Compare · Hushed
Hushed or Cleat? Hushed answers this one itself.
Hushed is a good second-line app. Whether it will receive the code your bank sends is a separate question, and Hushed has published its own answer. That answer is most of this page. What it does better than Cleat comes first.
By the Cleat team · Updated September 17, 2026
What Hushed does better
- It's a phone. Hushed sells you a line to “Talk and text on your very own private phone number, all for a low monthly payment” (Hushed). A Cleat line only receives: no dial pad, no outgoing texts, no 911.
- It costs less. Its pricing page shows a plan “STARTING AT $6.99 USD/MONTH” (Hushed). That is under $24.99. Its page quotes different starting figures in different places, so check what it charges today rather than trusting a number on somebody else's site, including this one.
- It isn't US-only. You can “Choose from Canada, United States, and U.K. phone numbers” (Hushed). Cleat has United States numbers and nothing else.
- You can have several. Hushed is built around keeping different numbers for different parts of your life. A Cleat subscription is one line.
If a second number to hand out is what you want, buy theirs. The rest of this page is only about verification codes.
What Hushed says about verification codes
Hushed Support
“Hushed phone numbers are NOT guaranteed to work with third-party verification due to blocks implemented by certain services, for example, Social Media, Banking, Email, Apps, etc.”
https://support.hushed.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015707631Hushed Support
“Each of these services has its own internal Policies that we cannot change. We respect the rights of other companies to operate with the best methods that they determine work with their own system. You will need to check with them to confirm if a VoIP number can be used.”
https://support.hushed.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015707631Hushed Support
“Changing your number won't bypass another company's policies. Because we don't guarantee third-party verifications, we cannot provide free replacement numbers for this issue.”
https://support.hushed.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015707631
That article is titled “Verification Codes | How do I receive verification codes or 2FA from third-party services (e.g. WhatsApp, Uber, etc.)?”, and the capital letters in NOT are Hushed's (Hushed). We're not quoting it to embarrass anyone. It is a fair, clearly written page, and it is more honest than most of this industry manages.
The line type, in Hushed's own words
Read that middle quote again: “You will need to check with them to confirm if a VoIP number can be used.” Hushed is telling you which side of the line its numbers sit on. Its pricing page is titled “VOIP plans and pricing”, and the FAQ on that page says “Hushed numbers work over the internet, so you either need Wi-Fi, mobile data, or for a kind soul to take pity on you and hotspot your device” (Hushed).
Services that send codes can look up what kind of line a number is before they send one, and many banks and marketplaces refuse the internet ones. That's the whole mechanism, and it isn't Hushed's fault. How line-type checks work. A Cleat line is a real US mobile line instead, which is what those checks are looking for. It still can't be promised for every service; nobody can promise that.
Why banking and marketplaces are the hard case
Hushed names the categories itself: social media, banking, email, apps. Those are exactly the accounts that will text you again later — a new laptop, a password reset, a login from another country. The number has to still work then, not only on the day you signed up. Which services publish a rule about number type.
Side by side
| Hushed | Cleat Line | |
|---|---|---|
| Its own word for the number | “if a VoIP number can be used”; “Hushed numbers work over the internet” | A real US mobile line, not VoIP |
| On verification | “NOT guaranteed to work with third-party verification” | Usually works where an internet number doesn't; no provider can promise every service |
| If it doesn't work | “we cannot provide free replacement numbers for this issue” | Cancel in your first month |
| Calls and outgoing texts | “Talk and text on your very own private phone number” | None, and no 911 |
| Price | A plan “STARTING AT $6.99 USD/MONTH” | $24.99 a month or $249.90 a year |
| Countries | “Canada, United States, and U.K.” | United States |
| Owner | Not described on the pages we checked | A person verified with a government ID and a selfie, or ID-only reviewed by a person |
| Sharing codes with a team | Not described on the pages we checked | A shared inbox, free, plus email, Telegram, webhooks and the REST API |
Where Cleat is the wrong answer
- You want to call and text from it. Buy Hushed. This isn't close.
- You want a Canadian or UK number. Hushed has those; Cleat has none.
- Price decides it. Cleat costs more. If your accounts are already getting their codes on Hushed, there is nothing here worth paying extra for.
- You want to keep your current number. Cleat assigns a new US number and can't port yours in.
- You want several numbers, or throwaway ones. That's what Burner is built for, not Cleat.
If you're switching anyway
- Start with the account that's already failing. That's the one that brought you here.
- Sign up, verify your identity and subscribe. The number is live right away.
- Change the number on that account, then log out and back in, so you find out today rather than in March.
- Leave Hushed running for now. It's cheap, and it's still the better tool for calls and replies.
- Move the rest of the banking and marketplace accounts over as you touch them.
Comparing other options? See Burner next to Cleat, the retired Skype Number next to Cleat, Cleat for a team's shared codes, or see pricing.
Questions
Are Hushed numbers VoIP?
Hushed's own support article tells you to check with the service “to confirm if a VoIP number can be used”, its pricing page is titled “VOIP plans and pricing”, and its FAQ says “Hushed numbers work over the internet”. That's its answer, not ours.
Will Hushed work for WhatsApp, Uber or my bank?
Hushed won't say it will: “Hushed phone numbers are NOT guaranteed to work with third-party verification due to blocks implemented by certain services, for example, Social Media, Banking, Email, Apps, etc.” Test it and see.
Will a Cleat line definitely receive my bank's code?
No provider can say definitely, and any that does is overselling. A Cleat line is a real US mobile line, which is what most services check for. Test your own accounts in the first month and cancel if they don't.
Can I keep Hushed and use Cleat too?
Yes, and plenty of people do: Hushed for calls and texts, a Cleat line for the accounts whose codes have to arrive. Cleat can't take over your Hushed number, so you'd be changing it on those accounts.
Sources
Facts about other companies come from their own pages, checked in September 2026.
- Hushed Help Center https://support.hushed.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015707631
- Hushed pricing https://hushed.com/pricing/