Compared
Second Ring vs ringyard for prison calls
If you are scared for someone inside, call Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
Both give you a UK landline number for prison calls. It goes on their phone list. The person inside pays the landline rate either way. What differs is what you pay to take the calls.
Checked against Second Ring's own site.
Which costs less
On price, usually them.
Second Ring charges £2.50 a month for 1,000 minutes in their app, then 1p a minute. At an hour a day that is about £10.50 a month. Ours is £20. On price alone, theirs wins.
But price is not the whole story. Ours has nothing in the way. No app. No divert.
Side by side
What each plan costs.
We priced each plan for an hour of calls a day. That is 1,800 minutes a month.
| Plan | A month, at an hour a day | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| ringyard | £20 | £20 a month, unlimited |
| Answered in their app | £10.50 | £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 |
Diverted to your mobile: Their site says diverting usually costs more than answering in the app. It does not publish the divert rate once the included minutes run out.
Every Second Ring figure here was read from their site on 25 August 2026. We have no link to them. We earn nothing either way. Tell us if one is out of date. We will fix it.
The part that is not price
Theirs passes the call on. Ours does not.
Second Ring passes your call on to reach you. Since 11 August 2026, that is the kind of number prisons are told to restrict — it can be refused when it is put forward, or taken off the list after it was approved.[3, 7.9]
No riskStop any time
The person inside dials your ringyard number. It rings on the eSIM in your phone. Nothing is passed on.
Call forwardingWhat changed on 11 AugustWill it work on my phone?
Questions
Common questions.
If yours isn't here, ask us. A real person replies, same day.
Is Second Ring cheaper than ringyard?
On price, usually yes. Second Ring charges £2.50 a month for 1,000 minutes in their app, then 1p a minute. At an hour a day that is about £10.50 a month. Ours is £20. But price is not the whole story. Their number passes the call on to an app over Wi-Fi or data. Since 11 August 2026, prisons are told to restrict that kind of number. Ours is a real landline on your own phone. Nothing is passed on.
Is there an alternative to Second Ring?
Yes. Several services sell a landline number for prison calls. ringyard is one. A landline you already have at home costs nothing extra. Put that number on their list. Our compare page sets out every option.
What is the difference apart from price?
A Second Ring number passes the call on to their app, over Wi-Fi or data, or to your mobile. Since 11 August 2026, that is the kind of number prisons are told to restrict. ringyard does not pass calls on. The number is a real line on your own phone.
Check us
- Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework. HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice, issued 11 August 2026. Read 26 August 2026. Paragraph 7.9 points to a separate operations manual for exceptions. We have not read it. Read it yourself
£20 a month. That is the whole thing.
No term. Stop any time.