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Best Receiving Sm Apps for iPhone (2026)

10 apps ranked S through F · · Ranked by AppTierList, computed, never sold · JSON

SMS Virtual - Receive SMS is the top-ranked of 10 receiving sm apps on iPhone, at S tier with 4.6/5 from 29,640 ratings.

  1. 1
    SMS Virtual - Receive SMSS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 29,640 ratings · score 94
  2. 2
    Virtual Number & SMS: GetCodeA
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 8,258 ratings · score 89
  3. 3
    VSim: SMS Verification CodeA
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 16,534 ratings · score 88
  4. 4
    Receive SMS Online 2nd NumberA
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 7,167 ratings · score 83
  5. 5
    Get SMS Code - VerifyB
    Free download · ★ 4.5 · 2,823 ratings · score 74

What belongs in this list

Receive text messages on a number other than their own SIM, such as for temporary use.

Not here: sending texts alone; SMS verification codes for specific services alone; regular calling alone; phone transfer alone; a standard Messages app alone

How we pick

For this list we ask the App Store the same searches a person would, in several countries, and keep every app it returns. A model reads each app's listing and rejects the ones that only mention the use case. Every app that stays is scored out of 100 from four parts, each 0 to 100 and averaged with no weights: its App Store rating, how many people rated it, where the App Store itself ranks it for this list's searches, and how recently its current version shipped. An app showing Apple's Editors' Choice badge gets a fifth part of 100, which can only lift its score. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. The list's leader is S if it scores 80 or more. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. An app already in a tier keeps its place while the tier is at most 2 apps over a quarter; past that, only the apps over that margin go down, lowest score first. Equal scores share a tier, and no app has a better tier than an app ranked above it. An app keeps its tier until its score passes the band edge by more than 1 point, or a full tier or the order above moves it. Only the top 40 of a list get a tier. Read the full method →

S
SMS Virtual
A
VirtualVSimReceive SMS
B
Get SMS Code
C
Text Number-…GhostWePhoneVirtuNum
D
Numero eSIM
F
None at F yet

Compare every app

  1. 1
    SMS Virtual - Receive SMSS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 29,640 ratings · score 94 · best in class
  2. 2
    Virtual Number & SMS: GetCodeA
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 8,258 ratings · score 89 · excellent
  3. 3
    VSim: SMS Verification CodeA
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 16,534 ratings · score 88 · excellent
  4. 4
    Receive SMS Online 2nd NumberA
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 7,167 ratings · score 83 · excellent
  5. 5
    Get SMS Code - VerifyB
    Free download · ★ 4.5 · 2,823 ratings · score 74 · good
  6. 6
    Text Number-Phone Text MessageC
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 11,814 ratings · score 69 · situational · provisional
  7. 7
    Ghost - Second Phone NumberC
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 7,728 ratings · score 68 · situational · provisional
  8. 8
    WePhone: 2nd Phone &WiFi CallsC
    Free download · ★ 4.4 · 2,253 ratings · score 64 · situational · provisional
  9. 9
    VirtuNum - Virtual NumberC
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 4,087 ratings · score 63 · situational
  10. 10
    Numero eSIM: USA Number & MoreD
    Free download · ★ 4.0 · 4,465 ratings · score 60 · weak · provisional

Questions people ask

What is the best receiving sm app for iPhone?
SMS Virtual - Receive SMS, S tier, ranked #1 of 10, rated 4.6 by 29,640 people.
Which receiving sm apps are free?
10 of 10 are free to download: SMS Virtual - Receive SMS (S), Virtual Number & SMS: GetCode (A), VSim: SMS Verification Code (A), Receive SMS Online 2nd Number (A) and more. 4 of them sell in-app purchases.
Which receiving sm app has the best App Store rating?
Receive SMS Online 2nd Number at 4.7 from 7,167 ratings.
How many receiving sm apps reach S or A tier?
4 of 10. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. The list's leader is S if it scores 80 or more. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. An app already in a tier keeps its place while the tier is at most 2 apps over a quarter; past that, only the apps over that margin go down, lowest score first. Equal scores share a tier, and no app has a better tier than an app ranked above it. An app keeps its tier until its score passes the band edge by more than 1 point, or a full tier or the order above moves it. Only the top 40 of a list get a tier.

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