By Rahul Menon · Founder · 2026-09-08 · 7 min read
I run a small export business out of Bengaluru — handloom and home textiles, mostly to buyers in the US and Canada. For two years my whole overseas operation ran off my personal +91 number on WhatsApp. It worked, sort of. But every time a new buyer saw an Indian mobile number, I could feel the hesitation. A number that starts with +1 just reads differently to a store owner in Toronto or a boutique in Austin. It says you're set up to do business with them, not that you're a guy messaging from his phone at 2 AM (which, to be fair, I often was).
So earlier this year I decided to get a proper US or Canada number. I assumed it would take an afternoon. It took me the better part of two weeks and a lot of dead ends. Here's the honest version of what I tried, what wasted my time, and what finally stuck.
Three things, in order of importance:
Cheap mattered too. I'm bootstrapped. I wasn't going to pay ₹1,500 a month for a second number I mostly use to receive messages.
Everyone online says "just use Google Voice." So I tried. Google Voice is genuinely good if you're sitting in the US. The problem is you basically need to already be in the US, with a US number to link, to even set it up. It's not offered in India at all — same story for a bunch of other countries like Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya and Egypt. I burned an evening on VPN tricks and forum threads before accepting it: from India, Google Voice is a non-starter. Full stop.
Next I read that TextNow gives out free US numbers. Sounded perfect. Except TextNow is North America only, and it blocks registration from outside the US and Canada. I couldn't even create an account from my Bengaluru IP. The app just refuses. So that was thirty minutes I'm not getting back.
I looked at a couple of others in the same breath. Hushed works and offers US/CA/UK numbers, but it's paid and pricier, and it's clearly built for a US audience, not for someone like me. Vyke is a decent app too, but it only does US, UK, France, Canada, Netherlands and Poland numbers — and India isn't a supported country for signup. Good apps, wrong side of the border.
I found G100 (app.g100.us) — a US-registered app that actually lets you sign up and buy from India. That last part sounds trivial until you've been rejected by three apps in a row.
I created an account, picked a US number (I chose a 415 area code because a lot of my buyers are West Coast, and it just feels right), and activated it. No KYC. No uploading my passport or a utility bill. The whole thing took maybe ten minutes and the number was live.
The price is what sold me: a flat $1.95/month — roughly ₹165 — with no contract and no annual lock-in. It's a pay-as-you-go wallet, billed in USD through Stripe, and because I'm in India I could top up with UPI, which I didn't expect. Calls run $0.03/min if I need to actually ring someone. You can see the full breakdown on the pricing page.
WhatsApp registration was the real test. I opened WhatsApp Business, punched in the new +1 number, and Meta sent the verification code by SMS. It landed in my G100 inbox in the browser, I typed it in, done. Worth understanding why this works: WhatsApp verification is handled by Meta, not by the number provider. Meta sends the code; the number just has to be able to receive it. G100's numbers receive SMS and calls, so the whole thing goes through.
I'm not going to pretend it's flawless, because that's how you end up disappointed. Two things you should know before you buy:
Here's everything I tried, in one table, so you don't have to repeat my two weeks:
| Service | Works from India? | Price | WhatsApp-ready? | No-KYC? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G100 | Yes | $1.95/mo flat | Yes (receive OTP + calls) | Yes — no documents |
| Google Voice | No — not offered in India | Free (US only) | N/A from India | N/A from India |
| TextNow | No — can't register outside US/CA | Free (US/CA only) | N/A from India | N/A from India |
| Hushed | Limited — US/CA/UK focus | Paid, pricier | Varies | No clear India path |
| Vyke | No — India not supported | Paid | Varies | No India signup |
My +1 number has been running my export chats for a few months now. Buyers reply faster, and I'm no longer handing strangers my personal line — I can keep work and my family WhatsApp cleanly apart. If I ever scale up support and want a shared team inbox with broadcasts and message templates, G100 has an optional WhatsApp Business Cloud API add-on for $10/month. I haven't needed it yet; the phone app on one dedicated number is plenty for a shop my size.
If you're in India and you've been hitting the same walls I did — Google Voice refusing to load, TextNow blocking your signup — the short answer is that most of these apps are built for people who are already in North America. G100 was the one that actually let me, an Indian founder, buy a US number and get on with my work. For ₹165 a month, it's the cheapest thing that actually did the job.
You can grab a number at app.g100.us, and the pricing page has the full rate card.
Can I get a US or Canada number from India without KYC or documents?
Yes. G100 sells US, Canada and Puerto Rico numbers, and there's no KYC or document upload to activate one. You make an account, pick a number, and pay. It works from India in the browser and the mobile app.
Will the number work for WhatsApp verification?
Yes. WhatsApp verification is done by Meta, which sends the code to the number. The number only needs to be able to receive the SMS or a voice call. G100's US and Canada numbers can receive both, so WhatsApp registration works today.
Can I send SMS from a G100 number?
Not yet. You can receive SMS and OTP codes today, but outbound SMS sending isn't live because 10DLC verification is still in progress. For WhatsApp, receiving OTP codes, and voice calls, the number works right now.
How much does the cheapest option cost?
G100 is a flat $1.95/month with no contract, pay-as-you-go from a USD wallet via Stripe (UPI works from India too). Calls are $0.03/min, and there's an optional WhatsApp Business Cloud API add-on for $10/month if you need a team inbox.
Flat $1.95/mo, no contract, no KYC. WhatsApp-ready, receives OTP, works from India.
Get your number →