Compare · Google Voice
A Google Voice alternative for the codes that refuse VoIP
You want a Google Voice alternative for sign-ups and verification codes. Some services won't text it. Or you're outside the US and can't get it. Here's how it compares with Cleat, in each product's own terms, starting with what Google Voice does better.
By the Cleat team · Updated September 17, 2026
Who this comparison is for
People who need verification codes to arrive on a US number. If you want a free number for calling and texting friends, keep Google Voice. It's good at that.
The one-line difference
Google Voice is an internet phone service. Twilio's lookup documentation uses it as its example of a non-fixed VoIP number (Twilio). Cleat is a real US mobile line that receives texts. Services that check line type treat the two differently. How line-type checks work.
What Google Voice does better
- It's free. Google describes its basic plan as available “at no cost” (Google Workspace).
- It makes calls and sends texts. Cleat Line only receives. An incoming call reaches you as a transcript, not a ringing phone. Cleat Full adds calls in the web app; neither plan sends texts.
- It has voicemail, with transcription.
- It fits into Google: your Google account, Gmail and the Voice app.
If any of those is the point, Cleat isn't the answer today.
Side by side
| Google Voice (personal) | Cleat Line | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (“at no cost”); business plans are $10, $20 or $30 per user a month | $24.99 a month per line, cancel anytime |
| Number type | Internet phone service; Twilio's nonFixedVoip example | Real US mobile line, not VoIP |
| Where you can sign up | “Available in the US”; sign-up verifies a phone that “can get texts” | Anywhere with internet, with a government ID |
| Calls and outbound texts | Yes | No. Receive-only, though incoming calls arrive as transcripts; Cleat Full adds calls in the web app, not outbound texts |
| When you stop using it | Inactive numbers can be removed, with 45 days to recover them | Yours while you subscribe; held for 30 days after billing ends |
| Owner | A Google account | A person verified with a government ID and a selfie, or ID-only reviewed by a person |
| Team access | A personal account; business plans are per user | A shared inbox, free for your whole team |
| Where texts show up | The Voice app and Gmail | Live inbox, email, Telegram, webhooks and the REST API |
| Emergency calls | See Google's terms | No 911 or emergency calls |
What Cleat does that Google Voice doesn't
- A mobile line type, which is what services that filter VoIP look for.
- A verified owner behind every line. A line's texts stay locked until its owner has verified. No number is ever used by someone we can't identify. Why we verify.
- A shared inbox for your whole team, free. Shared 2FA for teams.
- Codes where you already are: Telegram, email, or your own tools by webhook.
Most services that turn away VoIP accept a real mobile line. No provider can promise that every service accepts every number.
Switching in practice
- Sign up, verify your identity (about two minutes) and subscribe. Your number is live right away.
- Change the phone number on the accounts that refused Google Voice, one at a time. Test each with a login.
- Invite teammates if the accounts are shared.
- Keep Google Voice for calls. Use it now and then so it isn't reclaimed.
If keeping your existing digits matters more than the line type, don't switch: unlock the number and port it to a carrier instead. Google charges $3 to unlock, or nothing if the number was ported in originally, and it takes up to 48 hours. Read its caveat before you count on it: “Some third-party services may not accept phone numbers which originated from Google Voice, including after they have been ported to Google Fi Wireless.” (Google) Cleat gives you a new number; it cannot take that one.
Outside the US? See Cleat for expats and non-residents. Want the full story on Google Voice and codes? Read why Google Voice misses verification codes. Need calls? Cleat Full has them.
Keep reading
Google Voice number reclaimed · What each service publishes about VoIP · Cleat or Quackr
Questions
Is Cleat free like Google Voice?
No. It's $24.99 a month per line. The price pays for a real mobile line and an identity check on every owner.
Can I port my Google Voice number to Cleat?
Not today. Cleat assigns a new US number from available inventory, and you can't choose the area code.
Can I make calls on Cleat?
Not on Cleat Line, and you can't answer one either. An incoming call arrives transcribed, so an automated code still reaches you. Calls are on Cleat Full: they ring in the web app, and you can call US numbers from it. Neither plan sends texts.
Will my bank accept a Cleat number?
Most services that refuse VoIP accept a real mobile line. No provider can promise that every one does, so try it in your first month.
Do I need to be in the US?
No. You need internet access and a government ID.
Sources
Facts about other companies come from their own pages, checked in September 2026.
- Twilio, Lookup Line Type Intelligence https://www.twilio.com/docs/lookup/v2-api/line-type-intelligence
- Google Workspace, Google Voice https://workspace.google.com/products/voice/
- Google Voice Help, getting started https://support.google.com/voice/answer/115061
- Google Voice Help, inactive numbers https://support.google.com/voice/answer/159519
- Google Voice Help, port your Google Voice number https://support.google.com/voice/answer/1065667