TwinPhone vs TextNow
TextNow is the better pick if you live in the US or Canada: calls and texts there are free with ads, it sends SMS and it connects 911. TwinPhone is paid and made for everyone else: sign up from most countries, call from a browser, and rent a US number from $3.19/month that stays yours while it is paid.[2][1][7][4]
TwinPhone is our product. Every TextNow fact on this page comes from TextNow's own website or app listing, is linked below, and was checked on 11 October 2026.
TextNow vs TwinPhone, as of October 2026
Prices in US dollars per minute unless stated. TextNow prices can depend on your country and currency; a blank cell means TextNow does not publish it.
| Feature | TextNow (October 2026) | TwinPhone |
|---|---|---|
| Calls to US & Canada phones | Free, on every TextNow plan[1] | $0.02/min |
| Calls to the UK | Free, TextNow says[1] | $0.06/min landline, $0.12/min mobile |
| Calls to India | Paid from international credits; TextNow says other countries run “as low as a cent per minute”[1] | $0.08/min, mobile or landline |
| How you pay | Free plan with ads; Plus $4.99/week or $18.99/month; Unlimited $8.99/week or $35.99/month; international credits in $5, $10 or $20 that do not expire[2][3][1] | Pay as you go from a $10 top-up; credit does not expire; no subscription for calls; billed per minute, rounded up |
| Phone numbers | A free US or Canadian number; a new number unused for 24 hours expires and inactive numbers can be reclaimed; Lock In Number $1.99 for a week[5][9] | US, Canada and Puerto Rico numbers from $3.19/month, up to 3 per account; cancel anytime |
| Text messages (SMS) | Send and receive texts with US and Canadian numbers[6] | Numbers receive SMS from US and Canadian senders; you cannot send SMS |
| App or browser | iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac apps, and the web[6] | Any current browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Safari), plus iPhone and Android apps |
| Sign-up | North America only: people outside it cannot register in the app or on the website[4] | Email and password or a Google account; no card and no phone number needed to sign up |
| What the person you call sees | Not published | Your TwinPhone number if you rent one, otherwise a shared TwinPhone number; your own verified mobile for $1.00/month |
| Main limitations | Ads on the free plan; most verification codes need a TextNow SIM, Lock In Number or Ad-Free+; Canadian codes largely unsupported[2][8] | No emergency calls; no free minutes; Telegram and many banks refuse codes sent to virtual numbers |
TwinPhone rates are what a call is billed today; the dialer shows the exact rate for the number you type before the call connects.
When TextNow is the better choice
- You live in the US or Canada and want free calls and texts there, and ads don't bother you.[1][2]
- You need to send text messages. A TwinPhone number only receives SMS.
- You need to reach 911 from the app: TextNow connects 911 in the US and Canada, TwinPhone cannot place emergency calls.[7]
- You mostly call the UK or Mexico, which TextNow says are free.[1]
When TwinPhone fits better
- You live outside North America, where TextNow does not let you register.
- You want a US or Canadian number that stays yours while the rental is paid, without calling or texting every day.
- You call from a laptop or a borrowed computer and want nothing to install: TwinPhone works in the browser.
- You call many countries and want to see the per-minute rate before each call connects.
TwinPhone vs TextNow: questions
Everything you need to know about TwinPhone.
Yes. TextNow has a $0/month plan paid for by ads, and calls within the US and Canada are included on every plan. TwinPhone has no free tier: calls to the US and Canada are $0.02/min from a $10 top-up, and a number is from $3.19/month, with no ads.
Not as a new user outside North America. TextNow's help centre says it can only be downloaded and used within North America and that people outside it cannot register. TwinPhone signs you up with an email from most countries.
TextNow sends and receives texts with US and Canadian numbers. A TwinPhone number receives SMS from US and Canadian senders in your inbox and cannot send them, so if you need to text back, TextNow does that and TwinPhone does not.
On TextNow a new number that is not used for 24 hours expires, and TextNow says there is no fixed rule for how long an inactive number lasts; Lock In Number prevents that for a fee. A TwinPhone number stays on your account while the monthly rental is paid, used or not, and is released when the rental stops.
TextNow says calls to the UK and Mexico are free and that other countries start at about a cent per minute, paid from credits that do not expire. On TwinPhone the UK is $0.06/min to a landline and $0.12/min to a mobile, India is $0.08/min, and the dialer shows the rate before every call.
TextNow says most verification codes need a TextNow SIM card, Lock In Number or Ad-Free+, and that some services refuse TextNow numbers. WhatsApp and Google codes do reach TwinPhone US numbers; Telegram and many banks refuse virtual numbers at their end.
Sources for the TextNow facts
Read on TextNow's own pages on 11 October 2026. If TextNow has changed a price since, its page is right and ours is out of date.
- TextNow: International calling
- TextNow: Wireless plans
- TextNow Help: Adding international credit
- TextNow Help: Is TextNow available in my country?
- TextNow Help: My phone number was recycled
- TextNow Help: What is TextNow?
- TextNow Help: 911 calls
- TextNow Help: Verification codes
- TextNow on the App Store (in-app purchases)
Related resources
- Call a phone number from your browser →
- Get a US phone number from abroad →
- Help centre: what TwinPhone is and how it works →
- Call rates for every country →
- TextNow alternative for people outside North America →
- TextNow vs Hushed vs TwinPhone →
- Can I receive SMS on a TwinPhone number? →
Other app comparisons
Ready to switch?
Pay as you go: US & Canada $0.02/min, every other rate shown before you dial — any browser, no app, no SIM.
Free to sign up — no card, no subscriptionRefund on top-ups within 14 days if 30% or less is used