Per code or rented number: which costs less?
Paying per code is cheaper when you need one or two codes, once, and never need the number again. Renting is cheaper when you expect several codes, need the number over several days, or will sign in to the account again later. Enter your own figures below: the calculator shows both totals and the number of codes at which renting starts to win.
Checked by VerifyWith on
| Way to pay | The sum | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Per code | 3 × $0.50 | $1.50 |
| Rented number, 7 days | 1 week | $7.99 |
The two ways number services charge
Per code. You pick one app, pay a small amount, and get a number for a short window, often a few minutes, to receive that app’s code. The number is then gone. A resend that arrives after the window, a second app, or a sign-in next week each mean paying again, usually for a different number.
Rental. You pay for a period and the number is yours for all of it. Every text from every sender arrives, however many there are. That is the only kind we sell: 1 day for $3.99, 1 week for $7.99, 1 month for $12.99 or 1 year for $34.99.
What a rented number costs per day
The longer lengths cost far less for each day, which is what moves the break-even point.
| Length | Price | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| 1 week | $7.99 | $1.14 |
| 1 month | $12.99 | $0.43 |
| 1 year | $34.99 | $0.10 |
The calculator picks the cheapest mix for the days you enter. For 10 days that is one month, not a week plus three days.
What the totals don’t show
- Whether you’ll need the number again. Many apps text a code again when you sign in on a new phone or reset a password. A per-code number can’t receive it. See our guides on what happens when a number ends.
- Who else can see the texts. A rented number here is yours alone for the period. Ask the same of any per-code service you compare it with.
- What happens if no code arrives. Check the refund rule before you pay either way. Ours: the card is only held until the first text arrives, and a number with no texts can be cancelled within 24 hours. The details are in the refund policy.
- Prepaid balances. Per-code services often ask you to load a balance first. What you don’t spend stays with them. The per-code total above assumes you spend exactly what you load.
Questions people ask
- How many codes make renting cheaper than paying per code?
- Divide the rental price by the per-code price. At $0.50 a code, a $3.99 day rental wins from the eighth code and a $7.99 week from the sixteenth. At $2 a code, the day rental wins from the second code.
- Is a one-time number enough for signing up to an app?
- It is enough to receive the first code. It is not enough if the app texts that number again later, for a new device, a password reset or a security check, because the number will no longer be yours.
- Does a rented number limit how many texts I can receive?
- Not here. A VerifyWith number receives every text sent to it during the rental, from any sender, at no extra cost.
- What is the cheapest way to keep a number for two months?
- Two one-month rentals at $12.99 each cost less than one year at $34.99. From the third month, the year is cheaper than paying month by month.