This post was originally about Numbr, a free service for creating disposable phone numbers. The service no longer exists, so we've updated to include an alternative.

You might have heard of using a burner phone, but what about a burner number? Reasons to use one include: a secondary number for automated services, protection when using services like Craigslist, and privacy when you don't want to give your real number to someone.

Burner is one of several apps that will provide you with a temporary number. New users can try a free plan for seven days that includes 20 minutes and 40 text messages -- great if you only need a temporary number once.

If you want to use burner numbers regularly, there are several plans to choose from. You can buy credits to pay as you go, or get an auto-renewing subscription that allows unlimited use of a number. Burner offers Android and iOS apps for managing your digits.

If you don't care much about calls and just want to text with your burner number, try SMS Receive Free. Unlike Burner, this service is completely free and ad-supported. It's meant for when you sign up for websites or services that require a phone number. Thus, you won't want to use this one for any long-term functions.

Despite its name, SMS Receive Free does handle incoming calls -- but they automatically end after a minute since they're only intended for confirming activations. Text messages only stay on the site for about 24 hours, and phone numbers rotate every month.

If neither of these services sound like what you need, your best bet is signing up for a second phone number with Google Voice. It's not a true burner number since it's tied to a Google account and is semi-permanent, but it still provides you with a number other than your real one.

Do you use a burner phone number? What service powers yours? Share with others in the comments below!

Image Credit: Atsushi Hirao via Shutterstock