What kind of phone number do I need?
UpdatedYou can send messages using three different kinds of phone numbers. In general, all three have similar regulatory requirements, but they have different daily sending limits. You’ll want to pick the type of number that best fits your business needs.
Most of the guidance here is focused on the United States and Canada—the regions we typically support through Twilio. You can use international numbers, but you may need to work with Twilio to support them.
Types of phone numbers
You can send messages using three different kinds of phone numbers. In general, all three have similar regulatory requirements, but they have different daily sending limits. You’ll want to pick the type of number that best fits your business needs.
- Toll-free numbers: Like 1-800 numbers, these phone numbers aren’t regional and are great if you don’t have a physical presence in the United States or Canada.
- 10-digit numbers: Standard 10-digit phone numbers that include an area code. These numbers appear “local” to your audience.
- Short codes: 5 or 6 digit numbers that represent your brand.
Which type should I choose?
Use this decision tree to help determine which phone number type best fits your business needs:
in the US or Canada?"] --> B["Yes"] A --> C["No"] B --> D["Do you send high-volume messages
or need strong brand recognition?"] C --> E["Do you send high-volume messages
or need strong brand recognition?"] D --> F["Yes - High volume/branding"] D --> G["No - Standard volume"] E --> H["Yes - High volume/branding"] E --> I["No - Standard volume"] F --> J["Short Code
• 5-6 digits
• Higher cost
• Best deliverability
• Highest throughput
• Strong brand recognition"] G --> K["10-Digit Number
• Standard phone number
• Local area code
• Appears local to customers
• Multiple numbers for regions"] H --> L["Short Code
• 5-6 digits
• Higher cost
• Best deliverability
• Highest throughput
• Strong brand recognition"] I --> M["Toll-Free Number
• 1-800 style number
• Non-regional
• Good for online businesses
• Lower cost than short codes"] style J fill:#e1f5fe style K fill:#f3e5f5 style L fill:#e1f5fe style M fill:#fff3e0
Toll-free: good for online-only businesses
Toll-free numbers are great for online-only businesses that don’t have a physical presence in the United States or Canada. If you’re an online company, or you aren’t located in North America, you might want to use a toll-free number.
10-digit: good for local businesses
10-digit numbers are great for local businesses that have a physical presence in the United States or Canada. They’re also great for businesses that want to send messages to people in the United States and Canada.
You may also have multiple 10-digit numbers, which can be useful if you want to send messages to different regions or countries.
Typically, you’ll want to use an area code local to your audience. So, if you have locations in every state, you might have 50 numbers. If you want to send to individual municipalities close to your storefronts, you might have even more!
Short codes: good for brands
Short codes provide a great way to brand your sender number. While they cost more than other options and have the strictest regulatory requirements, they also:
- Are less likely to be blocked by carriers and recipients
- Offer a higher throughput than toll-free or 10-digit numbers
- Are much more recognizable to your audience
Short codes are great for large campaign or transactional messaging.
