Virtual phone numbers to send and receive online SMS
Virtual phone numbers let you send and receive SMS and text messages online to North American numbers using our easy-to-use platform or mobile app.
- Choose a dedicated short code, local 10-digit number, or toll-free number
- Set up call forwarding from your online SMS number
- Text large groups of people or message your contacts one-on-one
No credit card required
THOUSANDS OF NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESSES USE OUR SMS PHONE NUMBERS
What are virtual phone numbers?
Like a real phone number, your online virtual phone number is unique to you. You can use it reach out to, respond and converse with customers no matter where you are in the world. With a platform like SimpleTexting, you can start texting from a virtual number to numbers in the U.S., Canada, and some mobile carriers in the Caribbean in just a few steps.
How Do Virtual Phone Numbers Work?
1. Choose a new number
You can text-enable a current phone number, choose a new toll-free number, register a new 10-digit number with an area code local to your business, or apply to provision a dedicated short code.- Text enable your existing phone number
- Provision an easy-to-remember 6-digit dedicated short code
2. Send text messages
Now that you have a virtual SMS phone number, you can send your first SMS–or MMS–message. Text one customer, or thousands.- Text 1-on-1 with customers, employees, or leads
- Send SMS marketing campaigns to large groups
- Send appointment reminders, alerts, and more
3. Manage replies in your inbox
Receive incoming SMS from all numbers for free and use our user-friendly Inbox to stay on top of them.- Mark conversations as resolved or temporarily hide them
- Easily filter and prioritize conversations
- Share the workload by adding team members
Types of online phone numbers
Whether you need to engage customers 1-on-1 or send text marketing campaigns, our team can help you select the right number.
Toll free number
Local number
Connect your existing number
Dedicated short code
Virtual phone numbers vs. traditional phone numbers
VIRTUAL SMS PHONE NUMBERS
- Usable on nearly any device
- No need to use your personal cell phone number
- Access all messages within one platform, wherever you are
- Automate SMS workflows with autoresponses and campaigns
- Integrate with other tools and apps
TRADITIONAL SMS PHONE NUMBERS
- Tied to a specific phone and location
- Unable to separate business from personal within the same device
- A new phone number means a new piece of hardware
- Unable to monitor activity on business phones within your team
How You Can Use Your Virtual SMS Number
How to get a virtual business phone number
Want an online phone number to receive text for your business? Follow these three steps.
1. Sign up for free trial.
When you sign up for a 14-day trial of SimpleTexting, you’ll get a temporary virtual number to try out the features.
Keep in mind that you’ll get 50 messaging credits, and any texts you send will include a SimpleTexting watermark. This way, you can try before you buy.
2. Upgrade to a paid account.
If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid SimpleTexting account. You’ll see a prompt to choose between virtual number types like local numbers, toll-free numbers, and dedicated short codes.
Have an existing number you want to use? Reach out to our customer support team to see if it’s eligible to be text-enabled.
3. Choose a number from our virtual number pool.
Depending on which number type you select, you’ll need to register it with wireless carriers.
This is an industry-wide standard, and we make the process super simple. You’ll fill out some information about your business, and our customer support specialists will handle the rest.
Which businesses can benefit from an online phone number for receiving texts?
Browse our industry guides to find out how a virtual phone number for SMS and text messaging can benefit your business or organization.
Why should you get a virtual SMS number from SimpleTexting?
Find out why SimpleTexting is the best text number provider to help you separate professional texts from personal messages.
Manage On-the-Go
Build Your Brand
Connect Your Apps
Reduce Costs
Dedicated Support
No Contracts
Customers Who Use Our Virtual Numbers
A virtual SMS number drives real results, but don’t just take our word for it. Hear it from people who use them everyday.
How Toroe Eyewear Generated an Extra $7K in 30 Days with Our Mobile Sign-Up Widget
Using SimpleTexting’s Mobile Sign-Up Widget to advertise a 10% discount, Toroe Eyewear generated an extra $7,028 in store revenue in a month. That’s a 156x return on its text marketing channel.
Read their success story
Life is Beautiful Switched to SimpleTexting and Increased Deliverability by 366%
Life is Beautiful is a 3-day music festival hosted in Downtown Las Vegas. Find out how SimpleTexting helps them reach more fans, sell more tickets, and grow their SMS efforts.
Read their success story
How Delta Sonic Got More Than 50,000 Text Subscribers
With a text marketing club nearly two years old, Delta Sonic communicates with thousands of their customers each week to promote deals and share important updates.
Read their success storyFrequently Asked Questions About Getting a Text-Enabled Number
Below is a list of frequently asked questions regarding our virtual SMS mobile numbers.
Do you offer virtual phone numbers for SMS outside of the US and Canada?
Can I text-enable an existing 800 number?
How much does a new virtual number cost?
Do I need a virtual SMS number to send text blasts?
Are virtual phone numbers safe?
Still Not Convinced? Read Reviews About Our Virtual SMS Numbers
Hear what our customers have to say about us.
"SimpleTexting is one of the easiest solutions to get started with. We're able to directly contact our users to update them or get them to opt-in to our community. You don't have to have any development experience. You can just sign up and have a way to directly text your users."
"I use SimpleTexting to better connect with my audience and build relationships with them on a 1-on-1 basis. I love that there's an app and that I can send things out from my phone. Texts are way more personal than sending an email blast or putting something out on social."
"What I like best about SimpleTexting is that it allows me to interact with my clients on a regular basis. I send out a monthly market update along with an invitation to enter a drawing for a $25 gift card. This interaction keeps me top of mind for referrals and directs clients to my website."
"We needed a simple way to drive app downloads for our company, and SimpleTexting provides that. It's so easy to add the shortcode and keyword to our marketing materials. The platform even integrates with our website, allowing visitors to request a download link to their phone."
"SimpleTexting makes my work easier. It has helped us streamline communication and cut down our communication time significantly. I like being able to send mass texts to my beneficiaries and also engage with them one on one. It's super useful to automate messages."
"We have been using SimpleTexting for almost a year now and I appreciate the ease of use of the software. To get through the basic task of setting up an SMS campaign, sending it, and tracking responses, it does the job without making it difficult. It's great software at a good price point."
Get a Virtual SMS Number Today
Your customers are probably already texting you, don't wait any longer to answer! Get started with texting today.