Is Second Ring cheaper than RingYard?

Usually, yes — if the way it answers suits you. £2.50 a month for 1,000 minutes in their app, then 1p a minute, which at an hour a day comes to about £10.50 a month against our £19.99. What you pay us for is having nothing in the way: no app, no divert, the phone you already have ringing. If an app over wifi or data works for your household, buy theirs. One thing to know first: their number is re-routed however you answer it, and that is the kind of number prisons are now told to restrict.

Is there an alternative to Second Ring?

Several services sell a landline number for prison calls, and RingYard is one of them. Which is the better buy depends on how much you talk: Second Ring usually costs less if you can answer in their app; RingYard is £19.99 a month with no app and nothing to install. There are also two options that cost nothing at all, compared honestly on this site.

What is the difference apart from price?

Second Ring takes the call on their number and passes it on — to their app over the internet, or diverted to your mobile. Either way it is the same re-routed number. RingYard does not pass calls on: the number is a real line on your own phone. A prison can spot a re-routed number, and when it does the number stops working.

RingYard vs Second Ring

Both give you a UK landline number to put on their phone list, so the person inside pays the same landline rate either way. That part is identical. What differs is what you pay to take the calls.

Second Ring prices read from their own site on 25 August 2026. Tell us if one is out of date and we’ll correct it.

Which is cheaper

Usually them — if the way it answers suits you.

£2.50 a month for 1,000 minutes in their app, then 1p a minute. At an hour a day that comes to about £10.50 a month against our £19.99. On price alone, theirs wins.

If answering in an app over wifi or data works for your household, buy theirs. What we sell is the version with nothing in the way: no app, nothing to install, the phone you already have ringing. One thing to know: their number is re-routed however you answer it — the kind prisons are now told to restrict.

The Second Ring alternative, side by side

At an hour a day, the usage the rest of this site is built around.

RingYard and Second Ring compared on price, delivery and what is needed
What is being compared	RingYard	Answered in their app	Diverted to your mobile
What you pay	RingYard£19.99 a month	Answered in their app£2.50 a month for 1,000 minutes in their app, then 1p a minute	Diverted to your mobile£3.57 a month with 100 diverted minutes, or £8.50 with 1,000
An hour a day	RingYard£19.99	Answered in their app£10.50	Diverted to your mobile—
How the call reaches you	RingYardA real line on your own phone	Answered in their appRe-routed to their app, over wifi or mobile data	Diverted to your mobileDiverted to your mobile
Needs an app	RingYardNo	Answered in their appYes	Diverted to your mobileNo

Prices from their own prison-calls page. Beyond an allowance, app minutes are 1p each. The app answers the same virtual number their divert runs on — the call is passed on either way, and the number does not live on the phone itself. Their site says diverting to a mobile typically costs more, and does not publish the divert rate once the included divert minutes run out.

The part that is not price

Theirs forwards. Ours does not.

Second Ring takes the call on their number and passes it on — to their app over wifi or data, or diverted to your mobile. Either way it is the same number, and the number is the re-routed kind.

That kind is what HMPPS policy tells prisons to restrict. A spotted number stops working — sometimes months in, once you rely on it. And the app route has its own catch: signal, data and battery.

Ours is a real landline that lives on your own phone. There is nothing to spot, so there is nothing to switch off.

Why that matters

Common questions

If yours isn’t here, ask us. A real person replies, same day.

Ask us anything

Is Second Ring cheaper than RingYard?: Usually, yes — if the way it answers suits you. £2.50 a month for 1,000 minutes in their app, then 1p a minute, which at an hour a day comes to about £10.50 a month against our £19.99. What you pay us for is having nothing in the way: no app, no divert, the phone you already have ringing. If an app over wifi or data works for your household, buy theirs. One thing to know first: their number is re-routed however you answer it, and that is the kind of number prisons are now told to restrict.
Do I get a landline number with both?: Yes. Both give you a UK landline number to put on their phone list, so the person inside pays the same landline rate either way. That part is identical. The difference is what you pay to receive the calls.
Is there an alternative to Second Ring?: Several services sell a landline number for prison calls, and RingYard is one of them. Which is the better buy depends on how much you talk: Second Ring usually costs less if you can answer in their app; RingYard is £19.99 a month with no app and nothing to install. There are also two options that cost nothing at all, compared honestly on this site.
What is the difference apart from price?: Second Ring takes the call on their number and passes it on — to their app over the internet, or diverted to your mobile. Either way it is the same re-routed number. RingYard does not pass calls on: the number is a real line on your own phone. A prison can spot a re-routed number, and when it does the number stops working.

£19.99 a month. That is the whole thing.

As many calls as you want, for as long as you want. No app, no wifi, no new phone.

How virtual landlines are built If a number has stopped working

Every Second Ring figure on this page was read from their own site on 25 August 2026. We have no relationship with them and earn nothing if you choose either way.