Posted on 14/10/26 10:46 am
You can get a free phone number from an internet calling app, a free public SMS inbox, or a carrier promotion. Which one works depends on what you need it for: talking to people, or receiving a one-time verification code. Here are five options, what each is good for, and where each one falls short.
Sites like our free phone number page list real numbers whose incoming texts are shown publicly on the website. You copy a number, paste it into a sign-up form and refresh the page to read the code. We offer free USA numbers, UK numbers and Canada numbers.
Google Voice gives you a free US number for calls and texts that rings on your phone and computer. You need an existing US phone number to set it up, and it is only available in the United States. See our step-by-step guide to getting a Google Voice number.
Apps such as TextNow and TextFree give you a free US or Canadian number supported by ads. They work for calling and texting friends. The catch: they are VoIP numbers, and many services refuse VoIP numbers for verification. The number is also taken back if you stop using it.
Many carriers hand out free SIM cards, and some prepaid plans cost very little. A SIM gives you a real mobile number that passes every verification check. You usually need a local address for delivery and a top-up to activate it, and it means carrying a second SIM or eSIM.
If the free options get rejected, a private non-VoIP number is the next step. It is a real carrier mobile number used only by you, so apps treat it like a normal phone. With SMS Pin Verify you only pay if the code arrives, and nothing is charged if it does not. Use a temporary number for one code, or a rental if the app will ask again later.
| You need to… | Best option |
|---|---|
| Check a site sends codes | Free public number |
| Call and text people from a second US number | Google Voice or TextNow |
| Verify WhatsApp, Telegram, Google, PayPal or a bank | Private non-VoIP number or a SIM |
| Generate dummy numbers for testing a form | Random phone number generator |
A free public number is safe for throwaway sign-ups, but never for an account you care about: anyone who sees the same number can request a password reset code. For more on this, read are temporary phone numbers safe to use? Once you are signed in, add an email address or an authenticator app to the account so you are not relying on a number you do not control.
Receive SMS online · Non-VoIP numbers · Temporary phone numbers · Free numbers
