Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is the best paid option at $15/mo, with no seat minimum. Google Voice is the cheapest starting point, at $10/user/mo through Google Workspace, if you already pay for Workspace. wlur is our own product, live now at $15/mo, with a 7-day free trial.
If you're freelancing, consulting, or running a one-person business, you don't need a full VoIP system. You need a second number that rings on your existing phone. It should keep client calls out of your personal texts. And it shouldn't cost more than the work itself justifies.
This list is written for that person specifically: solopreneurs, not sales teams. It includes consumer-leaning options like Google Voice, alongside proper small business tools. We say plainly where each one falls short. Prices are as of July 2026.
How we compared
This is desk research. We used published pricing pages, app store listings, and recurring themes in G2 and Capterra reviews. We did not run a hands-on test of every app across a working month.
Sometimes a provider is genuinely a better fit for a specific reader, like a Workspace user already paying for Google. When that's true, we say so directly. We don't default every recommendation toward the paid business tools.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Entry price | Seat minimum | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Quo (formerly OpenPhone) | Best paid option overall | $15/mo (Jul 2026) | 1 | G2 4.7 from 3,000+ reviews |
 Google Voice | Cheapest if you already pay for Workspace | $10/user/mo + Workspace (Jul 2026) | 1 (10-user cap on Starter) | Bundles into Google Workspace |
 CircleLoop | UK solopreneurs, no contract | £5/user/mo + usage (Jul 2026) | 1 | No-contract, usage-based pricing |
 wlur | CRM sync as you grow, live now | $15/mo (Jul 2026) | None | Two-way sync to HubSpot, Pipedrive, Shopify |
 Grasshopper | Flat monthly bill, no per-minute surprises | $14-80/mo flat (Jul 2026) | n/a | One flat price, simple to budget |
 Dialpad | Solopreneurs who want AI call notes | $15/user/mo annual (Jul 2026) | 1 | AI transcription built in |
 JustCall | Once you hire a second person | $29/user/mo (Jul 2026) | 2 | Sales dialer, ready for a small team |
The list
Quo (formerly OpenPhone)
Best paid option overallQuo is the best all-round second number app, if you're willing to pay for a dedicated business tool.
Quo (rebranded from OpenPhone in September 2025) gives you a proper second number. It has its own voicemail, texting and call history, cleanly separated from your personal phone. It's rated 4.7 on G2 from over 3,000 reviews, among the highest in this category.
For a solopreneur, the appeal is that it doesn't feel like enterprise software. Setup takes minutes. There's no seat minimum, so you pay exactly for one person.
- Standout:
- G2 4.7 from 3,000+ reviews, built for exactly this use case
- Pricing:
- $15/mo, billed monthly (as of July 2026, quo.com)
- Makes sense if:
- you want a proper dedicated business number app and don't mind paying $15/mo for it.
Honest cons
- ·Costs more than free or bundled options like Google Voice
- ·US-centric number coverage limits it if you need non-US numbers
- ·Advanced analytics sit behind higher tiers you likely won't need solo
Google Voice
Cheapest option if you already pay for Google WorkspaceGoogle Voice is genuinely useful for a Workspace user. But it's not a full business phone system, and shouldn't be sold as one.
Google Voice's Starter plan runs $10/user/mo. But it's sold as an add-on to a paid Google Workspace subscription. Workspace itself starts around $7/user/mo on an annual plan. If you already pay for Workspace, the extra cost of a second number is genuinely low.
Honestly, it's a consumer-leaning tool wearing a business hat. Starter caps out at 10 users. It lacks the call routing and analytics that dedicated business phone apps offer. For a true solopreneur who just wants a separate number, that's rarely a problem.
- Standout:
- Low marginal cost if you already use Google Workspace
- Pricing:
- $10/user/mo add-on, requires paid Google Workspace from ~$7/user/mo (as of July 2026, workspace.google.com)
- Makes sense if:
- you already pay for Google Workspace and just want a second number cheaply.
Honest cons
- ·Requires a paid Google Workspace subscription; not a standalone low-cost option if you don't already have one
- ·Lacks call routing, team features and analytics that dedicated tools include
- ·Starter plan caps at 10 users, a ceiling if you grow beyond solo
CircleLoop
UK solopreneurs who don't want a contractA solid, no-contract choice for UK-based freelancers and consultants.
CircleLoop's usage-based pricing is £5/user/mo plus usage, or £15 unlimited. Its no-contract terms suit someone testing whether a second number is worth paying for at all. It's UK-first, which matters if most of your calls are domestic.
It's simpler than Quo in feature depth. For a true solopreneur, that's often exactly right: fewer settings to configure, less to learn.
- Standout:
- No-contract, usage-based pricing built for UK freelancers
- Pricing:
- £5/user/mo + usage, or £15/user/mo unlimited (as of July 2026, circleloop.com)
- Makes sense if:
- you're a UK freelancer who wants to try a second number without signing a contract.
Honest cons
- ·Smaller review base than Quo, so less long-term reliability data
- ·Primarily UK-focused number coverage
- ·Fewer AI or analytics features than competitors like Dialpad
wlur
CRM sync built in as your solo work growsour productOur own product, aimed at solopreneurs who expect to start using a CRM soon.
wlur is our product, so grade this entry accordingly. It's live now. You get one app for iOS and Android, a business number, and simple routing. You can add extra numbers in minutes. It also has two-way call logging into HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and Shopify.
Here's the pitch for a solopreneur specifically. If you already use Pipedrive or Shopify to track clients or orders, wlur's CRM sync helps. Your calls show up there automatically, instead of living only in a separate phone app.
- Standout:
- Two-way sync to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and Shopify
- Pricing:
- $15/mo (£12.50, €14), July 2026
- Makes sense if:
- you already track clients in HubSpot, Pipedrive or Shopify and want calls logged there too.
Honest cons
- ·New to the market, so there's no long public review history yet
- ·Fewer third-party reviews than more established names on this list
- ·Overkill if you don't use any of the CRMs it syncs with
Grasshopper
A flat monthly bill with no per-minute surprisesThe simplest way to budget for a second number, if you don't need CRM sync.
Grasshopper's flat account pricing ($14-80/mo depending on plan) means you know the bill in advance. There are no usage charges or per-seat math. For a solopreneur who just wants call forwarding and a professional voicemail greeting, it still does the job.
It hasn't kept pace with app-first competitors on interface or features. There's no CRM sync at all. That matters more the moment you start tracking clients anywhere formal.
- Standout:
- Flat monthly price, easy to budget for
- Pricing:
- $14-80/mo flat by plan (as of July 2026, grasshopper.com)
- Makes sense if:
- you want the simplest flat bill and don't need any CRM connection.
Honest cons
- ·No CRM sync
- ·App and interface feel dated compared to Quo or wlur, per reviewer comparisons
- ·Less useful once you need team features beyond solo use
Dialpad
Solopreneurs who want AI call notes without extra toolsA good fit if you want automatic transcripts of client calls without paying for a separate app.
Dialpad's AI transcription and call summaries run automatically on every call. That's useful for a consultant or freelancer. You get a record of what was discussed, without manual note-taking.
It's priced comparably to Quo. But the AI-forward interface is more machinery than a solopreneur typically needs, if you just want a second number.
- Standout:
- Built-in AI call transcription and summaries
- Pricing:
- $15/user/mo, billed annually (as of July 2026, dialpad.com)
- Makes sense if:
- having an automatic transcript of every client call matters to you.
Honest cons
- ·Monthly billing costs more than the advertised annual rate
- ·More features than most solopreneurs need, per some reviewers
- ·AI transcription accuracy can dip on weak mobile connections
JustCall
The moment you hire a second personJustCall isn't built for solo use. It earns its place here only as the natural next step, once you're not solo anymore.
JustCall's 2-seat minimum means it's genuinely not designed for one person. Its AI call scoring and sales dialer features are wasted on solo use. We're including it here honestly: it's the wrong tool for a true solopreneur.
Where it makes sense is the exact moment you hire your first employee or contractor. If you want a sales-ready dialer from day one, rather than switching tools later, this is it.
- Standout:
- Sales dialer and AI coaching, ready to scale past solo
- Pricing:
- $29/user/mo, 2-seat minimum (as of July 2026, justcall.io)
- Makes sense if:
- you're about to hire your first team member and want sales-dialer features ready from day one.
Honest cons
- ·2-seat minimum makes it a poor fit and a bad value for solo use
- ·Priced well above every other option on this list
- ·Feature set is built for sales teams, not individual freelancers
What a second number actually costs a solopreneur
Today, solo, Quo and wlur both cost $15/mo flat. Google Voice's $10/mo add-on only looks cheaper if you ignore the Google Workspace subscription it requires (~$7/mo). That puts its real cost around $17/mo, if you don't already have Workspace.
If you take on a contractor (3 users), Quo is $45/mo and wlur is $45/mo. JustCall's 2-seat minimum plus a third seat is $87/mo.
If you grow to a small team (8 users), Quo is $120/mo and wlur is $120/mo. JustCall is $232/mo. Starting with a no-minimum, per-seat provider avoids a painful switch later.
Estimate your own cost as you grow past solo with the team phone cost calculator →How to choose a second phone number app
- 01If you already pay for Google Workspace, price Google Voice's $10/mo add-on before anything else. It's the cheapest genuinely usable option in that specific case.
- 02If you don't use Workspace, Quo, CircleLoop or wlur all start around $15/mo (or £5-15) with no seat minimum. That's cheaper in practice than adding Workspace just for Google Voice.
- 03If you already track clients in a CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Shopify), prioritise a provider with two-way sync over one that only offers a basic integration.
- 04Avoid providers with seat minimums above 1 (Aircall, JustCall) until you actually hire someone. Paying for unused seats from day one is wasted budget.
- 05If budget predictability matters more than features, Grasshopper's flat pricing removes any usage-based surprise.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Voice good enough for a solopreneur?
Yes, with a caveat. It requires a paid Google Workspace subscription (from roughly $7/user/mo) for the business Starter plan. So its real cost is higher than the $10/mo headline, if you don't already have Workspace. For existing Workspace users, it's genuinely one of the cheapest options here.
What's the cheapest way to get a second phone number?
If you already pay for Google Workspace, Google Voice's $10/mo add-on is the cheapest as of July 2026. If you don't, Quo, CircleLoop and wlur all start around $15/mo or £5/mo with no seat minimum. That beats adding Workspace just for a number.
Can I keep my existing number when I get a second work number?
Yes. All the apps on this list add a second number alongside your existing personal line. You're not porting or replacing your personal number.
Does a second number app work if I don't answer calls right away?
Yes. All of these support voicemail, and most offer text or voicemail transcription. So missed calls still get logged, even if you can't answer immediately.
Why isn't JustCall ranked higher if it has good features?
JustCall requires a 2-seat minimum. That makes it a poor value and a mismatch for true solo use, even though its sales-dialer features are genuinely strong once you have a small team.
Is wlur available to try right now?
Yes. wlur is live as of July 2026, with a 7-day free trial and no card required. Pricing is $15/mo (£12.50, €14) with no seat minimums. It's our product, so weigh that against its shorter track record.
Do I need a business phone app if I'm just freelancing part-time?
It depends on call volume, and whether you want client calls separated from personal texts and voicemail. If that separation matters to you, even a low-usage plan like CircleLoop's usage-based tier can be worth it.
Which option has the best call quality?
We didn't run a hands-on call quality test across every app for this list. Reviewers on G2 generally rate Quo and Dialpad's call reliability highly. Check recent reviews for your specific region before committing.
Can I use these apps for business texting too?
Yes, all seven support SMS from the second number. Character limits, MMS support and pricing for texting vary by provider, though. Check each provider's current pricing page for specifics.
What happens if I outgrow a solo plan?
Quo, CircleLoop, Dialpad and wlur all scale by simply adding seats at the same per-user rate, with no re-signup needed. Google Voice's Starter plan caps at 10 users, so you'd need to move to a business plan or a different provider past that point.
Last verified: July 2026. Prices from providers' public pricing pages on that date. wlur is our product; its entry above says so.