Sideline Alternatives: Second-Number Apps and Beyond

Short answer: Sideline is a $14.49-per-month second-number app for one person. If you want the same thing cheaper, look at Google Voice (free Basic, $10 Starter) or Line2 ($9.99 basic, $15.99 Starter). If your business has grown and several people need to answer the number, look at Grasshopper (from $25 per month for unlimited users on Solo Plus, billed annually), Talkroute ($39 for 3 users), Quo ($19 per user) or Callata ($99 per month for up to five users).

Prices come from each vendor's pricing or help page, checked October 1, 2026, and exclude taxes and fees.

What Sideline offers

Sideline, from Pinger, gives you a second number in an app on your existing phone. Its help center lists $14.49 for one month, $69.99 for six months and $129.99 for a year. Its site highlights:

• Calls over your carrier's network, so Wi-Fi is not needed.
• Unlimited SMS, MMS and group messaging.
• Auto-replies to missed calls and messages.
• A separate voicemail greeting, spam labeling and number porting.

Sideline's App Store listing mentions a $5.99 one-time fee to switch your number. Voicemail-to-text is sold as an in-app add-on, according to app analytics listings.

Two different reasons to switch

1. You want a cheaper or different second-number app for yourself.
2. Your business outgrew a personal line and others need to answer it.

The alternatives split along those lines. If you are in the first group, compare price, texting features and call quality. If you are in the second, compare how each system routes calls and texts among several people, because that is where personal second-number apps fall short.

Alternatives at a glance

Provider	Price	Who it is for	Shared team number	Call technology
Sideline (baseline)	$14.49/mo, $129.99/yr	One person	No	Carrier network
Google Voice	Free Basic; $10/mo Starter	One person (team plans need Workspace)	Team plans	Internet
Line2	$9.99/mo basic; $15.99 Starter	One person	No	Internet
Grasshopper	$14 / $25 / $55 per month (annual)	Solo to small team	Solo Plus and up	Forwards to your phone
Talkroute	$19 (1 user) / $39 (3) / $59 (10)	Small team	Yes	Internet, apps
Quo	$19/user/mo ($15 annual)	Small team, per user	Yes	Internet, apps
Callata	$99/mo for up to 5 users, $20/extra user	Small teams	Yes, shared texting inbox	Browser plus ring your cell

For individuals: cheaper or different second numbers

Google Voice

The free Basic plan gives one number that rings your devices, with domestic calling and texting; it requires an existing mobile number. Starter ($10 per month) adds 24/7 support, protection from number reclamation for inactivity, call transfers and recording. See Google Voice pricing explained.

Versus Sideline: cheaper, but internet-based and tied to a Google account.

Line2

Line2's basic plan is $9.99 per month ($7.99 annually). Starter ($15.99) offers a local or toll-free number with unlimited US and Canada calls and texts, call blocking and screening; Business ($25.99) adds recording and voicemail transcription. See Line2 pricing explained.

Versus Sideline: similar price, with a toll-free option and call screening.

For growing businesses: shared numbers

Grasshopper

Grasshopper's Solo Plus ($25 per month billed annually) gives one number with three extensions and unlimited users; Small Business ($55) gives four numbers and unlimited extensions. Calls forward to each person's phone behind a professional greeting. Texting requires a $19.50 registration and $1.50 per month. See Grasshopper pricing explained.

Talkroute

Talkroute Plus ($39 per month) covers three users, two numbers and 2,000 texts; Pro ($59) covers ten users, three numbers, 5,000 texts and call recording. See Talkroute pricing explained.

Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

Quo Starter ($19 per user monthly) gives each person a number plus shared numbers, with calling, texting, voicemail transcripts and the Sona AI agent. See Quo pricing explained.

Callata

Callata is $99 per month with five users included, plus $20 for each additional user, with up to three local numbers, unlimited inbound calling and 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user (then $0.01 per minute), ring groups, business-hours routing, a shared texting inbox (after a one-time $49 10DLC registration), call recording with AI summaries, voicemail transcription with urgency triage and E911. AI agents answer and place calls at $0.25 per minute. See Callata vs Sideline.

Cost as the team grows

People answering	Sideline (separate accounts, monthly)	Grasshopper (annual)	Talkroute	Quo Starter (monthly)	Callata
1	$14.49	$14	$19	$19	$99
3	$43.47	$25	$39	$57	$99
6	$86.94	$25 or $55	$59	$114	$119
12	$173.88	$55	$69 (Pro + 2 users)	$228	$239

Separate Sideline accounts give each person their own number but no shared history, so they are not a real team setup. The useful comparison for a team is between the shared-number options. On price alone, Grasshopper and Talkroute are the cheapest at every size shown; Callata costs more and competes on its shared texting inbox, AI summaries and AI answering.

Carrier calling vs internet calling

Sideline's use of the carrier network is a real advantage in places with weak data coverage. Internet-based systems depend on your Wi-Fi or mobile data. Callata softens this by ringing your cell phone as well as the browser. If your team works in basements, rural sites or busy venues, test call quality on your actual locations before switching.

What to look for when you move to a team setup

Moving from a personal second number to a team system changes how calls and texts flow. Before choosing, decide:

• Who answers first. Ring everyone at once, ring in order, or route by time of day.
• What happens after hours. Voicemail, a forwarding number, or an AI agent that answers and takes a message.
• Who handles texts. A shared inbox lets whoever is free reply; personal inboxes leave messages waiting for one person.
• What records you keep. Call recording and summaries help when a customer disputes what was agreed.

Grasshopper and Talkroute cover the first two well at low prices. Quo and Callata add shared texting inboxes. Callata adds AI summaries and AI answering on the same plan.

When to stay with Sideline

If you are one person, you text more than you call, and you like carrier-network call quality, Sideline at $129.99 per year is hard to beat. Its spam labeling is also useful if your number is posted publicly.

Switching checklist

• Ask Sideline support about porting your number out before cancelling.
• Register for business texting with your new provider; carrier approval usually takes several business days.
• Update the number on your website and listings only after the port completes.

Related: Line2 alternatives and the best business phone for solo founders.

Try Callata

When your second number has become the business line, Callata lets your team share calls and texts, with recording, AI summaries and transcribed voicemail, for $99 per month for up to five users ($20 per additional user). Create your Callata account.