One-time verification number or a rented number

One-time and rented numbers side by side

Per-code prices as listed on 13 November 2026: TextVerified $0.75 for a US Google or Telegram code and $1.50 for WhatsApp; 5sim 0.38 for a US Google code (no currency is given in its price list; its site shows $). Windows as the services state them: 5sim 10 to 20 minutes, SMS-Man up to 20, OnlineSIM 15.

When a one-time number is enough

A one-time number is the right buy when the app will text you once and never again. That means an account you will throw away, or one where you add an email address or an authenticator app straight after sign-up and remove the phone number.

Per-code services also do things we don’t:

• Lower prices for one code. At TextVerified’s $0.75, 5 Google codes cost no more than one day of a rented number at $3.99.
• Many countries. SMSPool lists over 150 and 5sim around 180. We offer US numbers only.
• Codes by voice call. TextVerified sells voice verifications. Our numbers can’t take calls.

When you need a rented number

You need a rented number whenever the account may text the same number again. A one-time number can’t receive that second text, because it was only yours for one code. TextVerified, for one, says that once a verification has ended the number may be removed at any time.

• A late resend. If the first code is slow and you ask for another, it may land after a short window has closed.
• Signing in again. Many apps text a code when you sign in on a new phone, reset a password or trip a security check.
• More than one app. A rented number takes texts from every sender, so one number covers a project that needs several accounts of your own.
• Testing your own sign-up flow. Repeated test runs against one number cost one rental, not one fee per code.

Ours is a non-VoIP US number. That matters because many apps look up a number’s line type and refuse VoIP numbers, though apps refuse numbers for other reasons too, so no app is promised. What to do before a rental runs out is in what happens when a temporary number expires.

Working out which costs less

Divide the rental price by the per-code price you were quoted. At $0.75 a code, the price of a day ($3.99) pays for 5 codes and the price of a week ($7.99) for 10. If you need fewer codes than that and will never sign in again, one-time costs less.

Two things change the sum. A prepaid balance you don’t use up is money spent, whatever the price per code. And no number of one-time codes covers a later sign-in, because the account texts the old number and it is no longer yours, so the sum only holds for accounts that will never text you again. The per-code vs rental calculator does the sum with your own figures.

Questions people ask

How long does a one-time verification number last?

Usually minutes. 5sim states 10 to 20 minutes, SMS-Man up to 20 and OnlineSIM 15. After that the number no longer receives texts for you.

Can I get the same one-time number again later?

Usually not. A one-time number is issued for one activation, and TextVerified says a number may be removed at any time once a verification has ended. If you will need the number again, rent it for that long instead.

Can a one-time number receive codes from two different apps?

Usually not. You buy it for one chosen service; OnlineSIM’s 15-minute numbers, for example, receive texts from one service. A second app means a second purchase, often on a different number.

Do one-time number services make you load a balance first?

Every per-code service in our research asked for a prepaid balance or credits. When no code arrives, SMSPool and 5sim refund the order to that balance automatically.

Why doesn’t VerifyWith sell single codes?

Because a single code leaves you without the number the next time the account texts it. We rent a number for a period instead, and the price is only held on your card until the first text arrives.