Burner alternative: SMS Conecta compared with the Burner app

Updated 2026-09-30 · By the SMS Conecta team (SMSConecta Inc.)

Short answer: Burner, a subscription app for iOS and Android, generates extra US and Canadian numbers that can only reach other US and Canadian numbers in return. SMS Conecta steps in as the alternative once you need a number elsewhere, want it working through a softphone or PBX, or would rather call from a browser. Burner still wins for quick, app-based US use.

Burner bills itself as the original second phone number app. SMS Conecta tackles the same problem from a different angle entirely: long-lived real numbers spread across many countries, backed by SIP credentials and a web dialer.

What Burner is

Burner is a privacy-oriented second phone number app you can grab from the App Store or Google Play. Its website promotes a set of features bundled into every subscription: unlimited calls and texts, picture messages, muting and blocking, spam blocking, auto-reply texts, the ability to delete or swap numbers, and no ads.

According to Burner's help center, the service currently operates in the US, Canada and Australia, numbers created through it can only reach other US and Canadian numbers, and Australian Burner numbers are not offered at all. Burner numbers keep working while travelling as long as the phone has an international data connection. We did not find prices listed on Burner's homepage, so none appear here.

Burner vs SMS Conecta at a glance

Feature	Burner	SMS Conecta
Where it is available	US, Canada and Australia	Sign up from anywhere with an email address
Numbers you can get	US and Canadian	Real numbers in 181 countries
Who you can call and text	US and Canadian numbers only	Outgoing calls and SMS from your number, 1,000 minutes and 500 SMS per month included
Apps	iOS and Android	Browser web dialer and any SIP softphone or PBX
Switching numbers	Delete or switch numbers in the app	Free replacement in the same country within 7 days if a number doesn't work for you
Payment model	Subscription	From $1.80/month billed yearly, paid in USDT or USDC

When Burner is the better choice

You are based in the US, Canada or Australia and your calls and texts only go to US or Canadian numbers.
A polished phone app with contact colour-coding, muting and spam blocking is what appeals to you.
You like swapping numbers frequently for short-lived contacts, say classifieds or dating, right from within the app.
A standard app subscription is your preferred way to pay.

When SMS Conecta fits better

You need a number outside the US or Canada — say the UK, Germany, the UAE or India.
Holding onto one number for years makes sense for you, whether as a business line or for accounts and verification codes, renewed automatically from your wallet each year.
SIP credentials are required to hook the number up to a desk phone, a softphone such as MicroSIP or Bria, or a PBX like Asterisk or FreePBX.
Calling from a computer browser with nothing to install is what you are after.
Signing up with just an email address and paying in stablecoins suits you better.

Travelling or living outside North America

Burner's help center points out that the app still works abroad over an international data connection, though the numbers remain limited to reaching US and Canadian numbers only. That is fine for staying in touch with North American contacts during a trip.

But if you are relocating to another country, or need people there to reach you, a local number from that country tends to serve you better. SMS Conecta supplies mobile, local and toll-free numbers across 181 countries, all usable online from anywhere, so an expat can keep a number in the new country alongside one back home, both in the same dashboard. Calls can route to a softphone, the web dialer, or be forwarded onto a local SIM.

Costs and commitments

Burner sells access as a subscription through its apps. SMS Conecta numbers instead cost from $1.80 per month billed yearly ($21.60 per year), identical across every type and every country, with no setup fee, no contract, and a 7-day money-back guarantee if the number goes unused.

Getting started with SMS Conecta

Sign up using an email address, then turn on two-factor authentication for the account.
Pick a country and number type from the numbers page — the price stays constant everywhere.
Pay using USDT or USDC, either from your wallet or directly at checkout.
Once activated, usually within minutes, fire off a test SMS to the number and try a test call through the web dialer.
Load the number's SIP username and password into your softphone, or arrange forwarding to your mobile instead.

A note on long-term numbers

Apps centered on swapping numbers suit short-lived contacts well, but accounts like WhatsApp, banks and marketplaces typically expect the same number to reappear later for logins and recovery. SMS Conecta numbers remain real numbers for as long as you keep renewing them, making them the steadier pick for anything you will need to verify again down the line.

Frequently asked questions

Can Burner numbers call outside the US and Canada?

Burner's help center says Burner numbers can only interact with US and Canadian numbers, as of September 2026.

Does SMS Conecta offer US numbers too?

Yes. US mobile, local or toll-free numbers are available, plus numbers in 180 other countries.

Can I keep a SMS Conecta number long term?

Yes. Numbers renew on their own from your wallet, with a 7-day grace period should a renewal fail to charge.

Does SMS Conecta have an app?

No mobile app exists for SMS Conecta. You use the browser web dialer, any SIP app on phone or computer, or forward calls to any phone instead.

What if a service won't accept my SMS Conecta number?

A free new number from the same country is one click away within 7 days, up to 2 times.

Get a number in these countries

Sources

Burner: Home page (as of September 2026)
Burner Support: International Calling (as of September 2026)