Know what's behind any number - its current carrier, line type, porting status and VoIP risk. Free, private, no sign-up.
A phone carrier lookup tells you which mobile network a phone number belongs to, what kind of line it is (mobile, landline or VoIP) and which country it is from. Ours checks live carrier and number-portability records, so it shows the network a number is on today - even after it has been ported - and never contacts the number itself.
Updated October 2026
Live carrier data, with the official numbering plan as a fallback - fast, passive and free.
Live carrier check
Shows the network a number is on today and whether it was ported - not just the range it was first issued from.
Line type & VoIP flag
Know if it's a real mobile, a landline or a virtual number before you text or rely on it.
240+ countries
Every major calling zone covered - country, line type and clean formatting for any valid number.
Passive & private
We never call or text the number. No account needed and no cost per search.
Three steps, no sign-up - pick a country, paste the number, read the result.
Choose the country so we read the number correctly - or just type the full number with its + code.
Paste any phone number. We clean up spaces, dashes and brackets automatically.
Instantly see the country, line type, carrier and whether it's a real mobile or a VoIP line.
What each line type means, whether it can receive a text, and whether sign-up checks usually accept it.
| Line type | Receives SMS | Accepted for sign-up codes | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | Yes | Almost always | A real mobile / cellular number. Best for receiving SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram and OTP codes. |
| Fixed line or mobile | Usually | Usually | A range shared by both fixed and mobile numbers, common in North America. |
| VoIP | Often | Often refused | A virtual / internet-based number. Many apps and banks reject these for verification. |
| Landline | Rarely | Rarely | A fixed-line (home or office) number. Usually cannot receive SMS. |
| Toll-free | Rarely | No | Free-to-call business numbers (e.g. 800 ranges). |
| Premium rate | No | No | Higher-cost numbers such as support or entertainment lines. |
How line type, carrier data and number porting actually work.
Line type decides whether a number can receive your text: mobiles can, landlines and toll-free numbers usually can't, and VoIP is the throwaway type apps and banks reject. We flag VoIP and disposable ranges - treat it as a strong signal, since a ported number can switch networks.
Each lookup checks the number against live carrier and number-portability records, so you see the network it is on today rather than the one its range was first issued to. The check never reaches the phone. If it is unavailable we fall back to the official numbering plan and the result says so - and when nothing names a network we show “Unknown carrier” rather than guessing.
Country, calling code, line type, validity and clean E.164 formatting work for any number across 240+ countries - with the current carrier shown wherever the live data names one. Browse numbers by country, grab a temporary number, or use the lookup API.
A paid HLR lookup asks the phone's home network whether the handset is switched on and reachable, and charges per query. Ours reads live carrier and porting records instead - current network, line type, ported status and, where available, whether the line is in service, free and with no sign-up - though it won't tell you whether a handset is switched on right now.
Six everyday reasons a quick line-type check saves you time and trouble.
Many apps and banks reject VoIP numbers - confirm a number is a real mobile before relying on it for OTP codes.
Identify virtual / VoIP lines before you share anything sensitive.
Recognise where an unknown caller or contact is really based at a glance.
Landlines and toll-free numbers usually can't receive texts - check first.
Filter out landlines and VoIP lines before a campaign to cut bounces and protect your sender reputation.
See which carrier a number maps to before porting it or switching providers.
Networks, number ranges and number formats for 89 countries.
United States
+1
United Kingdom
+44
Canada
+1
India
+91
Australia
+61
Germany
+49
France
+33
Spain
+34
Italy
+39
Netherlands
+31
Sweden
+46
Brazil
+55
Afghanistan
+93
Azerbaijan
+994
Bahrain
+973
Bangladesh
+880
Barbados
+1
Belgium
+32
Bermuda
+1
Cambodia
+855
Caribbean Netherlands
+599
Cayman Islands
+1
Chile
+56
Colombia
+57
Congo - Brazzaville
+242
Congo - Kinshasa
+243
Croatia
+385
Cyprus
+357
Czechia
+420
Denmark
+45
El Salvador
+503
Finland
+358
Georgia
+995
Ghana
+233
Greece
+30
Guadeloupe
+590
Guinea
+224
Hong Kong SAR China
+852
Hungary
+36
Iceland
+354
Indonesia
+62
Iran
+98
Iraq
+964
Ireland
+353
Israel
+972
Japan
+81
Kazakhstan
+7
Kenya
+254
Kyrgyzstan
+996
Laos
+856
Latvia
+371
Liberia
+231
Liechtenstein
+423
Malaysia
+60
Mongolia
+976
Nepal
+977
New Zealand
+64
Nigeria
+234
North Macedonia
+389
Norway
+47
Pakistan
+92
Panama
+507
Peru
+51
Poland
+48
Portugal
+351
Romania
+40
Russia
+7
Saudi Arabia
+966
Senegal
+221
Serbia
+381
Sierra Leone
+232
Singapore
+65
Slovakia
+421
Slovenia
+386
Somalia
+252
South Africa
+27
South Sudan
+211
Sri Lanka
+94
St. Pierre & Miquelon
+508
Switzerland
+41
Taiwan
+886
Tajikistan
+992
Tanzania
+255
Thailand
+66
Türkiye
+90
Uganda
+256
Ukraine
+380
Uzbekistan
+998
Vietnam
+84
Get a real, SMS-ready phone number that passes the strictest checks - ready in seconds.
Short, straight answers about what the lookup can and can't tell you.
Yes. The lookup is completely free and needs no sign-up or credit card. We cover the cost of the live carrier check, so there are no hidden per-search fees.
For any valid number you can see the country it belongs to, the network it is on today, the line type (mobile, landline, VoIP, toll-free and more), whether it has been ported from another network where porting records exist, whether the line is in service and prepaid where that can be checked, the international and national formatting, and whether it is a real mobile or a virtual / VoIP line.
We check each number against live carrier and number-portability records, which name the current network for most numbers. When that check cannot name one, or is briefly unavailable, we fall back to the official numbering plan - and many countries do not publish carrier-level ranges there. Rather than guess, we show "Unknown carrier" and still give you the country and line type.
Yes, in most cases. The live check reports the line type the carrier records hold for the number, so a mobile shows as a real mobile and VoIP / virtual lines are flagged as VoIP - even after a number has been ported. If the live check is unavailable we estimate the line type from the official numbering plan instead, and the result says which source answered.
Visitors get 5 free lookups every 24 hours, and signed-in users get 50. If you need to check or use numbers regularly, you can get your own real, SMS-ready number instead.
To run the live check, the number you enter is sent to our carrier-data providers and to no one else. We keep a private log of lookups for up to 90 days to stop abuse, reuse recent answers for repeat checks, and never publish your searches.
No. A carrier lookup returns the number's country, carrier or network range, line type and formatting - never the owner's name or address. The data comes from numbering plans and carrier routing records, not a personal directory, which is a deliberate privacy choice. To decide whether to trust a number, the line type and VoIP flag are usually what you actually need.
Check its line type. Mobile (and 'fixed line or mobile') ranges generally accept SMS, while landlines, toll-free and many VoIP numbers often don't. We read this from carrier records rather than pinging the handset, so treat it as a strong indicator - it's handy for cleaning a contact list before a campaign so your texts don't bounce.
Yes. The country, line type and carrier we show come from non-personal numbering and carrier routing data, not private records. Just use the result responsibly - to vet or format a number, not to harass anyone. The lookup is passive, so no message or notification is ever sent to the number you check.
No. The lookup is completely passive - we never call, text or otherwise contact the number, and the carrier check reads routing records rather than reaching the phone, so its owner gets no notification of any kind.
Some app-based and MVNO numbers really are registered as VoIP by the network that runs them, so the live check reports them that way. If the result says it was estimated from the numbering plan, the live check was unavailable, and a number first issued in a VoIP range keeps that label there even after it is ported. Either way, treat the flag as a strong signal rather than an absolute verdict.
The free tool is built for quick one-off checks - 5 lookups per visitor every 24 hours. If you need to validate numbers in bulk or wire lookups into your own app, our developer API and account plans are the right fit rather than the free page.
A paid HLR lookup queries the phone's home mobile network to report whether the handset is switched on and reachable. Our check reads live carrier, porting and line-status records instead: the current network, the line type, whether the number was ported and, where it can be checked, whether the line is in service - all without ever reaching the phone. It does not tell you whether a handset is switched on right now.
