What a business phone number is#
A business phone number is a number your customers call and text that is separate from your personal line. Today most are virtual: the number lives with a cloud provider, not on a SIM card, and rings an app on your mobile, your laptop and, on some services, a desk phone. That is what lets several people answer one number, set business hours, send after-hours calls to voicemail or an AI receptionist, and keep the number if an employee leaves.
The types of number, and which one you want#
| Type | What it is | Choose it when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | A number with a city or regional area code | Your customers are nearby, or you want to look local in a market | Texting needs A2P 10DLC registration in the US |
| Toll-free (800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888) | Free to call for the caller, nationwide | You sell across the country or want a support line | Texting needs toll-free verification; some callers trust local numbers more for sales |
| Vanity | A number that spells a word or repeats digits, such as 1-800-555-SHOP | The number itself is part of your marketing | Good ones cost more; 800.com says vanity numbers may take 3 to 5 days to activate |
| Virtual / VoIP | Any of the above, delivered by an app over the internet | Almost every small business: no hardware, many devices, team features | Needs data or Wi-Fi; quality depends on your connection |
| Second SIM or eSIM | A second line from a mobile carrier, on a dual-SIM phone | You want the business line to behave exactly like a phone line, including without data | Tied to one handset, so no team sharing; personal and business still share a device |
| Second-number app | A consumer app that adds a number to your phone (Sideline, Line2, Hushed, TextNow, Burner) | You are a solo freelancer who needs separation, cheaply | Single user, few business features, and some charge to port your number out |
How to get a business phone number, step by step#
1. Pick a provider by how you work#
- One person, mostly calls: a solo plan from Grasshopper, Unitel Voice, Google Voice or a second-number app.
- A team that calls and texts customers: a per-user app such as Quo, KrispCall, Calilio or Dialpad.
- A brand line or toll-free number with several numbers on one bill: 800.com.
- Desk phones, an office, or numbers abroad: Dialpad, Nextiva, RingCentral or Zoom Phone.
2. Pick the number#
Every provider here lets you search by area code or toll-free prefix during sign-up. Most include one number per user or per plan and charge for extras: Quo $5 a month, Aircall $6, 800.com $15 on its two smaller plans, Unitel Voice $4.99 (each provider's pricing page, November 12, 2026).
3. Or keep the number you already have (porting)#
Porting moves an existing number, mobile or landline, to the new provider. What it takes, from the providers' own help pages:
- What you need: the account number and the account PIN from your current carrier, a recent bill or statement, and a signed authorization. On Quo only the workspace owner or an admin can start a port. Quo porting guide.
- How long: Quo says most ports complete in 3 to 7 business days, can't usually be expedited, and business numbers may take longer than personal ones. Google says a mobile number can take up to 48 hours to port into a personal Google Voice account. Google Voice porting.
- What it costs: Quo and 800.com charge nothing to port in (800.com includes toll-free numbers). Google Voice charges $20 to port a mobile number into a personal account. Your old carrier may charge a port-out fee, and so may a second-number app: Pinger's Index lists "Port Out" at $49.99 on the App Store.
- The one rule that matters: do not cancel the old service until the port is complete, or the number can be lost. Both Quo and Google say this in the same words.
4. Set your caller ID name (CNAM)#
The name that shows up on the other person's screen is set separately from the number. On Quo it is limited to 15 characters, available on US local numbers only (not toll-free), requires a business Tax ID and an approved carrier registration, and takes about 48 hours to approve plus a few days, up to two weeks, to show consistently across carriers. Expect similar limits elsewhere; how widely the name displays depends on the receiving carrier, not your provider. Quo caller ID help.
5. Register before you text#
See the next section. Quo recommends starting the registration before, or at the same time as, a port request, so texting works the day the number arrives.
Texting from a business number: 10DLC and toll-free verification#
In the US, a business that texts from software over a regular 10-digit local number must register a brand (your company) and a campaign (what you send and how people opt in) with The Campaign Registry. Businesses cannot register directly; your phone provider does it for you and passes on the fees. Unregistered texts get blocked. Toll-free numbers skip 10DLC but need toll-free verification instead; unverified toll-free numbers have been blocked since January 31, 2024 (Twilio).
| Provider | One-time | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Quo | $19.50 | $1.50 to $3 |
| KrispCall | $4.50 brand + $15 vetting | $1.50 (low-volume) or $2 (sole proprietor) |
| Calilio | $4.50 brand + $15 screening | Depends on use case |
| Unitel Voice | $19.50 | $1.50 |
| RingCentral | Registration required; amounts not on the pricing page | Not published |
Quo says most approvals take 24 to 48 hours. For the full fee table, approval times and texting-first apps that can text-enable a number you already have, see our business texting software guide.
What it costs: business phone numbers by provider#
| Provider | Cheapest plan | Number included | Trial | One honest weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quo | Starter $15/user/mo billed yearly, $19 monthly | 1 local or toll-free per user; unlimited US and Canada calls and texts (fair use) | 7 days | App only, no desk phones; US, Canadian and toll-free numbers only |
| 800.com | Startup $19/mo billed yearly, $23 monthly, 1 user | 1 number, 1,000 minutes, 120 texts | 30-day money-back | Tight minute and text caps on Startup; extra numbers $15/mo |
| Calilio | Standard $12/user/mo billed yearly, $15 monthly, up to 10 users | 1 US, UK or Canadian number; 200 outbound minutes, 100 texts | None shown | Minute and text caps; no free trial on the pricing page |
| KrispCall | Starter $12/user/mo billed yearly, $15 monthly, up to 5 users | 1 US, Canadian or UK number per user; 100 texts per user | 14-day refund on the subscription | 5-user cap on Starter; caps on minutes and texts |
| CallHippo | Starter $18/user/mo (billing period not labelled) | 1 number per user; 1,000 US and Canada minutes, 100 texts | 10 days | Pricing page mixes currencies and does not label the billing period |
| Nextiva | NEXT Core $15/user/mo with a 12-month term, $23 monthly | Unlimited voice, 100 texts per user | Demo, no self-serve trial shown | Toll-free number only from Engage ($25) |
| Aircall | Essentials $30/license/mo, billed yearly | 1 local or toll-free per license | No day-limited trial stated | 3-license minimum, so $90/mo at the least |
| Google Voice | Free Basic (personal); Starter $10/mo | Unlimited US calling and texting | No trial; Basic is free | Teams need Google Workspace; no AI receptionist; no 1-800 numbers |
| Grasshopper | True Solo $14/mo billed yearly; Solo Plus $25 for unlimited users | 1 number on Solo plans | 7 days, no card | US and Canadian numbers only; no desk phones |
| Dialpad | Standard $15/user/mo (billing period not labelled) | 1 number per user; local numbers in 50+ countries | 14 days | AI agents are a separately quoted product |
| RingCentral | RingEX Core $20/user/mo billed yearly, $30 monthly | Number with each user; 25 texts per user | 14 days (no texting in trial) | Only 25 texts per user on Core |
| Unitel Voice | Solo $84/yr (about $7/mo), $9.99 monthly | Local, toll-free or vanity number | 30-day money-back | No AI features at all |
| Sideline | $14.49/mo or $129.99/yr (App Store) | 1 second number on your carrier network | Not stated | Single user, no shared inbox or team features |
| TextNow | Free with ads | 1 US number over Wi-Fi or data | Free | Ad-supported consumer app; not built for business use |
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Google Voice: what changed and where the limits are#
Google Voice is now three different things. Basic is free for one person in the US and needs an existing mobile number. Since July 7, 2026, US individuals can also buy Starter ($10 a month) or Standard ($20 a month, $10 for the first 6 months on Google's launch offer) with just a Gmail account, no Workspace subscription. Teams are different: Google says "Workspace is required to enable Voice for multiple users in your organization", at $10 a user on Starter (up to 10 users), $20 on Standard and $30 on Premier. Sources: Google Voice plans, Google's July 2026 announcement.
- Limits that matter for a business: no AI receptionist (only auto attendants from Standard up); no documented shared texting inbox; Gemini call notes only on Standard and Premier; Google Voice does not offer 1-800 numbers (Google Voice help); a standalone plan is US-only for now.
- When it is the right answer: you already pay for Google Workspace and have 10 people or fewer, or you are one person in the US who wants a free or $10 second number.
Google Voice alternatives#
- Want shared numbers and a team texting inbox: Quo from $15 a user billed yearly.
- Want the lowest per-user price with UK numbers: KrispCall or Calilio, both $12 billed yearly.
- Want one price for the whole account: Grasshopper Solo Plus at $25 a month for unlimited users.
- Want a toll-free or vanity number: 800.com from $19 a month billed yearly.
- Want desk phones and numbers abroad: Dialpad from $15 a user.
- Want it free: TextNow (ad-supported) for a personal second line; nothing on this list is free for a team.
Every Google Voice alternative, priced, is on our Google Voice alternatives page.
Second-number apps: Sideline, Line2, Hushed, TextNow and Burner#
These put a second number on the phone you already carry, for a few dollars a month, and suit a freelancer who wants to stop giving out a personal number. They are single-user consumer apps, so none has the shared inbox, call routing or team access that a business phone system has.
- Sideline (Pinger) runs on your carrier's network rather than over data, which the App Store listing says is "not VoIP". Monthly $14.49 or yearly $129.99 in the App Store, with unlimited texts and missed-call auto-replies. Pinger sells a business-focused app, Index, at $24.99 a month, which lists a $49.99 port-out fee. Sideline on the App Store, Index on the App Store.
- Hushed is a VoIP privacy-number app with US, Canadian and UK numbers; unlimited plans from $6.99 a month, prepaid and pay-as-you-go from $7.99. Hushed pricing.
- TextNow is free and ad-supported over Wi-Fi or data, with paid wireless plans from $4.99 a week ($18.99 a month). TextNow plans.
- Line2 and Burner sell second and disposable numbers on subscription: Line2 $9.99 a month or $7.99 billed yearly, with a 30-day money-back guarantee; Burner Standard $7.99 a month on its website (App Store prices are higher), with a 3-day trial. Line2, Burner.
When to graduate: once a second person needs to answer the number, or you need texting registration, business hours and a caller ID name, a business app like Quo or Grasshopper costs about the same as Sideline and does those things.
Which to choose if...#
- You are a solo freelancer: Unitel Voice Solo (about $7 a month billed yearly) or Grasshopper True Solo ($14) for a plain business line; Google Voice Starter ($10) if you are in the US and live in Gmail; Sideline if you only want a second number on your phone.
- You are a small team that texts customers: Quo for unlimited US and Canada calls and texts at $15 a user billed yearly; KrispCall or Calilio at $12 if you can live inside the minute and text caps.
- You want a toll-free or vanity brand line: 800.com, built around toll-free, local and vanity numbers, with free toll-free porting; Unitel Voice if you want toll-free or vanity on the cheapest plan.
- You need international numbers: KrispCall or Calilio for a free UK number with each user, Dialpad for local numbers in 50+ countries.
- You want an AI receptionist to answer: Quo's Sona agent answers 10 calls a month free on every plan; for the full field see our AI receptionist comparison. If the caller is an AI agent you are building, see phone numbers for AI agents.
- You are a call-heavy sales or support team of 3+: Aircall, Nextiva or CallHippo.
For the whole phone system decision, including what a 3-person team pays on 16 providers, read our business phone systems comparison. For our default pick in depth, see the Quo review and Quo alternatives.
Frequently asked questions#
How do I get a business phone number?#
Sign up with a virtual phone provider such as Quo, Grasshopper, KrispCall, 800.com or Google Voice, pick a local or toll-free number during sign-up, and install the app on your phone and computer. It usually takes minutes. To keep an existing number, port it instead: you need the account number and PIN from your current carrier, and the port takes a few business days.
How much does a business phone number cost?#
On the mainstream apps, $10 to $20 a month per person, checked November 12, 2026: Calilio and KrispCall $12 billed yearly, Grasshopper $14, Quo $15, 800.com $19. Google Voice Basic is free for one person in the US. Add about $20 one-time for US texting registration if you will text customers.
Can I get a business phone number for free?#
For one person, yes: Google Voice Basic (US, needs an existing mobile number) and TextNow (ad-supported) are free. Neither is a team phone system, and Google offers its business features and support only on paid plans. Every business app in this guide charges, usually from $10 to $15 a month.
Can I keep my current number for my business?#
Yes, by porting it. Quo and 800.com charge nothing to port in, Google Voice charges $20 for a mobile number. Quo says most ports finish in 3 to 7 business days. Do not cancel your old service until the port completes.
Do I need to register my business number to send texts?#
In the US, yes. Local numbers need A2P 10DLC registration (about $19.50 one-time plus $1.50 to $3 a month at Quo), and toll-free numbers need toll-free verification. Unregistered business texts are blocked by the carriers.
Can I use Google Voice for a business?#
Yes. One person in the US can buy Starter ($10 a month) or Standard ($20) with a Gmail account. A team needs a Google Workspace subscription plus Voice at $10 to $30 a user. Google Voice has no AI receptionist and no documented shared texting inbox.
Is a toll-free or a local number better for a small business?#
Local if your customers are nearby or you text a lot; toll-free if you sell nationwide or run a support line. Many businesses use both: Quo, Aircall and 800.com include either type, and 800.com's plans include several numbers.