Glossary
What is phone line type?
Line type is the kind of service behind a phone number: mobile, landline, VoIP or toll-free. It tells you whether a number can get a text, whether TCPA cell phone rules apply to your calls, and whether you are likely reaching a person or a business system.
The four line types
| Mobile | A number on a wireless carrier, tied to a SIM card in a cell phone. Can receive calls and SMS. |
| Landline | A number on wireline phone service at a fixed address. Standard landlines cannot receive SMS. |
| VoIP | A number delivered over the internet, such as an app, a softphone or a cloud business phone system. Some can receive texts, some cannot. |
| Toll-free | An 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888 number where the business, not the caller, pays for the call. Almost always a business line. |
Why you can't read line type from the number
Each area code and prefix (NPA-NXX) was originally assigned to a carrier, but that only tells you who first held the block. Since number portability, people move numbers from a landline to a cell phone, or from a cell phone to a VoIP app, and keep the same digits. The only dependable answer is a lookup against current carrier data for that exact number.
Toll-free is the exception: the 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 and 888 codes are reserved for toll-free service, so the toll-free number checker can flag them from the digits alone.
What teams do with line type
- SMS campaigns: keep mobile numbers, drop landlines, and decide on VoIP before the send.
- Dialer campaigns: route mobile numbers through the process your consent records support, and landlines through the rest.
- Lead forms: flag VoIP and toll-free numbers that often belong to apps or business systems rather than a personal phone.
- CRM cleanup: add a line type column so reps know what they are calling before they dial.
What TrueSearch returns, and does not
| Valid or dead (disconnected / not assigned) | Yes, every number |
| Line type: mobile, landline, VoIP, toll-free | Yes, every number |
| Carrier name | Yes, every number |
| Bulk upload (CSV or Excel) | Yes, results in about 30 seconds per 1,000 numbers |
| REST API | Yes (JSON, one API key) |
| Claude / ChatGPT / Cursor connector (MCP) | Yes |
| National or state Do Not Call check | No, not yet |
| Known TCPA litigator check | No, not yet |
| FCC Reassigned Numbers Database check | No |
| Starting price | $97/month for 5,000 numbers, 7-day free trial |
| One-off list | $20 per 1,000 numbers, no subscription |
Upload a CSV or Excel file. Every number comes back mobile, landline, VoIP or toll-free, with carrier and valid or dead.
Starter: $97/month for 5,000 numbers after the 7-day trial. Cancel anytime.
Questions
What does line type mean for a phone number?
Line type is the kind of service a phone number runs on: mobile (wireless), landline (wireline), VoIP (internet) or toll-free. It comes from carrier data for that exact number, not from the digits.
Can I tell the line type from the area code or prefix?
No, not reliably. Area codes and prefixes are shared by mobile, landline and VoIP numbers, and people can port a number between carriers and service types while keeping it. A line type lookup reads current carrier data for the number.
Why does line type matter for calling?
Under the TCPA, calls to cell phones made with an autodialer or a prerecorded voice need the person's prior express consent, and the FCC treats text messages as calls for this rule. Knowing which numbers are mobile helps you apply the right process. This is general information, not legal advice.
Why does line type matter for texting?
Standard landlines cannot receive SMS, so texts sent to them do not arrive. Keeping only mobile numbers, and deciding case by case on VoIP, keeps SMS sends from wasting messages on numbers that can never get them.
How do I check the line type of a number?
Use the free carrier lookup on this site for a single number. For a whole list, TrueSearch for Business returns line type, carrier and valid or dead for every number from a CSV or Excel upload or the REST API.
Does TrueSearch check Do Not Call status?
No. TrueSearch checks validity, line type and carrier only. For Do Not Call status, use the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov.
Related: free carrier lookup, landline checker, phone number prefix lookup, VoIP number detection and landline scrubber.
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This guide is general information, not legal advice. TrueSearch for Business checks validity, line type and carrier from licensed telecom data. It does not check the National Do Not Call Registry, state DNC lists or the FCC Reassigned Numbers Database. Not a consumer reporting agency; not for FCRA purposes.