By
Adam Simmons
· Last checked
September 2026
There are five common ways to get a second phone line for a therapy practice in Canada:
A second line from your mobile carrier, on the phone you already carry
A second handset with its own plan
Fongo Works, a Canadian virtual number with a free plan
A US-built virtual phone app such as Quo, formerly OpenPhone
Rivet, a practice phone built for Canadian therapists. Rivet is ours, so read this page with that in mind.
The question that decides it is what should happen when a client calls while you're in session. If voicemail and a call back at the end of the day is fine, a carrier line does the job for the least effort. If you want the caller to get a reply straight away, and the call, text and voicemail kept together for that client, you need a service built to do that.
What does each option give you?
A carrier second line. A real Canadian mobile number from the carrier you already use, ringing the same phone. Calls and texts behave exactly like your personal number. A missed call goes to voicemail and waits for you.
A second handset. The most complete separation: a device you can switch off or leave in a drawer on Friday. The cost is carrying and charging two phones.
Fongo Works. A Canadian service that puts a local number in an app, with voicemail and call forwarding on its free plan. Texting is on the paid plan.
A US-built virtual app. Quo and similar apps put a second number on your existing phone, with shared inboxes and integrations. They are built for American businesses, so check how texting and calling back work on a Canadian number before you publish it.
Rivet. Your own local Canadian number on the phone you already carry, for calls, texts and voicemail. When you're with a client, the caller gets a text back that you wrote in advance, and the voicemail is transcribed into that client's thread. Calls, texts and transcripts stay on Canadian servers.
What catches Canadians out?
Most second-line advice online is American, and three parts of it don't carry over.
Google Voice isn't available here. Google's help pages say its single-user plans are "only available in the US" (Google Voice subscription types).
Texting can need a business registration. A Canadian reviewer of one US-built app reported being told they needed "a Provincial or Federal Corporation/Registry ID Number" to send texts. Quo's pricing page describes a business registration, with a one-time fee, for texting to the major US carriers (Quo pricing). If you practise under your own name, ask any provider in writing whether you can text from their service.
Calling back can fail. Another Canadian reported that their mobile carrier blocked the caller ID of a US app. Clients could call in, but calls back didn't go through. Call out from any new number before you print it anywhere.
What does it cost?
Checked against each provider's own page:
Carrier second line: a second rate plan. Bell's dual SIM support page says "you will need two rate plans and will be billed separately for the two lines" (Bell). Costs vary by carrier and plan.
Fongo Works: free for a local number with voicemail, and $10 CAD a month for Pro, which adds texting (Fongo Works).
Quo: from $19 US per user a month billed monthly, or $15 billed annually (Quo pricing). The page prices in US dollars, so the Canadian cost is higher.
Rivet: $29 CAD a month for the practice phone, or $65 with video sessions and clinical tools. Fourteen days free, no card.
Prices change, so check the provider's page on the day you sign up.
Which one should I pick?
A carrier second line if you need a number that isn't your own and you're happy returning calls at the end of the day. It is simple and it works.
A second handset if you want to physically put work down, or your work is court-adjacent and you want client contact on a separate device.
Fongo Works if you want a free Canadian number and don't need to text yet.
A US app like Quo if several people share the line and you've tested texting and calling back on a Canadian number.
Rivet if most calls arrive while you're with a client and you want every caller to get a reply, with the whole thread kept for that client. Start with the practice phone, and add sessions and clinical tools if you want them later.
Whatever you choose
Test the number from someone else's phone: call in, leave a voicemail, send a text, and call back out. Then put it everywhere at once (directory listing, website, email signature, consent form) so clients stop reaching for your personal number.
About Rivet
Rivet is a Canadian practice line built for therapists — a separate number for calls, texts and voicemail, with video sessions and clinical tools in the same place. Your data stays in Canada, and transcription runs on Rivet's own hardware rather than a third-party AI service.
$29 CAD a month per practitioner for the practice line, or $65 with video sessions and clinical tools. Fourteen-day trial, no card.