Security and privacy decision
SMSVia
A technically proficient engineer can build a minimal SMS-receive replacement (backend, provider integration, iOS client) in a multi-week effort, but reproducing the vendor's global number inventory, rotation, and operational reach is costly — the narrow workflow (rent one number and receive OTPs) is feasible, the full paid product is not.
View on the App Store↗$19.99/mo
$240/yr
Read off the official pricing page.
$100one-off50 h to build
$10/mo6 h/mo upkeep
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 1 seat.
Open-source builds that already do this
Every project below is open source and already does this job today. Fork one, self-host it, or take the parts you need - the build prompt further down assumes an empty file, and this is the shortcut past that. Licences differ; check the one on each card before you ship. All SMSVia alternatives, with the arithmetic →
What a replacement has to do
- Acquire virtual number, receive inbound SMS via provider webhook, display SMS code to user, consume credits or check subscription.
What it still won’t have
- Very large live inventory across 150+ countries maintained by vendor
- Mobile-app polish and automatic App Store distribution and updates
- Money-back guarantee and in‑app purchase credit handling already integrated
- Potentially high-success rotating number pool and operational fraud/number management
What remains hard
- Product polish and ongoing maintenance
First-year cost
Keep paying
Paying is—cheaper in year one.
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 1 seat.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a minimal self-hosted SMS verification relay: implement a Node.js + Express backend with PostgreSQL, deploy to a single VPS (Docker). Integrate with a commercial SMS/virtual-number provider (e.g., Twilio or equivalent) to rent numbers and receive inbound SMS via webhook; implement endpoints to (1) list available countries/number types, (2) rent a number for a user, and (3) return the latest inbound messages for a rented number. Build an iOS app (SwiftUI) that authenticates to the backend, lists available numbers, shows purchased numbers and received messages, and lets users copy OTP codes. Support App Store in-app purchases for a monthly subscription and one-off credits (or alternatively gate via backend subscription checks). Out of scope: building your own telecom connectivity, large-scale number rotation/inventory management, and global regulatory/compliance handling. Include error handling for webhook failures and provider rate limits, automated tests for core API routes, and basic monitoring/logging and deployment scripts.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Partly verdict base52
- An open-source build was found+5
- 3 cited sources+3
- Price verified on pricing page+3
- Evidence score63
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time - so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 3
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productVirtual Number -SMSVia App - App Store
- official pricingVirtual Number -SMSVia App - App Store (pricing)
- open sourceDRACULA-HACK/master-numbers
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
