Burner is a utility app for iOS and Android that provides temporary, disposable phone numbers for anonymous calling and texting.
Product velocity
Active
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#28
Utilities · free
Sentiment
4.6
173k reviews
Nemesis
Second Phone Number - 2Number
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire Burner to maintain personal privacy and communication boundaries without the social cost of sharing a primary number.
For Individuals seeking privacy for online marketplaces, dating, or professional communication who need to keep their primary number hidden.
What does it look like?
Key features
Generation of temporary, anonymous phone numbers for calling and texting with the ability to delete them instantly
No-logs VPN for anonymous browsing and tracker blocking
Automated transcription and organization of incoming voicemails
How much does it cost?
Subscription-only model anchored at $9.99/month, utilizing a 3-day trial to convert users into recurring revenue.
Velocity
Active developmentUX improvementsperformanceShow more...
The app maintains an active development pace, shipping 5 releases over the last 6 weeks, averaging roughly 0.8 releases per week. While the latest version and several preceding updates contain primarily bug fixes and performance improvements, the development team remains consistently active across both iOS and Android platforms. The release notes are largely functional, focusing on stability and specific user-reported issues rather than major feature overhauls. This consistent cadence suggests a stable maintenance and refinement cycle rather than a shift toward live-ops or major feature expansion.
Who built it?
Ad Hoc Labs
3 apps tracked · Utilities
Firewall - Spam Call Blocker
Burner: Second Phone NumberUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Users report: Review voice lately leans upset. Users appreciate reliable call and text quality provides functional utility for users needing secondary communication lines, but report misleading free trial offers result in immediate unauthorized charges to user payment methods.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Reliable call and text quality provides functional utility for users needing secondary communication lines
- Users report: Misleading free trial offers result in immediate unauthorized charges to user payment methods
100 of 184 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Upset overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Burner: Second Phone Number
How's the Utilities market?
Burner sits #10 Grossing in the US Utilities category, but its rank is trending downward. The reliance on a subscription-only model creates a conversion ceiling compared to ad-supported rivals.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By BPMobile
Both apps target privacy-conscious individuals needing temporary lines for dating and online marketplaces, but 2Number's freemium model directly challenges Burner's subscription-only paywall.
- 2Number provides secondary numbers across eight countries including the UK and Canada; Burner lacks international number support.
- 2Number operates on a freemium pricing model; Burner relies entirely on a strict subscription structure.
- 2Number explicitly markets to a massive scale of 23 million users; Burner struggles with top-of-funnel conversion.
TextNow: Call + Text UnlimitedContender
Text Free: Second Phone NumberContender
Nextplus: Private Phone NumberContender
Second Texting NumberContender
Hushed: US Second Phone NumberContender
Sideline: Private 2nd NumberContender
Second Phone Number'Contender
Onoff NumbersContender
Unlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Burner: Second Phone Number
Where is it heading?
The privacy-utility market is consolidating around high-velocity entrants that bundle VPN and proxy services. Burner's reliance on a rigid subscription model leaves it exposed to competitors that offer more flexible, ad-supported access, so the app must pivot to a hybrid model to defend its market share.
- Users report: Misleading trial billing reports are driving a surge in refund requests, which erodes long-term brand trust and increases churn.
- Persistent message delivery failures in the latest release prevent core utility, directly impacting the daily active habit and rating baseline.
The SWOT
- Privacy-first workflow reduces friction for casual users
- Color-coded inboxes increase session duration for power users
- Brand recognition in major tech publications
- Expansion into international markets to counter Hushed
- Development of a web-based interface to match Text Free
- B2B integration for professional marketplace users
Next best moves
Audit trial billing logic because 1★ reviews flag unauthorized charges as the top complaint → reduce refund surge
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
Burner's subscription-only model is a strategic liability that…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
International number support (available in Hushed but missing here) +2
Since the last report: Burner's competitive position is declining due to increased user churn from billing disputes and persistent technical failures in core messaging.
Bottom line
Burner holds its category lead through sticky privacy-first workflows but bleeds users to ad-supported alternatives, so revenue growth hinges on fixing the billing trust gap.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 3 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeReport last updated