Burner vs Hushed: Which Second Number App Is Better?

Burner and Hushed solve the same problem: a second number on the phone you already own. The choice comes down to how you plan to use the number and how long you plan to keep it.

This comparison uses each company's own pricing pages, help pages, and App Store listings. We did not run our own call-quality tests.

Burner vs Hushed at a glance

	Burner	Hushed
Monthly price (US)	Standard $7.99, Premium $12.99	Unlimited from $6.99, prepaid from $7.99, pay as you go from $8.99
Yearly price (US)	Standard $47.99, Premium $69.99	Annual plans save up to 20%
Trial	3 days with limited usage on its App Store listing	3 days on its App Store listing
Number countries	US and Canada	US, Canada, and UK
Unlimited talk and text	On every subscription	On Unlimited plans, local only
Ads	Ad-free	None listed on its plans
Port in a number	No, port-out only	Yes
Extras	Premium adds a VPN and reverse number lookup	Call forwarding, call routing, multiple devices
App Store rating (US)	4.7 from about 94,000 ratings	4.6 from about 23,000 ratings

Price

Hushed Unlimited starts $1 a month lower than Burner Standard. Over a year the picture changes, because Burner's annual Standard plan is $47.99, about $4 a month. Hushed says annual plans save up to 20%, which would put a $6.99 plan at about $5.59 a month.

Burner also says subscribing on its website is 20% cheaper than going through the app stores. Compare the final price in the place you plan to buy.

Deleting and switching numbers

This is Burner's home turf. Its listing is built around making a number, using it, and deleting it when you are done. Burner lets you delete numbers and includes a limited number of replacements. Single-line monthly plans include one swap per month, and single-line yearly plans include six swaps per year.

Hushed says you can keep a number as long as you like, and it suits someone who wants a steady second line. It also supports porting an existing number in, which helps if you already have a number you want to keep.

Where they work

Hushed offers US, Canadian, and UK numbers, and US and Canadian numbers can call and text within both countries. Its pay-as-you-go plan adds international calling.

Burner's help center says the app is available in the US, Canada, and Australia, and that your main number must come from one of those. Burners can only interact with US and Canadian numbers, even while you travel.

Verification codes

Burner says most sites and apps accept its numbers for verification, while warning that policies change. It sells a separate Verified Number subscription for stricter services. Hushed says third-party verification is not guaranteed, because some services block its numbers.

Neither app can promise acceptance, because the service sending the code decides. You can see how a number is classified with our free VoIP number checker.

Which should you pick?

• Choose Burner if you want numbers you can throw away, or you like the VPN and extras on Premium.
• Choose Hushed if you need a UK number, want to port a number in, or prefer credits for occasional use.

A cheaper option than both: HashPhone

If you want one solid second number and the lowest bill, HashPhone is worth comparing. US plans are $2.99 a week, $6.99 a month, or $24.99 a year, about $2 a month, with unlimited talk and text and no ads on iPhone, iPad, and Android.

It offers US and Canadian numbers, and Change Number lets you swap to a new one for a one-time $2.99 in the US. It does not have UK numbers or a VPN bundle, so it will not replace everything these two do. For most people who only want a private line for calls and texts, it costs about half of Burner Standard over a year.

For more options, see our guides to Burner alternatives and Hushed alternatives.