Best virtual phone number services in 2026 [TESTED & COMPARED]
We compared six of the best virtual phone number services on price, countries, calls and verification codes, straight from each provider's own pages. Here's which one fits codes, work calls or privacy.
The best virtual phone number is the one built for your job. For verification codes, rent a real mobile (non-VoIP) number. For work calls and texts, use a VoIP phone app. For a private second line on your own phone, use a privacy app that gives you a second number.
That's the short answer. Below we compare six virtual phone number services on the same six points, using prices and terms from each provider's own website on 3 November 2026, so you can choose the best virtual phone number for codes, work or privacy without reading six pricing pages.
One thing to know first: 1001SMS rents virtual numbers too. That's why we stuck to facts you can check yourself, and judged every service, ours included, on the same points. We aren't affiliated with any other brand named here. Prices change often, so check the provider's page before you pay.
Key takeaways
- There's no single best virtual phone number. Pick by the job: codes, calls or privacy.
- Most phone apps give you a VoIP number, and their own help pages warn that some sign-ups won't send codes to it.
- For codes you'll need again, a rented non-VoIP mobile number avoids the VoIP check. For calls, you need a phone app.
- Free and cheap plans come with limits: US only, a fixed number of minutes, or an existing phone number to link.
- Price the whole term you need, plus any setup fees, and read the refund rule before you buy.
How we compared the best virtual phone number services
We took five well-known services, Google Voice, Hushed, MySudo, Quo (the new name of OpenPhone) and Grasshopper, and added our own. Then we checked all six on the same six points, reading only their official pricing and help pages.
- Price per month. The cheapest paid plan, and whether that price needs yearly billing.
- Countries. Where you can get a number.
- Calls and texts. Whether the number can call, text, or only receive SMS.
- Verification codes. What the provider itself says about codes and short codes.
- Contract. Whether you're tied in, and how you stop paying.
- Number type. VoIP or mobile, where the provider says.
The best virtual phone number services compared: prices as of 3 November 2026
Here are the six side by side, every figure taken from the provider's own site. The best virtual phone number for you sits in whichever row fits your job.
Price, countries and features
| Service | Cheapest paid option | Countries with numbers | Calls | Texts | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1001SMS | $5.98 for 12 hours (US), $22.48 for 30 days (UK) | 18 | No | Receive only | None, you pay per term |
| Google Voice | $10 a month (free personal plan in the US) | US; 14 on Google Workspace | Yes | Yes | Monthly, cancel any time |
| Hushed | $6.99 a month | US, Canada, UK, Puerto Rico | Yes | Yes | No contracts |
| MySudo | $1.99 a month (30 minutes, 100 messages) | US, UK, Canada (limited) | Yes | Yes | Monthly or yearly |
| Quo (OpenPhone) | $19 per user a month ($15 billed yearly) | US and Canada | Yes | Yes | Cancel any time |
| Grasshopper | $18 a month ($14 billed yearly) | US and Canada | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
Verification codes and number type
| Service | Number type, as the provider states it | What it says about codes |
|---|---|---|
| 1001SMS | Non-VoIP mobile numbers | Receives SMS from any app, though some services refuse numbers they see as virtual. No SMS within 120 minutes: cancelled and refunded |
| Google Voice | Not stated | You can't send texts to short codes |
| Hushed | VoIP | Not guaranteed to work with third-party verification |
| MySudo | Not stated | Accepts short codes; some services don't support VoIP numbers |
| Quo (OpenPhone) | Not stated | Can't receive texts from short codes; many 2FA services don't allow virtual numbers |
| Grasshopper | Calls go over your carrier's network by default, VoIP optional | Not stated on the pages we read |
So which is the best virtual phone number service? The tables split in two. Five of the six are phone apps: they make and take calls, send texts, and give you numbers in North America, with the UK at Hushed and MySudo and 14 countries on Google Workspace. The sixth, 1001SMS, does one job: it receives SMS on a non-VoIP mobile number in 18 countries, for a term you choose.
The split matters most for verification codes. Hushed says its numbers aren't guaranteed to work with third-party verification, Quo says many services that use 2FA don't allow virtual numbers at sign-up, and MySudo notes that some services don't support VoIP numbers by design. Ours are mobile numbers rather than VoIP, but no provider can promise that every app will accept a number, and we can't either. What we can do is give the money back: if no SMS reaches an unlimited number within 120 minutes of buying it, we cancel it and refund your balance.
1001SMS
Rented non-VoIP numbers in 18 countries, from 12 hours (US only) up to 12 months. A 30-day number was $22.48 in the UK, $27.98 in the US and $29.98 in Canada, and a full year $79.97 in the UK and Canada. You pay for the whole term up front from your balance. There's no subscription: nothing renews unless you switch auto-renew on, and renewing keeps the same digits. Messages from any app land in your account in the browser, with no app to install. The number can't make calls or send texts. The same balance pays for single-code numbers and travel eSIMs.
Google Voice
Google Voice has a free personal plan for people in the US with a personal Gmail account. It needs an existing phone number, both to verify the account and to forward calls. The paid individual plan, Voice Starter, is $10 a month. For teams, Voice Starter on Google Workspace is $10 per user a month for up to 10 users, with numbers in 14 countries, on a monthly plan you can cancel at any time. You can call and text from the web and from the Android and iOS apps. Google's help page notes that you can't send texts to five- or six-digit short codes.
Hushed
Hushed gives you second numbers in the US, Canada, the UK and Puerto Rico. Its unlimited plan starts at $6.99 a month, with up to 20% off on a yearly plan, and prepaid plans start at $7.99 a month for 30, 90 or 365 days. There are no contracts, and you can cancel a subscription at any time. You can call and text, and US and Canadian numbers work across both countries. Hushed describes its plans as VoIP, and its help center says its numbers aren't guaranteed to work with third-party verification, because some services block them. Free three-day trials come up from time to time, on iOS only.
MySudo
MySudo is built around privacy: you don't have to hand over your own phone number to set it up. A phone number comes with the paid plans. The cheapest, SudoGo, is $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year, and includes one number with 30 minutes and 100 messages a month. Numbers are offered in the US, the UK (where you give identity details) and, in limited numbers, Canada. MySudo accepts short-code messages, and notes that some services don't support VoIP numbers by design. The apps run on iOS, Android and desktop, though calls aren't available on desktop.
Quo (formerly OpenPhone)
Quo, the new name of OpenPhone, is a phone system for businesses. Starter costs $19 per user a month, or $15 billed yearly, with a 7-day free trial, and you can cancel at any time. Numbers are American (every state except Alaska), Canadian, or North American toll-free. Calls and texts to the US and Canada are unlimited under fair use. Texting from a US number adds carrier registration fees: $19.50 once, then $1.50 to $3 a month. Quo's help pages say it can't receive messages from short codes, and that many services using 2FA don't allow virtual numbers at the verification step.
Grasshopper
Grasshopper is a phone system for small businesses in the US and Canada. True Solo, for one user with one number, is $14 a month billed yearly or $18 billed monthly, after a 7-day free trial. You can choose a local, toll-free or vanity number, and texting is unlimited within the US and Canada. By default, calls reach you over your own carrier's cellular network, with Wi-Fi and VoIP calling as options, so you keep a regular phone plan alongside it.
Burner and TextNow, briefly
Two more names come up in every search for the best virtual phone number app. Burner sells second numbers from $3.99 a month billed yearly, or $7.99 billed monthly, for people whose main number is American, Canadian or Australian, and its numbers talk to US and Canadian numbers. TextNow has a free plan and works in North America only. Its help center says most verification codes need a TextNow SIM card or one of two paid add-ons, and that Canadian verification codes are largely unsupported for now.
Which is the best virtual phone number for your job?
The best virtual phone number for you depends on what the number has to do. Three jobs cover almost everyone, and each has its own best virtual phone number.
One code, once. You're signing up for something and won't need the number again. A temporary number is the cheapest route: on 1001SMS you get a number for a single code, pay per code, and the money goes back to your balance if no SMS arrives.
Codes for months. Accounts you'll log into again, like a marketplace seller profile, a second messenger account or a work tool that re-checks your number, need a number you keep. A rented mobile number fits here, and it's where a non-VoIP number matters most. Prices on 1001SMS as of 3 November 2026:
- UK virtual phone number: $9.98 for a day, $22.48 for 30 days, $79.97 for a year
- Virtual phone number Canada: $25.98 for 7 days, $29.98 for 30 days, $79.97 for a year
- US number: $5.98 for 12 hours, $27.98 for 30 days, $199.98 for a year
Calls and texts. If clients will ring you, you need a number that takes calls, and ours don't. That's what the phone apps above are for: Google Voice, Quo and Grasshopper are built around business calling in North America, while a virtual phone number app like Hushed or MySudo puts a private second line on your own phone. Check each provider's note on verification codes in the table above before you rely on one for sign-ups.
Nothing stops you from using both: a phone app for client calls, and a rented mobile number for the codes. For a freelancer, that pair can be the best virtual phone number setup there is: one line clients can ring, one number the codes reach.
Can a virtual phone number receive verification codes?
Yes, if two things are true: the app sends the code by SMS, and it accepts the number. The second part is where virtual numbers differ.
Many apps look a number up before they send a code. If it comes back as VoIP, some of them stop there, which is why several providers in this comparison warn about verification in their own help pages. A number on a real mobile network passes that check like any other phone. Our guide to VoIP numbers explains how the lookup works.
Short codes are a second hurdle. Many codes are sent from five- or six-digit short codes. Quo says it can't receive them, Hushed lists them among the texts that may not arrive, and MySudo says it accepts them.
So the best virtual phone number for verification is a mobile number from a virtual phone number provider that tells you plainly what happens when a code doesn't come. With us, an unlimited number that gets no SMS within 120 minutes is cancelled and refunded.
How to find a cheap virtual phone number without a contract
A cheap virtual phone number is the one that does your job for the time you need it, not the lowest figure on a pricing page. Even the best virtual phone number costs too much if you pay for months you won't use.
- Match the term to the job. A monthly plan for a number you need once is money wasted. A 12-hour number or a single-code number may be all it takes.
- Count the whole cost. Per-user pricing, the yearly billing behind a lower price, and extras such as carrier registration fees for US texting all add up.
- Check what you need to sign up. Google Voice's free plan and Burner ask for an existing number. MySudo doesn't.
- Read the refund rule. Subscriptions can usually be cancelled, but a number that never received your code is a different question. With us, the money goes back to your balance automatically.
- Don't pay twice. If the app you're signing up for refuses VoIP numbers, a cheap VoIP plan stops being cheap.
FAQ
What is the best virtual phone number service? The best virtual phone number service is the one that fits your job. For verification codes, a rented non-VoIP mobile number, like the ones 1001SMS rents in 18 countries, avoids the VoIP check many sign-ups run. For business calls, a phone system such as Google Voice, Quo or Grasshopper. For a private second line on your phone, Hushed or MySudo. Compare them on the six points above before you pay.
Can a virtual phone number receive verification codes? Yes, as long as the app sends the code by SMS and accepts the number. VoIP numbers are often refused at sign-up, and some can't receive texts from short codes, which several providers say in their own help pages. A non-VoIP mobile number avoids the VoIP check. On 1001SMS, if no SMS reaches an unlimited number within 120 minutes, it's cancelled and refunded to your balance.
Is there a cheap virtual phone number without a contract? Yes. As of 3 November 2026, MySudo's SudoGo plan was $1.99 a month with 30 minutes and 100 messages, Hushed started at $6.99 a month with no contracts, and Google Voice had a free personal plan for US users. On 1001SMS there's no subscription at all: a US number was $5.98 for 12 hours and a UK number $22.48 for 30 days, paid once from your balance.
Rent a virtual phone number on 1001SMS
Ready to pick the best virtual phone number for your codes? Head to the buy virtual phone number page: choose one of 18 countries and a term from 12 hours to 12 months, and the number is ready as soon as you pay. Every SMS lands in your account, and if none arrives within 120 minutes, the money goes back to your balance.
