Startup TellFi helps Canadian startups with free virtual phone number services

A brand new Ycombinator startup called TellFi is helping lean Canadian startups by offering virtual phone numbers, fully featured, for free.

Tellfi's virtual phone service is comprehensive, offering extensions, forwarding, and voicemail. Available are local and toll-free numbers in almost every area code, and the service works with landlines or cellphones. Plus, it's completely hardware-free and doesn't rely on the internet like VoIP, so it's more dependable and provides higher quality calls.

Tellfi also paid attention to the details. For example, you can route calls based on day and time (by the hour) using scheduled call forwarding. And voicemails can be automatically transcribed into emails. There are even analytical tools to track and monitor call history.

Of course, there are limitations. The free model includes only 100 minutes and costs $10 per month after the first year. It also allows only two extensions and has just one local number with no toll-free number. However, the additional minutes are reasonably priced at just under six cents.

If you want more minutes and extensions, you can get the Basic Plan, which for $23 per month starts at 450 minutes with 5 extensions, plus a toll-free number. Or, if your business is really growing, the $68 Pro plan offers 1,000 minutes, 10 extensions, and a second local number. (these two plans also charge 5.8 cents per additional minute).