Free Disposable Phone Numbers - Numbr and PrivatePhone

Have you ever had a need for a disposable phone number? Let's say you sold something on Craigslist or filled out a form that required a phone number, and you didn't want to put your actual phone number. Or maybe you just met a potential love interest (but you don't know yet if that person is a psycho stalker.) That's when a disposable phone number comes in handy.

You can get a free disposable phone number at either of the following sites:

Numbr
PrivatePhone

Since I've used both of them, I’ll review them both, sharing the pros and cons of each. Keep in mind that these services are free. PrivatePhone has extra features if you want to pay for them, but I don't! So I'm reviewing the free stuff. Also, I am not being paid to write this review, nor do I benefit in any way if you sign up for either service. I just like the flexibility of having a disposable phone number.

Numbr
Pros:
• It can be set so that calls to the disposable phone number are forwarded to an actual phone.
• You can also set up a 'do not disturb between 9pm - 8am', which means all calls received during that time will automatically go to voicemail.
• The customer service is excellent, which is very important to me. I sent a 'technical difficulties' email to them, and within hours they had responded, and they worked with me until the problem was solved.

Cons:
• The disposable number is ten digits plus a three digit extension, which is sometimes awkward.
• The number expires automatically after one month if you do not access your account and extend it. (But if it expires, you can always reactivate it.)
• You can't record a personalized voicemail greeting.

PrivatePhone
Pros:
• The disposable number is ten digits only.
• You can record a personal voicemail greeting.
• You can listen to the voicemail online OR by calling your account from a regular phone.

Cons:
• When someone calls the disposable number, they can only leave a voicemail - calls cannot be received on an actual phone.
• If you do not access your account regularly, the number will be deactivated.
• If the number is deactivated, you only have seven days to reactivate it or your number is lost to you forever.

As you can see, there are benefits to each provider. I personally use both, but my bias is toward Numbr because of the amazing, personalized customer service I received from them. Plus I prefer to receive calls on a regular phone rather than have them sent directly to voicemail. However, it's really a personal preference.

Whichever you choose (maybe both, like me), it really does come in handy to have a disposable phone number. It's nice to have another way to thwart the telemarketers.