Small Business Phone Number: How to Get a Free Business Phone Number & Do You Need One?

What is the best small business phone number? It is a separate number, ideally local to where you work, that rings or texts you without giving out your personal cell, and that you can keep if you change providers. You can get one free from an app, as a second line from your mobile carrier, or from a business phone or texting service for a few dollars a month. Which one fits depends on whether customers mostly call you, text you, or both.

Do you need a business phone number?

Most small businesses do, sooner than they expect. If you need a business phone number is really a question about three things: privacy, permanence and how customers reach you.

Using your personal cell works for the first few customers. It stops working when:

• Customers text you at 10 pm because they have your personal number.
• You want to hand calls or texts to an employee or a partner.
• You list the number on your website, Google Business Profile, invoices and signs, and it would hurt to change it later.
• You want to send appointment reminders or promotions by text, which, in the US, means registering the number for business texting.

I need a business phone number: signs it's time

If you find yourself saying "I need a business phone number", one of these is usually behind it:

1. You are publishing the number. Anything printed or listed online should be a number the business owns, not you personally.
2. You are hiring. A business number can move to whoever answers it. A personal one cannot.
3. You want to text customers in bulk. Reminders, confirmations and offers go out from a registered business number, not a personal phone.
4. You keep missing context. A separate number tells you, before you answer, that this is a customer.

When you can wait

A solo freelancer with a handful of clients who all book by email can wait. So can a business that runs entirely through a marketplace that handles messaging for you. The moment you print the number anywhere, get one.

Can you get a free business phone number?

Yes, a free business phone number is possible, but "free" usually means you pay in other ways. Searches for a free phone number for business mostly lead to three kinds of option:

• Google Voice (personal accounts). In the US, a personal Google account can claim a free Google Voice number for calls and texts. Google Voice for businesses is a different product that needs a paid Google Workspace subscription plus a Voice license. The free version is meant for personal use and offers no business support.
• Ad-supported calling apps. Apps such as TextNow give a free number in exchange for ads, and may reclaim a number you stop using. Check each app's terms before you print the number on anything.
• Free trials of paid services. Many business phone services offer a trial. Useful for testing, but it is not a free number.

What a free number usually gives up

Free numbers are fine for testing an idea. They are a weak foundation for a number you will print on a sign, for four reasons:

• Ownership. The terms decide whether you can keep the number, and some free numbers are taken back after a period of inactivity.
• Business texting. US carriers expect business texts to come from a registered sender. Free consumer apps are built for person-to-person messages, not for reminders and campaigns sent to a list.
• Support. When something breaks, there is usually no one to call.
• Porting. Moving a number to another provider is not always possible from a free plan. Check before you commit.

How to get a business phone number

How do I get a business phone number? In five steps, whatever provider you choose. To get a business phone number that lasts:

1. Decide what the number is for. Calls, texts or both. This decides which kind of provider you need.
2. Pick the area code. Local to your customers, or toll-free if you serve the whole country.
3. Choose the provider. A carrier second line, a VoIP phone service, or a texting platform (the options are compared below).
4. Register and set it up. For business texting in the US, that means A2P 10DLC registration. For a VoIP number that can make calls, it means an emergency (E911) address.
5. Publish it everywhere. Website, Google Business Profile, email signature, invoices and signs, the same number in each.

Get a business phone number for calls

If customers mostly call, a VoIP business phone service is the usual answer. Services such as RingCentral, Dialpad, Grasshopper and Vonage give you a number that rings on your cell, desk phone or computer, with voicemail, business hours, menus and call forwarding. They charge per user or per line each month, with prices and plan limits that change, so check the current price on each one.

A second line from your mobile carrier is the other route. Most modern phones support dual SIM or an eSIM, so one handset can carry two numbers. It is simple, but the number is tied to that carrier's plan, and sharing it with a team is awkward.

Get a business phone number for texting

If customers mostly text, or you want to send reminders and campaigns, get a number from a texting platform. These numbers are set up for application-to-person (A2P) messaging, which is what carriers expect from a business.

In the US, business texts from a local number need A2P 10DLC registration: a Brand (who you are) and a Campaign (what you send and how people opted in). Unregistered business texts are filtered or blocked. It is paperwork, and it takes a few business days, but it is what gets your messages delivered.

On Linxi, you can buy a number inside the app and Linxi files the registration for you. The steps are on the buy a number guide.

Choosing a phone number for small business

The right phone number for small business depends less on the provider and more on three choices: the type of number, the area code and how it will be shared.

Local, toll-free or mobile?

• Local numbers look familiar to nearby customers and work well for two-way texting. Linxi's own Help Center notes that local numbers work best for conversational SMS.
• Toll-free numbers (800, 888, 877 and the rest) are free for the caller and suit businesses serving customers nationwide. For texting, they need a separate toll-free verification.
• Mobile numbers from a carrier second line look personal, which can be good or bad depending on your business.

Business phone number for small business: what to look for

When comparing a business phone number for small business use, check:

• Can you port it out? Under US number portability rules you can usually keep your number when you change providers, but check the provider's process and any account requirements first.
• Calls, texts, or both? Not every number supports voice, SMS and MMS. Look for the capabilities you need before buying.
• Shared access. Can more than one person answer calls or reply to texts?
• One inbox. If customers text and email you, a single thread per customer saves a lot of hunting.
• Total cost. The number, the per-user plan, and, for texting, every message segment and registration fee.

What a business texting number costs on Linxi

Linxi is a texting, email and contacts platform, so its numbers are built for messaging. A number Linxi manages is $1.50 a month for a local number (on Telnyx), and the first number is included on paid plans. Texts are billed at carrier cost with no markup: $0.0040 per SMS segment on Telnyx, with a 2.9% recharge fee when you add funds. US texting also has carrier registration fees, which Linxi passes through at cost.

One honest note about Linxi today: Linxi numbers are for texting. Calling inside Linxi is coming but is not available yet, so if customers mainly phone you, pair a calling service with Linxi or wait for calling. If you already own a number on Twilio or Telnyx, you can connect it at no charge on every plan, including Free. Plans and limits are on the plans page, and the per-message rates on the pricing page.

Frequently Asked Questions

I need a phone number for my business. What is the quickest way to get one?

The quickest route is an app or service that issues a number in minutes: a carrier eSIM second line, a VoIP business phone service, or a texting platform. You can usually choose the area code and start calling straight away. Business texting in the US takes longer, because A2P 10DLC registration has to be approved before carriers deliver your texts reliably, which can take a few business days.

What is the best virtual phone number for small business?

The best virtual phone number is the one built for how your customers reach you. If they call, look at VoIP phone services such as RingCentral, Dialpad, Grasshopper or Vonage, and compare call routing, voicemail and per-user price. If they text, or you send reminders and campaigns, choose a texting platform that handles A2P registration and keeps texts and email together. Many businesses use one of each.

What is a small business virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number is a real phone number that is not tied to one SIM card or one handset. Calls and texts reach you through an app, a computer or forwarding to any phone. That is what lets a team share one number, and what lets you keep the number if you change phones.

Can I use my personal cell phone number for my business?

You can, and many people start that way. The trouble comes later: the number is tied to you, not the business, so it cannot be handed to an employee, and customers will keep using it long after you would like them to stop. Business texting to a list also needs a registered sender, which a personal phone plan is not designed for.

Can I keep my business number if I switch providers?

Usually yes. US number portability rules let you move most numbers between providers, and the new provider starts the transfer. Keep your account in good standing until the move completes, and check whether a free plan allows porting out before you rely on it.

Does a business phone number need an emergency address?

A VoIP number that can make or receive calls should have a registered emergency (E911) address, so a 911 dispatcher can find the caller. FCC rules require it for interconnected VoIP numbers, even if you never plan to call 911. Most providers ask for it at setup; on Twilio, Linxi's guide walks through adding it.

Can I choose the area code of my business number?

Yes. Most providers let you search by area code, and some let you search for digits a number starts with, contains or ends with. Pick an area code where your customers are: people are more likely to answer a number that looks local to them.

Should I get a vanity phone number?

A vanity number spells a word or uses an easy pattern, like a number ending in 1000. It helps on billboards, radio and vans, where people have seconds to remember it. For most local businesses, a plain local number is enough, and the time is better spent putting that number everywhere.

Can I call and text from the same business number?

Yes, if the number supports both voice and SMS and your provider handles both. Many phone services now add texting, and many texting platforms are adding calling, so check the capabilities listed on the number before you buy it. Texting from that number to customers in the US still needs A2P 10DLC registration, whichever service sends it.

How much does a small business phone number cost?

It ranges from free (an app with limits) to a few dollars a month for a texting number, to a monthly per-user fee for a full VoIP phone system. On Linxi, a managed local number is $1.50 a month, the first one is included on paid plans, and texts are billed at carrier cost. Always add up the number, the plan and the per-message or per-minute charges.