Virtual numbers for business

A SIM lives in one phone, in one pocket, in one country. When that person is off, travelling or has left the company, the line goes quiet and the number is hard to recover. A virtual business number lives on the carrier network and is delivered to whoever you choose: the web dashboard, the mobile app on several devices, or a staff mobile by call forwarding. Nothing is tied to a handset.

It is also the only practical way to hold a phone number in a country where you have no office. A UK company that sells into the USA can rent a +1 number, a German firm can take calls on a Paris 01 line, and an online store can give customers in Singapore a local number to text, all without a local entity or a local phone. Inbound SMS is unlimited and included; calls are billed per use at local rates, which is usually cheaper than an international mobile plan.

Support desks are the most common use. The support number sits on the website, inbound SMS and voicemails land in the shared inbox, and calls ring the agents on duty. Sales teams run a separate line per market, so a Canadian prospect calls a Toronto number and a British one calls a London number, and each line is forwarded to the rep who owns that territory.

Smaller companies use a single virtual number as the public face of the business while the founders keep their personal mobiles private. Agencies rent a number per client for campaign tracking. Remote teams with staff in several countries use one number as the company switchboard, forwarded to whoever is online. Every number receives SMS, so the same line handles verification when you sign the business up for Google Business Profile, marketplaces or payment tools.

Choose a local number when the area code matters: it tells customers you are nearby and it is the best choice for a city-facing sales or support line. Choose a mobile number when the line will be registered on WhatsApp Business or Telegram, or used to receive verification SMS from services that check the carrier type; VoIP ranges are often rejected there. Choose a VoIP number for the cheapest business line, where you mostly make and take calls over the internet and no app will inspect the number's type.

Many businesses rent two: a local or VoIP number for calls and a mobile number for WhatsApp Business, both delivered to the same dashboard. If you are unsure, tell us what the line is for when you order and we will recommend the type that fits.

Business numbers are priced the same as any other rental: from $9.99 a month in the USA, UK and Canada and from $12.99 in most other countries, with mobile numbers a little above VoIP. Three-month and yearly terms are discounted and renew on the same number. From ten numbers on one account we quote volume pricing, and larger teams can ask for a single annual invoice. There are no setup fees, and cancelling at the end of a term is free.