Talkatone
Talkatone is a mobile VoIP app providing free U.S. and Canadian phone numbers for calling and texting over WiFi or data, monetized via subscriptions, ads, and prepaid credits, and serves millions of consumer users as a subsidiary of Ooma, Inc.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLucerne Valley, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Talkatone does
Talkatone is a mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application that provides free U.S. and Canadian phone numbers and enables calling and texting to most U.S. phone numbers, including landlines, over WiFi or cellular data without consuming cell minutes. The product is distributed as a downloadable app on the Apple App Store and Google Play, with disclosed ratings of 4.6 on iOS (22.7K ratings) and 4.2 on Android (132K ratings). Its core technology includes a proprietary audio codec engineered to maintain call quality on connections under 200 kilobits per second, plus privacy features such as number burning. The company was founded in 2010 and has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ooma, Inc. (NYSE: OOMA) since its 2016 acquisition, with headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.
The product portfolio centers on Talkatone Free, supported by premium tiers: Talkatone Plus at $3.99/month (ad removal, call forwarding, voicemail transcription), an International Calling Subscription at $12.99/month for 1,000 minutes to select countries, an ad-removal-only tier at $1.99/month, Talka Mobile data plans starting at $15/month, and prepaid per-minute international credits. The service is operated primarily in the United States and Canada, and complies with GDPR, CCPA, COPPA, the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and the UK and Swiss extensions, suggesting cross-border data-handling readiness.
Go-to-market is product-led and self-serve via app stores, supported by content marketing through the company blog and organic social channels on Twitter and Facebook. Reach is described as millions of users worldwide with hundreds of millions of monthly ad impressions, and the company also sells advertising inventory to third-party brands targeting mobile users by geography, demographics, and device type. Primary customer segments are consumers with poor cellular coverage, international travelers, cost-conscious consumers, privacy-conscious secondary-line users, and small business owners seeking an affordable separate business line.
Talkatone firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Talkatone
- Legal name
- Talkatone, LLC
- Website
- https://talkatone.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Talkatone is a mobile VoIP app providing free U.S. and Canadian phone numbers for calling and texting over WiFi or data, monetized via subscriptions, ads, and prepaid credits, and serves millions of consumer users as a subsidiary of Ooma, Inc.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Talkatone industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile VoIP Communication Services
- NAICS
- Telecommunications (517)
- SIC
- Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Push-to-Talk (PTT) & Walkie-Talkie Apps (BPAMACAI)
Keywords
Where Talkatone is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lucerne Valley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Talkatone business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Freemium App Model: The core app is free to download and use, with basic calling and texting to most U.S. phone numbers at no cost. Revenue is generated from premium subscriptions and advertising displayed to free users.
- Premium Subscriptions: Talkatone Plus at $3.99/month provides ad removal, call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and additional features. The International Calling Subscription at $12.99/month provides 1,000 minutes of calls to select international countries.
- Ad-supported Free Tier: Free users see advertisements within the app. Ad removal is available for $1.99/month or users can upgrade to Talkatone Plus to eliminate ads.
- International Calling Credits: Per-minute rates apply for international calls outside the subscription countries. Rates vary by destination country, ranging from $0.01/min (e.g., Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, UK landline) to $0.80/min (Spain). Credits can be purchased and used at these rates.
- Mobile Data Plans: Talkatone Mobile data plans starting at $15/month provide additional data connectivity options for users.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Free | Free tier with unlimited texting and basic calling features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Talkatone Plus - $3.99/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | International Calling Subscription - $12.99/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Ad Removal - $1.99/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Talkatone Mobile Data Plans - starting at $15/month |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | International Calling per-minute rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Talkatone product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Talkatone is a mobile VoIP application that provides users with free U.S. and Canadian phone numbers for calling and texting over WiFi or cellular data without using cell phone minutes. The freemium app enables unlimited free calls and texts to most U.S. phone numbers — including landlines and recipients who do not have the app installed — with premium subscriptions adding ad removal, voicemail transcription, call forwarding, and international calling.
Product overview
Talkatone is a mobile VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calling and texting platform that provides free US and Canadian phone numbers to users. The core offering is Talkatone Free, which enables unlimited free calls and texts to most US phone numbers over WiFi or cellular data. The product portfolio includes Talkatone Plus (premium ad-free subscription at $3.99/month with call forwarding and voicemail transcription), International Calling Subscription (1,000 minutes to select countries for $12.99/month), and Talkatone Mobile Data Plans (starting at $15/month). Users can also purchase prepaid credits for per-minute international calling. The platform operates as a downloadable mobile app for iOS and Android, differentiating itself from competitors by enabling calls to recipients who do not have the app installed, including landlines and mobile phones.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Talka Mobile: Mobile data plans starting at $15/month introduced as part of Talkatone's service offerings.
Products and services
- Talkatone Free The primary free VoIP calling and texting mobile app that allows users to get a free U.S. phone number and make unlimited calls and texts to most U.S. phone numbers over WiFi or cellular data without using cell minutes. Available on iOS and Android for individual consumers.
- Talkatone Plus Premium subscription offering an ad-free experience, call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and additional features for $3.99 per month. Aimed at individual consumers wanting an enhanced VoIP calling experience.
- International Calling Subscription Subscription plan offering 1,000 minutes of international calls to select countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, UK, and many more for $12.99 per month. For individual consumers needing affordable international calling.
- Talkatone Mobile Data Plans Mobile data plans starting at $15 per month providing additional data connectivity options for users requiring mobile data alongside the Talkatone app.
- Prepaid International Calling Credits Prepaid credit system for pay-per-call usage to international destinations outside the subscription coverage. Per-minute rates vary by destination country, ranging from $0.01/min (e.g., Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, UK) to $0.80/min (Spain). Credits expire 30 days from last use.
Quantifiable outcome
- Works on connections with less than 200 kilobits per second bandwidth
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Talkatone
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Talkatone technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Talkatone partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Ooma, Inc.coreTalkatone is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ooma, Inc., a communications technology company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Ooma provides the infrastructure and resources that support Talkatone's VoIP calling services. Talkatone leverages Ooma's calling infrastructure which has been credited with improving audio quality and reducing call issues following the acquisition.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Talkatone competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 2ndLine: Secondary phone number app for calling, texting, and voicemail. Overlaps with Talkatone's secondary-line and small-business use cases at a similar price point.
- Dingtone: Free calling app offering real U.S./Canadian phone numbers with credits-based international calling. Closely mirrors Talkatone's freemium + pay-as-you-go international monetization.
- TextNow: Free VoIP calling and texting app that issues users a real U.S./Canadian phone number, ad-supported with a Plus subscription. Most direct competitor — identical value proposition around free in-and-out-of-network calling on WiFi/data.
- Viber: VoIP calling and messaging app with paid international calling plans. Direct competitor in the international calling subscription category, though Viber is walled-garden (requires recipient app).
- TextFree: Free U.S. phone number and ad-supported texting/calling app from Pinger. Direct competitor on free-tier, real-number, ad-funded VoIP with subscription upsell — same playbook as Talkatone Free / Plus.
- Hushed: Privacy-focused secondary phone number app for calling and texting. Highly comparable to Talkatone's privacy-conscious and number-burning segments, with a similar paid subscription model.
- Google Voice: Free U.S. phone number, VoIP calling and texting across iOS, Android, and web. Same 'real number, no recipient app required' model as Talkatone, with the structural advantage of being bundled with Google accounts and Workspace.
Broad incumbents
- WhatsApp: Dominant global messaging and voice-calling app owned by Meta. Drives the floor on what consumers expect free VoIP to look like and competes indirectly via WiFi calling that requires both parties to install the app.
- Skype: Established VoIP calling and messaging platform owned by Microsoft. Broad incumbent with subscription-based international calling plans comparable to Talkatone's international subscription.
- FaceTime: Apple's native WiFi calling and video platform, pre-installed on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The most powerful indirect competitor — free, zero-friction WiFi voice/video that ships by default on Apple's ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Talkatone social profiles
Digital presenceTalkatone compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Talkatone financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Talkatone leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Talkatone funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Talkatone M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Talkatone
What does Talkatone do?
Talkatone is a mobile VoIP application that provides users with free U.S. and Canadian phone numbers for calling and texting over WiFi or cellular data without using cell phone minutes. The freemium app enables unlimited free calls and texts to most U.S. phone numbers — including landlines and recipients who do not have the app installed — with premium subscriptions adding ad removal, voicemail transcription, call forwarding, and international calling.
Is Talkatone a public or private company?
Talkatone is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Talkatone founded?
Talkatone was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Talkatone based?
Talkatone is headquartered in Lucerne Valley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Talkatone make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Freemium App Model is the primary driver. The others are premium Subscriptions, ad-supported Free Tier, international Calling Credits and mobile Data Plans.
Who are Talkatone's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 2ndLine, Dingtone, TextNow, Viber, TextFree, Hushed and Google Voice. Broad incumbents are WhatsApp, Skype and FaceTime.
Does Talkatone have an API?
No public API is recorded for Talkatone.
What industry is Talkatone in?
Talkatone's product category is Mobile VoIP Communication Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAI, Push-to-Talk (PTT) & Walkie-Talkie Apps. Its NAICS code is 517 and its SIC code is 4813.