# SMS-Activate alternative: what to use now that it has closed > SMS-Activate is closed. If you used it for numbers you need again later, a rental keeps the number for 7 to 90 days: from $8.50 at KeepANumber. Crypto, no ID. - URL: https://keepanumber.com/alternatives/sms-activate - Last updated: 2026-10-19 - Publisher: KeepANumber (https://keepanumber.com/) **Quick answer: What can I use instead of SMS-Activate?** SMS-Activate's site says the service is closed and points to HeroSMS for one-time numbers. If you need a number you can use again later, rent one: KeepANumber rents numbers in 14 countries for 7, 30 or 90 days, from $8.50 (US, 7 days), paid in crypto with no ID upload. Checked 18 October 2026. ## What happened to SMS-Activate? Its site now shows a notice titled "SMS-Activate service is closed". It says balance withdrawals were available until 5 February and urgent contact until 30 April, recommends HeroSMS, which it says received its technology, and warns that any new site using the SMS-Activate name is a scam. Third-party reports place the closure announcement in late December 2025. Some users allege on review sites that small balances were hard to recover; we have not verified those claims. *Timeline, from the closure notice and third-party reports* | Date | Event | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Late December 2025 | Closure announced | Third-party report (BitBrowser) | | 5 February 2026 | Last day for balance withdrawals | SMS-Activate notice | | 30 April 2026 | Last day for urgent contact | SMS-Activate notice | | 18 October 2026 | Notice still online; users pointed to HeroSMS | sms-activate.org, read on this date | ## One-time numbers or rentals: which did you need? SMS-Activate was mostly used for one-time numbers that last minutes. If that is what you need, other one-time services exist, listed below. But many users found the limit of one-time numbers when a service texted again weeks later. If your accounts still list an SMS-Activate number, those texts now go nowhere, and a rental for 30 or 90 days avoids the same problem next time. *Short-lived numbers, public pages read on 2026-10-18* | Service | How long a number lasts | Price shown | | --- | --- | --- | | [HeroSMS](https://hero-sms.com/) | "Temporary (from 20 min)" | Per service and country, after choosing | | [5SIM](https://5sim.net/faq/general-questions/phone-number-with-long-term-use) | 10 to 20 minutes; longer use "currently unavailable" | Per service and country, after choosing | | [PVADeals](https://pvadeals.com/) | 20 minutes | from $0.09 | | [TextVerified](https://www.textverified.com/) | Short rentals of 1 to 14 days (US) | from $1.50 | ## How does a KeepANumber rental compare? *As stated on each service's own pages, read 2026-10-18* | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | SMS-Activate | Closed; notice on its own site; points users to HeroSMS | | HeroSMS | Temporary numbers "from 20 min"; no rental page found | | KeepANumber | Rentals of 7, 30 or 90 days in 14 countries; $8.50 to $29 for a US number | | KeepANumber payment | BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, SOL, LTC; no ID upload | ## What should former SMS-Activate users do now? 1. List the accounts that still use a number from SMS-Activate. 2. On each one, add an authenticator app or backup codes, and replace the number with one you control. 3. For accounts you keep, use a number that stays yours: your own, or a rental you renew. 4. Be careful with sites that use the SMS-Activate name: its own notice calls them a scam. ## Questions from former SMS-Activate users ### Can I transfer my SMS-Activate balance to KeepANumber? No. We have no link with SMS-Activate or HeroSMS. ### Does a rental cost more than an SMS-Activate code did? Yes, because it is a different product. A one-time number costs cents; a rental that stays yours for 30 days costs $13.50 in the US. ### Can I get back a number I had at SMS-Activate? No. Numbers are not transferable between services. **Rent a number in a few minutes** Top up from $10 in crypto, choose a country and a period. No ID upload, no selfie. [See prices](https://keepanumber.com/pricing) ยท [How it works](https://keepanumber.com/how-it-works) - [SMS-Activate closure notice](https://sms-activate.org/), read 2026-10-18 - [HeroSMS home page](https://hero-sms.com/), read 2026-10-18 - [BitBrowser: SMS-Activate shutdown report](https://www.bitbrowser.net/news/sms-activate-shutdown), read 2026-10-18 - [5SIM FAQ: long-term use of a number](https://5sim.net/faq/general-questions/phone-number-with-long-term-use), read 2026-10-18 - [PVADeals home page and prices](https://pvadeals.com/), read 2026-10-18 - [TextVerified home page](https://www.textverified.com/), read 2026-10-18 --- KeepANumber: KeepANumber is a long-term rental provider of virtual phone numbers for receiving SMS, paid in crypto with no ID upload.