By Kevin Park · SaaS reviewer · 2026-08-26 · 6 min read
I review number apps for a living, so I get the same email from Senegal a lot. A freelancer in Dakar landing clients in the US wants a number that looks local on invoices and Upwork. A seller shipping to the diaspora wants WhatsApp Business on a proper +1 line. And nearly everyone wants to receive OTP codes from services that only text American numbers. The question underneath all of it is money: what is the cheapest option that actually works from here?
Let me give you the honest version. I'll credit the apps that are genuinely good, tell you which ones can't even sign you up in Senegal, and show you where the price lands.
The "cheapest" number is usually free — Google Voice, TextNow — and that's exactly the trap. These apps were built for people already in North America, and they check where you're signing up from.
People try to fool these with a VPN. Sometimes a number appears, then it can't receive the WhatsApp code, or the account gets flagged and wiped weeks later. A number you might lose isn't cheap — it's a liability, especially if clients already have it.
To be fair, some paid apps will sell to customers outside North America, and they're legitimate:
These are real choices, and if their feature set fits you, use them. My job here is narrow: the cheapest recurring price for a US number that's WhatsApp-ready and receives OTP, buyable from Senegal. On that specific test, the number I keep coming back to is G100.
| G100 | Google Voice | TextNow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works from Senegal? | Yes — buy from anywhere | No — not available | No — US/Canada sign-up only |
| Price | $1.95/month, no contract | Free (unreachable here) | Free (unreachable here) |
| WhatsApp-ready? | Yes — receives the SMS code | N/A — no number to use | N/A — no number to use |
| Receive OTP? | Yes — codes land in your inbox | N/A | N/A |
The point of the table isn't to dunk on the free apps — they're fine where they're sold. It's that from Senegal they score zero on the only rows that matter, so "free" is moot. A number that works for under $2 a month beats a free one you can't open.
G100 is a US-registered app that sells dedicated US, Canada and Puerto Rico business numbers, and you can buy from anywhere — including Senegal — with no KYC and no documents. Here's the math that makes it the cheapest sensible option:
One honest caveat, because I test these things: G100 numbers receive SMS and OTP today, which is what you need for WhatsApp sign-up and login codes. Outbound SMS sending from the number isn't switched on yet — it's coming after US 10DLC verification clears. So if plain outbound texting is your make-or-break, know that piece is still on the way. For receiving codes, taking calls and running WhatsApp Business, you're covered now.
Meta does the WhatsApp verification; the number just has to catch the code, and this one does — from Dakar, Thiès, Saint-Louis, anywhere.
Among the options that actually work from Senegal, G100 is the cheapest recurring price I've found: a flat $1.95 per month per number, with no contract. Calls are $0.03 per minute from a pay-as-you-go wallet billed in USD via Stripe. Most other paid apps that serve non-US customers cost more per month, and the free apps simply don't let you sign up from Dakar.
Yes. G100 numbers receive SMS and OTP codes, and they arrive in your G100 inbox in the browser or the mobile app. That covers WhatsApp verification and most sign-up codes for services that text a US number. Note that outbound SMS sending from the number is not switched on yet — you can receive today, and sending comes after US 10DLC verification.
Google Voice is not available in Senegal or most of Africa, so you can't get a number to start with. TextNow only allows sign-ups from the United States and Canada, so it blocks registration from a Senegalese connection. Both are dead ends here, which is why people waste time before finding a paid option that works from anywhere.
No. G100 does not ask for KYC or documents to get a US, Canada or Puerto Rico number. You sign up, choose a number, fund your wallet in USD and activate it. That's the whole process, and it works from anywhere in the world including Senegal.
For many Senegalese freelancers, yes. A US number reads as local to American and Canadian clients, it works for WhatsApp Business, and it keeps your personal Senegalese line private. Clients can call or message it, and you answer from your phone or browser wherever you are.
If you want the cheapest US number that genuinely works from Senegal, start at app.g100.us and check the full breakdown on the pricing page.
Buy from Dakar or anywhere. No contract, no KYC. WhatsApp-ready, receives your OTP codes straight to your inbox.
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