You can instantly provision a business phone number through the Twilio Console or API in over 100 countries using a free trial account loaded with $15 in credits. Simply search for local, toll-free, short code, or national numbers by area code or capability (Voice, SMS, MMS) and purchase them directly with your trial balance.

Before sending messages or making calls, numbers must complete regulatory verification via the Twilio Trust Hub, such as A2P 10DLC or toll-free verification. If you already own business numbers, Twilio provides number porting to transfer existing lines from another provider, or number hosting to send and receive messages using current numbers.

Yes. You can transfer existing business numbers to Twilio using number porting. Or, you can add messaging capabilities to your current voice provider via number hosting. See our porting guidelines to view country-specific requirements and porting instructions.

While phone number costs vary depending on country, number type, capabilities (voice, SMS, MMS), and usage volume, local US Numbers typically start at $1.15/month and toll-free numbers start around $2.15/month. Please note, a one-time registration fee and recurring campaign fees apply to A2P 10DLC numbers managed through the Twilio Trust Hub. See phone number pricing for other countries here.

Twilio offers five distinct phone number types across 100+ countries: 

1. 10DLC phone numbers: Standard 10-digit local numbers (10DLC) (e.g. 415-555-6456) that allow businesses to send Application-to-Person (A2P) messages.

2. Toll-free numbers: Recognized 10-digit numbers (prefixes like 800, 888, 833) supporting Voice and SMS that are free for customers to call, making your business easily accessible.

3. Short codes: 5- or 6-digit numbers (e.g. 56546) or codes (e.g. VOICE) designed for high-volume text and picture messaging. 

4. Alphanumeric Sender IDs: Custom sender names (like your brand name) used for high-volume, one-way messaging in supported countries. 

5. National numbers: Non-geographic phone numbers for a specific country. They aren’t tied to a local area code and they can be reached from anywhere within the country for the same rate.

Choose your phone number type based on your target audience’s location, your required message throughput, and whether you need voice capabilities or one-way vs. two-way messaging. Matching these technical constraints to your business workflow ensures high deliverability and compliance across networks.

• Choose 10DLC (local) if you need a local presence for two-way calls or SMS for sales or customer service use cases.

• Choose toll-free if you provide nationwide customer support across voice and SMS.

• Choose short codes if you run time-sensitive, large-scale campaigns like two-factor authentication (2FA) or emergency alerts.

• Choose Alphanumeric Sender IDs if you want recipients to instantly recognize your brand on one-way calls.

• Choose national numbers if you need nationwide, non-geographic voice coverage without area code restrictions.

You can get a toll-free number through Twilio by purchasing a toll-free phone number in the Twilio Console. 

Before you can send or receive messaging or voice traffic in the U.S. and Canada on your new toll-free number, you must go through a verification process. This validates who you are and what you’re sending to end-users.

Text +1 (855) 747-7626* (1-855-747-ROBO) with a US phone number to check if it is served by Twilio.