TextNow Alternatives: Free and Paid Second Numbers Compared

The best TextNow alternative depends on what went wrong with TextNow. If it recycled your free number, you want a number that stays yours. If an app wouldn’t send a code to it, you need one that receives verification codes, which usually means a real mobile number rather than another calling app.

Below are six alternatives, free and paid. We run one of them, PVADeals, so we’re not neutral. The facts come from each provider’s own website, checked on 27 October 2026.

Why people look for a TextNow alternative

• Free numbers get recycled. TextNow says “we recycle inactive numbers tied to our free Wi-Fi service,” and “There’s no hard-and-fast rule as to how long a number can stay inactive before it’s revoked.” To keep a free number, you need to “call or text at least once a day”, or pay for Lock In Number or Ad-Free+.
• Most codes need extras. “You’ll be able to receive most verification codes by activating a TextNow SIM card or purchasing one of the following recurring subscriptions”. Even then, “Some services do not support TextNow numbers for verification,” and “Canadian verification codes are largely unsupported at this time.”
• It’s a VoIP number. TextNow is “a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service”, and many apps refuse VoIP numbers. Snapchat advises against “a temporary or disposable phone number (i.e. Google Voice, TextNow)”.
• It’s North America only. The app “is currently only available to be downloaded and used within North America,” and TextNow SIMs in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico lost cellular coverage after 30 July 2026, keeping only calls and texts over Wi-Fi.

TextNow alternatives compared

Prices change, so check each provider before you buy.

Which TextNow alternatives keep your number?

TextNow’s free numbers stay yours only while you use them. The others:

• Google Voice may reclaim a number that isn’t used for calls or texts for 3 months, and you have 45 days to add it back.
• TextFree numbers expire after 30 days of inactivity. TextFree Plus reserves yours “for as long as you’re subscribed”.
• Hushed numbers last as long as your plan. Subscriptions renew automatically, but prepaid numbers don’t: “When your number expires, you just need to extend it manually.”
• Burner numbers are “assigned to your account” on an auto-renewing subscription, and you can delete one whenever you choose.
• A second SIM or eSIM is a normal phone line, so it stays yours as long as you keep the plan.
• PVADeals long-term numbers last 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, renewable with auto-renew, and keep the same number while active. Short-term numbers last 20 minutes, and reuse afterwards is possible but not guaranteed.

Which TextNow alternatives receive verification codes?

Many apps look up a number’s type before they send a code, and refuse VoIP numbers. Second-number apps either charge for codes or don’t promise them:

• TextFree: “Accounts that do not have an active TextFree Plus subscription will be unable to receive verification calls and/or codes.” Even with Plus, “Certain services like WhatsApp may also prevent the delivery of verification codes to VoIP numbers like ours.”
• Hushed: its numbers “are NOT guaranteed to work with third-party verification due to blocks implemented by certain services”.
• Burner: “Most verification systems accept Burner numbers without issue,” and a separate Verified Number, $9.99 a month, is “compatible with more third-party services.”
• Google Voice: OpenAI lists “Google Voice numbers” among the numbers it doesn’t support. See our Google Voice alternatives.

A line-type check sees a mobile number as an ordinary phone, so for codes use a second SIM or eSIM, or a rented non-VoIP number. To check a number you have, see how to check if a number is VoIP.

Which one fits you?

• Free calls and texts: Google Voice in the US, or TextFree in the US and Canada. Keep using the number, or you can lose it.
• A private line without ads: Hushed, which also has UK numbers, or Burner.
• Calls, texts and codes on one number: a second SIM or eSIM.
• Verification codes: a PVADeals non-VoIP number, for 20 minutes or long-term to keep it.
• A number to give out once and drop: see our guide to burner numbers.

How to get verification codes on a PVADeals number

1. Sign up for free and add credits: crypto from $3, or a card through Stripe from $5.
2. Choose the website and the country: the United States or the United Kingdom. If the website isn’t listed for your country, an All services number works on any website: $12.99 a month in the US, $6.99 in the UK.
3. Choose a rental. Short-term lasts 20 minutes, from $0.09, for a one-off code. Long-term lasts 3 to 30 days, from $0.70, with auto-renew, if the website will text you again.
4. Ask for the code by text message, then copy it from your dashboard as soon as it arrives.

PVADeals numbers are real mobile lines from carriers, so a website sees an ordinary mobile number. They receive SMS only, not calls. If an eligible number receives no SMS during the rental, its cost comes back to your balance automatically as store credit.

For banks, payment apps and 2-step verification, skip the 20-minute number: keep a long-term number on auto-renew, an All services plan or your own number, and use an authenticator app where the app offers one.

More second-number options

See our US phone numbers and UK phone numbers, or try a free temp number for a quick test: anyone can read its codes, so never use one for an account you want to keep. Or read how to get a second phone number.