SMS-Activate alternatives: where to get verification numbers now

SMS-Activate closed at the end of December 2025. Accounts and balances didn’t move to another service, and sites using its name now aren’t the original. If you used it for one-time verification codes, here are the options, and what to check before you top up anywhere.

We make ReserveSMS, so we’ve put it first. The others are real options too, described from public information in October 2026; prices and features change, so check their own sites.

1. ReserveSMS: our pick

Why we think it’s the best replacement for most people:

One price. Every number is $1, whatever the app or country, so there’s no price list to search through.
Money back without asking. If no code arrives within 20 minutes, the $1 goes back to your balance automatically. You can also cancel before a code arrives.
Small top-ups, the usual ways to pay. Add from $1 with Litecoin or Solana, from $1.30 by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or from $10 with Bitcoin. Litecoin and Solana add 10% extra on $10 or more.
Over 700 apps. “Best available” picks the country most likely to deliver for the app, or you can search for the country you want.
Help for each app. Every app has a page on how its verification works and how to keep the account afterwards.
People answer support. Open a ticket in our Discord and someone from the team replies.
Sign in with an email code. No password to leak, and no ID.

What we don’t do: rent numbers for weeks or months, take voice calls, or sell numbers for banking, payment, crypto exchange, government or gambling apps. See every app and its price.

2. SMSPool

One-time numbers and longer rentals, with prices that vary by country and app. It takes cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and many cryptocurrencies. A good fit if you need to keep a number for months.

3. 5SIM

A wide range of countries, with prices that vary by country and app, plus rentals and an API for developers. Worth a look if you’re comparing prices for one particular country.

4. TextVerified

Focuses on US numbers, with one-time verifications and longer rentals, and can take voice calls as well as texts. A good fit if you need a US number that can take a call.

Free receive-SMS sites

Free sites show every code on a public page, and many apps block their numbers. Fine for something throwaway, not for an account you want to keep. There’s more in the risks of free SMS sites.

What to check before you top up anywhere

What happens when no code arrives: money back automatically, or a support ticket.
How small a top-up you can make, so you aren’t left with a balance you don’t need.
That the site is the real one: SMS-Activate’s name is now used by copies.
That it sells numbers for the apps you need, in the countries you need.

Switching takes a minute

Sign in with your email (we send a code, there’s no password), add a little balance, and pick the app. The number shows on screen; enter it in the app, and the code appears on your order page when the text arrives.