On this page
- What a business phone number is
- How to get a business phone number in 5 steps
- Business number vs personal number
- Local or toll-free?
- Three ways to get the number
- Keeping your current number (porting)
- How to port a number, step by step
- Toll-free numbers: how they are assigned
- Toll-free minutes included, by provider
- Texting from a business number: 10DLC registration
- What a business phone number costs
- Picking a provider for the number
- Setting up call routing
- Mistakes to avoid
- Questions to ask a provider before you pick a number
- A business number on your personal phone
- Frequently asked questions
What a business phone number is
A business phone number is a number your customers call that belongs to the business, not to one person's cell plan. Today it is almost always a cloud (VoIP) number: it rings in apps on your cell phone and computer, and on desk phones if you want them, and it moves with you when you change offices. See what a VoIP number is for the rules behind it.
| Type | What it looks like | Best for | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | Area code of your town or city | Customers near you; a local presence | Included with most plans |
| Toll-free | 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833 | Callers anywhere in the US; calls are free to callers on landlines | Often included or added; you pay for inbound minutes on many plans |
| Vanity | A local or toll-free number that spells a word | Advertising and memorability | Depends on what is still available |
| Your existing number | The number you already use | Keeping what customers know | Porting is free at several providers |
Toll-free prefixes from the FCC. Porting costs on toll-free business numbers and the phone system comparison.
How to get a business phone number in 5 steps
1 to 3: get the number
Sign up with a provider, then search its app for a number by area code or by the word you want spelled. If you already have a number, start a port request with the new provider instead; do not cancel the old service first.
4 and 5: make it work
Submit the texting registration on day one, since approval can take days. Then record a greeting, set a phone menu if you need one, and send calls to the right people. See which plans include an auto attendant.
Business number vs personal number
| Business number | Personal number | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it belongs to | The business; it stays when an employee leaves | You, on your cell plan |
| Who can answer | Several people, apps and desk phones at once | One phone |
| After hours | Routes to voicemail, another person or a menu | Rings you whenever someone calls |
| Caller ID on outgoing calls | Shows the business number | Shows your personal number |
| Texting customers | Needs carrier registration (10DLC) | Personal texting only |
Local or toll-free?
Choose a local number if
- Most customers are in one town or metro area.
- You want callers to see a familiar area code.
- You want the number included in the plan price; nearly every provider includes one.
Choose toll-free if
- You sell across the country and want one number everywhere.
- You want calls to be free for callers on landlines; your business pays instead.
- You can budget for inbound minutes, which many plans cap.
Many businesses use both: a local number on the website and invoices, and a toll-free number in national advertising, both ringing the same people.
Three ways to get the number
| Option | How | How long | Rules to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| New local number | Pick it in the provider's app during sign-up | Minutes | Area code choice depends on the provider's inventory |
| New toll-free number | Pick it in the app; the provider reserves it through a Responsible Organization (RespOrg) | Minutes once available | Assigned first come, first served for most numbers; you cannot reserve more than you intend to use |
| Port your existing number | Give the new provider your account details and authorize the port | Simple ports: one business day under FCC rules | Your old company cannot refuse, even if you owe it money |
Keeping your current number (porting)
You can keep a number when you change providers in the same area, and the move works between landline, internet (IP) and wireless providers. The FCC says simple ports, which usually involve one line, must be processed in one business day, and that your old company cannot refuse to port your number even if you owe an outstanding balance or termination fee (FCC porting guide). You still owe whatever your contract says, so check for early termination fees first.
- Internet phone providers must cooperate. Interconnected VoIP providers must carry out valid port requests to or from carriers and other VoIP providers, and may not sign agreements that block porting (47 CFR 52.34).
- Keep the old service running until the port finishes. The FCC warns not to end service with your current company before starting with the new one (FCC), or the number can be lost.
- Toll-free numbers move too. The FCC requires toll-free numbers to be portable between RespOrgs.
How to port a number, step by step
- Check your current contract for early termination fees or a balance; you still owe them, but they cannot block the port.
- Sign up with the new provider and start the port request there, not with the old company.
- Keep the old service active and paid until the new provider confirms the number has moved.
- Test calls and texts on the new system, then cancel the old service.
Who charges for porting: Grasshopper, Ooma and Nextiva say porting is free, Dialpad does not charge for local US numbers (toll-free and international ports carry a fee, per Dialpad), and RingCentral says it covers the cost. See business phone system pricing for the details.
Toll-free numbers: how they are assigned
Who hands them out
The FCC assigns most toll-free numbers first come, first served. Its rule also allows competitive bidding or other methods (47 CFR 52.111).
Who reserves them
A RespOrg manages your number's records in the toll-free database (47 CFR 52.101). Somos, Inc. runs that database and certifies RespOrgs, per the FCC. Your phone provider usually does this for you.
What you cannot do
You may not hoard numbers you do not intend to use, and selling a toll-free number for a fee (brokering) counts as hoarding (47 CFR 52.107).
Who pays for the call
The business does. Callers on landlines pay nothing, but the FCC notes that wireless callers are still charged for the airtime minutes (FCC).
Costs and minutes by provider are on toll-free business numbers.
Toll-free minutes included, by provider
| Provider | What is included |
|---|---|
| Ooma Office | One free toll-free number on every plan, with 500 inbound minutes a month |
| Nextiva | NEXT Engage includes a toll-free number with 2,000 minutes; Scale 10,000; Core sells it as an add-on |
| RingCentral | Core includes 100 toll-free minutes; Advanced 1,000 |
| Quo | One local or toll-free number per user included |
| Aircall | One local or toll-free number included; extra numbers $6 a month |
RingCentral from its plans and pricing page, read October 29, 2026; the others as recorded on toll-free business numbers.
Texting from a business number: 10DLC registration
If you want customers to text your number, register it first. A2P 10DLC is the US system for businesses that send texts from ordinary 10-digit numbers, and Twilio says that if you send SMS or MMS to US numbers from long code numbers, you need to register (Twilio).
| Quo's carrier registration rules | What its help center says |
|---|---|
| Who must register | All of Quo's virtual number users who text US numbers; carriers treat these messages as business (A2P) traffic |
| Since when | August 31, 2023: unregistered numbers cannot text US phone numbers |
| How long approval takes | Most within 24 to 48 hours; some have stayed pending up to 20 days, and rare cases take over 30 days |
| While you wait | You cannot message US numbers |
From Quo's carrier registration page, read October 29, 2026. Other providers run the same carrier process with their own fees; see free business phone numbers for registration costs by provider.
What a business phone number costs
| Plan | Price | Numbers included |
|---|---|---|
| Google Voice Starter | $10 a month | One user, standalone plan, US only |
| Grasshopper True Solo | $14 a month billed annually, $18 monthly | 1 user, 1 number, 1 extension; extra numbers $9 a month each on annual billing ($10 monthly) |
| Quo Starter | $15 a user billed annually | One local or toll-free number per user included; extra numbers $5 a month |
| Ooma Office Essentials | $19.95 a user, no contract | One free toll-free number included |
Grasshopper from its pricing page and Quo from its pricing page, read October 29, 2026; Google Voice and Quo's number details from the comparison; Ooma from its plans page. Prices before taxes and fees.
Picking a provider for the number
| Provider | Numbers | Porting | Try it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grasshopper | Per account; 1 number on True Solo and Solo Plus, 4 on Small Business | Free | 7 days, no card |
| Quo | One local or toll-free number per user | Included on all plans | 7 days, card needed |
| Dialpad | Per user; local numbers in over 50 countries | Free for local US numbers via an online form in your account; fee for toll-free and international | 14 days |
| Ooma Office | One free toll-free number on every plan | Free for regular US and Canada numbers | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Zoom Phone | Per user | Port existing numbers or buy new ones | Not stated on the pricing page |
From each provider's pricing and help pages, as recorded on the comparison and free number pages. Ooma's guarantee is on its restaurant page.
Setting up call routing
A number on its own only rings one place. Routing decides who answers. The basics, and where they start:
- Phone menu (auto attendant): on every Ooma plan and every Zoom Phone plan; Google Voice adds it on Standard at $20 a user, Quo on Business at $23.
- Ring groups: several phones ring at once, so the first free person answers. Ooma includes them on every plan.
- Business hours: send after-hours calls to voicemail or a cell phone.
- Caller ID: make outgoing calls show the business number, not your personal one, so customers call back the right line.
Mistakes to avoid
- Cancelling the old line before the port finishes, which can lose the number.
- Advertising a number before its texting registration is approved, so customer texts go unanswered.
- Reserving extra toll-free numbers "just in case": the FCC treats acquiring more than you intend to use as hoarding.
- Printing a personal cell number on invoices; once customers have it, it is hard to take back.
Questions to ask a provider before you pick a number
- Is the number included, and what does an extra one cost? Quo includes one per user and charges $5 for extras; Grasshopper charges $9 on annual billing, $10 month to month.
- Can I port my existing number, and is it free?
- How many toll-free minutes are included? You pay for calls to a toll-free number.
- What does texting registration cost, and who files it? Carriers require it before you can text US numbers.
- Is the price annual or monthly? Grasshopper True Solo is $14 a month billed annually but $18 month to month.
- Can I take the number with me if I leave? Internet phone providers may not sign agreements that block porting.
A business number on your personal phone
Yes, without a second phone. A virtual number app puts the business line next to your personal number on the same cell phone, with its own voicemail and caller ID. Grasshopper runs entirely in apps, and per-user systems such as Quo, Dialpad and Zoom Phone all have mobile apps. Compare them on virtual phone number providers.
Frequently asked questions
What is a business phone number?
A number that belongs to the business rather than one person's cell plan. It can ring several people at once, route calls after hours, and show the business name and number on outgoing calls.
Can I get a business phone number for free?
Free numbers built for business are trials. Google Voice's free plan is for personal use; see free business phone numbers for the trials and what they include.
How do I create my own business phone number?
Sign up with a business phone provider and search its app for a local or toll-free number, or for one that spells a word. You cannot invent a number; you choose from what is available.
How much does it cost to get a business phone number?
From $10 a month (Google Voice Starter, one user). Grasshopper starts at $14 a month billed annually and charges $9 a month for each extra number on annual billing ($10 monthly); Quo includes one number per user from $15 a user billed annually.
Can I get a business number on my personal phone?
Yes. A virtual number app adds a second line to the same cell phone, with separate caller ID and voicemail.
How long does it take to port a business number?
FCC rules require simple ports, which generally involve one line, to be processed in one business day. Ports with several lines can take longer.