Skype Number Alternative: a Real Phone Number That Rings in Your Browser
Last updated: September 2026
Call from your browser — no app, no subscription
$0.04/min incoming · missed calls free|No install required. Use it in under 2 minutes.
A Skype Number was a real phone number, in a country of your choosing, that rang inside Skype on your computer. It disappeared with Skype on May 5, 2025, and Microsoft offered no successor. The closest replacement in 2026 is a Kinvo virtual number: a US, UK, Canadian or Australian number that anyone can dial from any phone, which rings in your browser tab wherever you are. It can be bought from any country, costs $0.04 per minute for incoming calls with no connection fee, charges nothing for a missed call, and doubles as your caller ID when you ring back.
What the Skype Number did, and who is missing it
For about two decades the Skype Number was the easiest way for an ordinary person to own a phone number in a country they did not live in. Expats kept a UK or US number their family could dial at local rates. Freelancers put a US number on the invoice. Travellers had a number that followed them from hotel Wi-Fi to hotel Wi-Fi. None of that needed a SIM card, a local address or a business account.
When Skype closed, the outbound side had obvious replacements. The inbound side did not: Google Voice refuses anyone without a US number and address, free second-line apps serve the US and Canada only, and business phone systems sell numbers as part of a per-seat subscription. The gap is a personal, pay-as-you-go number that rings on a computer and can be bought from anywhere. That is what this page is about.
Skype Number replacements compared
| Option | Sign up from | Rings where | Numbers in | SMS | Voicemail | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinvo virtual number | Any country | Browser tab (desktop or mobile) | US, UK, Canada, Australia | $0.04/min incoming, missed calls free, monthly fee shown before purchase | ||
| Google Voice | US residents only (US number and address required) | App or web, plus forwarding to a US mobile | US | Free for personal use | ||
| TextNow and similar free apps | US and Canada | Mobile app | US, Canada | Free with ads | ||
| Business VoIP (Dialpad, RingCentral, CloudTalk…) | Business accounts, most countries | Desktop app, mobile app, browser | Dozens | Per-user monthly subscription |
Competitor details describe who each service serves and what it includes as of September 2026; check each provider for current prices. Kinvo's incoming rate is the one the product bills.
Which one should you pick?
You live outside the US and want a US, UK, Canadian or Australian number
Kinvo. It is the option on this list that sells a number to an account from any country without a local address check, and the call reaches you in a browser tab in any country. This is the case the Skype Number served best and the one with the fewest replacements.
You live in the US and want texts and voicemail too
Google Voice. It is free, includes SMS and voicemail transcription, and forwards to your mobile. Its only real drawback is the sign-up gate, which does not apply to you.
You run a team and need extensions, queues or a switchboard
A business VoIP subscription. The Skype Number was never a phone system, and neither is a Kinvo number; if several people need to answer one line, pay for a product built for that.
Setting up the replacement on Kinvo
- 1
Create an account and add credit
Email sign-up from any country. Credits start at $5, are one-time, and never expire.
- 2
Buy a number
Pick the US, UK, Canada or Australia on the Virtual Numbers page. The monthly fee is shown before you confirm and is taken from the same credit.
- 3
Keep the dialer tab open and answer
Calls ring in the tab with the caller's number on screen. Missed calls land in your history and in your inbox. Full detail on the receive-calls page.
What it does not replace
- SMS. Texts to a Kinvo number do not arrive, so it will not receive verification codes.
- Voicemail. A missed call is an email and a history entry, not a recording.
- Ringing a closed browser. The tab has to be open, on desktop or mobile.
- Numbers outside four countries. Skype sold numbers in about 25 countries; Kinvo sells them in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still get a Skype phone number?
No. Skype Numbers were discontinued with the rest of Skype on May 5, 2025. Existing numbers were deactivated and cannot be renewed, transferred or ported. Microsoft pointed users to Teams, which has no consumer equivalent of the Skype Number.
What replaced the Skype Number?
There is no official successor. The closest replacement for what most people used it for — a real number that rings on a computer — is a virtual number from a browser-based calling service. Kinvo sells US, UK, Canadian and Australian numbers to accounts from any country; calls to them ring in your browser and show the caller's real number. Incoming calls are $0.04 per minute with no connection fee and missed calls are free.
Can I get a US number from outside the US, like I could with Skype?
Yes. Like Skype, Kinvo does not require a US address or an existing US phone number to buy a US number. That is the main difference from Google Voice, which requires both. The number receives voice calls, not SMS.
How much does a Skype Number alternative cost?
Skype Numbers were roughly $6–8 a month before the shutdown. A Kinvo number has a monthly fee shown before you buy, plus $0.04 per minute for incoming calls and nothing for missed calls. Google Voice is free but US-only; business VoIP services bundle a number into a per-user monthly subscription.
Does the replacement receive SMS and voicemail like a Skype Number did?
Not on Kinvo. A Kinvo number receives voice calls in the browser; text messages do not arrive and there is no voicemail. If SMS or voicemail is essential, Google Voice (US residents) or a business VoIP subscription provides them.
Can I transfer my old Skype Number to another provider?
No. Skype Numbers were released back to the carriers when Skype closed and could not be ported out afterwards. Any replacement means a new number; tell your contacts once and put the new number on your website, invoices and email signature.
Does a Kinvo number ring if my browser is closed?
No. It rings while the Kinvo dialer tab is open, on desktop or mobile. If the tab is closed, the caller hears a busy tone, the call appears in your history with the number, and you receive an email. Skype had the same limit unless the app was running in the background.
Get the number back
A US, UK, Canadian or Australian number that rings in your browser, bought from any country. $0.04/min incoming, missed calls free, credits that never expire.
Create your accountLooking for outbound calling too? See the full Skype alternative page. Skype is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation; Kinvo is an independent service and is not affiliated with Microsoft.