A VirtualSMS alternative for numbers you want to keep

The short, fair answer

The two services are built for different jobs. VirtualSMS is a code marketplace: you order a number for one service, wait for the code, and the number goes back into inventory. That is efficient when you need many codes, for many services, and don't need the number again.

SMSCreation is built for ownership: one private number, used for as many apps and codes as you like, kept month after month. If the account matters beyond sign-up day, that continuity is usually what you're paying for.

What VirtualSMS is

According to its site, VirtualSMS covers more than 145 countries and thousands of services. There are two ways to buy: an activation, which receives a code for one service within an order window, and a rental, which keeps a number assigned to you for a set period. Its FAQ describes rentals ranging from a few hours to several weeks, depending on stock and the service, and its home page says rentals can be extended.

Sign-up needs an email address and a password; the FAQ states no government ID is required. Payment is pay as you go from a prepaid balance, with no subscription. VirtualSMS lists cryptocurrency and regional payment rails through third-party processors, and its terms name Russia's SBP instant-payment system among them.

On refunds, the terms say an activation is refunded to your balance automatically if no SMS arrives within the timeout window, typically around 20 minutes, and that deposits are generally non-refundable. The FAQ adds that a number with no SMS rotates back into inventory. VirtualSMS also offers a REST API, webhooks and an MCP server for developers.

At a glance

Number type

VirtualSMS: described on its site as real carrier SIM numbers · SMSCreation: real mobile numbers in each country's official mobile format

Keep the number vs. one-time

VirtualSMS: one-time activations, or rentals for a set period that can be extended · SMSCreation: yours for as long as you renew it, with auto-renew from your wallet balance

Countries

VirtualSMS: 145+ countries · SMSCreation: 181 countries, same price in each

Payment methods

VirtualSMS: cryptocurrency and regional rails through third-party processors · SMSCreation: crypto only, USDT and USDC on Tron, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Base and Solana

KYC

VirtualSMS: email and password, no government ID, per its FAQ · SMSCreation: no KYC, email-only sign-up

Refund policy

VirtualSMS: automatic refund to balance when no SMS arrives in the order window; deposits generally non-refundable · SMSCreation: free replacement in the same country within 7 days of activation if the number doesn't work with your app, or a 100% refund

Price model

VirtualSMS: pay as you go from a prepaid balance, per activation or per rental period, no subscription · SMSCreation: from $1.80 a month on the yearly plan ($21.60 billed yearly)

Developer tools

VirtualSMS: REST API, webhooks and MCP server · SMSCreation: web dashboard only, no developer API

When VirtualSMS may suit you better

• You need many one-time codes across many services and want to automate them through an API or webhooks.
• You need a code once and don't mind the number going back into a shared pool afterwards.
• You need a number for a few hours or days rather than months.
• You want to pay with a cryptocurrency other than USDT or USDC, or through a regional payment rail VirtualSMS supports.
• You want to see live stock by service before you sign up.

When SMSCreation fits better

• You want one private number for many apps at once, not one number per service.
• Your accounts will ask for codes again: new-device logins, password resets, security checks.
• You want to keep the number for years, renewing automatically from your wallet balance.
• You want a guarantee tied to whether the number works with your app: free replacement in the same country within 7 days of activation, or a 100% refund.
• You want to reply and call from the same number: 500 outgoing SMS and 1,000 outgoing minutes a month, with unlimited incoming SMS and calls.

One-code numbers and the re-verification problem

When a code-marketplace number is released after your order, it can be handed to the next buyer. That is how the model stays affordable, and for disposable sign-ups it's fine. For an account you keep, it creates two weak spots: you can't receive the next code the service sends, and someone else might.

Rentals narrow the gap for a while, but they still end. The simplest way to close it is a number that is assigned to you and nobody else for as long as you pay for it. Our guide on temporary vs. permanent numbers walks through the risk in more detail.

How to switch from VirtualSMS

1. 01List the accounts you created or verified with VirtualSMS numbers, starting with 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 a country 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.
5. 05In each account, change the phone number to your new one and confirm it with the code in your dashboard inbox.
6. 06Check that sign-in still works on your most important accounts before you let any remaining rentals lapse.

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.