You can get a US phone number in minutes from anywhere in the world — sign up with a virtual phone number provider, pick an area code, verify your identity, and start calling and texting over the internet. No US address, US SIM card, or physical phone line is required.
US numbers activate with nothing to upload, which is why this is quick. If you are also looking at numbers elsewhere, the requirements for every country are worth reading first.
A virtual US number gives your business a local US identity that builds credibility, and it makes it easier for American customers to reach you: they see a familiar area code and dial a normal domestic call. Because the number runs over the internet rather than a phone line, you can use it from any location and any device — a real advantage for remote teams and international businesses — while avoiding the monthly fees, equipment costs, and long-distance charges of traditional phone service.
This guide walks through the exact steps to get a US number, what you'll need before you start, how to choose between providers, and answers to the questions people ask most.
Can I get a US phone number from outside the US?
Yes. Virtual phone numbers aren't tied to a physical location, so VoIP providers can issue US numbers to customers anywhere in the world. With LimePhone you can purchase a US virtual number without a US address — you'll simply need to verify your identity for security reasons.
One caveat to know upfront: due to recent US carrier regulations, texting from a local US number to other US numbers may require business identification or a US or Canadian address (this is called A2P registration — more on it in the FAQs below). Calling has no such requirement.
What do you need to get a US number?
The whole checklist fits in your pocket:
- An email address to create your account
- A payment card — during a free trial, providers like LimePhone place a temporary hold on the card for identity verification
- An internet-connected device — computer, tablet, or smartphone; no SIM card needed
- A few minutes for verification — LimePhone confirms your details with a quick 2-minute call
- For business texting only: business identification or a US/Canadian address to complete A2P carrier registration
How to get a US phone number in minutes (step by step)
Getting a US phone number for your business is a straightforward process that takes just a few minutes:
- Sign up: Visit the LimePhone website and create an account with your name, email address, phone number, and a password.
- Select your number: Choose your desired US phone number. LimePhone offers a wide range of area codes and lets you pick a number in virtually any US city or state — you can check which numbers are available in your target area code before you commit.
- Complete the signup: Review the details and add payment information to activate your new number.
- Verify your account: You'll receive a quick 2-minute call from the LimePhone team to confirm your details — then your number is live.
Should you choose a local or toll-free US number?
Both work identically over VoIP, so the choice is about how you want to appear to callers:
- Local numbers carry a city or state area code. Pick an area code where your target customers are concentrated — US customers are far more likely to answer a call from a recognizable local area code, and a local number signals real presence in that market.
- Toll-free numbers (prefixes like 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833) are free for US callers to dial and project a national, established image — the classic choice for support and sales lines serving the whole country.
If you're unsure, start local: it's the stronger trust signal for outbound calls, and you can add a toll-free number later.
Which US area code should you choose?
If you go local, choose the area code where your target customers are concentrated — a caller in Miami is more likely to answer a 305 number than an unfamiliar out-of-state one. If your customers are spread across the country, pick the metro that anchors your market or where your industry expects you to be: New York (212, 646), San Francisco (415), Los Angeles (213, 310), Chicago (312), Austin (512), Miami (305). Availability varies by provider — sought-after codes are scarce — so check what's actually available before you settle on a city.
Virtual US number vs. US SIM card: what's the difference?
Both give you a US phone number, but they solve different problems:
- A US SIM card requires getting physical hardware (or an eSIM from a US carrier), usually a US billing relationship, and a carrier plan. It's the right tool if you need US mobile data while physically in the United States.
- A virtual US number needs only an internet connection. It activates in minutes from anywhere, works simultaneously on your computer, tablet, and phone, adds business features like recording and shared access, and never incurs roaming charges — because there's no roaming involved.
For calling and texting US customers from abroad — the reason most people search for a US number — virtual is faster to get, cheaper to run, and more capable.
How do you receive calls on a US virtual number?
Incoming calls reach you wherever you're signed in: the provider's mobile app, a desktop app, or a web browser can all ring at once, and you answer on whichever is closest. Call forwarding adds a safety net — route the number to your existing mobile or landline so calls reach you even when the app is closed. Combine that with voicemail transcription and auto-replies, and a US number can cover US business hours even while you're asleep in another timezone: callers hear a professional greeting, their message arrives as text, and you follow up when you're online.
What are the benefits of a virtual US phone number?
- Flexibility: Use your number from anywhere with an internet connection, staying connected to your business and customers regardless of your location.
- Professionalism: A US number gives your business a local US presence and enhanced credibility, even if you operate remotely or internationally.
- Convenience: Make and receive calls and texts on your computer, smartphone, or any internet-connected device.
- Cost-effectiveness: Virtual numbers are typically far cheaper than traditional landlines or cell plans — no equipment, no installation, no long-distance charges.
How to choose a US phone number provider
With so many VoIP providers offering US numbers, compare them on the factors that actually matter in daily use:
- Pricing: Look past the headline price to what's included — minutes, texts, users, and numbers — and check for per-feature add-on fees.
- Features: Call forwarding, voicemail (ideally with transcription), call recording, SMS messaging, auto-replies, and call analytics are the ones businesses use most.
- Integrations: If you live in Slack, HubSpot, or another CRM, make sure calls and texts can flow into it.
- Reliability and support: Free services often come with neither; paid providers should offer both uptime you can trust and a human to talk to.
- Scalability: Can you add users, numbers, and features without switching providers later?
Here's how six popular US phone number providers stack up against those criteria.
6 best US phone number providers compared
LimePhone: A Budget-Friendly VoIP Solution
LimePhone stands out as a cost-effective option for businesses that want a powerful, user-friendly communication platform without enterprise pricing. Every plan includes unlimited inbound calling, so you can focus on conversations rather than overage charges, and global reach lets you connect with clients and partners worldwide.
Key features and benefits
- Unlimited inbound calling with transparent pricing — focus on conversations, not surprise charges
- Effortless texting to stay in touch with clients and colleagues
- Additional phone numbers to expand your reach and establish a local presence in new markets
- Shared phone numbers for seamless team collaboration on the same line
- Call recording for quality assurance and legal purposes
- Voicemail transcriptions that convert messages into readable text
- Auto-replies for automated responses to common inquiries
- Call forwarding and call waiting to route calls to different numbers or devices and handle multiple calls at once
- Web2text and Click2call to convert web forms into text conversations and start calls from web pages or contact lists
- CRM integration and Slack forwarding so calls and SMS land in the tools your team already uses
- Meeting scheduler to book appointments directly from your phone system
- 24/7 customer support on a secure, reliable platform that scales as your business grows
LimePhone pricing
- Personal plan ($5/month): One free new local or toll-free phone number, unlimited outbound calls to USA/UK, 1 user, unlimited inbound calls, and 40+ features.
- Team plan ($18/month): Everything in Personal, plus one free number from any of 16 countries, unlimited local outbound calling in 36 countries, 5 users, auto-attendant call answering, and bulk SMS.
- Business plan ($55/month): For growing businesses — everything in Team, plus unlimited users, 5 US/UK phone numbers, business messaging with registration, and advanced API access.
LimePhone is designed to be simple: sign up, pick a number, and start calling. A free trial lets you prove it out before you pay.
OpenPhone
OpenPhone is more than a business phone app — it's a collaborative communication platform with an intuitive interface. Every team member gets one free US, Canadian, or toll-free number at signup, and additional numbers cost $5 per month regardless of plan.
Shared phone numbers
OpenPhone's shared numbers let your team delegate tasks and solve problems together: assign unlimited team members to the same number, collaborate asynchronously or in real time on customer conversations, leave internal notes for teammates, and make or receive calls and texts without extensions or call routing.
Texting and AI features
Convenient texting tools save teams real time — international texting, scheduled messages, and snippets (templates for frequently used replies). AI-powered features round it out: auto-replies for after-hours messages, call summaries that surface key points from recent calls, and AI-suggested message responses tailored to the conversation.
Key features
- Free calling, SMS, and MMS in the US and Canada
- Affordable international calling and texting rates
- Local and toll-free business phone numbers
- Shared inboxes and internal threads — assign unlimited team members to one number, collaborate on customer conversations, and leave internal notes
- Voicemail transcriptions and call recording
- Auto-replies, call summaries, and AI-suggested message responses
- Scheduled messages, group messaging, shared contacts, and snippets (canned responses)
- Auto-attendant (IVR), call routing, three-way calling, and warm transfer
- Integrations with email, Slack, and Zapier
OpenPhone pricing
- Starter: $15 per user/month — unlimited US/Canada calls and texts, shared numbers with up to 10 teammates, auto-attendants, scheduled texts.
- Business: $23 per user/month — adds group calling, call transfer, analytics, HubSpot CRM integration, and unlimited shared users.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing with dedicated account management.
Google Voice
Google Voice is a popular option for personal use, but its free version is US-only, not intended for business, and lacks essentials like phone menus, shared access, and toll-free numbers. For businesses, Google Voice integrates with Google Workspace — at additional cost and with real limitations.
Key features (business tiers)
- Google Workspace integration — a unified experience across Google Docs, Calendar, and Meet
- Call routing rules that direct calls to the right team members or departments
- Custom greetings for a professional, welcoming caller experience
- Voicemail transcriptions that convert messages to text for easy review
- Multi-level auto attendants and ring groups to organize incoming calls efficiently
Pricing and limitations
- Requires a Google Workspace subscription (from $6 per user/month) on top of the Voice plan
- No toll-free numbers
- Limited shared numbers — a maximum of six linked external numbers per account
- Three pricing tiers (Starter, Standard, Premier) with features gated by tier
Verdict: fine for personal use; for business, the dual-service cost and missing features make it hard to recommend for growing teams.
TextNow
TextNow offers a free, ad-supported US or Canadian phone number — a genuinely free option for personal use. It's a WiFi texting and calling app: recipients don't need TextNow installed (you can call their cell phone or landline directly), and you can buy a TextNow SIM card if you need service without WiFi. International calling and texting is available at affordable rates through credit purchases.
Limitations and considerations
- Ad-supported: The free version includes ads, which some users find intrusive; an Ad-Free Lite upgrade removes them for a small monthly fee.
- Upgrades required: Voicemail transcriptions and incoming caller ID both sit behind paid upgrades.
- Number retention: Inactive numbers can be reclaimed unless you pay to lock in your number or upgrade to a Premium Number.
- US and Canada only: Signing up from outside these regions requires a VPN.
- Not built for business: TextNow is designed for personal use and lacks the features and integrations business use demands.
TextNow pricing
- Free with ads (WiFi calling and texting)
- Data bundles (SIM required): Month Pass $39.99, Day Pass $4.99, Hour Pass $0.99
- Lock in Number: $1.99/week; Ad-Free+: $6.99/week
RingCentral
RingCentral is a well-established unified communications platform offering sales intelligence, video meetings, and virtual event tools. It suits businesses of all sizes, from startups to enterprises with physical offices — it's one of the few options with desk phone support.
Key features
- Desk phone support — ideal for businesses with physical offices that want a traditional phone system with modern features
- Video meetings with up to 100 participants (Advanced plan) for team collaboration and virtual events
- Third-party integrations with CRM systems, project management software, and marketing automation platforms
- Voicemail transcriptions for easy review and analysis
- Team messaging built in, keeping internal communication in one place
- Call recordings for monitoring agent performance, training, and resolving customer disputes
- IVR to automate call routing and improve the caller experience
Pricing and limitations
- Core: $20 per user/month — unlimited US/Canada calls with business SMS
- Advanced: $25 per user/month — adds voicemail transcriptions, automatic call recording, CRM integrations
- Ultra: $35 per user/month — adds storage and device analytics
- Watch for SMS limits, capped toll-free minutes, and storage limits on lower tiers — heavy texters and toll-free users may need to upgrade
Grasshopper
Grasshopper targets startups and micro-businesses with simple, flat-rate plans — including unlimited users on its Small Business plan and extensions at just $3 per month.
Key features
- Unlimited users on the Small Business plan — add team members without additional cost
- Affordable extensions at $3 per extension per month
- Voicemail transcriptions and call forwarding to different numbers or devices
- Virtual fax — send and receive faxes through your Grasshopper number
- Call blasting to send mass calls to a contact list (extra $10/month)
- Auto-replies — but only to first-time callers, not on every call or text
Pricing and limitations
- True Solo: $14/month — 1 user, 1 number, 1 extension
- Solo Plus: $25/month — unlimited users, 1 number, 3 extensions, call transfers
- Small Business: $55/month — unlimited users, 4 numbers, unlimited extensions
- No call recording, few modern productivity features (no AI texting or internal threads), and a dated interface — fine for basic needs, limiting for growing teams
Which US number provider is right for you?
A quick way to shortlist from the six above:
- Lowest cost with full business features: LimePhone — a US number, unlimited inbound calls, and 40+ features from $5/month.
- Team collaboration on shared numbers: OpenPhone — shared inboxes and internal threads from $15 per user/month.
- Already deep in Google Workspace: Google Voice — accept the add-on cost and the missing toll-free support.
- Free for casual personal use: TextNow — ads and upgrade fees included, US/Canada only.
- Enterprise needs, desk phones, or big video meetings: RingCentral — from $20 per user/month.
- Simple flat-rate plans for a micro-business: Grasshopper — no per-user math, but no call recording either.
Why your business needs a US phone number
Establish a local presence
A US phone number significantly enhances your business's credibility and legitimacy in the American market. By providing a local US number, you demonstrate a commitment to serving US customers and create a sense of familiarity and trust — your business feels local even when it isn't.
Reduce costs
Calling US customers from a US number eliminates international calling fees, whether you're located in another country or simply working remotely — you call US customers directly without incurring additional charges.
Improve customer engagement
US customers are more likely to answer calls from recognizable US area codes. Selecting a local phone number in specific cities with a large concentration of your target customers increases the likelihood of them picking up your calls.
Enhance call quality
A US number routed over VoIP eliminates the issues associated with long-distance calls, such as ping and jitter, ensuring clear and reliable communication with your US customers.
Protect your privacy
Sharing a second phone number with customers keeps your personal or main business line private while callers are directed to the right place.
Avoid the pitfalls of free options
Many international businesses consider a free Google Voice number for reaching US customers — but you can't create a free Google Voice account without already having a US phone number to verify it, which rules it out for anyone starting from outside the US. Virtual number providers have no such catch-22: no traditional phone service, no expensive infrastructure, no waiting for implementation.
Get Started with LimePhone: Your All-in-One US Phone Number Solution
LimePhone packs the features modern businesses actually use:
- Shared numbers: Multiple team members access and manage the same phone number, improving efficiency and responsiveness.
- Unlimited calls and texts: Unlimited (*subject to Fair Usage Policy) domestic communication within the US and Canada — no overage anxiety.
- Call recording: Track calls for quality assurance, training, or legal purposes.
- CRM integrations: Sync contacts, log calls, and track customer interactions in tools like HubSpot.
- And more: Voicemail transcriptions, call forwarding, auto-replies, and team messaging.
The 14-day free trial (available for businesses) gives you access to all core features: make and receive calls and texts (limited in number for trial) with a US phone number, collaborate on shared numbers, and try call recording and CRM integrations. When the trial ends, upgrade to whichever paid plan fits.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to streamline your communication. Get your US number today!
What about texting? A2P registration in plain English
If you only plan to call US customers, you can skip this section. If you plan to text them from a local 10-digit number, US carriers require what's known as A2P 10DLC registration — "application-to-person" messaging over "10-digit long codes." In practice it means:
- Who it applies to: Anyone sending business SMS to US numbers from a local number — even small volumes and even friendly conversational texts.
- What you'll provide: Business identification (or, for personal use, the details in the carrier registration guide below), and in some cases a US or Canadian address.
- Why it exists: Carriers use registration to separate legitimate senders from spammers — unregistered business texts risk being filtered before they arrive.
- When to do it: Early. Register as soon as you get your number so texting is ready when you need it.
The two guides linked in the FAQs below walk through the exact steps for business and personal registration with LimePhone.
US Phone Number FAQs
Is there a way to get a US number without a US address?
Yes — with LimePhone, you can purchase US numbers without an address. For security reasons, you'll need to verify your identity. Note that due to recent regulations, you may need business identification or a Canadian or US address to text from a local number to other US numbers; see our US carrier registration guide for details.
Is there a way to get a free US number?
You can get a free US phone number through LimePhone's 14-day business trial; once you've confirmed the fit, the Team plan is $18 per month and includes 5 users. For a completely free personal option, ad-supported apps like TextNow cover basic texting.
How can I get a US number in Canada?
The process varies by provider, but with LimePhone you can obtain a US number in Canada in minutes: create an account, choose your preferred local number, and provide your credit card information. During the free 14-day trial, a temporary hold is placed on your card for identity verification.
What is the format of a US phone number?
A US phone number is a 10-digit number formatted as (NYX)-NZZ-XXXX:
- Area code: the first three digits
- Central office code: the next three digits
- Line number: the last four digits, identifying the specific subscriber
When calling a US number from outside North America, dial the country code +1 (or 001) first.
How much does a virtual number cost?
Costs vary by provider. A starting plan for a virtual phone system typically runs $15 to $25 per user per month, and mid-range VoIP systems cost $25 to $50 per user per month. LimePhone offers the features of a mid-range VoIP system for only $5 per month. If you plan to text from your number, budget for A2P 10DLC registration fees as well — these guides explain the process:
US Carrier Registration For Users Using LimePhone For Personal Use
Small Business Guide to A2P 10DLC Registration
How long does it take to get a US phone number?
Minutes, not days. Creating an account and selecting a number takes a few minutes online, and LimePhone's identity verification is a quick 2-minute call. There's no infrastructure to install and no waiting period — the number is usable as soon as verification completes.
Can I choose a specific US phone number?
Within what's available, yes. Providers let you browse open numbers by country, area code, and type (local or toll-free) and claim the one you like — so you can hunt for a memorable digit pattern in your chosen area code rather than accepting a random assignment.
Will calls to my US number cost my customers anything extra?
No. To a US caller, your virtual number is a normal domestic call, billed like any other US number — that's precisely the point of having one. If you choose a toll-free number, the call is free for them regardless of their plan.
Can I send text messages from a US virtual number?
Yes — virtual US numbers support SMS. The one requirement to plan for: US carriers treat business texting as A2P (application-to-person) traffic, so texting US customers from a local 10-digit number requires A2P 10DLC registration, which involves identification and a small fee. Person-to-person calling has no equivalent requirement.
Can I keep my US number if I move or travel?
Yes. Because a virtual number lives in the cloud rather than on a SIM card, it travels with you — sign in from any internet-connected device, anywhere in the world, and your calls and texts follow.
Do virtual US numbers expire?
On a paid plan, your number stays yours for as long as your subscription is active. Free services are a different story — TextNow, for example, can reclaim a number after inactivity unless you pay to lock it — which is another reason businesses should avoid putting a free number on their website or business cards.
Are virtual phone numbers legal?
Yes, virtual phone numbers are legal in the US and Canada. Many individuals use them as a second phone number, and businesses use them for support and sales needs.
Get your US Phone number in minutes with LimePhone and experience the difference.
