You've set up a US company — through Stripe Atlas, doola, or Firstbase — and now you need a US phone number for it. Not to make calls: for your business registration, the W-9, your website and invoices, and to receive the occasional verification text. You just need a real US number on file, for as little as possible.
Here's every option in 2026, ranked by cost — and why the choice most founders are nudged toward, OpenPhone (now Quo), is usually overkill.
The Contenders
1. Free US-only calling apps - Free (US Residents Only)
A few well-known free US calling services are the obvious first choice. They're free, they work, and they're backed by major tech companies.
The catch: You typically need to be in the United States to set them up, and you need an existing US phone number to verify your account. If you're reading this article, you probably can't use them. They also reclaim inactive numbers, so a number you rarely use can disappear without warning.
2. Budget consumer VoIP - ~$3/month
Some consumer VoIP services offer US phone numbers at around $3/month (pricing varies by subscription).
Pros: Cheap, well-known companies.
Cons: SMS support is hit or miss. Many services using short codes won't deliver to these numbers. That makes them unreliable for the one thing you actually need: receiving verification codes.
3. IncNumber - $7/month
Built specifically for non-US founders who just need a US number on file to receive on. Every SMS is forwarded to your email. Incoming calls hear a custom greeting and hang up.
Pros: SMS-to-email forwarding, works from anywhere, email-based (no app needed), custom voice greeting, no US address or US payment method required.
Cons: No outbound calling or texting - receive-only by design.
4. OpenPhone (Quo) and other business phone systems - $19/month
OpenPhone rebranded to Quo. It's a full business phone system - a mobile app, outbound calling and texting, shared team inboxes, CRM integrations. Stripe Atlas even runs a discount partnership, so a lot of new founders are steered straight to it.
Pros: Full-featured, reliable, genuinely good apps if you run a calling team.
Cons: At $19/month (roughly $180-228/year) you're paying for a calling suite you'll never open. If all you need is a US number on file to receive texts, it's too much product and too much cost for the job.
Cost Comparison
| Service | Monthly | Annual | SMS Forwarding | Non-US Setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free US-only calling apps | $0 | $0 | In-app | Not possible |
| Budget consumer VoIP | ~$3 | ~$36 | Unreliable | Yes |
| IncNumber | $7 | $84 | Yes | |
| OpenPhone (Quo) | $19 | $180-228 | In-app | Yes |
Getting a US Number for Your Company From Outside the US
If you live outside the United States, getting and holding a US phone number gets complicated fast. The options that work perfectly for US residents fall apart once you cross a border.
Free US-only calling apps don't work abroad. The most popular free options require a US-based phone to set up, enforce geographic restrictions, and reclaim numbers that go inactive. If you're in Berlin, Lagos, Sao Paulo, or Tokyo, these services aren't available to you - or they cut you off after you leave.
Keeping your old carrier line is expensive. Some founders keep a T-Mobile or AT&T line active just to hold a US number. That's $25-50/month for a line you never use for calls - $300-600 a year for a number that mostly sits there.
A full business phone (OpenPhone / Quo) is the opposite problem. It works fine from abroad, but $19/month buys you a calling and texting suite you don't need when the number only has to sit on a W-9 and receive a code now and then.
What a non-US founder specifically needs is narrower:
- No US address or US payment method required - You may not have either.
- No app tied to a US App Store or Google Play region - Many VoIP apps are region-locked or behave differently outside the US.
- SMS delivery that works regardless of your location - Email-based forwarding works everywhere; app-based solutions depend on your network.
- A price that matches the job - You're not running a phone team; you just need a number on file.
This is the exact gap IncNumber was built for. You get a real US phone number from outside the US, every SMS is forwarded to your email (which works from any country), there's no app to install and no US address needed. $7/month, from anywhere.
Whether you moved abroad, you're a digital nomad, or you never lived in the US but formed a US company - the requirement is the same: a real US number on file that works from outside the US, without paying for a full phone plan.
What Matters When You Just Need a US Number on File
If the number mainly has to exist and receive the occasional text, here's what actually matters:
- Works outside the US - The service must be signup-able and payable from abroad.
- Low maintenance - No apps to install, no dashboards to check.
- A price that fits the job - You're paying for a number on file, not a calling suite.
The cheapest reliable option for non-US founders
$7/month for a real US phone number on file. SMS forwarded to email, no app needed, cancel anytime. A third of the cost of OpenPhone (Quo).
Get your US number — $7/mo→Our Recommendation
If you actually run a calling team, OpenPhone (Quo) or another business phone system is worth the $19/month.
But if you're a non-US founder who just needs a US number on file - on the W-9, the website, and to catch verification texts - IncNumber at $7/month is the sweet spot. Reliable SMS forwarding to your email, a professional voice greeting, and nothing else to manage or pay for.
A $3/month consumer VoIP number saves you a few dollars a year, but its SMS reliability issues make it a risky choice for business-critical verifications.