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How to get a business phone number

A separate number customers can call and text, without a second phone. Local or toll-free, what it costs, and the texting registration most people find out about too late.

Shanin Drucquer

Shanin DrucquerQuo user since 2025 · Updated October 2026

Short answer

The easiest way is a phone app that adds a business number to the phone you already carry. Google Voice is free for one person; Quo is $15/user with unlimited calling and texting.

$0

Free Google Voice, for one person to start

$15/user

Quo Starter, local or toll-free, billed yearly

$5/mo

Each extra number, e.g. a second location

30 min

To get a number live; texting approval takes longer

Have these ready

  • Your legal business name and EIN
  • Your business address
  • Your current number and carrier account PIN, if you’re keeping it
  • What you’ll text customers: reminders, quotes, job updates

  1. Step 1 of 6 · 2 min

    Pick local or toll-free

    A local number with your area code tells customers you’re nearby, which matters for service businesses. A toll-free number (800, 888, 877…) reads as national. On Quo, either costs the same.

  2. Step 2 of 6 · 5 min

    Choose a provider

    Virtual phone apps run on the phone and laptop you already have, so there’s no second SIM or desk phone. Pick on texting, sharing a number with your team, and price per user, not on the number itself.

  3. Step 3 of 6 · 5 min

    Get a new number or port yours

    Pick a new number in the app, or port the one customers already know. Porting is usually free and takes days to a couple of weeks.

    Watch out

    Keep your old service active until the port completes. My Quo port finished at the low end of their estimate; a Grasshopper port I tried dragged on for months and never went through.

  4. Step 4 of 6 · 10 min

    Register to text customers

    US carriers block business texts from unregistered numbers. Submit your business details and what you’ll text through your provider. On Quo, registration is $19.50 once plus $1.50 to $3 a month, and approval can take from a few days to a few weeks.

    Start registration the day you get the number, and keep calling customers while texting is under review.

  5. Step 5 of 6 · 5 min

    Set hours, greeting, and who answers

    Record a voicemail greeting, set business hours, and decide who the number rings. On a shared number, every teammate sees the same calls and texts.

  6. Step 6 of 6 · 3 min

    Put the number everywhere

    Update your Google Business Profile, website, invoices, email signature, and trucks, so customers stop calling personal phones.

The cheapest ways to get one

Every option here rings on your existing phone. Prices are per month, billed yearly where that’s cheaper.

OptionCostBest for
Google Voice (free)$0One person getting started; meant for personal use
Quo Starter$15/userTeams that text customers and share a number
Grasshopper True Solo$14/moOne person who mostly takes calls
Google Voice Starter$10/user + WorkspaceTeams already paying for Google Workspace
RingCentral Core$20/userOffice teams with desk phones

Checked October 2026. Google Workspace starts at $7/user.

Toll-free numbers: worth it?

A toll-free number makes sense if you sell nationally or want one number across several states. For a local service business, a local area code usually earns more trust and more answered callbacks.

Cost isn’t the deciding factor anymore: Quo includes a toll-free number at the same price as a local one, and an extra number of either kind is $5/mo a month. Toll-free texting needs its own carrier verification, so start it early.

Why not just use your cell number?

Because customers keep it forever. Once your personal number is on trucks and invoices, you can’t hand the line to an office manager, take a day off, or sell the business without taking the number with you.

A business number on an app fixes that: it rings on your phone today, and on whoever answers for you tomorrow.

“Reliable phones are the foundation of a service business.”
Shanin Drucquer, Iconic Landscaping

Common questions

How do I get a business phone number for free?

Free Google Voice gives one person a US number that rings on their existing phone. It’s meant for personal use and tied to one Google account, so most businesses move to a paid option like Quo ($15/user) once someone else needs the line.

Can I have two numbers on one phone?

Yes. A virtual phone app like Quo or Google Voice adds a second number to the phone you already carry, with separate calls, texts, and voicemail.

How much does a toll-free number cost?

On Quo, a toll-free number costs the same as a local one: it’s your included number, or $5/mo a month as an extra. Texting from it needs toll-free verification first.

Can I keep my existing number?

Usually, yes. You port it to the new provider, often for free. Keep your old service active until the port completes.

Do I need to register to text customers?

Yes. US carriers block business texts from unregistered numbers. On Quo, registration is $19.50 once plus $1.50 to $3 a month, and approval takes days to weeks.

What’s a virtual phone number?

A phone number that runs through an app over Wi-Fi or mobile data instead of a SIM card. It works on the phone and laptop you already have.

Sources: Quo pricing, Google Voice pricing, Grasshopper pricing, RingCentral pricing.

Get a number in Quo

Start the 7-day trial, pick a local or toll-free number or port yours, and start texting registration the same day. Sign up through my referral link and you get a $20 Visa gift card.

Start with Quo

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Every plan and fee

Google Voice for business →

When it’s enough

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