What you need to know
- With a 1300 number the caller pays a local-call rate and the business pays the rest. With an 1800 number the call is free to the caller and the business pays it all.
- 1300 is usually cheaper to run and suits most small businesses. 1800 removes all friction and suits high-value or support lines.
- A national number builds trust and portability, but it does not tell you which marketing drove the call.
- For attribution you still need local tracked numbers with dynamic number insertion (DNI) on top.
- Many businesses run a 1300 for sales and an 1800 for support, with call tracking sitting underneath both.
Around 1,780 Australians a month search for a 1300 or 1800 number, and most are weighing up the same question: which one makes my business look established without costing a fortune to run? The honest answer fits in one sentence, then the detail matters. Here is both.
The one-sentence difference
With a 1300 number, the caller pays the cost of a local call and your business pays the rest. With an 1800 number, the call is free to the caller and your business pays the whole thing. Everything else flows from that.
When a 1300 number wins
A 1300 number is usually the cheaper option to run, because the caller shares the cost. For most Australian small businesses, a 1300 is the sensible default for a main sales line. It gives you a single national number that is portable if you move premises or change carriers, and it reads as established without the higher running cost of an 1800.
When an 1800 number wins
An 1800 number removes every barrier to calling, because it is genuinely free for the caller. That matters on high-value or support lines where you never want a prospect to hesitate. If your average sale is large, or you are running a support or complaints line where friction costs you goodwill, the extra running cost of an 1800 can pay for itself. Plenty of businesses run both: a 1300 for sales, an 1800 for support.
A national number tells the caller you are a real business. It does not tell you which ad they saw before they called. Those are two different jobs.
The thing both numbers cannot do
Here is the trap. A 1300 or 1800 number makes you look national and routes calls to your line. It does not tell you which marketing channel drove the call. If you put one 1800 number on your website, your Google Ads, your signboard and your letterbox flyer, every call lands on the same number and you are back to guessing.
That is what call tracking solves. With local tracked numbers and dynamic number insertion (DNI), each channel gets its own number, and phone call tracking attributes every call to its source. The attribution model and call attribution stay clean, and the data flows into Google Ads as an offline conversion. Your 1300 or 1800 number is your front door. Tracked numbers are how you know which street the visitor came from.
How to set it up properly
The clean setup for most Australian businesses: one memorable 1300 number as your public-facing line, with local tracked numbers behind your marketing for attribution. Gibson runs both, productised at $99 per tracked number with no lock-in, and configures the DNI and Google Ads link for you. If you also run an 1800 support line, it sits alongside on the same reporting.
If you are choosing a number and want the tracking right from day one, see how Gibson does call tracking or book a free call audit and we will map the number setup to your channels.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a 1300 and an 1800 number?
With a 1300 number the caller pays the cost of a local call and the business pays the rest. With an 1800 number the call is free to the caller and the business pays the full cost. Both are national inbound numbers that ring through to whatever phone line you nominate.
Is a 1300 or 1800 number better for a small business?
A 1300 number is usually cheaper to run because the caller shares the cost, which suits most small businesses. An 1800 number signals that calling is completely free, which can lift response on high-value or support lines where you want zero friction. Many businesses run a 1300 for sales and an 1800 for support.
Do 1300 and 1800 numbers work with call tracking?
Yes. A 1300 or 1800 number can sit on top of call tracking, but for marketing attribution most businesses use local tracked numbers with dynamic number insertion, because that is what tells you which channel drove each call. The inbound number and the tracked number do different jobs.
How much does a 1300 or 1800 number cost in Australia?
Pricing varies by provider and call volume. Expect a monthly service fee plus per-minute inbound charges, with 1800 generally costing the business more because the caller pays nothing. Always confirm the per-minute rate for mobile-originated calls, which is where the cost usually sits.
