If your brand serves Canadian clients, what’s better than having a Canadian phone number to attract more locals to your business? Getting a Canadian number is 100% possible, even if your business is outside of Canada or you don’t have a Canadian address.
With a VoIP phone system, you can access a Canadian number and establish a local presence within minutes, no matter where you’re based.
Keep reading to learn why you should get a Canadian phone number and how to do so.
How to get a Canadian phone number
When you’re working from abroad, you can’t get a Canadian mobile number through your typical phone carrier — but that doesn’t mean accessing local numbers is impossible.
The best way to get a Canadian phone number is through a VoIP phone service, which can give you virtual phone numbers from any country it supports. VoIP services have apps that you can use on your mobile phone, tablet, or computer.
Setup takes minutes with VoIP services. Here are the three steps you need to take to get a Canadian phone number:
- Create an account with Quo, formerly OpenPhone
- Select your city or area code in Canada to get a local phone number — or choose a toll-free number. You can also port in any existing numbers for free.
Canada Phone number look-up
- Complete the signup process, and the Canadian number you selected is yours!
See how easy it is to create a Quo account in this video:
11 best Canadian VoIP providers
Not sure which Canadian VoIP to choose? Here’s a breakdown of the best providers offering service in Canada:
| Provider | Starting price | Unlimited calling to US & Canada | SMS/MMS to US & Canada | Shared phone numbers | Additional phone numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quo, formerly OpenPhone | $15 USD per user per month | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $5 USD per number per month |
| RingCentral | $30 CAD/$20 USD per user per month | ✅, limited toll-free minutes | ✅, 25 messages per user per month | ✅ | $4.99 USD per number per month |
| Ooma | $24.95 CAD/$19.95 USD per user per month | ✅ | Requires upgrade | ✅ | $4.99 USD per number per month |
| 8×8 | Contact for a quote | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Contact for a quote |
| GoTo Connect | Contact for a quote | X | Only available in the US & Canada | Requires upgrade | Price varies by country and number type |
| Dialpad | $20 CAD/$15 USD per user per month | ✅ | For US & Canadian customers only | ✅ | Requires upgrade |
| CallHippo | $25 CAD/$18 USD per user per month | ✅, limitations on toll-free, premium, and specialty numbers | ✅, starts at 100 SMS per user per month | ✅ | Cost varies |
| net2phone Canada | $29.99 CAD/$22 USD per user per month | ✅ | ✅ | X | Cost varies |
| Callture | $36 CAD/$26.50 USD per month,plus extra minutes | ✅ | ✅ | X | Cost varies |
| Aircall | $30 USD per user per month, three-user minimum | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $6 USD per number per month |
| VoIP.ms | Usage-based pricing for all calls | X | ✅ | ✅, calls only | Cost varies |
🔍Want a closer look at these providers? Check out our guide to the 11 Best VoIP services in Canada.
Three reasons to get a Canadian phone number
Any company that works with Canadian customers should consider getting a Canadian phone number. A local phone number comes with a slew of benefits, including the three listed below:
More answered calls
Struggling to get Canadian leads or clients to pick up the phone? Your country calling code or area code might be the issue. People are often hesitant to pick up phone calls from unknown numbers — especially if they’re coming in from abroad — to avoid fees and unfamiliar callers.
In fact, 77% of consumers are more likely to answer a call if they know who’s calling. If you have a US-based business expanding into Canada, a local number can help you build your customer base.
Greater local legitimacy
If you have international clients, offering local numbers in each country, including Canada, shows you service customers in the area. For example, if you own a virtual consultation service based in Egypt, it’s unlikely that clients in Canada will go out of their way to reach out to you if you only have an Egyptian number. Even if your website copy targets them, Canadian clients will want to avoid fees and a potential scam.
If your Egyptian company has a Canadian number, it’ll appear like your brand has an official Canadian branch, instantly boosting trust.
No long-distance fees
Local numbers allow you to call and text Canadian clients without getting charged any extra fees. Your actual location will no longer matter. Even when you’re technically making international calls, you won’t face long-distance pricing. Quo offers unlimited calling to Canada and the US.
Why Quo is the best option for a virtual Canadian phone number
With all the Canadian VoIP providers available to you, it can be confusing to know which one you should choose. Here’s why Quo is the best option to get a Canadian phone number:
- Local and toll-free Canadian numbers: Whether you’re serving customers in a couple of Canadian provinces or all of them, Quo has you covered. Get as many Canadian local or toll-free numbers as you need.
If you want to stand out to your customers, you can choose a vanity number like 1-800-FLOWERS. - Shared numbers: Want to direct all your Canadian sales or customer support calls to one business phone number? No problem. Even if you have a fully remote company, Quo allows your team members to split responsibility for incoming calls and messages and collaborate on any conversations. Your team can even be on separate calls at the same time using a single number.
- Easy global calling: Need to make calls or send texts outside of Canada? Quo makes international calls as easy as pie. Even if you have a local Canadian number, you can still manage unlimited calls, SMS messages, and MMS messages to and from anywhere in Canada and the US. Connecting with toll-free numbers is also free.
Get a full cost breakdown with our international calling and texting rate sheet. - Cross device support: Quo allows you to make calls on any internet-enabled device. We offer desktop, browser, and mobile apps, so you can conveniently manage calls and texts from your office computer or take your work on the go.
- Reliability: Unlike other pieces of software in your stack, your phone service can’t have any downtime. At Quo, we optimize for reliability so that you can take calls without any worries. See our status page and uptime reporting and you’ll see we have over 99% uptime.
- Affordable pricing: Quo is one of the most cost-effective VoIP solutions in the market. Plans start at $15 per user per month.
- Advanced features: Quo offers a suite of advanced features that set it apart from other VoIP solutions, including call recording, AI-powered call tags, auto-replies, and 8,000+ integrations with Zapier.
- AI voice agent: Never miss a call again with Sona, Quo’s AI voice agent. Sona can answer calls, take messages, qualify leads, and send texts with booking links or other information.
Canada phone numbers: What you should know
Canadian phone numbers are similar to other North American numbers, but they have their own area codes. The reason for this is they are part of the North American Numbering Plan, or NANP, which is an integrated telephone numbering plan that serves over 20 North American countries, including Jamaica, Grenada, and the Bahamas.
Here’s what you should know about Canadian phone numbers:
Canadian phone number format
NANP numbers, including Canadian numbers, have the same format:
- Country code: NANP numbers share the same code — 1.
- Area code: The three-digit area code signifies where a number is located. Canada’s area codes are divided among its provinces and territories. Canada has 64 area codes as of 2025.
- Central office code: This three-digit code is used to identify the specific network exchange within the broader area code.
- Line code: This four-digit code signifies the specific line connected to the telephone network.
Put together, the standard Canada phone number format is made of ten digits that look like this:
Canadian phone number types
Businesses can choose from three different types of numbers when they’re looking for a Canadian phone number:
- Local numbers: These are standard ten-digit numbers that include an area code, central office code, and a line code. Local numbers can be used by businesses to call and text their customers. Since they allow for two-way business communications, customers can text them back as well.
- Toll-free numbers: Canadian toll-free numbers allow anyone based in one of the NANP countries or regions mentioned earlier to call a toll-free number without paying hefty long-distance fees. Toll-free area codes include 800, 833, and 844. They’re useful if you’re selling across Canada and other countries, but don’t need a number tied to a specific region.
- Vanity numbers: This is a type of toll-free number where you can customize a specific phone number for marketing and advertising purposes. For example, if you have a handyman business, having FIX in your phone number can help you stand out to prospective customers.
What area codes are available in Canada?
Your area code tells Canadian customers where your business is based, so it’s worth picking one that matches your target market. Quo offers local Canadian numbers in 10 provinces:
| Canadian province or territory | Area code |
|---|---|
| Alberta, includes Calgary | 368, 587, 780, 825, 403 |
| British Columbia, includes Vancouver | 236, 250, 257, 672, 778, 604 |
| Manitoba | 204, 431, 584 |
| New Brunswick | 428, 506 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709, 879 |
| Nova Scotia | 782, 902 |
| Ontario, includes Toronto | 807, 249, 683, 705, 226, 382, 519, 548, 289, 365, 742, 905, 343, 613, 753, 416, 437, 647, 942 |
| Prince Edward Island | 782, 902 |
| Quebec, includes Montreal | 468, 819, 873, 367, 418, 581, 354, 450, 579, 263, 438, 514 |
| Saskatchewan | 306, 474, 639 |
Get the Canadian phone number you need with Quo
Canadian phone numbers are highly beneficial for small businesses with clients in Canada. It helps you develop a trustworthy brand image while avoiding long-distance fees. Using a VoIP service provider like Quo, you can access a Canadian phone number no matter where in the world you are.
Try out Quo for free to experience its perks for Canadian-facing businesses and remote teams.
Frequently asked questions about Canadian phone numbers
Depending on your phone provider, you’ll be paying $15-plus per month to use a Canadian phone number, and some may charge $0.01-$1 per minute extra for international calls.
With Quo, there are no hidden fees — just a flat rate to contact customers in Canada and the US.
Yes, you can create a Canadian phone number for free. Quo offers a free seven-day trial where you can get started with your phone number.
To continue using your Canadian phone number, you’ll have to sign up for a paid plan.
Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to set up a virtual number:
1. Choose your preferred Canadian area code
2. Invite your team to your virtual phone platform
3. Set up essential features like a phone menu, call routing, business hours, call forwarding, and voicemail
4. Enable call recording, call summaries, and transcripts — if available
Your virtual phone number will be linked to your VoIP account, so you can make local calls and send text messages from any device that your VoIP phone system supports.
A VoIP Canada number is a virtual phone number you can use to call and text from almost anywhere else. Whether in Montreal or Madrid, you can access your virtual phone number from your VoIP provider’s app.
Canada’s country code is +1. If you call Canada from US, you would dial the telephone number as 1-780-124-4568.
Quo doesn’t charge anything to port over a Canadian number from any device or VoIP service. However, some VoIP number providers may require you to pay a port-out fee.
If you’re dialing a Canadian number from within Canada, you simply have to dial the area code, central office code, and the line number. There should be ten digits total.
Calling a Canadian landline number or mobile number from the US? Here’s how to do it:
1. Dial Canada’s country code – ‘+1’.
2. Dial the phone number, including the area code, central office code, and line number.
When you call Canada from outside the country, you usually have to dial an international code as well, but this isn’t the case with NANP countries like the US. With Quo, you don’t have to dial the country code either; you only need to dial +1, the area code, and the seven-digit phone number in your Quo app.
Calling Canada phone numbers from non-NANP countries using another phone service? You’ll need to also include the international access code:
1. Dial the international access code — ‘011’.
2. Dial Canada’s country code — ‘1’.
3. Dial the phone number, including area code, central office code, and line number.
International calling is the same with a virtual number as it is with a physical SIM-based number.
Dial your recipient’s country code followed by their number. That’s it!
Yes, you can get a virtual Canadian phone number from anywhere in the world. Sign up with a VoIP provider like Quo and get your number instantly.
Porting an existing Canadian phone number to a VoIP provider like Quo is straightforward. Here’s what the process typically looks like:
1. Check if your number is eligible for porting. Most numbers are eligible, but you can check your carrier’s website to make sure.
2. Let your current provider know you’ll be porting out. We also recommend asking them to confirm the information they have on file for you, including your name, billing address, and port-out PIN.
3. Submit a porting request to your new provider. With Quo, all you need to do is fill out a one-minute porting form in the Quo app after signing up. We’ll take care of the rest.
4. Once the port is complete, cancel service with your original carrier. Porting usually takes 5-7 business days for US numbers and 10-12 days for Canadian numbers.
Once the port is complete, your Canadian number works like it did before — just through your VoIP app instead of your old carrier.
Canada uses the +1 country code as part of the North American Numbering Plan. So, when calling Canada from outside North America, you’d dial +1 followed by the 10-digit phone number. For example, a Toronto number would be dialed as +1 416-555-0123.
If you’re using your Canadian number for business SMS, you’ll need to follow:
– CASL, Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, guidelines: This includes getting consent before sending marketing texts and including opt-out mechanisms in every message.
– National Do Not Call List: Businesses must register with the DNCL and scrub call lists before any outbound telemarketing calls.
– PIPEDA: Handle any customer data collected via calls or messages in compliance with Canada’s privacy law.
– Call recording: One-party consent is generally required federally, but it’s best to inform callers as a best practice.
Quebec and certain industries like healthcare and finance have additional requirements. If you’re unsure, consult a Canadian privacy or telecom lawyer.
