9 Best Second Phone Number Apps in 2024

When you’re running a business, the last thing you want is to use your personal number for your company. Imagine putting your private phone number on Google for everyone to see or getting business calls through the night with no way to distinguish them from your personal calls. Using a personal number can quickly grow bothersome, hectic, and insecure, especially as your business expands.

If you’re looking for the best second phone number app for your specific situation, this article breaks down the top alternate phone number providers.

The best apps for a second phone number compared

Looking to see how these apps stack up side by side? Here’s a quick snapshot of how each of the best second phone number apps compares.

Where do these apps do well, and where could they perform better? Read on to get all the details about each app below.

Breaking down the best second phone number apps in detail

The best second phone number apps are either built for personal use or for businesses — they rarely work for both types of users. We’ve shortlisted the best options for each use case here.

1. OpenPhone: The best second phone number app for small businesses

*Nearly all virtual phone numbers share this problem. Since VoIP numbers aren’t tied to a physical address, they can’t be used to call emergency services.

OpenPhone is a modern VoIP phone system built for businesses to help growing teams easily scale their communication. When you sign up, you can get one free US, Canadian, or toll-free number for every user on your team — and you can always get more numbers for $5 each per month. Alternatively, you can assign specific team members to shared phone numbers so anyone available can pick up calls or respond to texts.

OpenPhone is far more than a second phone number app, though. It’s here to help your business streamline your phone and text communication. For example, you can set up automations like an auto-attendant, which lets your clients route their own calls, and texting auto-replies to reach out to contacts over text when you miss incoming calls. Or you can integrate with business apps like Gmail, Slack, Zapier, and HubSpot to speed up your workflow.

OpenPhone pricing

• Starter: $15 per user per month
• Business: $23 per user per month to access phone menus (IVR), call transfers, analytics, CRM integrations, and more
• Enterprise: Contact us for more information

How to get a second phone number with OpenPhone

See for yourself why thousands of businesses use OpenPhone — sign up for a free, one-week trial.

OpenPhone app download links

• iOS (4.4 with 8,000+ ratings)
• Android (3.7 with 3,300+ ratings)

2. Google Voice: Best for businesses with Google Workspace

Google Voice for Google Workspace is a popular second phone number app for iPhone, Android, and web users. However, it offers fairly limited features for a business phone system, even with upgrades. Google Voice doesn’t support toll-free numbers, call recording, or many other features modern businesses need.

While Google Voice offers a basic VoIP call forwarding service to all users, you need to upgrade to unlock auto-attendants. Plus, you’re limited to just two integrations, both of which are Google tools (they don’t even include Gmail). You also can’t send text messages if you’re located outside of the US.

Google Voice pricing

While Google Voice has a free version (in the US only), it’s not intended for business use. You won’t be able to access ring groups, auto-attendants, and other features. For their paid plans:

• Starter: $10 per user per month* (maximum of 10 users)
• Standard: $20 per user per month* to access on-demand call recordings, ring groups, and phone menus
• Premier: $30 per user per month* to access automatic call recordings and advanced reporting

*Plus at least $6 per user per month for Google Workspace.

Google Voice app download links

• iOS (4.3 with 59k+ ratings)
• Android (4.4 with 300k+ ratings)

3. Burner: Best for temporary personal numbers

Burner is a second phone number app for Android and iOS designed to protect your privacy. From spam-blocking technology to do-not-disturb settings, it’s filled with features that can keep you safe. Ideal for those who need an app to call someone from a different number, Burner allows you to maintain your anonymity by easily switching or deleting your alternate phone numbers at any time.

But Burner isn’t the best option for teams looking to make a good impression. While the app lets you purchase up to 200 local phone numbers with area codes throughout the US and Canada, the app doesn’t offer essential business features like shared numbers, call recording, VoIP integrations, and more.

Burner pricing

Burner charges double its monthly price if you sign up on its mobile app versus the web app. So if you’re interested in checking out a number with Burner, you should sign up on the web to save on your monthly fees. 

• $4.99 per number per month if you sign up on the web
• $9.99 per number per month if you sign up through the mobile app

Burner app download links

• iOS (4.7 with 70k+ ratings)
• Android (4.2 with 60k+ ratings)

4. Hushed: Best for multiple second number subscription plans

Hushed is a unique second phone number app for iPhone and Android that offers multiple subscription options to its users. With Hushed’s pay-as-you-go plan, you can dial numbers outside the US and Canada. Plus,use an eSIM card to use your mobile number outside the country.

Hushed also offers standard second phone number features like custom voicemails, SMS and MMS texting, and call forwarding. You don’t need a SIM card or a traditional phone carrier — their VoIP services work with any internet connection. But like every other personal second phone number app, Hushed lacks the business-friendly features you may need to communicate efficiently.

Hushed pricing

Businesses can choose from three plans:

• Prepaid: $2.99 per number unlocks credit-based pricing for calls and texts
• Unlimited: $4.99 per number per month unlocks unlimited calls and texts to US and Canadian numbers
• Pay-as-you-go: $6.99 per number per month unlocks international calls and texts with your Hushed number

Hushed app download links

• iOS (4.3 with 1,300+ ratings)
• Android (3.7 with 50k+ ratings)

5. Line2: Best for basic business phone features

Line2 is a second phone number app that supports unlimited calls and texts in the US via local and toll-free numbers. It’s also available as a desktop and mobile app.

However, Line2 isn’t a great business phone option. There are no shared numbers, no international calls, and most of the business features you need require plan upgrades or add-ons. It does the job for one-person businesses but no longer works when you add another person to your team. 

Line2 app download links

• iOS (4.4 with 17k+ ratings)
• Android (3.2 with 16k+ ratings)

6. Dialpad: Best for large contact centers

Dialpad is a business phone system that offers a number of helpful features, including call routing, call recording, and voicemail transcriptions. It’s best suited for teams with large contact centers due to its AI-powered coaching features like AI scorecards and real-time AI assists. 

Unfortunately, Dialpad is an expensive second phone option for businesses. It requires you to upgrade for international texting, auto-replies, and integrations, which can make it an incredibly costly service for small businesses. Plus, you must pay for at least three users for a Pro plan or 100 users for an Enterprise plan if you do upgrade.

Another issue? Several teams find Dialpad to be overengineered and clunky compared to other business phone platforms like OpenPhone.

Dialpad pricing

Dialpad’s pricing for their business phone solution includes three different tiers:

• Standard: $15 per user per month (maximum of 3 users on a shared number; no additional numbers allowed)
• Pro: $25 per user per month (minimum of 3 users) to get additional numbers, international texting, call transfers, and auto-replies
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (100-user minimum) to access dial by extension, priority support, and 100% uptime

Dialpad app download links

• iOS (4.6 with 2,600+ ratings)
• Android (4.2 with 1,900+ ratings)

7. Ooma: Best for reaching Mexico and Puerto Rico

Ooma is a second phone number app that’s built for small businesses. When you sign up, you can get one free toll-free number for your team or choose from a variety of local numbers. It also uniquely supports intercom calling and analog fax machine support (which you may never use unless you own a physical office).

The downside is that Ooma is pretty costly for the value it provides. For example, you can’t access texting, call recording, or voicemail transcriptions on the basic plan (only on higher tiers). You also need to upgrade to access Ooma’s desktop app. Otherwise, you have to work exclusively on your phone.

Ooma pricing

Ooma offers three plans to choose from:

• Office Essentials: $19.95 per user per month
• Office Pro: $24.95 per user per month to access Ooma’s desktop app, phone menus, call recording, voicemail transcriptions, Google and Office 365 integrations, and video meetings
• Office Pro Plus: $29.95 per user per month to access reporting, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 integrations, and automatic call distribution

Ooma app download links

• iOS (4.9 with 7,000+ ratings)
• Android (4.5 with 1,200+ ratings)

8. Grasshopper: Best for phone number extensions

Grasshopper is another VoIP platform marketed toward small businesses. It differs from other second phone number apps by offering all its features — including voicemail transcriptions and custom voicemail greetings — in every plan. This means you only pay for the phone numbers and extensions you need.

Since the basic plan only includes one phone number (and five with its highest-tier option), Grasshopper isn’t the best VoIP service for growing teams. It also lags behind other business phone options in terms of the features it offers. For example, it doesn’t offer integrations, shared phone numbers, or call recording. While it offers local and toll-free numbers, you can only send MMS and group messages from local US numbers — and you can’t send SMS messages internationally or from a toll-free number to a Canadian number. And if you want to make international calls, you have to put down a $500 deposit first, which is another obstacle if you want to sell globally.

Grasshopper pricing

Grasshopper offers three plans — True Solo, Solo Plus, and Small Business. While each plan offers all its features, they differ by the number of users and extensions you can access. 

Here’s how much each plan costs:

• True Solo: $14 per month for one user, one phone number, and one extension
• Solo Plus: $25 per month for unlimited users, one phone number, and three extensions
• Small Business: $55 per month for unlimited users, four phone numbers, and unlimited extensions.

Grasshopper app download links

• iOS (4.3 with 48k+ ratings)
• Android (4.2 with 3,900+ ratings)

9. TextNow: Best for plans with high-speed data

TextNow is a Canadian second phone number app offering unlimited free calling and texting in the US and Canada. Since it works on a PC, iPhone, Android, and iPad, you can switch between devices while working on the go. You can also pay $4.99 for a TextNow SIM card to unlock high-speed data (starting at $39.99 per month for 10 GB high-speed data, then unlimited 2G speeds).

While TextNow may be free, it’s not built for small business owners. Basic features like voicemail transcriptions and call forwarding require upgrades. Plus, customer reviews complain of an overwhelming number of in-app ads. If you want to make phone calls without ads, you need to pay for an upgrade.

TextNow pricing

TextNow is free to use with ads. To make calls without WiFi, you first need to purchase a SIM card ($4.99). Then, you have the option to purchase three data bundles:

• Hour Pass: $0.99 for 60 minutes of unlimited talk, text, and data
• Day Pass: $4.99 for 24 hours of unlimited talk, text, and data
• Month Pass: $39.99 for one full month of unlimited talk, text, and data

Additional plan options from TextNow include locking in your number and removing ads from their app:

• Lock in Number: $1.99 per week
• Ad Free+: $6.99 per week

TextNow download links

• iOS (4.8 with 700k+ ratings)
• Android (4.5 with 1.5m+ ratings)

Get a second phone number for free with OpenPhone

Getting a second phone number is an affordable way to separate business and personal calls, ensuring you don’t have to answer clients after hours and keeping your personal number private. While many business phone number apps offer these benefits, not all are created equal. Free options like Google Voice and TextNow are designed for personal use and lack features suited for business needs.

OpenPhone is a powerful and affordable alternative, offering high-value features such as shared phone numbers, integrations, and call recording on every plan. With OpenPhone, modern businesses get the communication features they need in one place. Try OpenPhone’s Business plan for free for seven days to see if it’s the right solution for your business needs. Start your free trial today.

FAQ

Every phone system is different, with some offering far more benefits than others. However, our answers to these frequently asked questions can help you explore how second phone number apps function at their core.

Words by Nikhil Venkatesa

Nikhil is a Content Producer at OpenPhone. In his free time, he loves writing screenplays and watching obscure films on The Criterion Channel.