Virtual landlines in the UK: how they work and what they cost

A virtual landline is a phone number that isn't tied to a phone line in a building. The number lives with a provider online, and the provider sends each call to wherever you've told it to.

To your callers, it's an ordinary landline number. They ring it and pay what they'd pay to ring any other landline. You answer on your mobile, in an app, or on a desk phone.

You'll also see it called a virtual number, a virtual phone number, a VoIP number, a cloud number or a landline number on your mobile. EE calls its version Pocket Landline. They all work in a similar way.

Mostly, yes. "Virtual phone number" is the wider term. It covers any number that isn't tied to one phone line or SIM, wherever it sends your calls.

A virtual landline number is a virtual phone number with a landline-style code: an 01 or 02 number for an area, or a national 03 number. Providers also sell freephone 0800 numbers, and some sell mobile-style numbers.

If you want a virtual phone number in the UK for your business, a virtual landline number is usually the right choice. It looks local and costs callers no more than ringing any other landline.

1. 1You choose a virtual landline number from the provider, usually with the area code you want, or a national 03 number.
2. 2You tell the provider where calls should go: your mobile, another landline, an app on your phone or computer, or a desk phone.
3. 3When someone rings the number, the provider passes the call on. Your phone rings as normal.

There are three common ways calls reach you:

Many providers add extras on top: a welcome message, voicemail sent to your email, opening hours, a "press 1 for sales" menu, or a whisper that tells you it's a business call before you answer.

The same as ringing any other landline with that kind of number. Ofcom sets out how each type is charged:

An 01, 02 or 03 number costs your callers no more than a normal landline call. A freephone number is free for them, but you pay more for it: see the prices below.

A single virtual landline number costs from about £4.50 to £10 a month from the providers we checked, before extras. Here's the cheapest single-number plan each one shows, with VAT stated exactly as the provider shows it.

Things that add to the price:

1. 1How calls reach you. Divert to your mobile works without data. An app needs data or Wi-Fi but often costs less per call.
2. 2What's included. Count the minutes, the number of diverts and any fair-use limit. ONSIM, for example, caps its £5 plan at up to 2,500 forwarding minutes, and Virtual Landline treats more than 40 calls a day as outside normal use.
3. 3Ringing out. If you want customers to see your landline number when you call them back, check it's included.
4. 4Contract. Most single-number plans are monthly. EE Pocket Landline has a 12-month minimum term with early termination charges.
5. 5Leaving. Check you can take the number with you, and what it costs. See the next section.
6. 6What happens when you can't answer. Most providers send unanswered calls to voicemail. See "Who answers when you can't?" below.

Usually, yes. Moving your number to a new provider is called porting, and most virtual landline providers will take an existing UK landline number. Some charge for it, so ask before you switch. For what the 2027 switch-off means for your number, and Ofcom's rules on keeping it, see Landline switch-off: will your business number still work?

Voipfone says there's no charge to move your number to it. TTNC charges £25 per porting request. Other providers we checked either charge for it or don't publish a price, so ask before you switch.

Check this before you sign up, because it's where costs hide:

Your number is a big part of how customers find you. Make sure you can take it with you.

The UK's old copper phone network is going digital, and Openreach gives the date as 31 January 2027. The old lines are being replaced by internet-based calling (VoIP), GOV.UK says. A virtual landline already runs over the internet, so moving your number to one is one way to get ready. Check any alarms or card machines on your old line separately. For dates, what to check and what happens to your equipment, read our guide to the landline switch-off.

A virtual landline makes sure the call reaches you. It doesn't answer it for you.

If you're up a ladder, under a sink or driving, your mobile rings and nobody picks up. With most virtual landline providers we checked, the caller then hears a voicemail greeting. Some leave a message. Others ring the next business on their list.

Only two of the providers we checked offer to answer calls for you, both with people:

Virtual Landline says it doesn't offer a receptionist and points customers to a partner. The others we checked offer voicemail, menus or call whisper, but nobody to answer.

That's the gap an AI receptionist fills. It answers in your business name, takes the caller's details and what they need, and sends them to you, so the job isn't lost while you're working.