phonenumbers
Python version of Google's common library for parsing, formatting, storing and validating international phone numbers.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. phonenumbers is a mature, actively maintained library with no security vulnerabilities, zero runtime dependencies, and permissive licensing. It solves a well-defined problem (international phone number handling) that is difficult to do correctly without reference data. The recent release cadence and strong GitHub presence indicate ongoing support. Install it when you need to parse, validate, or format phone numbers from any country.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low friction installation with no runtime dependencies.
- Active maintenance with a recent release (13 days old) and strong community engagement (3766 stars).
- Supports Python 2.5 through 3.12, though Python 2 support is legacy.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache-2.0 (permissive) — Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. You must include a copy of the license and state significant changes, but there are no copyleft obligations.
last release 2026-08-01 (13 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-01 · 3,766 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 38,754,338 downloads/mo, #707 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install phonenumbers
import phonenumbers
# Parse a phone number
number = phonenumbers.parse("+442083661177", None)
print(phonenumbers.format_number(number, phonenumbers.PhoneNumberFormat.NATIONAL))
# Output: 020 8366 1177
# Validate
print(phonenumbers.is_valid_number(number)) # True- Whether geocoder, carrier, and timezone submodules are included by default or require separate installation
- Memory overhead of the full library compared to phonenumberslite variant mentioned in description
What it is and what it does
phonenumbers is a Python port of Google's libphonenumber library for handling international telephone numbers. It provides parsing, validation, formatting, and metadata lookup across all countries and regions. The library normalizes phone numbers into a canonical PhoneNumber object, allowing you to validate whether a number is possible (correct digit count) or actually valid (assigned to a real exchange), and format it in multiple standard formats (national, international, E.164).
Beyond basic parsing and validation, it supports geographic lookup (determining which city a number belongs to), carrier identification for mobile numbers, and timezone inference. The library manages metadata on-demand per region to minimize memory overhead, though extended features like geocoding (~19 MiB) and carrier lookup (~1 MiB) load separately. It handles both E.164 format (globally unique) and regional formats with country context, and includes a real-time formatter for building phone number input UIs.
Use it for
- Validate user-submitted phone numbers during account registration or checkout to catch typos and invalid formats early
- Normalize phone numbers from various international formats into a canonical form for database storage and comparison
- Format phone numbers for display in a user's local or international format based on application context
- Extract geographic location or carrier information from phone numbers for analytics, fraud detection, or routing
- Build a phone number input field with real-time formatting feedback as the user types
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
phonenumbers is a mature, actively maintained library with no security vulnerabilities, zero runtime dependencies, and permissive licensing. It solves a well-defined problem (international phone number handling) that is difficult to do correctly without reference data. The recent release cadence and strong GitHub presence indicate ongoing support. Install it when you need to parse, validate, or format phone numbers from any country.
Install
phonenumbers on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation with no runtime dependencies. Active maintenance with a recent release (13 days old) and strong community engagement (3766 stars). Supports Python 2.5 through 3.12, though Python 2 support is legacy.
License in practice
Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. You must include a copy of the license and state significant changes, but there are no copyleft obligations.
Quickstart
pip install phonenumbers
import phonenumbers
# Parse a phone number
number = phonenumbers.parse("+442083661177", None)
print(phonenumbers.format_number(number, phonenumbers.PhoneNumberFormat.NATIONAL))
# Output: 020 8366 1177
# Validate
print(phonenumbers.is_valid_number(number)) # TrueVerify before relying
- Whether geocoder, carrier, and timezone submodules are included by default or require separate installation
- Memory overhead of the full library compared to phonenumberslite variant mentioned in description
Package facts
| License | Apache-2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=2.5 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 13 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 38,754,338 / month, #707 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.5Programming Language :: Python :: 2.6Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Communications :: Telephony |
Evidence: phonenumbers-9.0.36-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also django-phonenumber-field · phone-iso3166 · phonenumberslite · django-phonenumbers · pycountry · ipinfo · IP2Location · country_list · vonage-numbers · geocoder