Alternatives, compared honestly
We read their public pages, checked prices ourselves, and wrote down what each service is actually good at. Including where they beat us.
SMS-Activateshut downSMS-Activate shut down in late December 2025, ending the largest SMS activation marketplace. Its technical infrastructure moved to HeroSMS, and its API format survives as a compatibility layer across competing services.HeroSMSHeroSMS runs on former SMS-Activate infrastructure with an SA-compatible API, but US prices sit behind login and independent reviews include scam accusations.SMS-ManSMS-Man is live with rentals up to 90 days and both SA-style and REST APIs, but US prices require login and public US rental stock is one number.5sim5sim is live with fully public prices via a guest API, but Trustpilot rates it 2.2/5 and multiple users report recycled, already-registered numbers.SMShubSMShub is live and speaks the SMS-Activate API protocol, but publishes no prices, blocks many visitors with Cloudflare, and supports users only through Telegram.SMSPoolSMSPool is a registered Dutch company with public rental pricing, but its 28-day US rental costs $18 and activation prices require an API key.GrizzlySMSGrizzlySMS is live with fully public prices and an SMS-Activate-compatible API, but sells one-time activations only, with no rental beyond 20 minutes.TextVerifiedTextVerified sells US-only activations and rentals with public pricing, but Trustpilot rates it 2.0/5 and its FAQ states that crypto deposits are non-refundable.QuackrQuackr rents private non-VoIP US numbers at $15.99 per month, but Trustpilot hid its rating over fake reviews and API access requires a 6- or 12-month purchase.