What is a VoIP number, and will it work where you need it?

In short

A VoIP number is a normal phone number that rings over the internet instead of a SIM card or a phone line. People call and text it like any number. The catch: some sites check a number's type before they send a code, and a few refuse internet numbers.

Will my code arrive? Prices by country

Policies and prices checked 2026-10-27 · SimVala editorial

A man on a phone call on his sofa with a laptop on his lap

What a number lookup sees

MobileA SIM from a mobile network
LandlineUsually cannot get texts
Fixed VoIPInternet phone tied to a device and address
Non-fixed VoIPInternet number signed up for online
Toll-freeFree for the caller to ring

The basics

What is a VoIP number?

VoIP means Voice over Internet Protocol: calls carried as data. A VoIP number is an ordinary phone number from the country's numbering plan, but instead of ringing one SIM card or one wall socket, the provider passes its calls to the internet, and they ring whatever app or phone you sign in with.

A caller dials+44 20 ... from any phone
The phone networkRoutes it like any local call
Your DIDThe number points to the internet
Your SIP loginThe call arrives as SIP

Rings whatever is signed in

Phone app
Computer
Office PBX

The same number goes the other way too: calls you make from the SIP login show it as your caller ID.

One thing, four names

You will see these words used for the same kind of number. The difference is mostly who is talking.

VoIP number: Any phone number whose calls travel over the internet. The widest word.
Virtual number: The same idea, named for the buyer: a number with no SIM or phone line of its own. What is a virtual number
DID number: The telecom word, used by phone systems and SIP providers. DID numbers
SIP number: A DID that rings a SIP login, in an app or an office phone system. How SIP works

Two kinds

Fixed vs non-fixed VoIP numbers

The difference that matters most is not the technology. It is whether the number is tied to a street address. Lookup services use exactly this split, and strict sign-up checks follow it.

	Fixed VoIP	Non-fixed VoIP
How you get one	Ordered with a service at an address, often with a box or desk phone	Signed up for online, used in an app
Tied to	A street address and usually a device	An account, on any device
Examples a lookup service gives	A cable company's home phone, Vonage	Google Voice, TextNow's maker
911 location in the US	The registered address goes with the call	Sent automatically where possible, or the location you keep updated
Strict sign-up checks	Usually let through	Refused by some, such as Indeed

Neither kind is better for calls: the sound is the same. The label only matters when a site decides whether to trust the number, which is the next section.

Which kind is a number you buy online? The provider does not get to choose. Each lookup service files numbers by its own data, the result can differ between services, and it can change when a number moves between providers. So be wary of anyone who promises a label, and that includes us: we do not promise how a lookup service files our numbers.

Verification codes

Why some apps and banks refuse VoIP numbers

Before sending a code, some sites pay a lookup service to tell them what kind of number you typed, then apply their own rule. Try the combinations: the two named rules are quoted from the companies' own help pages.

1. What kind of number do you enter?

2. What rule does the site use?

Indeed's help page: “Indeed no longer allows non-fixed VoIP numbers for account verification.”

What happens

You type the number and ask for a code
The site looks up the number's line type
It applies its rule: refuse non-fixed VoIP

Refused before a code is sent

The lookup labels it non-fixed VoIP. Indeed shows: "This phone number type isn't supported. Use a non-virtual phone number instead."

Which type a number is depends on the lookup service the site pays for, and can change when a number moves between providers.

Why they do it

Internet numbers are cheap and quick to get in bulk, which makes them handy for fake accounts. OpenAI says so directly: VoIP numbers “are often associated with higher instances of fraud or abuse.” Sites where a fake account is costly, such as banks and payment apps, are the most likely to check.

What to do about it

Use a VoIP number freely for sites that just send a code. For a bank or anything you cannot afford to lose, try the number once before you depend on it, and keep a mobile number on the account as a backup. Our guide to virtual numbers for verification covers which kinds of sites are strict.

Checking a number

How to tell if a number is a VoIP number

In some countries the first digits give it away. Of the 245 numbering regions in Google's phone number library, 96 keep a separate range for internet numbers. The US, Germany and Spain do not: there, a VoIP number looks exactly like a landline or a mobile.

1. Look at the first digits

Works in countries with a VoIP range, like the ones below. Free, instant, but blind to the US and many others.

2. Run a free lookup

Our phone number lookup shows the type of line wherever a country publishes separate ranges, plus the country and local time.

Open the lookup

3. Pay for a carrier lookup

Services like Twilio Lookup check carrier records, so they catch ported numbers and US numbers. This is what strict sites use.

Countries where VoIP numbers start differently

In international format. A number starting this way is in the range set aside for internet numbers.

United Kingdom+44 56
France+33 9
Netherlands+31 85, +31 91
Italy+39 55
Ireland+353 76
Japan+81 50
South Korea+82 70
Poland+48 39
Portugal+351 30
Norway+47 85

Ranges from Google's libphonenumber data (version used by this site, read 2026-10-27). Numbers can be moved between providers, so a range shows where a number started, not always where it is now.

Know before you buy

What a VoIP number can and cannot do

Make and take calls
In an app on your phone or computer, or on a desk phone.
Texts from people
When the number supports texting. Ours do, both ways.
Codes from most sites
Sites that do not look up the line type send the code like to any phone.
Codes from strict sites
Some refuse non-fixed VoIP, some refuse all VoIP. Test before you rely on it.
Ring with no internet
Calls arrive over data or Wi-Fi. No connection, no ring.
Emergency calls
Do not rely on an internet number for emergencies. Keep a mobile or landline for that.

About emergency calls: in the US, the FCC requires internet phone services that offer 911 to send a location with the call: the registered address for fixed VoIP, and since January 2022 an automatic or user-updated location for non-fixed VoIP. Many app numbers, ours included, are not meant for emergency calls at all. Keep a mobile or landline for that.

Cost

How much does a VoIP number cost?

From free with strings attached to $15 or more a month per person for a business phone system. Ours start at $0.99 a month on a yearly plan, with calls and texts included. Pick a country:

Country of the VoIP number

No per-minute charge for incoming calls
Unlimited texts in and out
Rings your SIP login; works as caller ID
No setup fee and no documents

United States VoIP number

Monthly plan: $2.99; a month
Yearly plan: $0.99; a month, $11.88 a year

Get a United States number

What a US VoIP number costs elsewhere

Option	Price	The catch
SimVala	$2.99/mo, or $0.99/mo yearly	Paid in crypto. Unlimited texts and calls, in and out.
Google Voice	Free	US only, needs a US phone to link, asks new users for ID, and reclaims numbers left unused.
Twilio	$1.15/mo + $0.0085/min incoming	Built for developers. Every incoming minute is charged, and you build the app yourself.
Business phone systems	From $15/user/mo (Nextiva)	On a yearly agreement, per person, with team features you may not need.

Other providers' list prices from their own websites, read 26 and 27 October 2026.

Get one

How to get a VoIP number

With SimVala it takes a few minutes and no paperwork. Here is the whole path.

1
Pick a country
Over 200 to choose from, from $0.99 a month.
2
Pay in crypto
From your balance. No name, email or ID: your account is a number.
3
Use it right away
Texts show up in your dashboard. Send replies from there too.
4
Take calls anywhere
Calls ring your SIP login, in a free app on your phone or computer.

See all numbers Numbers for a phone system

Setting up the app takes five minutes: see the best SIP apps for your phone or computer. Numbers renew from your balance, with a 3-day grace period if it runs low.

Unknown callers

A VoIP number called you. Is it a scam?

Not by itself. Shops, doctors and call centres use internet numbers every day. But scammers like them too, because they are cheap and quick to replace.

The number proves little

Caller ID can be faked, so even a familiar local number can be a scammer. Judge the call by what it asks for.

Codes are never for sharing

No bank, delivery firm or support desk needs the code you were just texted. Anyone asking for it is the scam.

Check before you call back

Look the number up, or use the number printed on your card or bill instead of the one that called.

Got a strange text instead? Paste it into the scam text checker, or check where a number is from with the phone number lookup.

How we checked this

Line types come from Twilio's lookup documentation. The two sign-up rules are quoted from Indeed's and OpenAI's help pages, read on 2026-10-27; other sites change their rules without notice. The count of countries with a VoIP range comes from Google's libphonenumber data. Prices are list prices from each provider's own site; ours are live.

VoIP numbers, answered

What is a VoIP number?+

A normal phone number whose calls travel over the internet instead of a SIM card or a copper line. Callers dial it like any number; it rings in an app on your phone or computer, or on a desk phone. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol.

Is a VoIP number a real phone number?+

Yes. It comes from the same national numbering plan as mobiles and landlines, anyone can call or text it, and in most countries the caller cannot tell the difference. Only a line-type lookup, or a number range some countries keep for internet numbers, gives it away.

Why won't my VoIP number work for a verification code?+

Some sites look up the type of every number before they send a code. Some, like Indeed, refuse non-fixed VoIP numbers; others, like OpenAI, accept mobile numbers only. They do it because cheap internet numbers are used for fake accounts. Sites that do not run a lookup send the code like to any phone.

What is the difference between fixed and non-fixed VoIP?+

A fixed VoIP number is tied to a street address and usually a device, like a cable company's home phone. A non-fixed number is signed up for online and works on any device, like Google Voice. Strict sign-up checks trust fixed numbers more.

How can I tell if a number is VoIP?+

In about 96 numbering regions, internet numbers have their own range, such as +44 56 in the UK or +81 50 in Japan, so the first digits tell you. In the US, Germany and Spain they look like any other number, and only a paid carrier lookup can tell.

Can a VoIP number receive texts?+

Most can, but not all: some business numbers only take calls. SimVala numbers send and receive texts, from $0.99 a month on a yearly plan.

Are VoIP numbers free?+

Some are, with conditions. Google Voice is free but US-only, needs a US phone to link and asks new users for ID. Free app numbers are usually taken back if you stop using them. A paid number stays yours while you renew it.

Is it legal to have a VoIP number?+

Yes, in most countries. A few, such as the UAE, block many internet calling apps, and some countries ask for ID before giving out local numbers. Using any number to deceive or harass people is illegal everywhere.

Keep reading

Also useful: Phone number lookup · Google Voice alternatives · How SIP works

Company and product names are trademarks of their owners. SimVala is not affiliated with Indeed, OpenAI, Google, Twilio or Nextiva.