Cole runs Hendry Mobile Tire out of a van, and four years ago he handed his personal cell number to every customer. Last month a regular called at 10:40 on a Saturday night about a flat, and Cole was at his daughter's recital with the phone buzzing in his pocket. He didn't answer, and the customer called a competitor.
A second phone number for your business fixes the part of that story you can control. There are four ways to get one: a second line from your carrier, a VoIP app, Google Voice, or a dedicated business line that comes with something answering it. The table below compares them on cost, texting, moving your old number in, and what happens when you can't pick up, so you can choose in about five minutes.
Four options in one table
| Option | What it costs | Texting | Port your number in | Who answers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier second line, or eSIM on a recent iPhone | Your carrier's add-a-line price (varies by plan) | Yes, normal texting | Yes, through the carrier | You, or carrier voicemail |
| VoIP app | Per user per month, set by the vendor | Yes, with business-texting registration for automated messages | Usually yes | You, voicemail, sometimes an auto-attendant |
| Google Voice | Business plans listed at $10, $20 and $30 per user per month (as published on their site, October 2026); a free personal version needs an existing mobile number | Yes | Check Google's current steps | You, voicemail, auto-attendant on some plans |
| Dedicated line with an AI answerer | Rocketship: $5 a month on Launch and Frontier, included on Mission Control | Confirm your plan before relying on two-way texting | Ask first; forwarding your old number works too | An AI worker takes the call, gets the details and books a time |
Each row is a different answer to a different problem. Read the next four sections for what the table cannot fit.
Option 1: a second line from your carrier
You add a line to your plan and get a new number. Recent iPhones can hold two lines on one phone, one physical SIM and one eSIM, or two eSIMs, so you carry one device and have two numbers. The Phone app lets you pick which line a call goes out on, and Settings has a default voice line. It is the most natural option: calls and texts work like any other, and there is nothing to install.
The limit is that the second line is just a number. If you don't answer, the carrier's voicemail takes it, and there is no team access. It suits a solo owner who wants a wall between work and home. For the other end, a few people sharing a number, the phone system guide goes further.
Option 2: a VoIP app
A VoIP app gives you a business number that works over data or wifi through an app on your phone and your computer. You pay by the user per month, and some plans include a shared inbox, call recording and an auto-attendant. Calls you place from the app show the business number. Calls you place from your regular phone dialer still show your personal number, which is the mistake people make in week one. If you send automated texts from a VoIP number, carriers require the sender to register, so ask the vendor about that before you plan a text campaign.
Option 3: Google Voice
Google Voice sits between the app and the carrier. The personal version is free and needs an existing mobile number to link to. The business plans are priced per user and add more features at higher tiers. If you already live in Google's tools, it is easy to set up. It doesn't answer anything for you beyond voicemail with a transcript, so the question of who picks up remains yours.
Option 4: a dedicated business line
Here the number comes with an answerer. Rocketship's phone answering picks up the number you already have through call forwarding, takes the caller's details and books a time on your calendar. Launch includes that, with 30 voice minutes a month, and a dedicated number is not included, so a line is $5 a month. Frontier works the same way with 80 minutes and a $5 line. Mission Control includes a dedicated number, with 150 minutes. Use this option if the real problem is calls you miss, not a wish for a second identity. It is the one that does the answering, and the cost is a plan, with the number attached. The answer page on AI answering your business phone covers what it can and can't do.
Pick in five minutes
If you only want a wall between work and home, take the carrier line. If two or more people need to share the number, take a VoIP app or Google Voice. If you already pay for Google Workspace, Google Voice is the shortest setup. If the real trouble is that calls go unanswered when your hands are full, start with the answering option and keep your current number. Most owners are one of those four people, and the wrong pick costs a month of fees, not a lost number, as long as you forward before you port.
What callers see, and what texting does
On caller ID, people see the number you called from. That is the rule to remember. Set your phone so that business calls go out on the business line, and test by calling a friend. For texting, a second carrier line and Google Voice behave like normal texting. Business-style automated texting from an app or service number needs registration with carriers in the US, and not every plan supports it equally. Our piece on how a one-person business stops missing calls shows how texting back fits in.
A second number also helps with tracking. If you print one number on the van and another in your Google listing, you can see which brings calls. How to do that is in tracking which phone calls turn into customers.
Keep the old number working
You have two ways to keep the number customers already know. Port it, which moves it to the new provider and takes days, or forward it, which takes a minute. Forwarding is the safer first move: your old number stays with its carrier and rings the new one. Port only after you've tested for a week, and ask the new provider what it needs, which usually means your account number, the PIN and a recent bill. If you do forward, the iPhone forwarding steps have the codes, and forwarding your business number to AI covers the answering side.
Cole put an eSIM line on his own phone and forwards the old number to something that answers when he's at a recital. The next Saturday-night flat gets picked up. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own, and it answers the number you already have. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and every monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required. Answering your existing number is included; a dedicated line is $5 a month.