Sideline

Sideline is a second-line app from Pinger, Inc. that uses the user's carrier network for calls instead of VoIP. The home page says this gives better call quality and lets the line work without a WiFi connection. It lists spam and telemarketer call detection, auto-reply to missed calls or messages, a separate voicemail greeting, unlimited SMS, MMS and group messages, number porting from another device or landline, and distinct ring and text tones.

The home page shows app downloads for iOS and Android and no plans or prices. The terms name Pinger, Inc. as licensor for US App Store downloads, with a notice address in Santa Clara, California, and Dinopilot, a Cayman Islands company, as licensor elsewhere. Sideline sits in the same product family as Textfree.

• Carrier network calling. The home page says Sideline uses the carrier network for call quality and works without a WiFi connection, unlike VoIP services. Coverage then depends on the user's mobile signal.
• Spam and telemarketer detection. Spam and telemarketer call detection is listed. The pages do not say how numbers are flagged or whether users can report calls.
• Auto-reply. Missed calls or messages can receive an automatic reply. That helps a working line answer outside business hours without picking up.
• Separate voicemail greeting. A second voicemail greeting keeps messages for the work line apart from personal ones, so callers hear the right name.
• Unlimited messaging. Unlimited SMS, MMS and group messages are listed on the home page. Limits on messages to other countries are not described.
• Number porting. The home page lists porting a number from another device or landline. Costs and timing are not stated on the pages we read.
• Distinct tones. Distinct ring and text tones let a user tell by sound which line is active, which is a small feature that matters on a phone with two roles.

• A tradesperson who wants a business line on one phone. A separate number with its own voicemail greeting and ring tone keeps work calls recognisable. Carrier-network calling avoids dependence on WiFi at job sites.
• A seller who moves an existing landline number. Porting a number from another device or landline lets customers keep calling the same number, with the app handling messages and voicemail.
• A person screening unknown callers. Spam and telemarketer detection plus auto-reply reduce interruptions from unwanted calls, though the pages do not say how accurate detection is.

The home page offers app downloads for iOS and Android and points to a Help Center and a Contact Support page. It lists no plans or prices, so the cost of the line is only visible inside the app or the store listing.

The terms say certain subscriptions may offer a trial before the payment method is charged, that subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled, and that subscriptions bought through an app store must be cancelled through that store. The pages we read describe features rather than a setup procedure, so a new user should read the cancellation terms before subscribing and check what porting a number into the app involves.

Sideline, a Pinger product, uses the user's carrier network for call quality and works without Wi-Fi, unlike VoIP services. The home page shows only app downloads, no plans or prices, and the terms say payments are non-refundable and prices can change at any time.

Call detail records are kept for two years, and deleting personal information means ending the account. United States data centres host the service.

Sideline is entry #11 of 13 in the virtual phone number apps list: the products next to it are Textfree above and Dialpad below. No numeric score is attached; established products follow the challengers in their ranked order.

North America is home to 4 of the 13 vendors, Sideline among them (the United States).

The home page lists spam and telemarketer detection, auto-reply to missed calls, a separate voicemail greeting, unlimited SMS, MMS and group messages, number porting from another device or landline, and distinct ring tones.

Pinger, Inc.

is licensor for US App Store downloads and Dinopilot, a Cayman Islands company, elsewhere.

Analytics tools from several advertising firms are named in the privacy pages.

Charging model: No plans or prices on the home page; terms mention a trial on some auto-renewing subscriptions.

The home page lists no plans or prices. The terms say certain subscriptions may offer a trial before the payment method is charged, that subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled, that payments are non-refundable and that prices for paid accounts can change at any time. Subscriptions bought through an app store must be cancelled through that store. Because no amount is published on the pages we read, a buyer cannot compare Sideline's cost with other number apps without opening the app or store listing. Anyone budgeting for a team should ask for current prices in writing and note that the terms allow changes at any time.

Basis: sideline.com, read for the Best Virtual Phone Number Apps in 2026 guide (reviewed 13 November 2026).

The privacy pages state that call detail records (time, duration and phone numbers) are kept for 2 years and that account contacts are kept while the account is open. Deleting personal information requires terminating the account. Pinger uses data centres in the United States, European-based customer support teams may have remote access to account information, and users must consent to transfers to the United States.

Pinger states it does not sell Sideline customer information in the sense the CCPA describes, and the pages name analytics tools from Google, Facebook, Flurry, adjust, braze and Crashlytics. The licence terms are governed by the laws of the United States and California.

Integrations the vendor names (6):

• iOS app
• Android app
• Carrier network
• Landline number porting
• Help Center
• Textfree (sister product)

These are the nearest neighbours of Sideline in the same list, picked on shared traits and price model.

• Onoff (#5 of 13): Second mobile number in an app, French numbers on the base plan.
• Ring4 (#6 of 13): Not for: buyers who must know the vendor's owner and country. Shared business number for teams with an AI receptionist.
• CallHippo (#7 of 13): Cloud phone system with numbers in over 150 countries. (India)
• Line2 (#8 of 13): Not for: teams making frequent international calls or conference calls. One-plan second line with US and Canada numbers.
• Google Voice (#13 of 13): Not for: buyers outside Google's supported markets or needing numbers in many countries. Workspace-sold phone numbers with Gmail and Calendar links.

Read from the vendor’s own pages on 12 November 2026.

• sideline.com: Carrier network, features, downloads, no prices, help links
• sideline.com/terms: Trial wording, renewal, refunds, price changes, licensor, governing law
• sideline.com/privacy: Call detail records kept 2 years, US data centres, analytics tools, deletion
• sideline.com/terms: Pinger Santa Clara notice address and Dinopilot

The same four questions are asked of every virtual phone number apps product: time to value, real cost, the way out and the intended buyer. On those tests Sideline lands at place 11 of 13. The editorial process sets out how facts are gathered and how commercial links are handled.