Best Visual Voicemail Apps of 2023

Have your voicemail transcribed and delivered to your inbox

By
Rose de Fremery
Rose de Fremery
Rose de Fremery
Writer
  • Oberlin College
Rose de Fremery has been writing about technology since 2011. She's covered numerous tech topics for companies such as Ziff-Davis, Intel, IBM, and HP.
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Updated on January 14, 2023

If you get a lot of voicemails, use a visual voicemail app to transcribe incoming voicemail messages. A transcript makes it easy to read a message so that you can decide what to do with it. Here are some of the best visual voicemail apps for iPhone and Android.

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The Best Visual Voicemail App for Access on Any Device: YouMail

YouMail app.
What We Like

  • Access YouMail on any device.

  • Range of features beyond visual voicemail.

  • Can block spammers and robocalls.

What We Don't Like

  • Ads on the free plan. 

  • Only transcribes first 15 seconds of the message.

YouMail is an award-winning visual voicemail app for iPhone and Android that lets you read your voice messages. You can view the transcription from your phone, tablet, or computer, browsing transcripts in the order you prefer. You can also have YouMail convert voicemails to email and text message format.

Much like a Swiss Army Knife, YouMail has a surprisingly massive variety of optional features, like robocall blocking, personalized voicemail greetings, and conference calling.

YouMail is free to download, but some features require a paid subscription plan.

Download For:

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The Best Free Visual Voicemail App: Google Voice

Google Voice.
What We Like

  • Free and easy to set up.

  • Supports transcriptions in Spanish.

What We Don't Like

  • By default, tries to set up a new number.

  • $10 to change a Google Voice number.

Google Voice has offered visual voicemail for longer than most of the competition. Before Google acquired Google Voice, it was known as Grand Central. Whether you use iPhone or Android, Google Voice is the best free visual voicemail app out there today.

Google Voice gives you a dedicated, free phone number you can set to ring (or not) on any device you choose. When a new voicemail message arrives, Google Voice sends a transcription right away by email, text, or both.

Download For:

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The Best Visual Voicemail App for Heavy Voicemail Transcription Users: HulloMail

HulloMail.
What We Like

  • Search transcripts functionality.

  • Block unwanted callers.

  • Assign individual greetings for different callers.

What We Don't Like

  • No free version.

  • Only comes with a two-week free trial.

  • Does not answer Sprint calls.

HulloMail is another terrific visual voicemail app available for iPhone and Android users. You can use it to scan the voicemail messages in your voicemail inbox, then read the transcriptions and decide how you want to follow up. Should you wish, you can send copies of the transcriptions through email.

If you want unlimited cloud storage for your transcriptions, or the ability to search through transcripts to find a specific message, you may want to level up to a paid subscription plan.

Download For:

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The Best Visual Voicemail App for One-Stop Shopping: InstaVoice

InstaVoice.
What We Like

  • Visual voicemail for up to ten phone numbers.

  • Access and handle voicemail in one place.

  • Helpful customer support.

What We Don't Like

  • Not as many features as competitors.

InstaVoice provides visual voicemail transcription, but with a twist. It aims to provide a single interface to manage an unlimited number of voice messages from every phone number you want.

If you get a ton of voicemail messages on a regular basis, to the point that people tell you they got the dreaded "the mailbox is full" message when calling you, this is the app for you.

In addition to accessing voice-to-text transcriptions on the spot, you can also call or text the person who left a message by using a chat-like interface within InstaVoice. It's a great way to maintain a large volume of voicemails across multiple phone numbers, handling them with the same speed and efficiency you would a text message or email.

Download For:

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The Best No-Fuss Voicemail Transcription: Your Carrier's Visual Voicemail

Person sitting on bench reading visual voicemail on cellphone
What We Like

  • Access robust technical support anytime.

  • No third-party app needed.

What We Don't Like

  • Some cellphone carriers charge a fee.

Most carriers offer visual voicemail, so it's worth checking with yours to find out how to access voicemail-to-text services on your phone. If you don't want to mess around with third-party apps or pay for an additional software package, this is a solid option to explore.

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