Example result
Phone number +1 800 555 0199, a US toll free number in the reserved 555 range, checked on 2026-10-19.
- Line type
- Toll free
- API value
- toll_free
- Number
- +18005550199
- National format
- (800) 555-0199
- Country
- US
Captured 2026-10-19.
How it works
- Enter a phone number with its country code, or add a two-letter country such as US or GB for a number written the local way.
- The number is matched against the numbering plan of its country, which records the kind of service each range of numbers was set aside for.
- You get the line type in plain words, the value the API returns for it, and the pages to open next.
Why US and Canadian numbers often read landline or mobile
In the US and Canada the numbering plan hands out numbers in blocks by area code and exchange, and it does not mark a block as landline or mobile. The plan cannot separate the two, so most numbers there read as fixed_line_or_mobile: it could be either.
Many countries do split their ranges. In the United Kingdom, for example, mobile numbers start 07 and most geographic landlines start 01 or 02, so the same lookup returns a firm mobile or fixed_line.
To narrow down a US or Canadian number, open the carrier lookup. It shows the carrier the number block was first assigned to, and a wireless carrier name is a hint that the block is mobile.
What the type is read from
The type is read from the numbering plan, the public rules each country uses to set number ranges aside for each kind of service. It describes the range the number belongs to.
A number can move to another carrier or to another kind of service later, and a numbering plan lists no such moves. Use the spam phone checker for the complaint history on a number.
Every line type this lookup can return, the value the API uses and what the numbering plan means by it
| Line type | API value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | mobile | The number sits in a range assigned to mobile phones. Calls and texts go to a handset. |
| Landline | fixed_line | The number sits in a range assigned to fixed lines tied to an address, such as a home or office line. |
| Landline or mobile | fixed_line_or_mobile | The numbering plan does not keep landline and mobile numbers in separate ranges, so the number may be either. This is the usual reading in the US and Canada. |
| Internet phone (VoIP) | voip | The number sits in a range assigned to internet-based phone services. |
| Toll free | toll_free | The number owner pays for incoming calls, so callers pay nothing. Businesses use these for sales and support lines. |
| Premium rate | premium_rate | Calls cost the caller extra, charged on the phone bill. Paid information and entertainment lines use these ranges. |
| Shared cost | shared_cost | The cost of the call is split between the caller and the number owner. |
| Personal number | personal_number | A number tied to a person rather than a place, which the owner can point at any phone. |
| Pager | pager | The number sits in a range assigned to pagers. |
| Universal access number | uan | A single number an organization publishes and then routes to different offices or departments. |
| Unknown type | unknown | The number is valid, but its range has no type recorded in the numbering plan. |
Sources
- Google libphonenumber, number type metadata for every country read 2026-10-19
- North American Numbering Plan Administrator, area code reports read 2026-10-19
This tool is run by LookValid. It is not connected to any agency, company or service named on this page.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my US number say landline or mobile?
The US and Canadian numbering plan does not keep landline and mobile numbers in separate ranges, so it cannot tell the two apart. Open the carrier lookup to see which carrier the number block was first assigned to.
Is a VoIP number a mobile number?
No. VoIP numbers belong to internet-based phone services and have their own type. Where the numbering plan does not mark a range as VoIP, the number reads as landline or mobile instead.
What is a toll free number?
The owner of a toll free number pays for the incoming calls, so callers pay nothing. In the US these start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888.
What does the unknown type mean?
The number is valid, but the numbering plan records no type for its range. That happens for some ranges in a few countries.
How is this different from the phone number validator?
The validator checks that a number is valid and shows it in every format. This page puts the line type first and explains each type and what to do next.