TextNow vs Hushed vs Burner: 5 Apps Ranked (2026)

A second phone number sounds like a simple product: a spare number for dating, selling on Marketplace, signing up for things, or keeping work separate from your real line. The reality, judging by the 1-3 star reviews, is one of the most complaint-heavy utility categories on either store. People install these apps for privacy and control, then discover the number is not really theirs, the SMS codes they need never arrive, and the "free" or "one-time" pricing quietly became a subscription.

We pulled recent 1-3 star reviews across the 5 most-installed second phone number apps of early 2026: TextNow, Hushed, Burner, Google Voice, and Phoner. The category splits into three rough jobs that buyers often conflate: a free always-on second line (TextNow, Google Voice), a private paid number for sensitive use (Hushed, Burner), and a quick disposable number for one signup. Reading the negatives, five complaints repeat regardless of which job an app leads with: numbers getting recycled or reclaimed, SMS verification codes that never arrive because services block VoIP, subscription surprises, sudden account or number bans, and unreliable calls and texts.

Apps Analyzed

• TextNow: the free, ad-supported giant. A real US or Canada number, free calling and texting over wifi or data, optional paid ad removal and add-ons. Huge install base, huge review volume.
• Hushed: a private second-number app built around privacy. Multiple countries, plans from short-term to annual plus a "lifetime" credit option. Positioned for people who want a number that is not tied to their identity.
• Burner: the original "disposable number" brand for US and Canada. Subscription-based, designed so you can create and "burn" numbers for dating, selling, or short projects.
• Google Voice: Google's free US number for personal use, tied to a Google account and an existing US phone number for setup. Calls, texts, voicemail transcription, web and app access.
• Phoner: a credits-and-subscription second-number app covering many countries, often used for one-off verifications and international numbers.

Top Complaints Across All 5 Second Phone Number Apps

Before the app-specific patterns, five complaints repeat across nearly every major second-number app in the 1-3 star pool.

1. Numbers get recycled or reclaimed. The single most painful complaint in the category. Reviews describe losing a number after a short period of inactivity, after a missed payment, or with no warning at all, then finding it reassigned to a stranger who now receives their messages. People who used the number for a business listing, a dating profile, or two-factor codes describe real-world damage when it vanishes. A phone number you can lose this easily never felt like yours.

2. SMS verification codes never arrive. Buyers want a second number specifically to sign up for things, then discover that WhatsApp, Telegram, banks, Gmail, and many dating and delivery apps reject or silently drop codes sent to VoIP numbers. Reviews describe paying for a number purely to register an account, only to be told the number is "not supported" or to wait forever for a code that never lands. This is a structural limit of VoIP numbers, but the apps rarely warn you before you pay.

3. Subscription surprises. The pricing in this category is a recurring source of anger. Reviews describe "one-time" or "lifetime" framing that turned out to require ongoing credits, free trials that converted to a charge, numbers that expire unless you keep paying a monthly fee, and renewals that hit without a reminder. Users who thought they bought a number feel they actually rented a countdown timer.

4. Sudden bans and disabled numbers. Reviews describe accounts being suspended or numbers disabled with little explanation, sometimes after the app flagged "suspicious activity," sometimes after the user did nothing unusual. For people who routed real contacts or services through the number, a silent ban is a 1-star event on its own.

5. Unreliable calls and texts. Because these are data-based numbers, call quality and message delivery depend on connection and on the app staying alive in the background. Reviews describe dropped or robotic calls, texts arriving hours late or out of order, MMS and group messages failing, and notifications not firing until the app is reopened.

TextNow: Free, Ad-Heavy, and the Recycling Champion

TextNow carries the heaviest 1-3 star load in the category, partly because it is free and enormous, and partly because the free model drives the two complaints users hate most.

Pattern 1: Number reclaimed after inactivity. The dominant TextNow complaint. The free model reclaims numbers that go unused, and reviews are full of people who lost a number they had given to contacts, used for a business, or set as a recovery line. Some report the only way to "lock" a number is to pay, which feels like a hostage fee.

Pattern 2: Ad volume. Free TextNow is heavily ad-supported, and reviews describe full-screen and video ads interrupting calls and texts. Paying removes ads, but users resent how aggressive the free tier became.

Pattern 3: Account locks and verification loops. Reviews describe accounts getting locked, being asked to verify in ways that fail, and losing access to the number and message history with no clear recovery path.

Pattern 4: VoIP rejection. Like the whole category, TextNow numbers get refused by services that block VoIP for sign-ups and 2FA, and free-tier numbers are blocked most often.

The TextNow positives in 4-5 star reviews: genuinely free calling and texting, a real usable US or Canada number, fine for casual use and people who keep the app active, and a low-cost path to remove ads.

Hushed: Privacy-First, Pricing Confusion

Hushed is built for people who want a private number, and its complaint pattern is less about recycling and more about pricing structure and verification limits.

Pattern 1: Plan and credit confusion. Reviews describe difficulty understanding what a plan actually includes, how credits are consumed, and what happens when they run out. The "lifetime" and prepaid framing leads some buyers to expect more than the credits cover.

Pattern 2: Verification blocks. As a privacy number, Hushed runs into the same VoIP rejections, and reviews specifically mention failing to register WhatsApp, Telegram, or financial apps with it.

Pattern 3: Number availability. Reviews describe wanting a specific area code or country and finding limited stock, or a number type that the target service will not accept.

Pattern 4: Renewal and refund friction. Some reviews describe charges they did not expect and a slow or unsatisfying refund process when a number did not work for its intended purpose.

The Hushed positives in 4-5 star reviews: strong privacy positioning, multiple-country coverage, flexible plan lengths for short projects, and reliable performance for calls and texts when the receiving service accepts the number.

Burner: Disposable by Design, Subscription by Default

Burner pioneered the "create and destroy numbers" idea, and its reviews reflect a subscription product where the value depends entirely on how often you actually rotate numbers.

Pattern 1: Subscription for a feature people use rarely. The dominant Burner complaint. Reviews describe paying monthly for the ability to make disposable numbers, then realizing they only needed one number once, and feeling the recurring cost does not match the occasional use.

Pattern 2: Verification rejection. Same VoIP wall: reviews describe Burner numbers being refused by apps and services that the user specifically wanted to sign up for.

Pattern 3: Number quality and reuse. Some reviews report getting a number that already had a spam reputation or that a service had previously blocked, which defeats the "fresh number" promise.

Pattern 4: Cancellation and billing. Reviews describe difficulty canceling, charges after they thought they had stopped, and confusion about whether burning a number also stops the bill.

The Burner positives in 4-5 star reviews: clean concept for people who genuinely rotate numbers, easy to spin up and discard a line for dating or selling, and a polished app for its specific use case.

Google Voice: Free and Solid, With a Setup Catch

Google Voice is the most reliable free option for many users, but its 1-3 star reviews cluster around onboarding and the things it quietly cannot do.

Pattern 1: Needs an existing US number to set up. The most common frustration, especially for users outside the US or without a traditional carrier line. Reviews describe being unable to create a Voice number at all because the setup demands a forwarding number they do not have.

Pattern 2: Not a true privacy or disposable number. It is tied to your Google account, so reviews from people who wanted anonymity feel it is the wrong tool. Losing the Google account means losing the number.

Pattern 3: Verification and international gaps. Reviews describe some services rejecting Voice numbers for 2FA, limited or costly international calling, and texting quirks with non-US recipients.

Pattern 4: Porting and support. Users trying to port a number in or out describe a slow, opaque process and the general difficulty of getting human support for a free Google product.

The Google Voice positives in 4-5 star reviews: free, stable, excellent voicemail transcription, clean integration across phone and web, and a number that does not get recycled the way free competitors do as long as you keep the account active.

Phoner: International Reach, Credit Burn

Phoner leans into international numbers and one-off verifications, and its complaints track the credit model and the same verification ceiling.

Pattern 1: Credits drain faster than expected. Reviews describe credits being consumed quickly by calls and texts, and needing to top up more often than the pricing implied.

Pattern 2: Verification hit-or-miss. Reviews describe some services accepting a Phoner number and others rejecting it, with no way to know in advance which target apps will work.

Pattern 3: Number expiry. Reviews describe numbers expiring or needing renewal, with the same "rented not owned" frustration common to the category.

Pattern 4: Support and refunds. When a number fails for its intended purpose, reviews describe limited recourse and slow responses.

The Phoner positives in 4-5 star reviews: useful country coverage for international numbers, fine for a quick one-time verification when it works, and a reasonable option when you need a number type a US-only app does not offer.

Picking by What You Actually Need

A free always-on second line, will tolerate ads: TextNow, but use it actively so the number is not reclaimed, and pay the small fee to remove ads if you rely on it.

A free reliable number tied to your identity: Google Voice, if you already have a US number to complete setup and do not need anonymity.

A private number for dating, selling, or sensitive signups: Hushed for longer projects, Burner if you genuinely rotate numbers often. Confirm the receiving service accepts VoIP before you pay.

A one-off or international verification: Phoner or Hushed, going in aware that many big services (WhatsApp, banks, some dating apps) reject VoIP numbers entirely.

How to Avoid the Worst Outcomes

A few practices cut down on 1-3 star experiences across all five apps:

• Test verification before you commit. If the whole point is signing up for a specific service, try a short trial or the cheapest credit first and confirm the code actually arrives. VoIP rejection is the number-one reason these purchases fail.

• Keep the number active. On free apps especially, send or receive something periodically so an inactivity policy does not reclaim your number.

• Read the renewal terms before buying. Note exactly what "one-time," "lifetime," and "credits" mean for that app, and set a calendar reminder for any trial or renewal date.

• Never use a disposable number for important 2FA. If you lose the number, you can lose access to the account. Use a number you control for anything that matters.

• Screenshot your number and key settings. If an account gets locked, having a record of the number and plan speeds up any support or recovery attempt.

Bottom Line

TextNow is the right pick for a free second line you use regularly, and the wrong pick if you will leave it idle and expect to keep the number. Hushed is the right pick for a private paid number across countries, and the wrong pick if you do not read what the credits and plans actually cover. Burner is the right pick for people who truly rotate disposable numbers, and the wrong pick if you only need one number once. Google Voice is the right pick for a free, stable number if you can complete the US-number setup, and the wrong pick for anonymity or international-first use. Phoner is the right pick for international one-offs, and the wrong pick if you need a number that big VoIP-blocking services will accept.

Before committing to any second-number app, read the most recent 1-3 star reviews on Unstar.app for the specific app and your platform, filtered by date, and watch for clusters around recycled numbers, failed verification, and surprise renewals. Those clusters tell you which problems are active right now rather than fixed two updates ago.

Related reading: App Privacy Complaints: What Users Really Say About Data Collection covers the privacy motives that send people to second-number apps in the first place. What Subscription App Reviews Reveal About Why Users Cancel covers the renewal and "lifetime" framing that dominates this category. Spam Call Blocker Apps Ranked by 1-Star Reviews covers the other side of phone-number hygiene.