Sideline review (2026): is it worth $14.49 a month?
A second phone number app that runs on your carrier's network
Black Friday: is there a Sideline sale?
Sideline report card
Weak · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for a second phone number on your own phone
Sideline gives you a second number on your phone that calls over your carrier's network rather than wifi, with its own voicemail and spam labels. It is for one person, the vendor's own site states no price, and App Store prices of $14.49 a month and $129.99 a year are the only guide.
Who Sideline is for
- Fits if you want a second number for selling things or dating without giving out your own
- Works for one person who wants calls to run over the carrier, not wifi
Who Sideline is not for
- Not for you if you need a team phone system, since no multi-user plan is shown
- Skip it if you want a stated price from the vendor, as the site shows none
- Pricey if you pay monthly: $14.49 against $129.99 for the year
- Watch out: the App Store lists plans with no billing period, and a Google Play review mentions $9.99
- Watch out: there is no free plan or trial
Why Sideline gets a 1.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for money$14.49 a month in the App Store, the bottom of the category's cheapest quarter, and $129.99 a year, about $10.83 a month. Billing periods are not shown on the listing.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan and no trial on record, only paid in-app purchases.
- DFeaturesOne narrow function: a second number with messaging and voicemail. No team or multi-user plan is shown on the pages read.
- BEase of useNo store rating on record. It is an app you install and start using, with no ID needed to sign up.
- CPlatforms and integrationsiPhone and Android apps only, plus a web messaging page. Nothing else is connected.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Sideline's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Sideline? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/sideline#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/sideline.svg" alt="Sideline: 1.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Sideline stands among business phone systems
Sideline's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 5 of the 44 other business phone systems we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 35 of 44) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $14.49 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 9 of the 32 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 8 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 45 business phone systems we grade, cut by the letter each got. Sideline’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 35 of 44, level with 6
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 44, level with 23
- DFeaturesAbove 0 of 44
- BEase of useAbove 35 of 44, level with 4
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 44, level with 4
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 34 business phone systems. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Sideline, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Sideline you would be making phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 36 of the 44 other business phone systems grade higher. It costs $173.88 a year.
What you could not
- Phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network.
- Texts from a business number, registered with the carriers.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Sideline’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Sideline?
Sideline is a phone app from Pinger that adds a second number to your smartphone for calls and texts, so a personal number stays private. It says calls use the carrier's cellular network rather than VoIP. The site pitches it to professionals, sellers and freelancers.
Worth knowing
- Only iOS and Android apps are listed; the site pages read for this entry show no team or multi-user plan.
- The App Store shows several in-app purchases without a billing period, so the plan names are the only guide to monthly or yearly.
- The vendor's own site states no price; amounts come from the App Store listing for the US.
- A user review on Google Play mentions $9.99 a month, which differs from the App Store figures.
Key features
- Second number
- Pick a number in the area code you want, or port in a number you already have, and use it beside your main line.
- Carrier network calls
- Calls use the carrier's cellular network instead of VoIP, so the line works without Wi-Fi, according to the site.
- Unlimited messaging
- SMS, MMS and group messages are unlimited, with an auto-reply that can send a text back after a missed call or message.
- Separate voicemail
- Record a greeting for the Sideline number so callers reach its own voicemail instead of your personal one.
- Spam labeling
- The app suggests names for unknown callers and texters and labels suspected spam, telemarketers and fraud.
- No ID to sign up
- The Google Play listing says an account does not need a government-issued ID and is verified in another way.
Sideline pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sideline is a paid product, starting at $14.49 per month as labeled in the App Store (billing period not shown).
- Starts at
- $14.49 per month as labeled in the App Store (billing period not shown)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | $14.49as labeled in the App Store; billing period not shown | In-app purchase listed as Sideline - Monthly plan. The listing also shows Sideline Pro - Monthly at $14.99 and Voicemail to Text at $2.99. |
| Yearly plan | $129.99as labeled in the App Store; billing period not shown | In-app purchase listed as Sideline - Yearly Plan. The same listing shows older or smaller purchases, from $0.99 to $99.00. |
Read from apps.apple.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Sideline before you buy.
Sideline alternatives
- Sideline vs Line2
From $7.99/mo
- Sideline vs Grasshopper
Free trial · from $14/mo
- Sideline vs Google Voice
Free plan · from $10/mo
- Sideline vs Quo
Free trial · from $15/mo
- Sideline vs Textline
Free trial
Common questions
Does Sideline have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Sideline is listed for iOS and Android.
Does Sideline have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Sideline is listed for iOS and Android.
Is Sideline open source?
Sideline is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.