What Is a Virtual Phone Number? A Plain-English Guide
What is a virtual phone number? It is a real phone number that lives in an app or website instead of on a SIM card, so you can receive texts, and on eligible numbers send texts and make calls, over the internet. People use one to get a number in another country, keep a second line, or protect their main number. Numsify lets you rent one on the website or in the app, on iPhone or Android.
How to get it:
- Open numsify.com in your browser, or install the Numsify app from the App Store or Google Play.
- Create an account or sign in.
- Add balance on the top-up page using the payment methods shown there.
- Choose the country you need and open the details of an available number.
- Pick a 1-month, 3-month or 6-month plan, rent the number and start using it.
How to get it
On the website
Go to numsify.com, sign in or create an account, and choose to rent a number. Select the country you need, look through the available numbers and open one to see its details. Choose the plan length, confirm the purchase from your balance, and the number is added to your account once the rental is confirmed.
In the app
The Numsify app is available on iPhone and Android, as well as on the website. Install it from the App Store or Google Play, sign in, choose the country you need and pick a number.
Paying for it
Add balance on the top-up page using the payment methods shown there.
Before you rent
Open the number's details before you pay. They show what that particular number supports, and capabilities differ by number, country and provider. Some numbers may require ID verification under local rules.
What is a virtual phone number, exactly?
A normal mobile number belongs to a SIM card. The carrier's network finds your phone through that SIM and delivers calls and texts to it. A virtual number has no SIM behind it. The provider holds the number on its systems and passes messages and calls to you through an app.
To the person texting you, nothing looks different. They send a text to a normal-looking number with a normal country code. It is only on your side that the message arrives in an app instead of your phone's messaging inbox.
In one line
A virtual phone number is a real number that you use through the internet rather than through a SIM.
How a virtual number works
How texts arrive
When someone texts the number, the message travels through the phone networks to the provider that holds it. The provider then shows it in your account, in the app or on the website. You need an internet connection to see it, but not a signal from any particular carrier.
How calls work
Calls on eligible numbers are internet calls. Your voice travels as data from the app to the provider, which connects the call to the normal phone network. A steady connection gives better call quality, and the app needs microphone permission on your device.
Virtual number vs eSIM
An eSIM is a digital version of a SIM card. It still connects you to one carrier's mobile network and usually comes with mobile data. A virtual number does not connect you to a mobile network at all; it rides on whatever internet connection you have. An eSIM gives you a mobile line; a virtual number gives you a phone number.
What you can do with one
Receive texts and codes
The most common use is receiving SMS, including verification codes from apps and websites. Each service decides which numbers it accepts, so a code being accepted is never guaranteed.
Send texts and make calls
Two-way SMS and internet calls are available on eligible rented numbers, depending on number, country, provider and destination. A number's details show what it supports before you rent it.
Use messaging apps
You can register messaging apps on a virtual number. Some local rental numbers may not support social media verification, so check the number's details before you rent it for WhatsApp.
Run a business line
A virtual number can be the public contact for a small business, kept apart from your personal phone.
Common uses at a glance
| Situation | Why a virtual number helps |
|---|---|
| Moving to a new country | Have a local number before you arrive |
| Living abroad | Keep a number from home that friends and accounts know |
| Online selling | Give buyers a number that is not your personal one |
| Freelancing for foreign clients | Offer a local number in the client's country |
| Privacy on sign-ups | Keep your main number off forms and lists |
| Two messaging accounts | Separate work and personal chats |
One-time numbers vs rented numbers
One-time code numbers
Some services offer numbers that receive a single verification code and are then released. They are quick for one sign-up you will never use again. They are a poor fit for anything you plan to keep, because the account may ask the same number for a code later, and by then it may belong to someone else.
Rented numbers
A rented number is yours for the plan you choose. Every text and code comes back to you, and the number is not given to anyone else while you rent it. Numsify offers 1-month, 3-month and 6-month plans.
How to tell which you need
Ask whether you will need the number again. If you will log in to the account again, use it for messages, or give the number to people, rent it. If it is one code for something disposable, a one-time number may be enough.
Limits worth knowing
It needs the internet
No connection means no texts, no calls and no codes until you reconnect. On a trip, sort out Wi-Fi or a data plan before you rely on the number.
Not every service accepts every number
Banks, payment apps and some social platforms may refuse virtual numbers or only accept some of them. Check what a service accepts before you move an important account.
Capabilities differ by number
Sending texts and calling depend on the specific number, its country and provider. Always open the number's details before you rent it.
It is not for emergencies
Do not rely on a virtual number for emergency calls. Keep a regular mobile line for that.
Is a virtual phone number right for you?
A virtual number suits you if you need a number in a country where you do not live, want a second line without a second SIM, or want to keep your personal number private. It is less suitable if you need a line that works with no internet at all, or a number for a service that only accepts carrier SIMs. For most people it works best next to their main mobile number, handling the jobs that number should not.
Choosing a country for a virtual number
Choose the country of the people and services that will use the number, not the country you live in. A UK freelancer with US clients may want a US number; a newcomer to Canada may want a Canadian one before they arrive. A local number is more familiar to the people texting you and more likely to be accepted by local services.
How long to keep a virtual number
Keep it as long as anything relies on it. If the number is on an account, in someone's contacts, or printed on a listing, cancelling it can cut you off from codes and messages. Numbers that are no longer rented may be given to someone else, who would then receive those messages. When you are ready to stop, move each account to another number first.
Privacy and security
A virtual number protects your main number from forms and strangers, but treat it as seriously as any number. Sign in to your provider account with a strong password, turn on two-step verification in messaging apps that use the number, and never share codes it receives. Avoid public "free SMS" websites for anything important: the codes on those pages can be seen by anyone.
Getting started checklist
- Decide what you need the number for and which country it should be in.
- Open the number's details and confirm it supports what you need.
- Choose a plan length that covers the whole time you will use it.
- Sign in on the device you carry most and turn on notifications.
- Send a test text to the number before you rely on it.
Virtual numbers and messaging apps
Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram identify you by your phone number. Registering one on a virtual number works the same way as on a SIM number: the app sends a code, you enter it, and the account is tied to that number from then on. Because the app may ask for a code again later, use a number you rent and keep, not a one-time number. People you chat with see the virtual number, which is one reason people use them to keep a personal number private.
Common misunderstandings
- "Virtual" does not mean fake. It is a real number in the normal numbering system of its country.
- It is not anonymous. Providers keep account records of who rents each number.
- It is not free forever. A rented number stays yours only while the plan is active.
Used with that in mind, a virtual number is simply a flexible extra phone number that you can use over an internet connection, subject to the number's capabilities.
Features
| Feature | Status in Numsify |
|---|---|
| Number rental on the website and in the app (iPhone and Android) | Available |
| Receive SMS on a rented number | Available |
| Sending SMS | Each number's supported features, such as receiving or sending SMS, are shown before you buy. |
| Internet voice calls, outgoing and incoming | Available on eligible rented numbers; depends on number, country, provider and destination |
| Number details page before you rent | Available; shows what that particular number supports, which differs by number, country and provider |
Voice calls need an internet connection and the relevant permissions on your device.
Plans
| Plan | Best when | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 6-month | The number carries accounts you plan to keep, such as messaging or work | See current prices: website · App Store · Current prices: Numsify website · Google Play · App Store |
| 3-month | You want a longer test before committing for half a year | See current prices: website · App Store · Current prices: Numsify website · Google Play · App Store |
| 1-month | You need the number for a short project, trip or trial | See current prices: website · App Store · Current prices: Numsify website · Google Play · App Store |
Subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel them. If you do cancel, move any important accounts to another number first, because a number that is no longer rented may be given to someone else.
Best for
A second number on one phone
Work, selling or privacy, alongside your main number.
A number in another country
Keep a number where you used to live, study or do business.
Accounts you keep
A rented number that keeps receiving codes for months.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone tell that my number is virtual?
Some services can look up the type of a number and treat virtual numbers differently, which is why acceptance varies. The people you text and call just see a normal number.
Does a virtual number use my mobile minutes?
No. Texts and calls go through the app over your internet connection, so they use data or Wi-Fi rather than your carrier's minutes.
Can I move my existing mobile number into an app like this?
Numsify rents you a new number; it does not take over your existing carrier number. Keep your current number with your carrier and use the rented one alongside it.
Explore numbers in Numsify
See which numbers are available. Start on numsify.com or in the app, add balance on the top-up page, and if you have a question about a number before you rent it, contact us.