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Pinger

San Jose, US · Founded 2005 · 112 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors

Pinger builds communication apps that provide free texting, calling, and second phone numbers for individuals and small businesses. Its products serve consumers and small business owners looking to manage personal and professional communications.

Also known as Pinger, Inc.

ConsumerSaaS

Investors · 1

Dag VenturesPalo Alto

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

Pinger is a mobile communications company that develops apps enabling people and businesses to call and text without a traditional phone plan. Founded in 2005, the company has focused on app-based texting and calling since launching TextFree in 2009, later expanding into products for second phone numbers, privacy and business communication.

The company operates three products. TextFree offers free texting and calling through a free phone number and, according to the company, has carried billions of calls and texts over more than 15 years. Sideline provides a second phone number on an existing device for personal and professional use, positioned around privacy separation. Index targets business owners with a dedicated business line plus tools to manage calls, organize conversations and respond to customers.

Founding story

Pinger was founded in 2005 by Greg Woock, who serves as CEO of Pinger, Inc., and Joe Sipher; both were previously managers at Palm, Inc.

Business model

Pinger distributes consumer and small-business mobile apps that provide phone numbers, texting and calling capabilities, spanning a free tier (TextFree) and products aimed at professionals and business owners (Sideline, Index).

Traction

The company states its apps are used by millions of people, professionals and small businesses, and that TextFree has connected billions of calls and texts over more than 15 years.

▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history

Market position

Pinger describes TextFree as the original free texting app, and positions its portfolio across free consumer texting, second-number privacy, and small-business phone lines.

Technology

App-based voice and messaging services that assign users phone numbers on mobile devices without requiring a carrier phone plan, with call management and conversation organization features in the business product.

Go-to-market

Products are distributed as downloadable mobile apps promoted through dedicated product websites (TextFree.com, Sideline.com, GetIndex.com) and app-store downloads.

Consumers seeking free or additional phone numbers, professionals wanting to separate personal and work communications, and small business owners needing a dedicated business line with customer-communication tools.

Geography

Headquartered in San Jose, California, with team members distributed across the United States and Europe.

History

Established in 2005, Pinger began offering app-based texting and calling with the release of TextFree in 2009. The company subsequently broadened its portfolio into second-number and privacy products with Sideline and into small-business communication with Index.

Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
User base descriptionJan 2025Apps used by millions of people, professionals and small businesses
Years TextFree has provided free phone numbersJan 2025more than 15 years

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Competitors · 7

by search overlap
Smartsheet232 shared keywordsSmartsheet provides a cloud-based work management platform that enables teams and organizations to plan, capture, manage, automate, and report on work at scale across enterprises, nonprofits, and small businesses globally. The platform helps improve process efficiency and business outcomes through unified digital workplace capabilities.
Shoeboxed227 shared keywordsShoeboxed provides receipt scanning, expense tracking, and GPS mileage logging for self-employed Schedule C filers, freelancers, and small business owners, turning mailed-in paper receipts and app-captured expenses into audit-ready, categorized tax records. It operates a mail-in "Magic Envelope" service plus a mobile app, focused on the US market.
Alaan204 shared keywordsAlaan is an all-in-one expense management platform for finance teams that combines corporate cards, AI-driven expense tracking, accounting automation, and real-time dashboards. The platform serves businesses of all sizes across all sectors in the Middle East.
Zendesk202 shared keywordsThis is Zendesk's internal belonging/diversity and inclusion program page, not a company profile page for an external company. It describes Zendesk's internal culture initiatives and leadership development programs.
Expensify199 shared keywordsExpensify offers a corporate expense management card and platform that issues Visa cards to employees, automatically syncs transactions, codes receipts, enforces spend controls, and integrates with accounting software. The service serves businesses of all sizes in the US, UK, and select EU countries.
Intuit®193 shared keywordsIntuit develops financial software products—including TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp—for consumers and small businesses to manage taxes, credit, accounting, and marketing. It serves approximately 100 million customers worldwide.
Textnow180 shared keywordsTextNow is a US app-based wireless provider offering free talk and text on a nationwide 5G network with optional paid data.

Companies competing with Pinger for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

Timeline · 1

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2009
TextFree launched

Pinger introduced TextFree, an app for texting and calling with a free phone number, beginning its app-based communications product line.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

In the news

Sell or Invest in Pinger Stock Pre-IPOnasdaqprivatemarket.com · Mar 2025Pinger Raises $7.5M in Funding from T-Venture - FinSMEsfinsmes.com · Feb 2012Report: Pinger Raises $8 Million | PE Hubpehub.com · Dec 2006

▸Research sources · 1

primary sources listed

1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Pinger do?
Pinger is a San Jose-based mobile communications company behind the TextFree, Sideline and Index calling and texting apps.
Who are Pinger's investors?
Pinger's investors include Dag Ventures.
Where is Pinger headquartered?
Pinger is headquartered in San Jose, US.