Per-code services (TwoLine, 5sim, SMSPool) work from anywhere. Pay with card or crypto. TwoLine stock is live, so check that a US line is available for your app. (2) Monthly rental services (Hushed) accept international payment via Stripe or Apple/Google IAP. (3) Google Voice doesn't work — the signup gate requires an existing US phone. For one code in several countries, compare TwoLine's live stock with 5sim per-code. No monthly app in this guide covers a UK or NL number.
Are virtual phone numbers legal?
Yes, virtual phone numbers are legal everywhere they're sold. Buying one for legitimate use (signup verification, freelance line, business presence) is not illegal in any major jurisdiction. The legal question is what you do with the number once you have it — using a virtual number for fraud, harassment, or platform ToS violations carries the same legal risk as doing those things with any phone.
The summary
Daniel's $25/month mistake wasn't that he picked a bad business virtual phone system — Grasshopper is a fine product. It's that he picked a Category C product for a Category B job. Don't make the same mistake.
- One SMS code, throw away: TwoLine. Prices are live and start at $0.39. Automatic refund to your balance if no code arrives. Get a number.
- Persistent personal/freelance, US/Canada: Hushed at $9.99 a month, cancel anytime. For UK or NL, use your own SIM or a carrier eSIM. See TwoLine pricing if you only need one code there.
- Persistent personal/freelance, US/Canada with $99 lifetime upside: Hushed lifetime.
- Outbound calling matters as much as SMS: Sideline ($9.99 a month) or Hushed.
- Real business with multiple lines + auto-attendant: Grasshopper Solo at $14/mo, Partner at $25/mo.
Five paths, one pick per situation. Pick by what the actual job is, not by which word the search result uses.
A note on TwoLine: I built it, so weigh my view accordingly. If you need 5+ year confidence in the provider's continued existence, or a number you can keep, Hushed (nine years), Sideline (founded 2014), or Grasshopper (15+ years) are safer bets. TwoLine's value is one code at a live price, with the refund to your balance if no code arrives; the others' value is the kept number and the operating track record. All are honest products targeting different parts of the virtual-phone-number market.
About this article
Written by Serhat Doğan, founder of TwoLine. London-based software developer building SMS verification tools full-time since early 2026. Previously worked in consumer apps and digital infrastructure. Disclosure: I built TwoLine. It shows up in this guide because it fits one sub-niche inside the virtual-phone-number search: one-time numbers for a single SMS code. For a number you keep, this guide points to other providers.
How this comparison was made: it compares what each of the 7 services publishes (prices, countries, refund terms, number type) and public user reports. TwoLine does not publish its own delivery measurements. User anecdote details lightly fictionalized for privacy. Prices as published when this guide was last reviewed. Check the provider's site before you buy.
Last updated: November 1, 2026.
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