ExpressNumber
Start free trialStart free
Free second phone number

You can get a free second phone number, and the real question is where your calls and texts end up.

Four apps give you a second number for $0, your mobile carrier sells a second line, and ExpressNumber gives a free week. Here is what each one does with your calls and texts.

Try it free for 7 daysSee pricing
$0 todayEvery fact about another service was read on that company's own page, linked at the foot of this page.
The short answer
  • A free app keeps your second number inside the app. You call and text from it, and it can be taken back when you stop using it.
  • A second line from your mobile carrier is a line on your plan. It calls and texts like your first line, it is priced by your carrier, and it is tied to your account with them.
  • ExpressNumber is free for 7 days, then $9.99 a month. Calls ring the phone you already carry and texts land in a browser inbox, so the number you give out is never your own.

These are the ways to get a free second phone number, and what each does with your calls and texts.

Checked October 2026 on each company's own pages. ExpressNumber is first.

Free second phone number options compared by what happens to calls and texts, ExpressNumber first
OptionWhat is freeWhat happens to callsWhat happens to textsThe catch
ExpressNumber

7 daysA real US number with the area code you pick. $0 today.

Ring the mobile you already carry, like any other call. No app.

Land in your inbox, in the browser, on any device.

Receive-only: it never makes calls or texts. Then $9.99 a month for 5 numbers.

Google VoicePlansCallsID checkInactive numbers

A US number at no charge, for personal use.

Made and answered in the Voice app or a browser, or forwarded to a phone you link.

Sent and read in the Voice app or a browser, with voicemail transcripts.

Needs a personal Gmail account, a phone to link and an ID check with a government ID. Google may reclaim a number after 3 months without a call or text.

TextNowPlansInactive numbersChange a number

A free local number, with talk and text paid for by ads.

Free talk on the Free plan, in the TextNow app or on a TextNow SIM.

Free text on the Free plan, from a phone, tablet or computer.

Ads. A number that has not sent a text or made a call in a while is removed from the account. Lock In Number is $1.99 a week.

TextFreeFree number

A free number, paid for by ads.

Free calls over Wi-Fi or mobile data. No SIM card or phone plan.

Free texts, photos and videos to any US or Canadian number.

Ads. The number expires after 30 days without a call or text. TextFree Plus is $9.99 a month.

2ndLineFAQ

A second number with free calling and messaging.

Free calls to US and Canadian numbers, over your device's internet connection.

Free texts to US and Canadian numbers. The other person does not need the app.

Android only. Banner ads. The free version recycles your number after a period of inactivity.

A second line from your mobile carrier

Only if your carrier adds a line at no charge.

Ring like your first line, on your plan.

Arrive like your first line, on your plan.

Priced by your carrier, and tied to your account with them.

Each kind of second number fits a different life, so pick by what you do with it.

Start from what the number has to do.

To call and text out from the second number, use a free app.

Google Voice, TextNow, TextFree and 2ndLine all do, with the catches in the table.

See the best burner apps

To give out a number and answer on the phone you already carry, use a receive-only number.

ExpressNumber is free for 7 days, then $9.99 a month for 5 numbers. It takes calls and texts and never makes them.

A second phone number

To get a full second line that behaves like your first, ask your mobile carrier.

It calls and texts like your first line, and your carrier sets the price.

To use a second number for a short job and drop it, check how each one lets you swap.

The burner guide sets out how often you can swap and at what price.

Free burner number

To run a side business from the second number, read the business guide.

It covers the Google Voice free plan, business phone trials and forwarding numbers.

Free virtual phone number

To keep the number for years, check how each one keeps it alive.

TextFree expires a number after 30 days without a call or text, and Google Voice may reclaim one after 3 months.

Free phone number

Where you answer decides what the other person sees, so know which kind of number you have.

Your own number stays private from the people you only give the second number to. These are the differences.

A free app keeps your second number inside the app.

You call and text from it, with the number it gave you. The cost is that the number lives in an app, on ads or an account, and can be taken back when you stop using it.

A second line from your carrier is a line on your plan.

It rings and texts like your first line, which is simple. It is priced by your carrier and tied to your account with them.

ExpressNumber is a number you give out that rings the phone you already carry.

The caller only ever sees the number you gave them. It never makes calls or texts, so anything you send yourself comes from your own phone or app.

This is a second number that rings the phone you already carry.

  • Pick a US area code and the number is live in about a minute.
  • Calls ring the phone you already carry, with no second SIM and no app.
  • Texts land in your inbox, in the browser, on any device.
  • Give each person or site its own number, and name it so you know who it is.
Try it free for 7 days

These are the questions people ask first.

Yes. Google Voice, TextNow, TextFree and 2ndLine each give a second number for $0, and ExpressNumber is free for the first 7 days. Every one has a catch, and the table puts each catch next to its option.

Yes. TextFree says its number needs no SIM card and no phone plan, and 2ndLine uses your device's internet connection. ExpressNumber rings the phone you already carry, so it needs no second SIM and no app.

Only if it offers one at no charge. A second line from your carrier is a line on your plan, priced by that carrier, so check your carrier's own page for the price.

Any of them keeps your own number out of sight of people who only have the second number. What differs is what happens when you answer: an app calls and texts from its own number, and ExpressNumber rings the phone you already carry but never makes calls or texts, so anything you send comes from your own phone or app.

No. ExpressNumber numbers take calls and texts and never make them: you answer calls on your own phone, and you cannot reply to a text from the inbox. To call and text from a second number, use one of the apps in the table.

It depends on the app. TextFree expires a number after 30 days without a call or text, and Google Voice may reclaim one after 3 months without calls or texts. TextNow removes a number that has not sent a text or made a call in a while, and 2ndLine recycles one after a period of inactivity. The paid versions lock the number in: TextNow's Lock In Number is $1.99 a week and TextFree Plus is $9.99 a month.

TextFree says its number is a real, dialable US or Canadian number with its own area code. ExpressNumber numbers are real US numbers from a licensed carrier, not a shared inbox on a website.

There are more guides on the same question.

Every fact about another service comes from these pages.

Read October 26, 2026. Prices move: if something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Every service named here is a trademark of its owner, named only to identify the product. ExpressNumber is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.

Try it for a week. Judge it yourself.

Hand out a number you can burn. Keep the one your family calls.

Try it free for 7 days