Search for Google Voice alternatives and almost every result is a business phone system. This page is for people who use Google Voice as a personal second number for sign-ups, online listings, dating, a side business, or simply to keep one number through every phone change. Personal Google Voice gives you a US number, so this guide is written mainly for US readers. Canadian and UK readers will find options too.
First, Decide What You Need
Leaving Google Voice is really one of three different jobs.
- Keep the number you have. You port it out of Google to a new provider. Your best options are JMP.chat, a regular mobile carrier, or Ooma for a home phone.
- Get a new second number. You start fresh and update your accounts. MySudo is the privacy pick; Hushed and TextNow are simpler.
- Drop the number entirely. Download your history, move every account off the number, and let it go.
The port is the only part with real risk, because every bank and app that texts codes to your Voice number needs to keep reaching you. That’s covered step by step below.
Quick Comparison
| Alternative | Best for | Price (Oct 2026) | Privacy | Keeps your Voice number? | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JMP.chat | Keeping your number, privately | About $4.99/month | No ad business; no 911 | Yes (US and Canadian numbers) | Yes |
| Mobile carrier | Keeping the number with no new app | Your plan’s price | A normal phone line | Ask the carrier first | No |
| Ooma | A home phone with 911 | $99.99 device; Basic $0/month plus taxes and fees; Premier $9.99/month | A normal phone company | Yes ($39.99 on Basic, free on Premier) | No |
| MySudo | New, separate identities | From about $1.99/month | Encrypted between MySudo users | No | No |
| Hushed | Simple second numbers (US, Canada, UK) | Unlimited from about $6.99/month | Hides your main number | Not stated | No |
| TextNow | Free calling and texting | Free with ads | Ad-supported | Says you can bring your number | No |
The Alternatives, One by One
JMP.chat
JMP gives you a real US or Canadian phone number and delivers calls and texts over XMPP (also called Jabber), an open messaging standard. Its software is open source, and it earns money from subscriptions rather than ads. To bring your Google Voice number, you sign up with a temporary JMP number first, then request the port.
- Pick it because you keep your number, nothing is ad-funded, and you can use it on Android (Cheogram), iPhone (Snikket) or any XMPP app on a computer.
- A possible deal-breaker is that there are no 911 calls. New accounts often have to receive a text before they can send one. Setup is more technical than Google Voice.
- It costs about $4.99/month.
A Regular Mobile Carrier
If you don’t care about apps and just want the number to keep working, you can move it to an ordinary phone plan as a main line, a second line or an eSIM. Ask the carrier before you unlock the number, and tell them it’s coming from Google Voice. You also get 911 on a carrier line.
- Choose it if you want the least effort and the fewest surprises.
- Possible deal-breakers are that a second line costs more than an app and that some services may still treat a number that started at Google Voice as a VoIP number.
If your main line is with Google Fi, our Google Fi alternatives page covers moving that number too.
Ooma
Ooma is a home phone service. You buy the Telo device ($99.99) and use the Basic plan ($0/month plus taxes and fees) or Premier ($9.99/month). Porting a number costs $39.99 on Basic and is free with Premier.
- Choose it if your Google Voice number is really the household number, and you want real 911 at home.
- Possible deal-breakers are that it’s a home phone, not a privacy tool, and that taxes and fees apply even on the $0 plan.
MySudo
MySudo is built around separate identities called Sudos. Each one can have its own phone number, email address and virtual cards, so your online shopping, dating and side business never share a number. Calls and messages between MySudo users are encrypted.
- Pick it because it’s the best way to hand out numbers you can later throw away.
- A possible deal-breaker is that MySudo doesn’t mention porting in an existing number, so plan on it for new numbers only. The cheapest plan includes only 30 minutes of calls and 100 messages.
- Plans (Oct 2026) are SudoGo at about $1.99/month (1 number), SudoPro at about $4.99/month (3 numbers) and SudoMax at about $14.99/month (9 numbers, unlimited use). Annual plans are cheaper, and prices are also listed in Canadian dollars, Australian dollars and British pounds.
Hushed
Hushed sells second numbers in the US, Canada and the UK through an app for iPhone and Android.
- Choose it if you want a simple second number without MySudo’s identity system.
- Possible deal-breakers are that it’s closed source and its site doesn’t say whether you can port in an existing number.
- Prices (Oct 2026) start at about $6.99/month for unlimited plans, about $7.99 for prepaid and about $8.99 for pay-as-you-go.
TextNow
TextNow offers free calling and texting, paid for by ads, and you can earn rewards by watching more ads. It sells data and SIM add-ons separately.
- Choose it if cost is the only thing that matters.
- A possible deal-breaker is that it isn’t a privacy tool. TextNow says you can bring your existing number but doesn’t explain the process or the fee on its homepage.
- It costs nothing because ads pay for it.
Check SMS Verification Before You Switch
Any app-based number looks like a VoIP number to the outside world. Some banks and services refuse VoIP numbers for sign-ups or verification codes. Google warns that a number that started at Google Voice may still be refused after you move it to another provider.
Take care of these before you port.
- Keep your most important accounts (bank, tax, government, health) on a regular mobile number.
- Move two-factor codes to an authenticator app wherever a service allows it. Our authenticator guide shows how.
- Check your Google account itself. If Google’s 2-Step Verification or recovery uses your Voice number, switch it to something else first. You need to sign in to Google to unlock the number and download your archive.
- Note every messaging app registered on the Voice number, such as Signal or WhatsApp. You’ll re-verify them after the port.
How to Port Your Google Voice Number Out
The short version is below. For provider-by-provider details, follow our full Google Voice port-out guide.
Start by Saving Your Voice History
Your texts, call history and voicemails don’t move with the number. Takeout is the only way to keep a copy.
- On a computer, open takeout.google.com and click Deselect all.
- Tick Voice, click Next step, then Create export.
- When Google’s email arrives, click Download archive, unzip it and open archive_browser.html to check your texts and voicemails are there.
More detail on the export screens is in our Google Takeout guide.
Next, List Every Account That Uses the Number
- Write down every service that texts codes to your Voice number or has it on file, such as banks, card issuers, government sites, your Google account, Signal, WhatsApp and delivery apps.
- Move what you can to an authenticator app or a carrier number now, before anything changes.
Most people can’t remember every account they’ve made. Our free scan builds a list from files you download from Google, without uploading anything.
Then Unlock the Number and Start the Port
- Open an account with your new provider. With JMP, sign up with a temporary number first.
- On a computer, go to voice.google.com, open Settings → Account, and under your number click Unlock. Pay the $3 fee (it’s free if you ported this number into Google Voice originally).
- Submit the port request at your new provider. Use your 10-digit Google Voice number as the account number and your Google Voice voicemail PIN as the PIN.
- Leave the number in Google Voice while the port runs. Don’t delete it. Calls and texts keep arriving there until the move completes.
Changed your mind? Before the new provider contacts Google, you can lock the number again in the same settings. Unlocking it again later is free.
Finally, Test Everything After the Port
- Text the number from another phone, then reply. On JMP, a new number often has to receive a text before it can send one.
- Make and receive a call.
- Re-verify Signal and WhatsApp if they used this number. In Signal, turn Registration Lock back on.
- Trigger a verification code from your bank and other key accounts to confirm they arrive.
- Turn off Google Voice call forwarding on your phone and uninstall the Voice app.
Ports usually take a few days to two weeks, and JMP.chat says its ports normally take 1 to 2 weeks. Leave two weeks before anything important, such as travel or a bank change, depends on the number. Our Google Voice port-out guide covers each provider’s timing and what to do if a port stalls.
If You’re Dropping the Number
You don’t have to replace Google Voice at all. If the number was only for sign-ups, follow the first two steps above to download your archive and move every account to another number or an authenticator app, then wait a few weeks to catch anything you missed. Once nothing depends on it, you can remove Voice along with the rest of your Google account. Our account deletion checklist covers what to check first.