Renting a phone number costs anywhere from nothing to about $30 a month in the US. The real differences are how you pay, whether it renews by itself, and what happens to the number when you stop. This page puts the main options side by side with prices checked on each provider’s own site.
Short answer
Need a number for one month, paid without a card and with no renewal? A VirtualWebPhone private US number is $20, paid in crypto.
Want the cheapest long-term second line? Google Voice (free, needs a US mobile) or MySudo (from $1.99 a month) cost less.
Rental prices compared (checked 12 Oct 2026)
Prices are in US dollars, before tax, from each provider’s official page on the date shown. App-store prices can differ slightly from web prices. If a row says check current price, the official page did not show a number we could confirm.
| Option | Price (USD) | How you pay | Auto-renews? | What you get | Source and date checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VirtualWebPhone private number | $20 per month | Crypto via NowPayments, no card or app | No. Each order is one month | Number and private inbox link by email | virtualwebphone.com/premium, checked 12 Oct 2026 |
| Google Voice (personal) | Free | No payment; needs an existing US mobile to set up | Not a paid plan | US number in the Voice app or web | Google Voice Help, checked 12 Oct 2026 |
| Google Voice (Workspace) | Starter and Standard: check current price. Premier: $30 per user per month, plus a Workspace plan | Card through Google Workspace | Yes, business subscription | Business number, not reclaimed for inactivity on Starter | workspace.google.com/products/voice, checked 12 Oct 2026 |
| TextNow | Free with ads. Lock In Number $1.99 per week, Ad-Free+ $6.99 per week | App store or in-app | Yes, weekly upgrades | Number in the TextNow app | TextNow Upgrades page (Apr 2026), checked 12 Oct 2026 |
| Hushed | Unlimited from $6.99 per month; Prepaid from $7.99 per month | Card or app store | Unlimited plans auto-renew; prepaid 30, 90 or 365 days | Number in the Hushed app | hushed.com/pricing, checked 12 Oct 2026 |
| Burner | Standard $7.99 per month, or $47.99 per year; Premium $12.99 per month | Card or app store | Yes, unless you cancel | Number in the Burner app | burnerapp.com/pricing, checked 12 Oct 2026 |
| MySudo | SudoGo $1.99 per month (1 number, 30 minutes and 100 messages); SudoPro $4.99 per month (3 numbers) | Card or app store | Yes, monthly or annual | Number inside the MySudo app | mysudo.com/pricing, checked 12 Oct 2026 |
Three ways rentals are billed
Fixed one-month order
You pay once for 30 days and it ends on its own. VirtualWebPhone works this way, and so does a Hushed prepaid plan. Nothing to cancel.
Auto-renewing subscription
Burner, MySudo, Hushed Unlimited and Workspace Voice charge again every month or year until you cancel. Cheaper per month, easy to forget.
Free with conditions
Google Voice needs an existing US mobile to sign up. TextNow is ad-supported and can recycle a number that goes unused unless you pay to lock it.
What happens when the rental runs out
This is the part most comparison pages skip. A rented number is never yours to keep after you stop paying.
1
VirtualWebPhone: the number stays active for the month you paid for. It does not renew. If you order again, you get a new number, not the old one.
2
Burner, Hushed Unlimited, MySudo: the plan renews until you cancel. After you cancel it stays active to the end of the period you paid for, then the number is released.
3
TextNow free tier: a number that goes unused can be reclaimed. The paid Lock In Number upgrade stops that.
4
Google Voice personal: free, but Google can reclaim numbers that sit inactive. Workspace Starter says its numbers are not reclaimed for inactivity.
Before your month ends, change the phone number on any account you want to keep. A released number can go to a stranger, who would then get your login codes.
Which rental suits which person
Pick VirtualWebPhone if you want one month, no card, no app to install, and no subscription to remember. You get the number and a private inbox link by email.
Pick Google Voice if you already have a US mobile and want a free long-term second number.
Pick MySudo or Hushed if you want a cheap line you will keep for many months and you are fine with an app and auto-renewal.
Pick Burner if you want to swap or delete numbers often and talk as well as text.
Skip all rentals for your bank, payment apps and main email recovery. Use your own mobile for anything you need to get back into years from now.
Hidden costs to check before you pay
- App-store prices can be higher than web prices. Burner says you save 20% by subscribing online.
- MySudo adds a payment processor fee (2.99% + $0.31 per transaction) and charges $0.99 per extra number reset.
- Low-cost plans cap usage. MySudo SudoGo includes 30 minutes and 100 messages a month.
- Google Workspace Voice needs a separate Workspace plan on top of the Voice price.
- Crypto checkouts can add a small network fee depending on the coin you choose.
Renting the $20 number in four steps
1
Open the private number page and type the email where you want the number sent.
2
Continue to the NowPayments checkout and pick a coin or stablecoin.
3
Send the exact amount shown before the timer runs out.
4
Watch your email for the number and your private inbox link. Screenshots of every screen are in the buying guide.
Private US number
$20 for one month. Crypto. No auto-renewal.
Reserved for you, read in a private inbox. It is still an online number, so some apps may reject it.
Rental pricing FAQ
More guides
How to get a temporary phone number · How to buy a private US phone number · Burner phone number · Receive SMS online