7 Google Voice alternatives for verification codes and second lines (2026)

The right Google Voice alternative depends on what you wanted Google Voice for. If you want a second line for calls and texts, pick a second phone number app such as Hushed, MySudo or Burner. If you only need to receive a verification code, a mobile number you rent online does that job without an app, and outside North America too.

Below are seven Google Voice alternatives, compared on the points where Google Voice itself falls short: where you can get a number, whether it takes calls, what it costs, and what the provider says about verification codes. Every price and limit comes from the provider's own website, as of 10 November 2026.

One thing to know first: 1001SMS rents numbers too, and we're one of the seven. So we stuck to facts you can check yourself, and we say plainly where a phone app is the better choice. We aren't affiliated with any other brand named here. Prices change, so check the provider's page before you pay.

Key takeaways

• Google Voice personal plans, free and paid, are for people in the US. The Google Workspace version has numbers in 14 countries.
• There are two kinds of Google Voice alternative: phone apps that call and text, and online numbers that only receive SMS.
• Most phone apps give you an internet (VoIP) number, and their own help pages say some services won't send codes to it.
• If you only need a code, you don't need an app, a subscription or a US phone.
• Whichever you choose, turn on two-step verification and add a recovery email in the account you create.

Why people look for a Google Voice alternative

Google Voice is a good product inside its limits. Those limits are why people go looking for something else, and Google states all three on its own help pages.

It's US only for personal use. Google's plan comparison lists both the free plan and the $10 a month Voice Starter plan as "US only", for a personal Gmail account. The Workspace add-on, also $10 per user a month, has numbers in 14 countries, but it needs a paid Google Workspace subscription.

It needs a phone you already have. During setup, Google texts a code to your phone to check it. The free plan also needs a phone number to forward calls to. If you don't have a US phone, you're stuck at the first step.

Some codes never arrive. Google says some websites, such as banks or subscription services, won't send text messages to Google Voice numbers. It also says you can't send texts to five- or six-digit short codes, which is the kind of number many verification codes come from.

Second line or just a code? Pick your case first

Before you compare any Google Voice alternative, decide which of two people you are. The answer changes the whole list.

You want a second line. Clients will ring you, you'll text people back, and you want it all kept apart from your personal number. You need a second phone number app or a business phone system. Six of the seven below do this, and we don't.

You only need a code. A site wants a phone number before it lets you in, and you don't want to give your own. You don't need calls, an app or a monthly plan. You need a number that can receive one SMS today, or SMS for a few weeks or months.

7 Google Voice alternatives compared: prices as of 10 November 2026

Service	What it is	Numbers in	Calls	Cheapest paid option
Hushed	Second phone number app	US, Canada, UK, Puerto Rico	Yes	$6.99 a month
MySudo	Privacy app with second numbers	US, UK, Canada (limited)	Yes	$1.99 a month (30 minutes, 100 messages)
Burner	Second phone number app	US and Canada	Yes	$7.99 a month ($47.99 billed yearly)
TextNow	Free calling and texting app	North America	Yes	Free number; paid add-ons
Quo (OpenPhone)	Business phone system	US and Canada	Yes	$19 per user a month ($15 billed yearly)
Grasshopper	Business phone system	US and Canada	Yes	$18 a month ($14 billed yearly)
1001SMS	Online numbers that receive SMS	18 countries for rentals	No	Pay per code, or $5.98 for 12 hours (US)

Now the part that matters most if you came here for codes. This is what each provider says, in its own help pages, about verification.

Service	What it says about verification codes
Hushed	Numbers are not guaranteed to work with third-party verification
MySudo	Accepts short codes; some services don't support VoIP numbers by design
Burner	Most verification systems accept its numbers, but services can change their policies at any time
TextNow	Most codes need a TextNow SIM card or a paid subscription; Canadian codes are largely unsupported
Quo (OpenPhone)	Can't receive texts from short codes, which is how most codes are sent
Grasshopper	Not stated on the page we read
1001SMS	Receives SMS from any app, though some apps refuse numbers already used elsewhere. No SMS: refunded to your balance

The best Google Voice alternatives for calls and texts

If you want a second line, these six are built for it. All of them make and take calls, which our numbers can't do.

Hushed

Hushed sells second numbers in the US, Canada, the UK and Puerto Rico. Its unlimited plan is $6.99 a month, with up to 20% off on a yearly plan. Prepaid plans start at $7.99 a month, for 30, 90 or 365 days, and a pay-as-you-go plan is $8.99 a month with $1 of credit for international calls. US and Canadian numbers can call and text within both countries. Hushed says its numbers are not guaranteed to work with third-party verification, and that it can't give a free replacement number when a service refuses one.

MySudo

MySudo is a privacy app. Its cheapest paid plan, SudoGo, is $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year, with one phone number, 30 minutes and 100 messages a month. SudoPro is $4.99 a month with three numbers, and SudoMax is $14.99 with nine numbers and unlimited minutes and messages. Numbers are offered in the US, the UK (you give identity details for a UK number) and, in limited supply, Canada. MySudo says it accepts short code messages, and that some services don't support VoIP numbers by design.

Burner

A Standard subscription is $7.99 a month, or $47.99 billed yearly, with one private number and unlimited calls and texts. Burner numbers are American or Canadian and can only reach US and Canadian numbers. The app is for people whose main phone number is American, Canadian or Australian. Burner says most verification systems accept its numbers, but that a number working today may not work later. It also sells a separate Verified Number subscription that it says works with more third-party services.

TextNow

TextNow gives you a free number for calling and texting other North American numbers over Wi-Fi or data. You can only sign up from North America. For codes, there's a catch: TextNow says you'll get most verification codes only with an active TextNow SIM card or one of two paid subscriptions, Lock In Number or Ad-Free+. Canadian verification codes are largely unsupported for now. TextNow also recycles free numbers that go unused, so don't tie an account you care about to a free one.

Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

Quo is a phone system for teams. Starter is $19 per user a month, or $15 billed yearly, with a 7-day trial and one local or toll-free number per user. It offers US and Canadian numbers only. Calls and texts to the US and Canada are unlimited under a fair use policy, and texting needs a carrier registration with a $19.50 one-time fee plus $1.50 to $3 a month. Quo is direct about codes: its numbers can't receive messages from short codes, and it suggests using a personal mobile number for the verification step.

Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a business phone layer for small firms in the US and Canada. True Solo starts at $18 a month, or $14 billed yearly, after a 7-day free trial. You choose a local, toll-free or vanity number, and calling and texting are unlimited within the US and Canada. You keep your existing mobile or landline service and add Grasshopper on top, so it suits someone who already has a phone plan and wants a separate business number.

The best Google Voice alternative for verification codes

If you only need a code, look at how the number is built before you look at the price. Many apps check a number before they send anything. If the number comes back as VoIP, some of them stop there. That's why the phone apps above warn about verification. Our guide to VoIP numbers explains how that check works.

1001SMS

We do one thing: receive SMS on non-VoIP mobile numbers and show them to you in the browser. There's no app to install, and you don't need a US phone or a Gmail account to start. You can't call or send texts from our numbers.

There are two ways to use it:

• One code. Pick the app and a country on the homepage, get a temporary number and read the code. You're charged only when a code is delivered. If nothing arrives within 20 minutes, the money goes back to your balance automatically.
• A number you keep. Rent a virtual number in one of 18 countries, for 12 hours, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, 6 months or 12 months. A US number was $5.98 for 12 hours, $9.98 for a day, $27.98 for 30 days and $199.98 for 12 months. If an unlimited number gets no SMS within 120 minutes of purchase, we cancel it and return the full price to your balance.

The honest limits: no provider can promise that every app will accept a number, and we can't either. A rented number is yours for the term you paid for, not forever. And it's the wrong tool for your bank or for anything where losing access would be serious.

Which Google Voice alternative works outside the US?

This is where the list gets short. Burner, Quo and Grasshopper only offer US and Canadian numbers. TextNow can't be registered outside North America. Hushed adds the UK and Puerto Rico. MySudo adds the UK, with an identity check.

If you live outside those countries, or you need a number from somewhere else, an online number is the practical Google Voice alternative. We rent numbers in 18 countries and sell single-code numbers in many more, and you can pay with Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay or cryptocurrency.

How to choose your Google Voice alternative

• Clients need to call you. Take a phone app. Hushed and MySudo are the cheap personal options, and Quo and Grasshopper fit a business.
• You need a second line and live in the UK. Hushed or MySudo.
• You need one code today. A temporary number, paid per code.
• You'll log in to that account again. Rent a number for the weeks or months you need, because many apps ask for a new code on a new device.
• You need both. Nothing stops you from using a phone app for calls and a rented number for codes.

We compared more services on six points in our best virtual phone number services guide, if you want the longer version.

Questions and answers

Is there a free Google Voice alternative? Partly. TextNow gives you a free number in North America for calls and texts, but it says most verification codes need its SIM card or a paid subscription. MySudo has a free plan, but its plans page doesn't list a phone number with it. Free numbers that anyone can see online are a different thing: everyone can read the messages, so don't use them for an account you want to keep.

Which Google Voice alternative works outside the US? Hushed and MySudo offer UK numbers as well as North American ones. For other countries, look at an online number: 1001SMS rents numbers in 18 countries and doesn't need an existing phone number to sign up.

Can these numbers receive verification codes? Some can, some can't, and it depends on the service sending the code. Hushed, MySudo, TextNow and Quo all say in their help pages that some services won't send codes to their numbers. A non-VoIP mobile number avoids the VoIP check, but an app can still refuse a number for its own reasons. With us, you get your money back when no SMS arrives.

Can I move my Google Voice number to another provider? Yes. Google lets you unlock a Google Voice number for $3 and port it to another carrier. There's no charge if you first ported the number in from another carrier. Google notes that some third-party services may not accept numbers that started out on Google Voice.

Get a number for your code on 1001SMS

If your Google Voice alternative only has to receive a code, you don't need an app or a subscription. Get a temporary number for a single code and pay only if it arrives, or rent a virtual number in 18 countries for 12 hours to 12 months. Every SMS shows up in your account in the browser. Once you're in, switch on two-step verification and add a recovery email, so the account stays yours after the number is gone.