TextNow vs Hushed: which second phone number should you get?
Last updated: August 10, 2026
Short answer: This is a straight free-versus-paid trade. TextNow costs nothing and is the right answer if you want a second number indefinitely and don't mind ads. Hushed costs real money and is the right answer if the number's whole point is that it's temporary — you buy a period, use it, and let it lapse without the number lingering or your identity attached to it.
Who’s writing this: we make Petitext, which appears as a third option below. We don’t earn anything if you pick TextNow or Hushed, and for a lot of people one of them is the right call — so the comparison says so plainly.
TextNow vs Hushed, side by side
| TextNow | Hushed | Petitext(ours) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Existing phone number needed to sign up? | No — an email, Google, or Apple account | No — an app account and a payment method | No — an email address is all it takes |
| App install required? | App or browser, plus a TextNow account | Yes — iOS or Android app | No |
| Available from outside North America? | Numbers are US and Canada; availability varies | Numbers in the US, Canada, and UK; 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 TextNow account | Yes — a Hushed account | No |
| Where your conversations live | In the app or web inbox | 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 | Not applicable — free and ad-supported | Prepaid 30, 90, or 365-day periods | Yes — from $1.99/day |
| What happens when you stop | The number may be reclaimed after inactivity | Cancel, or let a prepaid period lapse | The number expires on its own |
| Voice calls | Yes — over Wi-Fi | Yes | No — text only |
| Reliable for verification codes | Often works, not guaranteed | Often works, not guaranteed | No |
| Price | Free, ad-supported | About $7/month and up | $1.99/day · $10.99/month |
TextNow and Hushed details checked against their own sites on August 10, 2026 — TextNow pricing, Hushed pricing. Prices change; check theirs before you buy.
Choose TextNow if…
- You want a second number at no cost
- You'll use it regularly enough that it won't be reclaimed for inactivity
- Ads are an acceptable trade for free calling and texting
- You want free calls over Wi-Fi
Choose Hushed if…
- The number is meant to be temporary and then gone
- You don't want ads, and you don't want the number tied to a free account you'll forget
- You need a UK number, or a specific area code from a large selection
- You want the number to expire on a schedule you chose
Both still live in an app
TextNow has a browser version and Hushed does not, but both require you to create an account in their system and check that system for your messages. Neither reaches you where you already are. If you can't install apps — or simply don't want another inbox to remember to check — that's the gap Petitext fills, by delivering texts to the email you read anyway.
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, TextNow or Hushed 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 worth paying for when TextNow is free?
It is if you specifically want the number to be temporary. TextNow's model is a free number you keep and see ads on; Hushed's is a paid number you deliberately discard. If you're selling something, meeting someone new, or posting a listing, the disposable one is usually what you actually want.
Does TextNow or Hushed require an app?
Hushed requires its app. TextNow offers a browser version as well as an app, but still requires a TextNow account. Neither delivers to a plain email inbox, which is what Petitext does instead.
Which one keeps my real number more private?
Both hide your real number from the person you're texting — that part works the same way. The difference is what happens afterwards: a Hushed number can be discarded so the conversation has a definite end, whereas a TextNow number tends to stick around attached to a free account.
What if I can't install either app?
Then neither is usable, and that's more common than it sounds — work phones under an MDM profile, older handsets, and phones with no free storage all rule out app installs. Petitext needs no app, no eSIM, and no SIM card: the number is dedicated to you and its texts arrive as ordinary email.