SMS-Activate Has Closed: Moving Your Verifications to SmsBuyz
Your SMS-Activate account is gone. Your workflow does not have to be.
SMS-Activate has stopped operating, and its old accounts and API keys no longer work. SmsBuyz is an independent service with 2,704 catalogue entries, prices from $0.1544 shown before purchase, and a REST API that follows the same buy, check, finish or cancel flow.
What happened to SMS-Activate
The closure notice on sms-activate.org says the service has completely ceased operation since December 22 and thanks users for its 10 years. The notice does not give a year; HeroSMS dates the closure to December 22, 2025, and other write-ups describe it more loosely as late December 2025. According to the notice, withdrawals were available until February 5, and an email contact for urgent questions was listed until April 30.
The same notice says the team provided its technology to the HeroSMS service and recommends trying it. It also warns that any service now calling itself SMS-Activate should be treated as a scam. HeroSMS says old accounts did not carry over and a new registration is required. SmsBuyz is not affiliated with SMS-Activate or HeroSMS; this page is for people who want to evaluate another option.
| Decision point | SmsBuyz | SMS-Activate |
|---|---|---|
| Service status | Operating; orders, top-ups and the API are available | Closure notice says operations ceased since December 22 |
| Existing balance | New account; top up with crypto, with a 20% bonus on an eligible first top-up | Notice says withdrawals were available until February 5 |
| API endpoint style | REST paths under https://smsbuyz.com/v1 with JSON responses | Single stubs/handler_api.php endpoint with an action parameter |
| Authentication | Authorization: Bearer header | api_key passed as a request parameter |
| Order flow | buy, then check, then finish, or cancel / ban | getNumber, then getStatus, then setStatus (6 finishes, 8 cancels) |
| Response format | JSON with statuses such as PENDING, RECEIVED, FINISHED, CANCELED, TIMEOUT | Text responses such as ACCESS_ACTIVATION and ACCESS_CANCEL |
Is SmsBuyz compatible with the SMS-Activate API?
Not as a drop-in replacement. SmsBuyz does not implement the handler_api.php protocol, so changing only the base URL will not work. The workflow is the same shape, though, and each old call has a direct counterpart in the SmsBuyz v1 API.
- getNumber becomes GET /v1/user/buy/activation/{country}/{operator}/{product}; operator can be "any".
- getStatus becomes GET /v1/user/check/{id}; poll every 3 to 5 seconds until the status is RECEIVED and the code appears.
- setStatus 6 becomes GET /v1/user/finish/{id}, which works on RECEIVED orders.
- setStatus 8 becomes GET /v1/user/cancel/{id} for a PENDING order, and the full price returns to your balance. GET /v1/user/ban/{id} stops a number being assigned to you again.
- getBalance becomes GET /v1/user/profile, which includes your balance.
- Price and stock lookups use GET /v1/guest/prices and GET /v1/guest/products/{country}/{operator}, which need no authentication.
Stay safe while you switch
Brand names from closed services attract imitators. The official notice itself warns that any service calling itself SMS-Activate should be treated as a scam, so do not deposit money on sites using that name. Whichever provider you move to, create a new account, start with a small top-up, and run a single test order before moving production traffic.
What SmsBuyz offers former SMS-Activate users
- A catalogue of 2,704 service entries across more than 140 countries, with prices from $0.1544.
- The price for your service, country and route is shown before you buy.
- Each order waits up to 20 minutes; cancel while PENDING for a full refund to your balance, and expired PENDING orders are refunded automatically.
- Crypto top-ups with a 20% bonus on an eligible first top-up.
- A referral bonus of 10% on every completed top-up made by users you refer.
How to migrate from SMS-Activate to SmsBuyz
- Create a SmsBuyz account and copy your API key from Settings, API.
- Top up a small amount with crypto and confirm the balance with GET /v1/user/profile.
- Map your services and countries with the public products and prices endpoints, since identifiers differ between providers.
- Replace getNumber, getStatus and setStatus with the buy, check, finish and cancel routes, sending the key as an Authorization: Bearer header.
- Run one live order end to end, including a cancel, before switching your full workload.
Frequently asked questions
Is SMS-Activate still working?
No. The notice on sms-activate.org says the service has completely ceased operation since December 22. HeroSMS dates this to December 22, 2025.
Can I recover my old SMS-Activate balance on SmsBuyz?
No. SmsBuyz is a separate company with no access to SMS-Activate accounts. According to the closure notice, withdrawals were available until February 5.
Is SmsBuyz the official successor to SMS-Activate?
No. The notice recommends HeroSMS. SmsBuyz is an independent alternative you can compare on price and features.
Will my SMS-Activate API code work with SmsBuyz unchanged?
No. SmsBuyz does not support handler_api.php. You need to switch to the v1 REST routes and Bearer authentication; the buy, check, finish and cancel flow maps directly.
What happens if no SMS arrives on a SmsBuyz number?
Cancel while the order is PENDING and the full price returns to your balance. If you do nothing, the order expires after 20 minutes and is refunded automatically.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-24. Prices, availability and competitor terms can change; compare the same route at the time of purchase.
Sources: SMS-Activate official closure notice, HeroSMS: What happened to SMS-Activate?, BitBrowser: SMS-Activate shutdown (late December 2025), SMS-Activate API documentation (archived August 2024), SmsBuyz API documentation.