What is Free and who is it for?
Free is for starting entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. Are you a freelancer, self-employed professional (zzp’er) or small business owner who’s just starting out and wants a professional business number, without being tied to a subscription straight away? Then Free is a good fit.
You’re eligible for Free if:
your business has been registered with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK) for less than one year in the Netherlands;
you haven’t had a Rinkel account with this KvK number or email address before.
How to sign up
When you sign up, you enter your KvK number: https://my.rinkel.com/freemium/nl.
This lets Rinkel check whether Free suits your situation. Free is meant for new businesses and can be used once per business.
You then verify your identity with a 1-cent payment via iDEAL. We only use that 1 cent as a check against misuse and fraud; you don’t pay anything else. You don’t need a credit card.
We reserve your chosen business number for 15 minutes while you sign up. If you don’t complete the verification in time, the number may become available to someone else again. The verification email stays valid for 24 hours, and you can have it resent from the sign-up screen.
Your business number
With Free, you get a new business number from Rinkel. Your number goes live as soon as you’ve fully completed your sign-up: the 1-cent iDEAL payment is done, your email address is confirmed and your password is set.
A few things to know about your number on Free:
Rinkel assigns the number. You don’t choose it yourself, and you can’t change it within Free.
You can’t bring an existing number to Free. You always get a new Rinkel number.
If you switch to a paid plan later, you keep your number. You can then also choose a different number or port a number to Rinkel.
90 days of extra features
Want to discover everything Rinkel can do? Activate the 90 days of extra features. You get temporary access to many Expert features, so you can better decide whether a paid plan suits you, and which one.
How it works:
You activate the 90 days within 7 days of signing up. The 90 days start from activation.
Your dashboard shows how many days you have left, and you’ll get a notification before the period ends.
The Free limits still apply: a maximum of 25 calls per month, one number and no extra users.
After 90 days, the extra features are locked automatically. You keep using Free with the basic features and can carry on making and receiving calls within the limits. Your data isn’t deleted when the period ends, although some features and overviews will be locked. Want to keep the extra features? Then upgrade to a paid plan.
Calls and limits
With Free, you can make up to max. 25 calls per month. Incoming and outgoing calls count together. A call counts once it lasts 10 seconds or more, so short calls without a real conversation, missed calls and voicemail don’t count.
Your bundle resets every month on your sign-up date. For example, if you sign up on 27 May, your bundle resets on 27 June. Unused calls don’t carry over to the next month.
When you reach the limit, calls are blocked step by step:
After your 25th call, you’ll get a notification that your bundle is used up, and you can no longer make outgoing calls.
At the next incoming call after that, incoming calls are blocked as well.
You can make and receive calls again after the reset, or straight after an upgrade.
Which features come with Free?
On Free, you call via the Rinkel app on your mobile and use the basic settings, such as standard call forwarding. You’ll see some features in Rinkel that are only available during the 90 days of extra features or after an upgrade. Outside that, those features are locked.
What to expect from Free:
Features such as the call menu, business hours and AI Insights are part of the 90 days of extra features. After that, they’re locked unless you upgrade. Upgrading while AI Insights is switched on? Then you get AI Insights free for 1 more month.
International and anonymous outgoing calls aren’t available on Free. This is a deliberate choice to keep Free safe and affordable.
WhatsApp Business and the Webphone come with the paid plans. Once you upgrade, you can also call straight from your browser.
You can buy or connect a desk phone on Free, as long as it fits within the available options.
Upgrading to a paid plan
You can upgrade at any time, for example via an upgrade button, a notification, a locked feature or the plans page. You choose a plan (Essential, Professional or Expert) and a billing period, and complete your payment via Mollie. You pay the first month in advance.
As soon as your payment is confirmed, your plan starts right away and the Free limits no longer apply, such as the monthly call limit and the restriction to one user and one number. When you upgrade, you keep everything:
your Rinkel number (you can also choose a new number or port a number to Rinkel);
your contacts and call history;
your data and settings. If you upgrade to Essential or Professional, your call forwarding is automatically switched to standard call forwarding.
❗️Please note: switching to a paid plan can’t be undone. You can’t go back to Free afterwards.
Costs and billing
Free is free and there’s no automatic upgrade, so you won’t suddenly be paying for a plan. You can buy paid extras, such as a desk phone. For your free plan, you’ll receive an invoice of €0 every month, just as you would on a paid plan. You’ll see the prices of the paid plans when you upgrade and at rinkel.com/en-nl/plans.
Managing your account
You use Free via the My Rinkel web portal and the Rinkel app. Free is for one user and one business number. Want to work with multiple users or numbers? Then a paid plan is a better fit.
To delete your account, please contact support. You can’t yet delete it yourself via the app or the web portal. Deletion is permanent: your data is deleted or anonymised in line with the applicable rules, your number is released and your account can’t be restored.
If you don’t use Free for a longer period, we’ll clean up the account. After 3 months of inactivity you’ll get a warning, after 4 months logging in is blocked, after 5 months you’ll get a final warning, and after 6 months the account is deleted.
Privacy and security
When you sign up, you verify your identity with a 1-cent payment via iDEAL. This helps us prevent misuse and make sure the account belongs to the right business owner. If your account is deleted, your data is deleted or anonymised in line with the applicable rules. You can read more about this in Rinkel’s privacy policy.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Free really free?
Yes. You don’t need a credit card and you won’t be moved to a paid plan automatically. When you sign up, you do make a 1-cent payment via iDEAL, purely as a check against misuse and fraud.
Who can use Free?
Free is for starting entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. You’re eligible if your business has been registered with the KvK for less than one year and you haven’t had a Rinkel account with this KvK number or email address before.
Do I get a new phone number, and can I choose it myself?
With Free, you get a new business number assigned by Rinkel. You don’t choose it yourself, you can’t change it within Free, and you can’t bring an existing number. If you switch to a paid plan later, you keep your number.
How many calls can I make per month?
Up to 25 calls per month; incoming and outgoing calls count together. A call counts once it lasts 10 seconds or more. Your bundle resets every month on your sign-up date, and unused calls expire.
What are the 90 days of extra features?
Within 7 days of signing up, you can activate 90 days of extra features and try out many Expert features. The Free limits still apply. After 90 days, the extra features are locked and you continue on Free with the basic features; your data is kept.
Which features are and aren’t available on Free?
You call via the Rinkel app on your mobile and use the basic settings, such as standard call forwarding. Features such as the call menu, business hours and AI Insights are part of the 90 days. International and anonymous outgoing calls, WhatsApp Business and the Webphone aren’t available on Free. You can use a desk phone.
Can I upgrade, and will I keep my data?
Yes. You can upgrade to Essential, Professional or Expert at any time. Your number, contacts, call history and settings are all kept. Please note: switching can’t be undone, and you can’t go back to Free.
What does it cost, and will I get invoices?
Free is free, with no hidden costs. You’ll receive an invoice of €0 every month. You can buy paid extras, such as a desk phone. If you upgrade, you pay the first month in advance.
How do I manage or delete my account?
You manage Free via My Rinkel and the Rinkel app (one user, one number). To delete your account, contact support; deletion is permanent. If you don’t use Free for a long time, the account is deleted after 6 months of inactivity, with warnings from 3 months.
Need help? Our support team is happy to help at [email protected] or 085 060 9000.