Skype Number is going away — the best alternative in 2026

If you're reading this, you probably already got the bad news: your Skype Number stopped working. Microsoft retired Skype in 2025, and the Skype Number and Skype Credit that rode on top of it were discontinued at the same time. For a lot of people that number wasn't a novelty — it was a real line handed out to customers, printed on listings, or used to receive verification codes. Losing it isn't a small thing.

I write migration guides for a living, and this one is refreshingly simple once you name the problem correctly. You don't need "a Skype replacement." You need a replacement phone number — one that makes and receives calls, receives SMS, and ideally is ready for WhatsApp. Let's walk through what you actually lost and how to pick the right thing to move to.

What a Skype Number actually did for you

Strip away the app and a Skype Number was doing three jobs. It gave you a dialable phone number that lived in software, so calls to it rang on your computer or phone instead of a SIM. It let you receive text messages and codes on that number in many regions. And it let people in another country reach you at a local-looking number, which mattered for freelancers, sellers and small teams working across borders.

When the service shut down, all three of those jobs went away at once. And here's the part people underestimate: a Skype Number was rented, not owned. You were leasing it from Microsoft's service. So when the service ended, there was no number to "take with you." That's why porting it out generally isn't an option — the realistic path is a new number, updated everywhere you used the old one.

What to look for in a replacement

Not every "second phone number" app can do what Skype Number did. A few of them are just chat handles, and a lot of the free ones fall down at the exact moment you need them. Before you commit to anything, check it against this short list.

A real, dedicated number. You want a number that belongs to your account and stays yours, not a shared or recycled one that a stranger used last month. Recycled numbers are the number-one reason verification codes get rejected.

Calls and inbound SMS/OTP that actually land. This is where cheap apps quietly fail. If you use the number to receive one-time passwords for logins, banking or WhatsApp, test that codes arrive before you rely on it. Many free numbers are blocked by the very services you're trying to verify with.

WhatsApp-ready. For a huge share of the world, business messaging is WhatsApp. If your number can't receive the code Meta sends during registration, it can't become your WhatsApp Business line — and you'll find that out the hard way.

Available where you live. This trips up more people than anything else. Some of the obvious alternatives simply won't let you sign up from outside a specific country. If you're overseas, availability is the first thing to check, not the last.

Where the obvious alternatives fall short

Two names come up constantly, so let me be fair to both. Google Voice is a genuinely good product — but it requires a US-based setup, so if you're not in the United States you generally can't complete signup at all. TextNow is another popular free option, but it's limited to North America, which rules it out for most of the people who used Skype Numbers precisely because they were abroad.

If you happen to live in the US, Google Voice may suit you fine. If you don't, both of those doors are effectively closed, and that's the gap most former Skype Number users fall into.

How G100 fits

G100 is a US-registered service built for exactly this situation: someone who needs a working number and can't rely on the US-only options. You can buy a dedicated US or Canada number (Puerto Rico too) from anywhere in the world, with no KYC to get started. The numbers receive SMS and OTP codes and handle calls today, and they're WhatsApp-ready — meaning they can receive the verification code Meta sends when you register WhatsApp Business.

Pricing is a flat $1.95/month per number, paid in USD through Stripe, and everything lives in one dashboard you can use in the browser or on mobile. If you later want the official WhatsApp Business Cloud API for a shared team inbox and broadcasts, that's an optional $10/month on top.

I'll be straight about one limitation, because you should know it before you switch: outbound SMS sending isn't live yet. Receiving texts and OTP codes works today, and so do calls and WhatsApp — but sending SMS is still on the roadmap. If firing off text messages from the number is a hard requirement for you right now, factor that in.

Side by side

A simple migration checklist

Whichever provider you land on, the switch itself is straightforward. Get your new number first. Then update it in the places that matter most, in this order: account logins and two-factor settings (so codes keep arriving), then WhatsApp if you use it, then your public-facing contact points — listings, email signature, business cards, invoices. Keep a short list of everywhere the old Skype Number appeared so nothing gets missed. Do that once and you're done thinking about it.

The short version

Skype Numbers are gone, and they aren't coming back. What you replace one with depends mostly on where you live. In the US, Google Voice is a reasonable free choice. Everywhere else, the two obvious free options lock you out — and that's the whole reason G100 exists: a WhatsApp-ready US or Canada number you can buy from anywhere, at a flat $1.95 a month, that receives SMS and OTP and handles calls today. Just go in knowing outbound SMS sending isn't live yet.

If that fits, you can get a number in a few minutes at app.g100.us, or read the full breakdown on the pricing page first.

FAQ

Why do I need a Skype Number replacement?
Microsoft retired Skype in 2025, and Skype Numbers and Skype Credit were discontinued along with it. If you used a Skype Number as a real phone line — to take calls or receive texts — that line no longer works, so you need a replacement number that can make and receive calls and receive SMS.

Can I keep my old Skype Number?
In practice, no. A Skype Number was rented from Microsoft's service, not owned by you, so when the service was retired the number went with it. The realistic move is to get a new number and update it everywhere you used the old one — contacts, listings and account logins.

Will a replacement number work for WhatsApp and OTP codes?
It depends on the provider. G100's US and Canada numbers are WhatsApp-ready and receive SMS and one-time-password (OTP) codes today, which covers WhatsApp registration and login verifications. Many free apps and recycled numbers fail at exactly this step, so it's worth checking before you commit.

Can I sign up from outside the US?
Yes with G100 — you can buy a US or Canada number from anywhere in the world, with no KYC, and pay in USD via Stripe. That's the key difference from Google Voice, which needs a US-based setup, and TextNow, which is limited to North America.