Though your business may not be ready for a full-fledged small business phone system, you may want to try a virtual phone number for several reasons–added professionalism, separation of business and personal calls, or the ability to make calls from a new area code.
Free business phone numbers are one of the best ways to test a virtual phone system without commitment. Thankfully, several providers out there offer free VoIP numbers.
In this article, we’ll outline all you need to know about free VoIP numbers–including how to get them, the pros and cons, and our honest reviews of the most popular providers.
The Pros and Cons of Free VoIP Phone Service
VoIP phone service offers benefits like better audio quality than landline, choice and flexibility about your phone number, and on-the-go communications.
However, free VoIP numbers have restricted features compared to paid numbers. Your app may bombard you with ads and upgrade offers, and your phone number choices will be limited compared to a paid cloud phone system.
- Alternative to your personal phone number, protecting your privacy
- Unlimited calling in the United States over wireless networks
- Helps your business make a more professional impression
- Some choice about the area code and phone number you use
- Don’t include toll-free or local numbers
- Limited features on free plans
- Can bombard users with ads and upgrade offers
- May only last a limited time period
Top Free VoIP Phone Number Providers
We tried four of today’s most popular services to determine the best free VoIP number providers. We signed up with each one, choosing a number for calling and texting.
While using each service, we evaluated the good and bad–including discovering that some of these “free” VoIP providers aren’t truly free.
Below, find our honest reviews of four top free VoIP phone number providers:
- Google Voice: Great user experience and easy sign-up
- TextNow: Best phone number selection
- FreedomPop: Frustrating setup process, not truly free
- 2ndLine: Only an option for Android users
Google Voice: Best Overall
Google Voice is the most popular and user-friendly free VoIP number provider, offering free phone numbers with unlimited calls and SMS across the US for personal users.
The Google Voice app lets you make and receive calls on desktop or mobile, and you can forward calls between devices so they ring simultaneously. Set up a voicemail inbox with transcription, and send as many texts as you want.
Google Voice also offers paid business VoIP plans, ranging in price from $10 to $30 monthly per user.
Here’s what stood out about Google Voice’s free VoIP service:
- Phone number choice: When signing up, you can choose from hundreds of area codes for your free VoIP number.
- Contact syncing: When you connect your account with your personal phone number, Google syncs your contacts so you can easily call the people you know
- One-click dialing: From desktop, set up one-click dialing that enables you to easily call any number displayed on screen while you browse the web
- Google account required: You need a Gmail account to use Google Voice
Best For: Overall best choice for free VoIP numbers, calling and texting, and a pleasant experience
TextNow: Best for Phone Number Choice
TextNow is a free VoIP calling and texting app offering nationwide WiFi and cellular service powered by ads. Access the phone service on desktop or mobile.
Users can make unlimited calls and texts over WiFi or 5G, since TextNow uses Sprint’s nationwide cellular network. However, you must have a SIM card to make calls over the 5G network.
The user interface feels familiar and intuitive, especially over text–where you can send group texts, emojis, and images. The audio quality is clear too, and you can set up voicemail. TextNow’s main drawback is the ads–they’re all over the place, making the interface feel cheap.
Upgrade to an ad-free experience for $10 monthly, which adds voicemail transcription and unlimited photo and video history.
Here’s what I noticed about TextNow:
- Seamless integration for inbound calls: Receiving inbound calls and texts through your TextNow number feels seamless on mobile–as easy as using your regular mobile number
- Familiar SMS interface: Sending and receiving SMS is intuitive through the TextNow mobile app
- Wide phone number selection: I was able to choose from dozens of phone numbers in my area code–and plenty of others–during sign up
- Too many ads: The app interface is cluttered with ads, making it feel cheap and ruining the user experience
Best For: I recommend TextNow for businesses that want a wide choice of free VoIP phone number options and area codes.
FreedomPop: Best for a Cellular Provider Alternative
FreedomPop is a VoIP and mobile service provider that advertises a free plan with unlimited VoIP calling and iMessages sent over WiFi–plus 10 minutes of calling and 10 SMS sent over cellular, and 25 MBs of LTE data.
However, this “free” plan requires a SIM card, which is frustrating to attain. I had to contact FreedomPop directly to order a SIM card by mail, although you can also find FreedomPop SIM chips for $5 at Target. Even when signing up by mail for the free SIM, I had to submit credit card information–which was concerning.
Even after accessing the service with a SIM card, The free plan’s monthly calling and texting limits are low when using cellular data. I reached my limit for LTE data on the first day and burned through my cellular texts in two days.
Once you reach your text or calling allotment, FreedomPop prompts you to pay for more data, minutes, or texts–and the paid rates are not cost-effective. I don’t recommend FreedomPop for free VoIP service, but rather as a low-cost replacement for your mobile provider.
Here’s what I experienced with FreedomPop:
- Integrates well with phone functionality: FreedomPop’s inbound and outbound calling and texting sync seamlessly with your phone, leading to no missed calls
- Requires a SIM card: The free plan requires a SIM card for sign up, which you have to attain by mail or $5 purchase at a local Target
- Complicated sign up: The sign up process was frustrating and difficult for a free VoIP phone number with FreedomPop
Best For: Since it requires a new SIM card, FreedomPop works best for users and companies that want to replace their mobile or VoIP provider with something cheaper–but not necessarily free
2ndLine
2ndLine is a VoIP number provider that advertises free calling and texting within the US and Canada. However, the app is only available on Android–meaning I couldn’t access it on my iPhone or laptop.
However, Android users can 2ndLine’s service on both desktop and mobile. In addition to the free number with unlimited calling and texting in the US, the service includes voicemail transcription, caller ID, and call forwarding.
Here are my main takeaways from signing up for a free VoIP number with 2ndLine:
- Voicemail transcription: 2ndLine’s free service includes voicemail transcription, which some other free services don’t
- Android only: 2ndLine’s phone system is only accessible to Android users–not iPhone
Best For: 2ndLine is best for Android users who want to replace their mobile provider with a phone service that can make both VoIP and mobile calls
Business VoIP Phone Number Providers
If you want a more complete cloud phone system than the options above, we recommend using a business VoIP provider. Business VoIP phone systems include toll-free and local numbers from around the country and world, plus advanced features–with low-cost plans starting at $15 or less. Each user sign-up includes a business phone number.
Here are our top picks for VoIP phone number providers.
| Provider | Cost (monthly per user) | Channels | Phone number availability | Best For |
| Nextiva | $30 to $60 |
|
Toll-free, vanity, local numbers across the US | Toll-free numbers |
| RingCentral | $20 to $35 |
|
Toll-free, vanity, and local numbers from over 20 countries | Team collaboration |
| Dialpad | $15 to $25 |
|
Toll-free, vanity, and local numbers from over 70 countries | Phone numbers from around the world |
| Zoom Phone | $10 to $25 |
|
Toll-free, vanity, and local numbers from over 50 countries | Call routing |
| OpenPhone | $13 t0 $23 |
|
Toll-free, vanity, local numbers across the US | Phone number sharing |
Should I Use a Paid or a Free VoIP Phone Number?
Free numbers are a great way to test VoIP service without a long-term commitment. If you’re on the fence about using VoIP, try a free service first. I recommend Google Voice and TextNow as the best options for free VoIP phone numbers in the US. These services enable unlimited calling and SMS over the internet, with a low-hassle setup process.
However, if you want a full suite of business features–like routing IVR menus, phone number extensions, and ring groups–I recommend a paid VoIP system. Check out our list of business VoIP providers or the ones in the table above, many of which offer low-cost plans.
