Guide
VoIP Number Lookup
How do I find out if a phone number is VoIP?
Short answerRun a VoIP number lookup against current carrier routing data. You cannot tell from the digits: VoIP numbers come from the same numbering plan as every other US number, and numbers can be ported between wireline, IP and wireless providers, so no area code or prefix marks one. A lookup reports the line type as it stands now -- mobile, landline or VoIP -- and the carrier serving it. NumberBroom's free lookup checks one number at a time, five a day; a list runs as one upload.
Checking a whole list? Preview 20 rows of it free →
On this page
People run a VoIP lookup for two different reasons. Some want to know about one number that called them, or one they are about to call. Others have a list and want to know how much of it is internet-based numbers before they spend money dialling. The lookup is the same; what you do with the answer is not.
What a VoIP lookup returns
| Result | What it means | In a downloaded list |
|---|---|---|
| VoIP, fixed | An internet-based line used at one location, such as cable home phone or an office system | fixedvoip |
| VoIP, non-fixed | A portable internet-based number, usable from any connection -- most app-based numbers | nonfixedvoip |
| Mobile | A cell phone on a wireless carrier | mobile |
| Landline | A fixed line on a wireline carrier | landline |
Alongside the line type you get the carrier serving the number and, on NumberBroom, an activity signal: a number that has shown no recent activity is flagged as likely disconnected, whatever its line type.
Why you cannot spot VoIP from the number
There is no VoIP area code. VoIP providers draw numbers from the same North American numbering plan as mobile and landline carriers, and the FCC lets a subscriber keep a number when they move between wireline, IP and wireless providers. A number that started life on a landline can be a VoIP line today with the same digits. Any tool that answers from a prefix table is telling you who the number was issued to years ago. The only reliable answer comes from the current routing record, which is what a real lookup reads -- how to find a phone number's carrier explains the mechanics.
What to do with VoIP rows on a list
On a purchased consumer list, the share of VoIP rows is a quality signal for the list itself. Consumer leads are mostly mobile numbers, because that is what people give out; a file heavy with non-fixed VoIP often means the leads have been resold many times, or came from forms that accepted throwaway numbers. VoIP numbers explained goes into why.
- Consumer calling or texting: remove VoIP, or at least non-fixed VoIP. The full scrub removes both, along with landlines, disconnected numbers and known litigators.
- B2B calling: keep it. A business's main line is often VoIP. The litigators-only scrub keeps every line type and removes just the known TCPA litigators, with
line_typeappended so you can sort. - Either way: treat consent for a VoIP number as you would for a mobile, because the TCPA's position on VoIP is not settled.
Checking one number or a whole file
For one number, the free carrier lookup answers in a few seconds. For more than a handful, upload the list on the upload page -- CSV, TSV, Excel or PDF -- or paste the numbers in, and preview the result on 20 rows free before paying. Every row is looked up against the same carrier data, and the file you download keeps each number exactly as you uploaded it with line_type, carrier and activity_score added. For the same question about mobiles and landlines, see the landline or cell phone lookup.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free VoIP lookup?
Yes. The free carrier lookup checks any US number against current carrier data and tells you whether it is a mobile, a landline or VoIP, along with the carrier, whether the line looks disconnected, and whether it belongs to a known TCPA litigator. It allows five lookups a day against an email address, with no card.
What is the difference between fixed and non-fixed VoIP in a result?
Fixed VoIP is a VoIP line used at one service location -- cable or fibre home phone service, or an office phone system. It tends to behave like a landline. Non-fixed VoIP is the portable kind: in the FCC's words, service that "can be used from virtually any internet connection anywhere", which is how most app-based numbers work. The free lookup shows both as VoIP; the file you download from a list shows fixedvoip or nonfixedvoip in the line_type column, so you can treat them differently.
Can a VoIP lookup tell me who owns the number?
No. A line-type lookup answers questions about the line: which network serves it and what kind of line it is. It does not return a name or an address, and NumberBroom does not sell that. If you are trying to identify who called you, you want a caller-identification or people-search service, which is a different product with different rules.
Should I remove VoIP numbers from a calling list?
It depends on who you are calling. For consumer outbound, where you want a person on their own phone, VoIP rows -- especially non-fixed ones -- tend to reach the person less often and are worth removing or calling last. For B2B, VoIP is usually a business's real phone system and removing it deletes good prospects. On NumberBroom that is the choice between the full scrub, which removes every VoIP row, and litigators only, which keeps them with the line type appended so you can sort them yourself.
Are VoIP numbers covered by the TCPA's cell phone rules?
Not settled. The autodialer and prerecorded-voice clause, 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(A)(iii), names cellular service and "any service for which the called party is charged for the call", and does not name VoIP. Whether a given VoIP number falls inside that language has been argued case by case. The safe operating assumption is to handle consent for a VoIP number the way you would for a mobile. VoIP numbers explained covers it further.