A HeroSMS alternative for accounts you plan to keep

The short, fair answer

If you need one code for a sign-up you won't come back to, or you create accounts at scale through software, a pay-per-activation service like HeroSMS is designed for that job. If the account matters — a messenger you'll use daily, an email or marketplace account, anything with password resets — you need to receive codes on the same number again, and a real mobile number you keep is the safer tool.

The two aren't really rivals so much as tools for different lifetimes of an account. Our longer comparison of rental numbers and pay-per-code services walks through that choice in detail.

What HeroSMS is

HeroSMS's about page describes it as a service for selling and renting virtual numbers from more than 180 countries, and its home page says numbers are listed for 700+ sites and apps, with an "Any other" option for the rest. The main product is an activation for a chosen service and country: the number is yours for up to 20 minutes, and its rules say that if no code arrives in that window the money returns to your balance automatically. Longer rentals are also sold, with cancellation and refund possible only in the first 20 minutes.

You register with an email address, top up a balance and buy from it. The site's getting-started section points to cryptocurrency for top-ups, and the rules note that the methods, fees and minimums are shown when you top up. Pricing is per activation with no monthly subscription, and repeat buyers move through discount levels based on how much they top up.

The rules also set limits worth knowing: accounts with low success rates can be temporarily restricted, disposable numbers must not be used for paid subscriptions or in banking, and money left in the balance can be withdrawn only by request to support, with a fee.

At a glance

What you buy

HeroSMS: activations for one service, plus longer rentals · SMSCreation: Real mobile numbers in 181 countries, managed in a web dashboard

Number type

HeroSMS: virtual numbers that need no SIM, per its site · SMSCreation: real mobile numbers in each country's official mobile format

Keeping the number

HeroSMS: activations last up to 20 minutes; rentals for longer · SMSCreation: Yes — the number stays yours while it is renewed (auto-renew from wallet balance)

Countries

HeroSMS: 180+ countries · SMSCreation: 181 countries

Price model

HeroSMS: pay per activation from a prepaid balance, with loyalty discounts · SMSCreation: one plan per number, from $1.80 a month on the yearly plan, same in every country

Payment

HeroSMS: balance top-ups, with cryptocurrency named on its site · SMSCreation: Crypto only: USDT and USDC on Tron, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Base and Solana

Identity checks

HeroSMS: email registration; no ID step described · SMSCreation: no KYC — email-only sign-up, no phone number needed

If it doesn't work

HeroSMS: automatic refund to balance if no code arrives in 20 minutes · SMSCreation: 7-day replacement guarantee (free replacement in the same country, or a 100% refund)

Why the second code matters

Most apps don't stop at one text. WhatsApp and Telegram ask for a code when you move to a new phone, Google and Microsoft ask when a sign-in looks unusual, and marketplaces and email providers use the phone number to let you reset a forgotten password. Each of those codes goes to the number on the account.

With a 20-minute activation, that number returns to the provider when the window closes, and you can't count on getting the same one back. That's fine for an account you'll never open again, but risky for one you care about. A number you keep turns every later code into a routine step instead of a lock-out.

When HeroSMS may suit you better

• You need a single code for a sign-up you won't return to.
• You create many accounts through software and want an API — HeroSMS offers one, and says it stays compatible with SMS-Activate integrations. SMSCreation has no API.
• You want an Android app; HeroSMS offers an APK, while SMSCreation works in the browser only.
• You need a country or service mix that changes day to day, paying only for what you use.
• You want to fund your balance through a method other than USDT or USDC stablecoins.

When SMSCreation fits better

• The account will ask for codes again — new phones, unusual sign-ins, password resets.
• You want to text and call from the number: 500 outgoing SMS and 1,000 outgoing call minutes a month, plus unlimited incoming SMS and calls.
• You want a guarantee tied to apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Google: a free replacement in the same country within 7 days of activation, or a 100% refund.
• You want the same number to keep receiving texts from any sender, not just the one service you picked at purchase.
• You prefer one clear price per number, the same in each of our 181 countries, instead of a price per service.

If you used SMS-Activate before

HeroSMS says old SMS-Activate accounts and balances don't carry over and that users need to register again. The accounts you created with SMS-Activate numbers are a separate problem: those numbers are gone, so any account that later asks for a code may be hard to recover. Our SMS-Activate page explains how to secure them. The simplest fix is to add a number you control to each important account while you can still sign in.

How to move an account to a number you keep

1. 01List the accounts you created with short-term activation numbers and mark the ones you still use.
2. 02Sign up at SMSCreation with an email address and a password — no phone number and no ID.
3. 03Choose the country that matches each account and pick a number (the first two and last two digits show as XX until activation).
4. 04Pay in USDT or USDC on Tron, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Base or Solana, per order or from a wallet balance.
5. 05While you are still signed in, open each account's security settings, add the new number and confirm it with the code that arrives in your dashboard inbox.
6. 06Turn on auto-renew so the number stays yours for future codes.

Why it works with WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram & Google

Apps check more than the digits: they look up the line type, the country format and whether the number can actually receive their code. Every SMSCreation number is a real mobile number in its country's official format — not a VoIP line — so it passes those checks the same way a SIM in your pocket does.

And we stand behind it with a 7-day replacement guarantee: if your number doesn't work with WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, Google or any app you need, we replace it free with a new number in the same country — or refund 100% if you prefer.

• Non-VoIP, real mobile line type — line-type checks see an ordinary SIM number, not a VoIP line
• Official country format with the right country code, prefix and digit count
• Unlimited incoming SMS and calls — codes arrive by text or through the “call me” option
• Private to you — never listed on public SMS sites, so it isn't flagged or rate-limited
• Yours for as long as you want — re-verification and account recovery keep working

Price, keeping the number and the 7-day guarantee

SMSCreation costs from $1.80 a month on the yearly plan ($21.60 billed yearly), the same in every one of our 181 countries. The number stays yours for as long as you renew it, with auto-renew from your wallet balance. If it doesn't work with WhatsApp, Telegram, Google or another app that verifies by SMS or call, you get a free replacement in the same country within 7 days of activation, or a 100% refund — and there's a no-questions-asked refund within 7 days if the number hasn't been used for any call or SMS.