VerifyWith vs Google Voice for verification codes

Google Voice and VerifyWith side by side

Google Voice figures are from Google’s own help pages, read on 13 November 2026.

Who can set up Google Voice

Only someone in the US who already has a phone and a personal Gmail account. Google’s plan page says the no-charge versions of Voice are only available in the US, and lists a personal @gmail.com account as a requirement. The plan also needs a phone number to forward calls to, and during setup Google sends a code by text, so that phone has to be on and able to receive it.

The paid personal plans, Voice Starter at $10 a month and Voice Standard at $20 a month, don’t widen this: Google says they are for individual users in the US with a personal Gmail account, and users under 18 can’t have them.

So Google Voice is a second number for someone who has a first one. It isn’t a way to get a US number from abroad, or without a phone. A number from us is bought and read in a browser after you sign in with an email code, Google, Apple or a passkey. If you’re outside the US, our guide to getting a US number from abroad covers the other routes too.

Why a Google Voice number used only for codes can be taken back

Google may reclaim a Voice number that isn’t being used as intended. Its acceptable use policy gives the example of not “placing calls or sending text messages for a period of 3 months”. Google’s help page on keeping a number lists what counts as using it: making a call, sending a text and listening to voicemail.

Receiving a text isn’t on that list. A number you only use to receive codes is the kind that goes quiet, and if an account sends its codes there, losing the number means losing that route back in. After the reclaim date, Google gives you 45 days to get the number back. To keep it, call or text from it before three months pass.

A rented number works the other way round. It stays yours until the end date you paid for, whether or not a text arrives, and you can extend it by a day, a week, a month or a year. When it ends it can be given to someone else, so move the account to a number you’ll keep first. Our guide on what happens when a number expires explains what to change.

Google Voice or a rented number

Questions people ask

Can I get Google Voice outside the US?

No. Google says the personal versions of Voice are only available in the US, and its paid personal plans are for individual users in the US. Setup also sends a code by text to a phone you already have.

Why won’t a website send a code to my Google Voice number?

Google’s help page says some websites, such as banks or subscription services, won’t send text messages to Google Voice numbers, and that you may need to use your mobile carrier number instead. Google doesn’t list which websites or say why.

Is Google Voice a VoIP number?

Google’s own help pages that we read don’t say what kind of line a Voice number is. It matters because many apps look up a number’s line type before sending a code and refuse VoIP numbers. Ours are non-VoIP.

Can Google Voice receive texts from short codes?

Google’s help page says you can’t send texts to five- or six-digit short code numbers. It doesn’t say whether short codes can text a Voice number, so the only way to know for a given service is to try.

Is a rented number cheaper than Google Voice?

No. Basic Google Voice costs nothing, and ours cost $3.99 for a day up to $34.99 for a year. Paying makes sense when you can’t set up Google Voice, or don’t want to keep a number active by calling and texting from it.