Skype Number alternatives: how to get a second phone number now

What was a Skype Number, and what did it look like?

A Skype Number looked like any other phone number in its country: a local number with that country's code and format, which people dialled from an ordinary landline or mobile and which rang in Skype. Microsoft's Skype Number terms of service still list the local carriers behind the numbers in Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Mexico, Sweden and Switzerland, with Microsoft's standard terms for every other country.^⁠[8]

The number was rented, not owned: Microsoft's Services Agreement says a Skype Number user does not own the number or have a right to keep it forever.^⁠[9] That is why it disappeared with the service.

Any virtual number does the same job today: callers dial a normal number and the call rings in an app or a browser, wherever you are. This page compares the providers that sell one; for apps that replace the rest of Skype, see Skype alternatives for calls, video and chat.

What happened to Skype Numbers (and why you can't port yours)

Three dates ended Skype Numbers, according to Microsoft's retirement page:

1. April 3, 2025: calling and Skype Number subscriptions stopped renewing automatically; each number stayed active until its paid period ran out.^⁠[1]
2. December 31, 2025: Swedish Skype Numbers were terminated because of regulatory changes; until then they could be ported to another provider.^⁠[1]
3. May 2026: all remaining Skype Number subscriptions ended, and Skype Number port-out requests are no longer available.^⁠[1]

Microsoft's page still carries an older answer that tells users to ask their new carrier to port a Skype Number, next to the newer statement that port-out requests are closed.^⁠[1] The newer statement is the current one: a Skype Number cannot be ported in October 2026.

Microsoft Teams (free), Skype's official successor, does not support paid calling plans, so it cannot hold a phone number either.^⁠[1] Skype subscriptions that ran past May 1, 2026 were converted to credit; Skype Credit and the Dial Pad covers that balance, and the complete Skype shutdown timeline has every other date.

Skype Number alternatives compared

Swipe the table sideways

1. ¹ Google's help page lists the basic plan at $0 and does not list a per-minute charge for receiving calls.
2. ² TwinPhone says texts from US and Canadian senders arrive; it has no send button in the app or browser dialer.
3. ³ Sign-up is closed from Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria and from 36 more countries and territories with a high fraud risk.

Free options: Google Voice and its limits

Google Voice is the only well-known free replacement for a Skype Number, and it is limited to the US. Google's help centre lists basic Google Voice at $0, "for personal, consumer use", with local numbers in the US only.^⁠[2] The paid standalone plans, Voice Starter at $10 a month and Voice Standard at $20, are also US only.^⁠[2]

• Texts: free to US, Canadian and Puerto Rican numbers, received from anywhere in the world, but never to five- or six-digit short codes.^⁠[10]
• Bringing a number in: porting a US mobile number into Google Voice costs $20.^⁠[14]
• Taking it out later: unlocking a Google Voice number for a port to another carrier costs $3, or nothing if the number was ported in.^⁠[14]
• Emergency calls: Voice Starter includes 911 support.^⁠[11]

Google Voice alternatives outside the US

Outside the US, a personal Google Voice number is not available. Google's Workspace add-on plans offer local numbers in 14 countries and regions from $10 per user per month, but they need a paid Google Workspace subscription, so they suit a business rather than one person.^⁠[2] For a single person abroad, the realistic options are a TwinPhone US or Canadian number or a Hushed UK, US or Canadian number, both covered below.^⁠[3]⁠[5]

Paid virtual numbers you can use from anywhere

A paid virtual number is the closest match to a Skype Number: a monthly fee for a number in a chosen country, answered in an app or browser in any country.

TwinPhone (sponsor): US, Canada and Puerto Rico numbers

Each answered incoming minute costs 2¢ from the calling balance, with a one-minute minimum.^⁠[7] The balance is topped up from $10 and never expires, and the same numbers work in the browser and in the iPhone and Android apps.^{⁠[15]⁠[16]} Outgoing calls to phone numbers do not need a rented number at all.^⁠[15]

Other providers with UK and European numbers

Hushed sells US, Canadian and UK numbers that send and receive texts.^⁠[5] Its pricing page lists an auto-renewing Unlimited plan from $6.99 a month, a Prepaid plan from $7.99 a month for 30-, 90- or 365-day periods, and Pay-as-you-go at $8.99 a month including $1 of credit.^⁠[5] The page does not state incoming-call costs or whether the numbers receive verification codes.

For other European countries, Zadarma says it offers more than 30,000 numbers in 110 countries, but its numbers page shows no prices, so it is not in the table.^⁠[17] I also left Sonetel out: its number prices load in a calculator I could not read, and its pages give two different country counts.

Business numbers: when a phone system makes more sense

A Skype Number printed on invoices or a website is a business line, and a business phone system replaces it better than a personal app. Zoom Phone's US & CA Unlimited plan costs $18 per user per month billed monthly, or $16 billed annually, and includes a phone number.^⁠[6]

Microsoft does not offer paid calling in Teams (free); for small businesses it points to Teams Essentials with Teams Phone instead.^⁠[1] Teams Phone, RingCentral and other systems are compared with Zoom on the page about phone systems for small businesses. To call out without a business plan, see apps for calling landlines and mobiles abroad.

Verification codes, banks and 2FA: what virtual numbers can't do

Virtual numbers often fail as login or bank numbers, because many services refuse to send codes to them. Telegram refuses to send verification codes to virtual numbers, including TwinPhone numbers.^⁠[12] Google warns that some services, such as banks, may not send texts to Google Voice numbers.^⁠[10] Google Voice also cannot text short codes, which many banks and shops use.^⁠[10]

• Keep your carrier number for banks and 2FA. Change the login number only where the service accepts the new one.
• Use an authenticator app where it is offered, so two-factor codes no longer depend on any phone number.
• Expect foreign texts to fail on US numbers. TwinPhone says texts from phones outside the US and Canada often do not arrive.^⁠[12]
• Keep a way to call emergency services. TwinPhone cannot call 911, 112 or 999.^⁠[12]

Checklist: switching people and services to your new number

The old Skype Number cannot forward calls any more, so tell people and services about the new one in this order:

1. Banks and two-factor logins: check which accounts used the Skype Number and move each one to a number it accepts.
2. Family and close contacts: send the new number with a short message saying the Skype Number no longer works.
3. Work contacts and clients: update email signatures, invoices, business cards and your website.
4. Doctors, schools, landlords and utilities: change the contact number on file.
5. Voicemail: record a greeting on the new number so callers know they reached the right person.
6. Messaging apps: if WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram was registered with the Skype Number, re-register with a number that can still receive the code.

Related guides

• Skype alternatives for calls, video and chat
• Apps for calling landlines and mobiles abroad
• Skype Credit and the Dial Pad
• How I compare prices

Sources

1. Microsoft Support: Skype is retiring in May 2025: What you need to know (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
2. Google Voice Help: Identify Google Voice subscription types (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
3. TwinPhone Help: Which countries can I get a phone number in? (September 27, 2026). Accessed October 25, 2026.
4. TwinPhone Help: Can I send text messages from TwinPhone? (September 27, 2026). Accessed October 25, 2026.
5. Hushed: Pricing (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
6. Zoom: Zoom Phone pricing. Accessed October 25, 2026.
7. TwinPhone Help: Do incoming calls cost money on TwinPhone? (September 27, 2026). Accessed October 25, 2026.
8. Microsoft Support: Skype Number Terms of Service (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
9. Microsoft: Microsoft Services Agreement (July 30, 2026). Accessed October 25, 2026.
10. Google Voice Help: Send & get text messages (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
11. Google Voice Help: Learn about Google Voice Starter standalone & Standard standalone plans (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
12. TwinPhone: llms.txt (official product facts). Accessed October 25, 2026.
13. TwinPhone Help: Is TwinPhone available in my country? (October 11, 2026). Accessed October 25, 2026.
14. Google Voice Help: Port your Google Voice number (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
15. TwinPhone Help: How does TwinPhone billing work? (September 27, 2026). Accessed October 25, 2026.
16. TwinPhone Help: Does TwinPhone work on iPhone, Android and Linux? (September 27, 2026). Accessed October 25, 2026.
17. Zadarma: Virtual phone numbers (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.