How we score Virtual phone numbers
Rubric v1, published Sep 24, 2026 · See the ranking
We score each virtual-number service on its entry plan using only what the company publishes on its own website: the price you must pay (including any subscription it requires), contract terms, included features, number options and support hours. Every score is worked out by the formula shown for its criterion, and every fact behind it links to the page it came from, with the date we read it.
A fact the company does not publish counts as absent. We have not tested these services hands-on; when we do, the method will say so and the rubric version will change.
The criteria
| Criterion | Weight | What a 10 and a 0 look like |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 35% | Monthly price of the entry plan per user (or per number), plus any subscription the service requires: the lowest price the company publishes, annual prepay included, before promotional discounts; where the company's own pages disagree, the higher figure. 10 at $10 or less, 0 at $40 or more, straight line between. Quote-only scores 0. |
| Included features | 30% | Which of five features the entry plan includes: business texting, call forwarding, voicemail transcription, business-hours routing, mobile and desktop apps. 2 points each. |
| Number options | 15% | Which of four number options the company offers: local numbers, toll-free numbers, vanity numbers, porting an existing number in. 2.5 points each. |
| Contract and cancellation | 10% | 10, less 5 if the entry plan cannot be bought month to month, less 3 if it has a seat minimum above one, less 2 if the terms charge for leaving early (the rest of the term, or a termination or disconnection fee). Not published counts against. |
| Support | 10% | Support on the entry plan: 24/7 phone and chat 10; 24/7 on one channel 7; business-hours phone and chat 6; chat or email only 3; not published 0. |
The overall score is 10 × the sum of weight × criterion score, from 0 to 100, shown as 0-10 with one decimal.
Version history
- v1, published Sep 24, 2026: Price 35%, Included features 30%, Number options 15%, Contract and cancellation 10%, Support 10%