textPlus
textPlus operates text+, a mobile app providing a second phone number for calls and texts. It serves individual consumers seeking privacy, work-life separation, and affordable international calling to 200+ countries via a freemium model with Premium subscription.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersMarina Del Rey, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What textPlus does
textPlus, Inc. operates text+, a mobile communications application that provisions a second phone number decoupled from a user's primary cellular carrier, enabling privacy protection, work-life separation, and low-cost international calling on a single device. The platform is built on mobile VoIP and PSTN telephony infrastructure that handles second number provisioning, SMS routing, and outbound voice termination to 200+ countries. The core product is distributed as a free mobile app on iOS and Google Play with a 4.6-star iOS rating, and the company reports 150M+ cumulative users since 2009 across a headcount of 51-100 employees headquartered in Marina Del Rey, California.
The business model is freemium at the consumer acquisition layer, offering a free second phone number with unlimited US and Canada texting and free inbound calls. Monetization occurs through a Premium subscription tier with enhanced features, plus usage-based international calling credits for outbound voice to 200+ countries. Distribution is entirely product-led through app stores, with marketing concentrated on app store presence, the company website, Facebook, and blog content. Go-to-market targets privacy-conscious individuals, professionals seeking work-life separation, and international communicators across horizontal consumer use cases including marketplace transactions, online dating, side projects, gig economy work, and small business operations.
The company has raised approximately $53.2M across five funding rounds from 2007 to 2015, with investors including Kleiner Perkins, Matrix Partners, Upfront Ventures, and The Raine Group, and acquired Jarvus in 2012. Leadership consists of founder and CEO Scott Lahman and VP of Operations Sebastian Vidal. The company operates as an independent private entity with no disclosed parent company, subsidiaries, or subsequent capital events after March 2015.
textPlus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- textPlus
- Legal name
- textPlus, Inc.
- Website
- https://textplus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- textPlus operates text+, a mobile app providing a second phone number for calls and texts. It serves individual consumers seeking privacy, work-life separation, and affordable international calling to 200+ countries via a freemium model with Premium subscription.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
textPlus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile VoIP & Virtual Phone Number Service
- NAICS
- Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171), All Other Telecommunications (517810)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Messaging Apps (BPAMACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- SMS/RCS Messaging Platforms (BPAMACAF), Voice Calling (VoIP) Apps (BPAMACAC)
Keywords
Where textPlus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Marina Del Rey
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
textPlus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Freemium Core Service: Basic second phone number, free inbound calls, and unlimited US/Canada texting provided at no charge. Serves as user acquisition funnel for Premium upsell.
- Premium Subscription: Paid tier offering enhanced features beyond the free offering. Navigation items include a dedicated Premium page indicating tiered feature access. Specific Premium pricing not disclosed in source material.
- International Calling Credits: Low-cost international voice calls billed per minute or via credit purchase for calls to 200+ countries outside the US and Canada.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free second number with unlimited US/Canada texting and free inbound calls |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium tier with enhanced features |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
textPlus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
textPlus (branded as text+) operates a mobile application that provides users with a free second phone number decoupled from their primary cellular line, enabling unlimited SMS to US and Canada, free inbound voice calls, and low-cost outbound international calling to over 200 countries. The service runs over VoIP and PSTN telephony infrastructure and is distributed through the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
Product overview
text+ is a mobile-first communication platform offering a single unified application with two service tiers. The core product provides a free second phone number with unlimited texting to US and Canada, free inbound calls, and low-cost international calling to 200+ countries. The Premium add-on module builds on the free tier with enhanced features available through subscription. The platform emphasizes privacy, allowing users to maintain separate phone numbers for marketplaces, dating, side projects, and other contexts where sharing a personal cell number is undesirable.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- text+ Mobile App
- International Calling Service
Quantifiable outcome
- 4.6★ average iOS App Store rating reflecting high user satisfaction
Companies that use textPlus
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
textPlus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
textPlus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
textPlus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hushed: Second phone number service offering disposable private numbers for calling, texting, and international communication. Closely comparable to textPlus in core offering, freemium model, and target use cases (marketplaces, dating, professional separation).
- Burner: Provides temporary, disposable phone numbers for privacy and short-term use. Direct functional overlap with textPlus in second-number provisioning, freemium/subscription pricing, and privacy-conscious consumer targeting.
- Sideline: Second phone number app primarily targeting professionals and small businesses for work-life separation. Direct competitor in the virtual number / VoIP space with similar pricing tiers and consumer-led go-to-market.
- Talkatone: Free WiFi-based calling and texting app with a US phone number feature. Closely comparable consumer VoIP and messaging product targeting users seeking free calling and a secondary number.
- 2ndLine: Provides a second phone number with free calling and texting over data networks. Functionally similar to textPlus as a VoIP/SMS second-number service for privacy and work-life separation.
- Dingtone: VoIP app offering free phone numbers, calling, and texting over WiFi/data. Direct peer in consumer virtual number services with freemium monetization and international calling capabilities.
- TextNow: Free texting and calling app using a VoIP phone number with ad-supported and premium tiers. Direct competitor in ad-supported/freemium VoIP-based virtual number services in North America.
Broad incumbents
- Google Voice: Google's VoIP service providing a phone number for calling, texting, and voicemail. Broad incumbent in the second-number space with stronger ecosystem integration and free US calling, partially overlapping with textPlus's core offering.
- Skype: Microsoft-owned VoIP and messaging platform offering international calling at low rates. Comparable in international calling capabilities and freemium consumer VoIP communication model.
- Viber: Messaging and VoIP app offering free messaging and low-cost international calling. Broad incumbent in consumer messaging with overlapping international calling and VoIP service economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
textPlus social profiles
Digital presencetextPlus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
textPlus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
textPlus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
textPlus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about textPlus
What does textPlus do?
textPlus (branded as text+) operates a mobile application that provides users with a free second phone number decoupled from their primary cellular line, enabling unlimited SMS to US and Canada, free inbound voice calls, and low-cost outbound international calling to over 200 countries. The service runs over VoIP and PSTN telephony infrastructure and is distributed through the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
Is textPlus a public or private company?
textPlus is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was textPlus founded?
textPlus was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is textPlus based?
textPlus is headquartered in Marina Del Rey, United States, in the North America region.
How does textPlus make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Freemium Core Service is the primary driver. The others are premium Subscription and international Calling Credits.
Who are textPlus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hushed, Burner, Sideline, Talkatone, 2ndLine, Dingtone and TextNow. Broad incumbents are Google Voice, Skype and Viber.
Does textPlus have an API?
No public API is recorded for textPlus.
What industry is textPlus in?
textPlus's product category is Mobile VoIP & Virtual Phone Number Service. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAA, Consumer Messaging Apps, with a secondary code of BPAMACAF, SMS/RCS Messaging Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5171 and its SIC code is 4899.