Among the best second phone numbers, you’ll find apps designed for very specific situations. The free number app, Burner is one such solution that’s handy for some circumstances. But should it be used as your second number for work?

The Burner free number app has become popular for a specific need: it’s an excellent way to get a temporary number when you don’t want to share your personal phone number. While this is convenient, it may not suit you if you’re looking for a dedicated number for work.

Burner app: What's it all about?

As those who’ve seen TV crime thrillers will know, a burner phone is a disposable number that can’t be tracked to its user. The Burner free number app does precisely that. It gives free disposable phone numbers for temporary use.

This singular focus makes it different from TextNow, Chalkboard and other top second phone apps. With the Burner free number app, users can get multiple phone numbers and discard them after their use. It’s useful for:

Online dating: You don’t want to share your private number because you never know what strangers might do with it.
Classifieds: You’re listing a product and want to give your number for a one-time transaction and don’t want the other individual to have it forever.
Forms: The Burner free number app will be useful when filling in forms, whether physical or digital.
Moving: If you’re temporarily moving to a new location, you can use the app to generate a local number that you can discard once you’re no longer there.
Protection: The app is handy if you believe your partner monitors your phone. Even if they find out your new number, you can easily discard it and get a new one.

When is the Burner free number app not useful?

As these situations suggest, the app is for a specific set of circumstances when you want to protect your personal number. It’s not the ideal solution for professional use. If you’re a small business owner, startup team member, freelancer or gig worker, you need an app that’s built especially for business use.

Chalkboard: The business alternative to Burner

Of all the second phone line apps, the one specifically designed for professional use is Chalkboard. This is not the number you should get for temporary use. This is the number you should get for the long-term growth of your business.

Chalkboard is different because it combines all the functions of a second phone app and gives you an automated marketing tool. The app comes with contact organisation to separate and batch your contacts. You can also broadcast messages to these groups in one step.

Work-life balance can be hard for entrepreneurs since business calls can come in at any time. With Chalkboard’s auto-reply, you can send pre-written texts to those calls you might miss. This allows you to spend time with friends and family.

Where Chalkboard excels is in its marketing automation. The app automatically sends requests to your batched contacts for online reviews. It would be a time-consuming and tedious task if you were to manually do it.

The app goes one step ahead and notifies you whenever a contact reviews you on Google or Facebook. This helps you monitor and manage your online reputation. These are tasks usually entrusted to digital marketing agencies. By automating them, you save money, time, and effort.

Plus, Chalkboard is affordable for small businesses.

Burner vs Chalkboard

So, how do Chalkboard and the free Burner number app stack up – and which one should you choose?

Features: If temporary privacy is your consideration, the Burner free number app is what you should choose. It gives you several numbers that you can use and discard. You can set up a customised voicemail and “Do not disturb” for when you don’t want to attend calls.

You also get auto-reply for when you’re driving, stuck in a meeting or don’t want to take calls. The app has reminders for tasks on your “to-do” lists that you might forget. While all these features serve their purpose, the primary benefit is privacy.

Chalkboard gives you everything Burner does and a whole lot more. You can organise contacts and broadcast messages to groups. You get review aggregation and notification that no other second number provides. So, if business use is your primary need, Chalkboard should be your second line for work.

Pricing: The free Burner app expires after 30 days. To extend the service, you’ll have to buy a subscription that starts at $4.99 per month. Chalkboard comes with a free trial and after that, offers affordable subscription plans for small businesses.

Grow your business with Chalkboard today

The free Burner number app is for short-term use only. Chalkboard is for long-term business growth. It’s an advanced second number for work and an automated marketing tool. Download it today for a free trial to optimise your business communication, increase customer satisfaction and drive your business’s growth.