Virtual phone number for SMS, by country

What is a virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number is a phone number you use online instead of through a SIM card in your own phone. You open a website or an app, and the messages sent to that number show up there.

People use them to keep their personal number private, to get a code on a number from another country, or to test the SMS steps of their own app. The number works like any other: an app sends a text to it, and you read the text on your screen.

Types of virtual numbers

Not every virtual number is the same, and the difference decides whether your code arrives.

• VoIP numbers run over the internet. Many calling apps use them. They are cheap, but a lot of sign-up forms reject them.
• SIM-backed mobile numbers sit on real mobile networks. Apps treat them like any other cell phone number, so verification codes usually get through. This is what NumberOTP provides.
• Local and geographic numbers belong to a city or area code. They are mostly used for landlines and business phone lines.
• Toll free numbers (like 800 numbers in the US or 0800 in the UK) let customers call a business for free. They are for incoming calls, not SMS codes.

What you can do with a NumberOTP number

Our numbers do one job: receive SMS online. You pick the app and the country, see the live price, and get the number at once. Then you paste it into the sign-up form and read the code here, in our app or in the browser extension.

They are not a business phone system. You can’t make calls, receive calls, set caller ID or send texts from them. If you need a virtual phone number for business calls, with call and text features and a local presence, a dedicated business phone provider fits better. If you need verification codes, this is the simpler and cheaper route.

Who uses virtual phone numbers?

• Privacy-minded people who don’t want their personal number in yet another database.
• Travellers and expats who need a code on a number from another country.
• Developers and QA teams testing their own SMS sign-up and login flows.
• Businesses verifying accounts they own on platforms that ask for a phone number.

How to get a virtual phone number

Pick a country below, or start from the app you are signing up for. Choose a one-time activation or a rental, confirm the price, and the number is yours. When the SMS arrives you see the code straight away.

An activation stays open for 20 minutes. If no SMS arrives in that time, the full cost goes back to your balance automatically. A rental keeps the same number from 2 hours up to 30 days, which helps when an app sends a second code later.

Everything also works from code: buy a number and receive the SMS by webhook with our SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go and PHP, the notp command-line tool or the MCP server.