Best Second Phone Number Apps in 2026

What Makes a Great Second Phone Number App?

Second phone number apps are everywhere now — and for good reason. People use them to split work from personal calls, keep dating app matches off their real line, sell stuff on marketplaces without regret, stay reachable while traveling.

The problem is picking one. Free apps come with ads. Premium apps charge a fortune. Some look great until you realize SMS doesn't work, or they only cover one country.

We tested the popular options and graded them on what actually matters: call quality, SMS reliability, pricing transparency, privacy, setup speed. Here's how they stacked up.

The 6 Best Second Phone Number Apps

1. TINE — Best Overall

TINE gives you a real, fully functional second number without the usual headaches. US, UK, or Canadian numbers with HD voice, SMS, and MMS — web app today, mobile apps coming.

What stands out:

• Number live in under a minute
• HD voice on carrier-grade infrastructure
• Full SMS and MMS
• Any device with a browser — phone, tablet, laptop
• Team features for shared numbers
• Developer API if you need programmatic access
• No contracts, cancel whenever

Pricing: $5/month for one number, pay-as-you-go for calls and texts. Credit top-ups from $5.

Best for: Anyone who wants a reliable second number, clean interface, fair pricing — no gimmicks.

2. Google Voice — Best Free Option (With Caveats)

Google Voice has been around forever. Free US number, solid Google ecosystem integration, web and mobile apps.

Pros:

• Free
• Voicemail transcription
• Forwards to your real number
• Web and mobile apps

Cons:

• US only — no international numbers
• MMS is limited
• Tied to your Google account (and identity)
• No team or business features
• Google kills products. History matters here.

Pricing: Free for personal use.

Best for: Casual US-only use where limited features and a Google-tied identity are acceptable trade-offs.

3. Hushed — Best for Temporary Numbers

Hushed lets you spin up multiple numbers across the US, Canada, and UK. Popular for short-term stuff — selling online, signing up for services you don't fully trust.

Pros:

• 300+ area codes
• Multiple numbers on one account
• Prepaid credits — pay for what you use
• Auto-reply and voicemail

Cons:

• Call quality dips on weak connections
• Numbers sometimes recycled from previous users
• Interface feels dated
• Customer support is thin

Pricing: Plans around $5/month, pay-per-use from $2 for 7 days.

Best for: Short-term, disposable numbers when polish isn't the priority.

4. Burner — Best Known Name

Burner basically invented the "burner number" concept — temporary numbers you create and destroy. Still the name people know.

Pros:

• Create and discard numbers easily
• Clean interface
• Slack, Dropbox, other integrations
• Auto-reply and do-not-disturb

Cons:

• $5/month gets one basic line with limited credits
• Full plans run $13–25/month
• Numbers expire if your subscription lapses
• MMS is unreliable
• US and Canada only

Pricing: ~$5/month for a single basic line. Premium plans $13–25/month.

Best for: People who rotate throwaway numbers often and will pay for the convenience.

5. TextNow — Best Budget Option

TextNow gives you a free US or Canadian number. Ad-supported calls and texts over Wi-Fi — essentially a free phone service, with the catches you'd expect.

Pros:

• Free tier
• Ad-supported calls and texts
• Affordable SIM option for cellular backup
• Voicemail included

Cons:

• Ads everywhere on the free tier
• Call quality varies — Wi-Fi dependent
• Inactive numbers get recycled
• Ad-supported means your data is the product
• US and Canada only

Pricing: Free with ads. Ad-free from $5/month. SIM with cellular service $10–40/month.

Best for: Tight budget, can tolerate ads, don't need rock-solid reliability.

6. Sideline — Best for Solo Professionals

Sideline adds a second number through your phone's native dialer. Built for freelancers and small business owners who want a professional line without a second device.

Pros:

• Uses your phone's native calling UI
• Auto-reply, business hours
• Professional voicemail greetings
• Team number sharing on higher plans

Cons:

• US numbers only
• Needs cellular — no Wi-Fi-only calling
• Pricier than most alternatives
• Phone only, no web app
• Limited internationally

Pricing: Plans start around $10/month.

Best for: Solo professionals who want native dialer integration and don't need web access.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	TINE	Google Voice	Hushed	Burner	TextNow	Sideline
Monthly price	$5	Free	~$5	$5-25	Free-$40	~$10
US numbers	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
UK/Canada numbers	Yes	No	Yes	Canada only	Canada only	No
HD voice calls	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes
SMS + MMS	Yes	Limited MMS	Yes	Spotty MMS	Yes	Yes
Web app	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Mobile app	Coming soon	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Team features	Yes	No	No	No	No	Paid
Developer API	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
No ads	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Setup time	Under 1 min	5-10 min	2-3 min	2-3 min	5-10 min	5-10 min

How to Choose the Right App

Depends what you need:

• Best overall experience: TINE — fast setup, fair pricing, HD calls, full SMS, works everywhere
• Need it free and don't care about limitations: Google Voice for US; TextNow if you can stomach ads
• Need disposable, rotating numbers: Burner or Hushed
• Solo professional wanting native dialer integration: Sideline
• On a tight budget but need reliability: TINE at $5/month beats most second phone plans

What to Watch Out For

A few traps, regardless of which app you pick:

• Hidden costs — low base price, then charges per call and text on top. Read the full pricing model before committing.
• Number recycling — cheaper services reuse numbers. You might inherit someone else's texts.
• Data privacy — free ad-supported apps monetize your data. Kind of defeats the purpose if privacy is why you wanted a second number.
• Number portability — can you keep the number if you switch apps? Not every service allows it.

The Bottom Line

You don't need a $30–50/month second phone plan. These apps put a real number on your existing device for a fraction of that.

For most people, TINE is the sweet spot — affordable, excellent call quality, works on any device, live in under a minute. Need free? Throwaway numbers? Native dialer integration? The alternatives above cover those niches.

Having a second number is one of the smarter privacy and productivity moves you can make. Want more on getting set up? Our guide on how to get a second phone number without a second phone walks through the options.