Hushed vs Burner: which second phone number should you get?
Last updated: August 10, 2026
Short answer: These two are closer than any other pair on this list — both are paid apps with calling and throwaway numbers. Hushed wins on flexibility: prepaid periods you can buy and let lapse, and numbers in the UK as well as the US and Canada. Burner wins on the ongoing experience: spam blocking, easy number-swapping, and a Verified Number tier that's classified as mobile, which makes it the more realistic pick if verification codes matter to you.
Who’s writing this: we make Petitext, which appears as a third option below. We don’t earn anything if you pick Hushed or Burner, and for a lot of people one of them is the right call — so the comparison says so plainly.
Hushed vs Burner, side by side
| Hushed | Burner | Petitext(ours) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Existing phone number needed to sign up? | No — an app account and a payment method | No — an app account and a payment method | No — an email address is all it takes |
| App install required? | Yes — iOS or Android app | Yes — iPhone or Android app | No |
| Available from outside North America? | Numbers in the US, Canada, and UK; varies by region | US numbers; varies by region | Yes — works from any country |
| Time to a working number | A few minutes | A few minutes | About a minute |
| Tied to a permanent account? | Yes — a Hushed account | Yes — a Burner account | No |
| Where your conversations live | In the app | In the app | Your own email inbox — searchable and exportable |
| Can you text first, not just reply? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Short-term use without a subscription | Prepaid 30, 90, or 365-day periods | No — it is a subscription | Yes — from $1.99/day |
| What happens when you stop | Cancel, or let a prepaid period lapse | Cancel in the app | The number expires on its own |
| Voice calls | Yes | Yes | No — text only |
| Reliable for verification codes | Often works, not guaranteed | Often works; a mobile-classified tier costs more | No |
| Price | About $7/month and up | About $4–13/month depending on plan | $1.99/day · $10.99/month |
Hushed and Burner details checked against their own sites on August 10, 2026 — Hushed pricing, Burner pricing. Prices change; check theirs before you buy.
Choose Hushed if…
- You want to pay once for a fixed period and let it expire, not hold a subscription
- You need a UK number as well as US or Canada
- You want a large choice of area codes (300+)
- Your use is occasional rather than continuous
Choose Burner if…
- You swap numbers often and want that to be one tap
- You want spam blocking and auto-reply built in
- You want the best shot at verification codes — the Verified Number tier is mobile-classified
- You'll use it year-round, where the annual price drops it to about $3.99/month
What both of them require
Both are apps, full stop. There's no Hushed or Burner without something installed on your phone, and both are subscriptions or prepaid credit that you actively manage. If your phone can't install apps — a work device under an MDM profile, an older handset, or one with no storage left — neither is available to you at any price.
The third option: a number with no app to download
Petitext is ours, so weigh this accordingly. It exists for the case the two above don’t cover: you get a dedicated US or Canada number, and every text sent to it arrives in the email inbox you already use. You reply from your inbox and it reaches them as an ordinary text. There’s no app to download, no eSIM, and no SIM card, which is why it works on work phones locked down by an MDM profile, older handsets, and phones with no storage left — and from any country, since all it needs is email.
Where Petitext loses: it has no voice calls — it is text only, so if you need to take calls, Hushed or Burner beats it outright. And it is not reliable for one-time verification codes: our numbers are VoIP-classified and many banks and apps reject those. If OTP codes are your whole reason for wanting a number, don’t buy Petitext for that.
Pricing is $1.99 for a day, $8.99 for a week, or $10.99/month on the Monthly Pass — cancel anytime. See plans and pricing, or the full comparison against all four.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hushed or Burner cheaper?
It depends on how long you need it. Burner is cheaper if you'll use it all year — the Standard plan works out to about $3.99/month billed annually, versus $7.99 month-to-month. Hushed is cheaper for short bursts, because you can buy a prepaid period and simply let it lapse instead of holding a subscription.
Which is better for verification codes?
Burner, if you pay for its Verified Number tier, which provides numbers classified as mobile in carrier databases and are therefore accepted more often. Standard numbers on either service are VoIP-classified and get rejected regularly. No virtual number is guaranteed for OTP.
Can I use Hushed or Burner outside the US?
Hushed offers numbers in the US, Canada, and the UK. Burner is US-focused. Both need their app and an internet connection. If you're outside North America and want a US or Canada number without installing anything, Petitext works from any country with only an email address.
Is there a disposable number that doesn't need an app?
Yes — that's what Petitext is. You get a dedicated US or Canada number for a day, three days, a week, or month to month, and every text sent to it arrives in your email inbox. Passes expire on their own, so there's nothing to cancel. The trade-off is that Petitext is text only, with no voice calls.