Receive SMS online in Belgium — without your own mobile
Receiving SMS online at SMSBOX works via a virtual Belgian number, your own SIM card (SIM hosting) or our shortcode. Incoming messages appear in your dashboard in real time and can be forwarded to a webhook or an email address — two-way communication without a physical device.
Four ways to receive messages
Shared number with keyword
Ready to use with your own keyword, at no fixed cost.
Virtual number
A Belgian or international number exclusively for your organisation.
SIM hosting
Your own SIM card online 24/7. Ideal for MFA and M2M communication.
Shortcode
Our own shortcode for high volumes and recognizable communication.
Which option suits you?
The four ways to receive SMS differ in what they require and how you pay for them. In all four cases incoming messages arrive in the same dashboard in real time and are forwarded the same way — to a webhook, an email address or a mobile number.
| Option | When to choose it | What you need | Cost model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared number with keyword | To get started, to test, or for low volumes | Nothing but a free account | From 0.25 credit per incoming message |
| Dedicated virtual number | When the number has to be exclusively yours | A request with us; we link it to your account | Monthly fee per number, receiving included |
| SIM hosting | To keep using your existing number, e.g. for MFA or M2M | Your own SIM card, hosted with us | Monthly hosting fee, receiving included |
| Shortcode | For campaigns, polls and opt-in flows over a short number | Nothing — our shared shortcode is ready in every account | Receiving included; you pay credits for what you send |
Virtual mobile number
We supply virtual mobile numbers in Belgium and internationally, for both receiving and sending SMS messages. A dedicated number belongs exclusively to your organisation: you get the whole number to yourself, with no keyword in front. Our numbers are hosted directly with the operators.
- We link the number to your account
- Incoming messages in your dashboard in real time
- Forwarding to email, URL (webhook) or API
- Auto-responders on incoming messages
- Use as sender on outgoing SMS
- Two-way communication (sending + receiving)
SIM hosting — your number online 24/7
Link your own SIM card to your SMSBOX account. Your SIM stays online day and night over the internet and is reachable through our dashboard and the API. You get the same functionality as the SMS gateway, but all traffic runs via your own number. You only pay a monthly hosting fee.
Ideal for multi-factor authentication (MFA) with Microsoft 365, Azure, Google and Amazon, and for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication such as alarm systems and transport logistics.
More info & rates
Shortcode — short and recognizable
SMSBOX has its own shared shortcode — a shortened number (typically 4 to 6 digits) that is easy to remember and looks professional in your communication. The shortcode is immediately available as a sender for your campaigns; there is nothing to request.
Ideal for campaigns, polls and opt-in flows. Your customers reply directly to the shortcode and the message lands straight in your SMSBOX dashboard or, via webhook, in your own system.
- Shared shortcode available immediately — nothing to request
- Launch campaigns and receive replies faster
- Replies in your dashboard in real time
- Webhook forwarding to your application
- A professional look in your communication
Forwarding and automating incoming SMS
Webhook to your software
Every incoming message is posted over HTTPS to your own URL, with sender, timestamp, message and keyword — ready for automatic processing.
Forwarding to email or mobile
Have incoming messages forwarded automatically to an email address, or via auto-forward to a mobile number from your phone book.
Auto-responder
Set an automatic reply to incoming messages — handy for opt-in confirmations and outside office hours.
Receiving your first SMS in 4 steps
- Create an account — create a free SMSBOX account, no credit card required.
- Pick a number — start on the shared number with your own keyword, or activate a dedicated virtual number, SIM hosting or our shortcode.
- Set up forwarding — choose where incoming messages should land: a webhook URL, an email address or a mobile number from your phonebook.
- Test and receive — send a test message to the number yourself; it appears in your dashboard and in your own system in real time.
What does receiving SMS cost?
For the sender an SMS to you is never free, but on your side the cost sits in the number, not in the message. With a dedicated virtual number, SIM hosting or our shortcode you pay the monthly fee for that number and receiving itself is included. You only spend credits on the messages you send back.
Prefer to try without a fixed cost? Then work on the shared number with your own keyword: it comes with every free account and costs from 0.25 credit per incoming message. The exact rates per number type are listed on the pricing page.
Need to receive verification SMS?
Do you want to verify accounts without giving away your private number? With your own virtual number you receive verification codes securely online — more reliable than public disposable-number sites, where anyone can read along.
More about SMS verification Virtual number Is receiving for free possible?Why SMSBOX for inbound SMS?
Applications
More about receiving
Virtual number
All about shared and dedicated numbers in Belgium and abroad, with rates per number type.
SIM hosting
Your own SIM card hosted with us, online 24/7 and reachable through the dashboard and API.
Shortcode
Our short number with keywords for campaigns, polls and opt-in flows.
SMS conversations
Incoming and outgoing messages grouped per conversation, like a chat with your customer.
Webhooks
The technical side of forwarding: payload, fields and examples for your own software.
SMS verification
Receive verification codes and OTPs on a number that is yours alone.