Comparison
NumberBroom vs. FreeCarrierLookup
How is NumberBroom different from FreeCarrierLookup?
Short answerThey answer different questions. FreeCarrierLookup returns a number's carrier and whether it is wireless or landline, for numbers in most countries, and for US and Canadian numbers its email-to-SMS and email-to-MMS gateway addresses. NumberBroom is built for teams calling a US list: its free carrier lookup returns the carrier and line type -- mobile, landline or VoIP -- plus whether the line looks disconnected and whether it belongs to a known litigator. For carrier data alone on a large list, FreeCarrierLookup sends bulk users to Data247, which charges per lookup plus a monthly membership fee.
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On this page
FreeCarrierLookup does one thing simply: type a number, get the carrier and whether it is a cell phone. The question is whether that is the question you need answered. If you are about to call or text a list of US numbers, it is usually not the whole of it.
Side by side
| FreeCarrierLookup | NumberBroom | |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier name | Yes | Yes |
| Line type | Wireless or landline (VoIP on Data247's paid Carrier Type service) | Mobile, landline or VoIP; fixed and non-fixed VoIP in a list |
| Disconnected check | Not listed | Yes, from recent line activity |
| TCPA litigator check | Not listed | Yes: flagged on a single lookup, removed from a list |
| SMS / MMS gateway addresses | Yes, US and Canada | No |
| Countries | Most countries | US numbers; on a list, numbers outside the US can get line type and carrier only, through the $0.06 Outside-US Number Check |
| Checking a list | Through Data247, which charges per US lookup, with volume discounts | $0.20 per number for the first 2,000, $5 minimum, pay per list |
| Membership or subscription | Data247 charges a monthly membership fee | None |
| What a list returns | A file with the carrier name and SMS gateway addresses for each number | Your file back with line type, carrier and activity added, litigators removed, and a dated screening record |
Details are from each company's own pages as read on October 8, 2026. Pricing changes; check theirs before relying on it.
Which one to use
- Use FreeCarrierLookup to find a number's carrier quickly, to get its SMS gateway address, or to check a number outside the US.
- Use Data247 for carrier and line-type data on a large list when you do not need a litigator or activity check and are happy to pay per lookup with a monthly membership.
- Use NumberBroom when the list is about to be dialled or texted: it removes the known litigators and, on the full scrub, the numbers that look disconnected along with the landlines and VoIP, in one pass with no monthly fee. The litigators-only scrub keeps every line type, with the line type and activity score added.
Quick check: a carrier lookup or a list check
Pick an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Why the litigator check is the part that matters
A carrier lookup tells you what a number is. It cannot tell you who answers it. The people who file TCPA lawsuits for a living use ordinary, active cell phones, so they pass every carrier and line-type check cleanly. The only thing that identifies them is the court record, which is what a TCPA litigator database is built from, and a carrier lookup does not include one. That is the gap NumberBroom exists to close; the litigator scrub covers how it works on a whole file.
Frequently asked questions
What does FreeCarrierLookup return?
Per its home page as read on October 8, 2026: the carrier name and whether the number is wireless or landline, for numbers in most countries, plus email-to-SMS and email-to-MMS gateway addresses for US and Canadian numbers. The page is marked "FOR BUSINESSES ONLY", and it points anyone who needs unlimited lookups, an API or batch processing to Data247.
What does NumberBroom return that FreeCarrierLookup does not?
Three things aimed at calling a list. VoIP as its own line type, split into fixed and non-fixed in a downloaded file (see VoIP number lookup). A likely-disconnected signal from the line's recent activity, since a dead cell phone still reports as mobile. And a TCPA litigator check against a database of people who file TCPA and other consumer suits for a living: the free lookup tells you if a single number matches, and a list scrub removes the matches before you get the file back. None of those appears on FreeCarrierLookup's page.
What does FreeCarrierLookup do that NumberBroom does not?
Two things. It covers numbers in most countries, where NumberBroom's scrub checks US numbers only (on a list, a $0.06 add-on gives line type and carrier for the rest). And it returns the email-to-SMS and email-to-MMS gateway addresses for US and Canadian numbers, which NumberBroom does not. If you are routing messages through carrier email gateways, or checking international numbers, it is the right tool.
How is carrier data on a list priced?
FreeCarrierLookup's page points anyone who needs unlimited lookups, an API or batch processing to Data247. Per Data247's pricing page as read on October 8, 2026, it charges per US lookup plus a monthly membership fee, with volume discounts and a free trial credit; ask Data247 for current prices. NumberBroom charges per list, with no membership: $0.20 per number for the first 2,000 rows, lower after that, with a $5 minimum. Data247's carrier pages list no litigator check and no disconnected check. See NumberBroom's pricing.
Does either one check the Do Not Call Registry?
Neither lookup does. Data247 lists a separate "DNC Lookup" service on its site. NumberBroom's free lookup does not check the National Do Not Call Registry; it screens for known litigators, which is a different list. A paid NumberBroom list scrub can add a federal Do Not Call Registry check, under your own FTC subscription (SAN), included free on lists of up to 1,000 numbers. The Do Not Call Registry explains who has to scrub against it.