# Sideline review (2026): is it worth $14.49 a month? > A second phone number app that runs on your carrier's network Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Business Phone Systems - **Made by:** Pinger, Inc. - **Website:** https://www.sideline.com - **Runs on:** iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you need a team phone system, since no multi-user plan is shown. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## 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). - **Pricing model:** Paid - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly plan | $14.49 as 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 | $129.99 as 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 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sideline-private-2nd-number/id1012032539 on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Sideline before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Sellers and freelancers who want one separate number for strangers - People who want a second line without carrying a second phone - Users who want carrier-network call quality ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 1.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: B.** $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. - **Free plan and trial: F.** No free plan and no trial on record, only paid in-app purchases. - **Features: D.** One narrow function: a second number with messaging and voicemail. No team or multi-user plan is shown on the pages read. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating on record. It is an app you install and start using, with no ID needed to sign up. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** iPhone and Android apps only, plus a web messaging page. Nothing else is connected. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/business-phones ## Keep it, 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. - You could not: Phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network. - You could not: Texts from a business number, registered with the carriers. - You could not: A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Business phone line, Business texting ## Alternatives - [Line2](https://toolgpa.com/tools/line2): A second US or Canada phone number on your phone, for one flat fee. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/line2-vs-sideline) - [Grasshopper](https://toolgpa.com/tools/grasshopper): Virtual business number on your own phone, priced per account. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/grasshopper-vs-sideline) - [Google Voice](https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-voice): Google's phone number service for calls and texts on any device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/google-voice-vs-sideline) - [Quo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/quo): Business phone app for calls and texts on shared team numbers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/quo-vs-sideline) - [Textline](https://toolgpa.com/tools/textline): Business texting platform with a shared team inbox. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/sideline-vs-textline) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sideline-private-2nd-number/id1012032539 - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sideline.phone.number&hl=en&gl=US - https://www.sideline.com/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/sideline Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).