Google Voice alternative

A Google Voice alternative that works outside the US

Google Voice is free and good at what it does — if you live in the US and already have a US phone number and a Google account. If you don’t, or you don’t want your second number tied to either, here is how Numonym compares.

See US numbers Side by side

No ID, no email
12 countries
Facts checked September 2026

In short

Which one fits you?

Both are good at different things. An honest summary first, the details below.

Stay with Google Voice if…

You live in the US and already have a US phone number to link.
You want free calls and texts within the US and Canada.
You are happy for the number to live in your Google account.

Choose Numonym if…

You are outside the US, or have no US number to verify with.
You need a number in the UK, Germany, Brazil or 9 other countries.
You need real mobile numbers that pass VoIP checks for 2FA.
You don’t want an email, a phone or a card linked to the number.

Side by side

Google Voice vs Numonym

Google Voice compared with Numonym
Feature	Google Voice	Numonym
Who can sign up	People in the US, with a Google account and an existing US phone number to verify	Anyone — a password is enough, you get a random 16-digit account number
Numbers	US numbers	12 countries: US, UK, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Mexico, Brazil
Line type	Internet (VoIP) numbers	Mobile (non-VoIP), local and national
Price	Free for personal use; most calls to the US and Canada free from the US	From $4 a month + $15 one-time activation; mobile from $7, up to 30% less over 24 months
Keeping the number	Google may reclaim it after 3 months without calls or texts	Yours for the whole rental, used or not, and for as long as you renew
Identity and payment	Your Google account, the phone you linked, a card for paid calls	No email, no phone, no ID — Bitcoin, Monero, USDT, Ethereum or Solana
Where you use it	Google Voice apps for Android and iOS, and the web	Your browser, any SIP app, or texts forwarded to Telegram, email or a webhook

From Google Voice’s public pages, checked 29 September 2026: Google Voice Help — reclaimed numbers · Google Voice Help — set up Google Voice. Offers change — check their current terms. Trademarks belong to their owners.

Google Voice needs a US number first

To claim a Google Voice number you verify an existing phone that can receive a code — and for personal accounts it has to be a US number. Outside the US, Google only offers Voice with some Google Workspace business plans in selected countries. Without a US line, most people are stuck at step one.

With Numonym there is nothing to link. Your account is a random 16-digit number protected by a password, you top up in crypto and you pick a number in any of 12 countries.

An idle Google Voice number can be taken back

Google’s policy lets it reclaim a Voice number that hasn’t been used to place calls or send texts for 3 months. That is fine for a daily phone, and risky for a number that only receives the occasional login code.

A Numonym number is rented for 1 to 24 months and stays yours for the whole period, whether you use it or not. Renew at the same price and you keep it for years; forget, and you still have 30 days to renew before it goes into quarantine — never straight to someone else.

VoIP numbers and verification codes

Google Voice numbers are internet (VoIP) numbers. Many apps, banks and exchanges check the line type before they send a code and quietly refuse VoIP ranges.

Numonym offers real mobile (non-VoIP) numbers in all 12 countries for exactly those accounts, and cheaper local and national numbers for calls with people. Which one do you need?

Your number, not your Google account

A Voice number lives inside your Google account, next to your email, your history and the phone you verified it with. Numonym keeps nothing that identifies you: no email, no phone number, no ID, and web logs without IP addresses.

Fair is fair

What Google Voice does better

If one of these matters most to you, Google Voice is the better pick.

It’s free
Personal Google Voice costs nothing. Numonym numbers start at $4 a month, plus a one-time $15 activation.
Native apps
Google’s apps for Android and iOS. Numonym has no app of its own: it runs in your browser and in any SIP app.
Free US and Canada calls
Most calls to the US and Canada are free from the US. Numonym prices outgoing calls per minute, shown before you call.

Switching

Moving from Google Voice to Numonym

Keep the old number until everything points to the new one.

How it works

Get your number
Create an account with a password, top up in crypto and pick a number in any of 12 countries.
Move your logins
Change the phone number on your 2FA and recovery settings while you still receive codes on the old one.
Tell your contacts
Send the new number from the old one, or share a username on apps that support it.
Let the old one go
Once nothing points to it any more, cancel the old line. Your new number stays yours as long as you renew.

Questions

Google Voice alternative: questions

All questions & answers

Can I use Google Voice outside the US?

Personal Google Voice accounts are for the US: you need a US phone number to set one up. Outside the US, Google offers Voice only with some Google Workspace business plans in selected countries. Numonym works from anywhere and has numbers in 12 countries.

How do I get a US number without a US phone number?

Numonym needs no existing number, email or ID: create an account with a password, top up in crypto and choose a US mobile or local number.

Will Google reclaim my Voice number if I don’t use it?

Google’s policy says it may reclaim a number that hasn’t been used to place calls or send texts for 3 months. Numonym numbers are rented for the period you choose and aren’t taken back for inactivity.

Is Numonym free like Google Voice?

No. Numbers start at $4 a month plus a one-time $15 activation, with incoming calls and texts included and outgoing ones priced before you send. In exchange there are no ads, no account to link and a price locked for as long as you keep the number.