Is SMS-Activate Shut Down? What Happened and What to Use Now

What happened to SMS-Activate?

SMS-Activate was one of the largest virtual-number services for SMS verification. In late 2025 it closed and directed users toward successor infrastructure. The number supply did not disappear, but the SMS-Activate website, accounts and API stopped serving customers.

What it means for you

• Your balance. Nobody else can see or transfer an old SMS-Activate balance. Treat any "balance transfer" offer as a red flag.
• Your API scripts. Integrations calling SMS-Activate's API need to move to another provider's API.
• Look-alike sites. Domains reusing the SMS-Activate name are not the original service. Check for a refund policy, real payment options and contact details before paying.

How to switch in 5 minutes

1. Create a CODASMS account. No subscription.
2. Add funds from $2 by card, PayPal, crypto, Nigerian bank transfer, USSD, OPay, or M-Pesa and mobile money.
3. Pick the app and a country that matches your connection.
4. Get the number and copy the code from your dashboard. If no code lands inside the window, your balance is returned automatically.

Developers can move scripts to the CODASMS API (docs). Running a number store? See the reseller program.

Compare your options

We compared the kinds of service people are moving to, on refunds, number quality, payment options and coverage, in Best SMS-Activate alternatives in 2026.