Many apps and web services ask for your phone number to sign up or log in. However, using your primary number may not be a good idea because of privacy concerns.
Moreover, a virtual phone number can also be necessary for business purposes, and no one wants to receive business-related calls on their personal number.
You can buy a second phone or use an additional SIM card, but doing that increases your monthly phone bills.
Instead, you can use a virtual phone number app to call and send text messages.
These free secondary phone number apps prevent your Personal number from spam.
They also offer features like call forwarding, voicemail setup, and automatic replies. Let’s discuss these apps in detail.
Best Virtual Phone Number Apps
1. Burner
Burner is a freemium virtual phone number app that gives you access to a secondary phone number for a limited time.
You can receive calls and texts like your regular phone number and apply call forwarding and voicemail to the burner number.
If you aren’t satisfied with one temporary phone number, you can add more burner numbers for other use cases. Using Burner, you can quickly get a free U.S. phone number.
Earlier, the app had a credit system, but now you can buy one line and make unlimited calls and texts for $9.99 a month. Plus, you get a fantastic auto-reply to messages feature with a paid plan.
2. Google Voice
Google Voice is the only virtual phone number service you can use on Android, iOS, and the Web. So, you can make calls from your PC using any web browser.
You get all the usual phone features like calls, SMS, and voicemail. But the biggest gripe is that it is only available for the U.S.
You only need a Google Account to sign up for the service and use your second number. But you only get one virtual phone number per account.
3. Flyp
Flyp is a paid alternative to Google Voice and offers multiple virtual phone numbers. You can use up to five phone numbers on a single device and have a separate number for work, clients, clubs, etc.
So, you can quickly get a local U.S. number and won’t be charged differently for international calls. In addition, you can set up DND and block numbers on each of the virtual numbers assigned to you.
Surprisingly, Flyp doesn’t offer voicemail services, which can be a huge letdown. Flyp offers free calls for seven days and charges $7.99 per month.
4. Line2
Line2 is a paid app but offers exceptional voice call quality. You can use it on mobile or PC, making it a ubiquitous app for Wi-Fi calling.
You can port your phone number to Line2 besides the usual calling and messaging. Or, you can pick from a vast assortment of U.S. and Canadian phone numbers.
Line2 syncs all your data to the cloud and can even transcribe the calls. So you can quickly revisit the conversation later on.
5. Skype Number
Skype is one of the trustworthy communication apps to get an online phone number. It works in 25 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
So, you can easily forward all the calls or texts to the Skype number and receive them using the app. It is a paid service, and you can use the number to receive international calls without any extra charges.
Remember that you will need a Skype account to map the virtual number. Only then can you use it as a local number.
6. GoDaddy Conversations
GoDaddy Conversations is an all-in-one app to manage communication on your website.
You can easily send and receive messages and get a second line for business communication.
But it doesn’t use the VOIP protocol and routes the calls from the number to your phone. So, you don’t need to buy another SIM card to separate work and personal communication.
7. Sideline
Sideline uses your phone plan to make calls and send messages. So, it is more reliable and has better audio quality with minimal call drops.
Since Sideline doesn’t use Wi-Fi to make calls, you don’t need an internet connection for the app. Select a phone number and the area code, and route all your calls to the new virtual number.
So, you can easily separate your phone line without buying another SIM card or phone. Additional perks include setting up personal voice messages and automated text replies.
8. Hushed
Hushed lets you select a virtual phone number spanning over three countries (U.S., U.K., and Canada) and over 300 area codes.
Usual bells and whistles include anonymous calling, call forwarding, and routing. You can also opt for automatic reply generation and can use it on multiple devices.
Hushed offers a three-day free trial followed by weekly and monthly paid subscriptions.
If you need a disposable phone number for a week on an international trip, this private phone number app is worth a try.
9. Textfree
Textfree lets you sign up using only an email address. So you don’t need to share your phone number with the service.
You can set up a free account which gets you unlimited free calling with other Text free users.
However, you must purchase minutes to call non-Textfree phone numbers. This freemium voice calling app is easy to set up and use but only offers U.S. phone numbers.
10. Dingtone
Want a free U.S. or Canada phone number? Dingtone can help you with it. You can use an extensive list of U.S. virtual numbers and keep your primary number private.
In the free version, you can participate in daily tasks to earn credits. Installing an app and watching a video replenishes the credit balance, which you can use to call and text others.
But you must pay extra to reserve the virtual phone number or it is reassigned to others.
11. TalkU
TalkU is an excellent second phone number app for Android that ruins the experience by adding too many ads.
You have to purchase a subscription and then buy credits to receive text messages, which is somewhat deceiving.
You should stick to the free version and bear some ads. Another great use case for TalkU is to receive verification SMS while registering for apps and services.
12. 2nd Line
2nd Line offers free phone numbers that can be used as a second line. So, you can offload other communication to this new virtual number and reduce the inbox spam.
The app uses a credit system but requires an initial subscription to keep the number. You can stick to the ad-supported version but that runs out of credits quickly.
13. Cloud SIM
Cloud SIM isn’t restricted to the U.S. and Canada region only. You can also get French, Canadian & Polish virtual numbers.
However, you must make an initial purchase to access the phone number. After that, you are charged moderate rates for international calls and texts.
Its biggest USP is the expanded region support and the easy-to-use interface. So, you can use it as an alternate phone number or for SMS verification purposes.
14. Talkatone
Talkatone is an internet-based calling and texting app. After assigning a number, you can use it for calls and text messages in the U.S., U.K., or Canada.
You can make unlimited international calls to a bunch of countries. It has a credit system that is depleted with each call and text message.
So, you must switch to the paid tier, which removes ads from the app. But there are ample alternatives to Talkatone, with similar or better features.
Conclusion
These were our roundup of the best virtual number apps for Android or iOS.
Start with the free tier to get the gist of the app’s features, and switch to the paid tier only if the service and customer support are good enough.
