In a world increasingly gone digital, online fax services allow users the ability to conduct both personal and professional business, no matter where they are at the time. It is also an easy way to streamline personal tasks and business operations with easily accessible archives. As the world becomes more eco-friendly, online and mobile faxing is also becoming especially popular with green businesses and users. All you need is Wi-Fi and a computer or mobile device, and you are well on your way. Online fax services enable individual users, as well as business owners and their staff, to remain plugged in on the go with mobile faxing services.
However, with many companies today offering modern faxing solutions, it can be difficult to discern which provides the best online fax services for your needs. Whether you send the occasional fax or have a high daily volume, these are our picks for 2021’s best online fax services.
Online fax services compared
Product | Best for | Fax Numbers | Starting Price (mo.) | Free plan | Free trial |
eFax | Best for storage | 10 | $14.13. | ✗ | 14 days |
Fax.Plus | Best for small businesses | 2 | $4.99 | ✔ | ✗ |
HelloFax | Affordable faxing | 1 | $8.33 | ✔ | 30 days |
MetroFax | Best for mobile use | 10 | $8.30 | ✔ | 14 days |
RingCentral Fax | Best for busy businesses | 1 | $17.99 | ✗ | 7 days |
Srfax | Best for the healthcare industry | Unlimited | $3.00 | ✗ | 30 or 60 days |
Best for storage
Compatibility: Desktop | Android | iOS | Email
At a glance
eFax claims to be the world’s #1 online fax service, and it is undoubtedly one of the most popular. There is no fax machine or paper is required; faxes are simply transmitted via your email, phone, or computer. Multiple users may share the same account for simple use, and large file sharing is included, with faxing available for up to 20 recipients in a single fax. A free mobile app allows for easy faxing and viewing on the go. eFax will even save your signature to allow for easy signing.
You can bring your own fax number, or you can choose from local, toll-free, and international numbers. With unlimited online storage, faxes and attachments are stored via popular cloud integrations like Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud, making them easily accessible for use in the future. To protect sensitive and confidential documents, eFax offers Enhanced Security for its accounts, adding encryption and third-party hosting to ensure maximum security. If you hit any snags, eFax offers 24/7 customer service to help out.
Price
eFax offers three plans based on your shipping volume with an additional set-up fee that accompanies all plans. A free trial is available for 14 days.
Plan | Monthly cost | Annual cost per month | Number of pages: Send | Number of pages: Receive | Additional pages | Set-up fee |
eFax Plus | $16.95 | $14.13 | 150 | 150 | $0.10 | $10 |
eFax Pro | $19.95 | $16.63 | 200 | 200 | $0.10 | $10 |
eFax Corporate | Varies | Varies | Custom | Custom | $0.10 | Varies |
Pros:
24/7 customer service
Unlimited storage
HIPAA-compliant faxing available
Cons:
Set-up fee applies
Short trial
Limited admin controls
Best for small businesses
Compatibility: Desktop | iOS | Android | Slack | Zapier | Google | Microsoft Word | Chrome Extension |
At a glance
Fax.Plus has the ability to send faxes to more than 180 countries, using your own fax number or a new fax number from 47 available countries. Upgraded security protocols include two-factor authentication with single sign-on (SSO) and TLS encryption. Fax.Plus also boasts a leading server infrastructure with servers located in Switzerland.
You have the option to choose from smaller-volume plans, or you can sign up for an Enterprise plan that brings multiple fax numbers and unlimited users. Fax.Plus does offer a free plan; however, it is extremely restricted. While you can send faxes, you cannot receive them, and there is no dedicated fax number. In fact, you will need to upgrade to the Business or Enterprise plans in order to add multiple users or benefit from Slack and Zapier integrations. Both Business and Enterprise plans allow you to manage and restrict user access for your employees, controlling areas like billing and account settings.
Price
Fax.Plus has five plans available for your fax services.
Plan | Monthly cost | Annual cost per month | Total number of pages | Additional pages | Set-up fee |
Free | $0 | $0 | 10 | $0.20 | $0 |
Basic | $5.99 | $4.99 | 100 | $0.10 | $0 |
Premium | $9.99 | $11.99 | 300 | $0.05 | $0 |
Business | $19.99 | $14.99 | 800 | $0.05 | $0 |
Enterprise | $59.99 | $49.99 | 3,000 | $0.03 | $0 |
Pros:
No set-up fee
Free plan available
Multiple plans
Cons:
Limited pages
Can’t receive faxes with free plan
Priority support reserved for business customers
Best for affordable faxing
Compatibility: Desktop | Google Drive | Dropbox | OneDrive | Evernote |
At a glance
HelloFax is a Dropbox company, which instantly speaks to its archiving and cloud support. Plans include unlimited secure storage for files that sync with The Cloud and add easy G Suite integration. Other integrations include Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, and Evernote. Either way, faxes are encrypted for added security and delivered via a convenient PDF. HelloFax supports international faxing to over 70 countries, although some places may count as multiple pages. For example, every page sent to Japan is counted as two pages.
You can choose from a local number or bring your own with the option to set up as many users as you want. There is no cost to add or remove users as needed, which is convenient if you have a seasonal or fluctuating staff. HelloFax does not require contracts, so service simply renews on a month-to-month basis until you instruct otherwise. There are no sign-up, set-up, or cancellation fees, either, giving you extra freedom over your account.
Price
In addition to its free plan, HelloFax offers a risk-free 30-day trial. After that, you can choose from a total of four plans.
Plan | Monthly cost | Annual cost per month | Total number of pages | Additional pages | Number of senders | Set-up fee |
Free | $0 | $0 | 5 | $0.99 up to 10 pages; $0.20 thereafter | 1 | $0 |
Home Office | $9.99 | $8.33 | 300 | $0.99 up to 10 pages; $0.20 thereafter | 5 | $0 |
Professional | $19.99 | $16.67 | 500 | $0.99 up to 10 pages; $0.20 thereafter | 10 | $0 |
Small Business | $39.99 | $33.33 | 1,000 | $0.99 up to 10 pages; $0.20 thereafter | 20 | $0 |
Pros:
Free 30-day trial
Unlimited file storage
Additional storage integrations
Cons:
Limited international fax numbers
No mobile app
Single email used for fax service
Best for mobile use
Compatibility: Desktop | iOS | Android |
At a glance
MetroFax also allows you to link five different email addresses to a single fax number, making it ideal for management and executive teams who need greater access and functionality. An added convenience is the centralized admin console with web-based controls for easy oversight. It is easy to import contact lists when you use CSV-formatted uploads to add all of your contacts to your MetroFax account. Faxes are then delivered via PDF or TIFF attachments to eliminate printing needs, extra consideration for businesses that have gone green.
There are no contracts so that you can cancel your account at any time and without penalty. There is the option of either a dedicated local or toll-free number, depending on what is most appropriate for your business. Either way, there are no long-distance charges for any faxes that you send. MetroFax allows you to send faxes to multiple recipients with automatic retries if the party is unavailable.
Price
MetroFax offers three plans with an additional fee of $0.03 per page if you exceed the monthly allotment.
Plan | Monthly cost | Annual cost per month | Number of pages | Set-up fee |
Essential | $9.95 | $8.30 | 500 | $0 |
Best Value | $12.95 | $10.79 | 1,000 | $0 |
Professional | $35.95 | $29.96 | 2,500 | $0 |
Pros:
Affordable pricing
Up to 10 numbers
No set-up fees
Cons:
Short 14-day trial
No international numbers
Limited customer support
Best for busy businesses
Compatibility: Desktop | Android | iOS |
At a glance
RingCentral Fax is designed to serve as an all-in-one service, combining messaging, video, phone, and fax services all into one bundle. While undoubtedly convenient, it might be too much for some users, which is why RingCentral also allows you to purchase fax services independently. Fax-only service costs about half the price of the RingCentral MVP bundle.
Either way, there are both desktop and mobile applications, plus Integrations with Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, and Microsoft Office to streamline document management. With 24-hour support and real-time analytics, it is easy to stay in control at all times with RingCentral Fax. RingCentral boasts an impressive 99.999% uptime while serving 110 countries. There are also over 250 app integrations, including Microsoft Office. Faxes are sent with added encryption and a total of seven layers of protection, with caller ID blocking and automatic notifications. You also have the ability to edit and sign faxes with its software.
Price
RingCentral allows you the option to choose from a dedicated fax plan or a hybrid plan that combines faxing with phone and video services.
Plan | Monthly cost | Annual cost per month | Number of pages | Additional pages |
Fax 1500 | $22.99 | $17.99 | 1,500 | $0.49 |
RingCentral MVP Fax + Phone + Video | $49.99 | $37.99 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Pros:
No set-up fees
Ability to schedule faxes
24-hour support
Cons:
Single user plans
Limited choice of plans
Restricted mobile tools
Best for the healthcare industry
Compatibility: Desktop | iOS | Android |
At a glance
SRFax is best known for its services within the healthcare industry. Given its HIPAA compliance and SSL encryption, it is a natural choice for many healthcare providers, whether they are clinics, hospitals, or pharmacies. It is also a great choice for small businesses and corporate enterprises who appreciate the simplicity of email to fax with the added benefit of secure SSL encryption for confidential information. It is why the service is also popular with legal, real estate, and government professionals.
SRFax serves both the U.S. and Canada with its 24/7 customer support team based in British Columbia. Both local and toll-free fax numbers are available, or you can choose to port an existing number. Regardless, there are no set-up or cancellation fees, so you can terminate your account at any time without penalty. To help with peace of mind, there is a free 60-day trial.
Price
SRFax is set up to provide fax solutions for a number of different users through its Enterprise, Healthcare, and Standard plans.
A free trial is available, but the length depends on your chosen plan: Standard plans have a 60-day free trial, while Healthcare Solutions customers only receive a free trial of 30 days. Regardless, there are no setup or cancellation fees for any of its plans.
Plan | Monthly cost | Annual cost per month | Number of pages | Additional pages (each) |
Basic | $3.29 | $3.00 | 25 | $0.10 |
Basic Plus | $6.95 | $5.50 | 200 | $0.06 |
Standard Lite | $9.95 | $7.95 | 500 | $0.06 |
Standard | $15.95 | $12.85 | 800 | $0.05 |
Standard Plus | $29.95 | $23.95 | 1,500 | $0.05 |
Standard Professional | $45.95 | $38.60 | 2,500 | $0.035 |
Enterprise Plans | ||||
Enterprise Lite | $89.95 | $78.50 | 5,000 | $0.03 |
Enterprise Standard | $170 | $155 | 10,000 | $0.03 |
Enterprise Professional | $15.95 | N/A | Pay by Page Usage | $0.025 |
Healthcare Plans | ||||
Healthcare Lite | $7.95 | $6.50 | 200 | $0.035 |
Healthcare Basic | $10.95 | $9.00 | 500 | $0.035 |
Healthcare Basic Plus | $16.95 | $14.00 | 800 | $0.035 |
Healthcare Standard | $30.95 | $26.20 | 1,500 | $0.035 |
Healthcare Standard Plus | $49.95 | $42.50 | 2,500 | $0.035 |
Healthcare Professional | $92.95 | $83.00 | 5,000 | $0.035 |
Healthcare Professional Plus | $185.00 | $165.00 | 10,000 | $0.03 |
Healthcare Professional Premium | $395 | $360 | 20,000 | $0.025 |
Healthcare Premium Plus | $1,185.00 | N/A | 60,000 | $0.023 |
Healthcare Select | $1,975.00 | N/A | 100,000 | $0.023 |
Healthcare Select Plus | $3,950.00 | N/A | 200,000 | $0.023 |
Healthcare Unlimited | $19.95 | N/A | Unlimited (Usage-based) | $0.022 |
Pros:
HIPAA-compliant
Unlimited storage with all plans
Up to 60-day free trial
Cons:
No exclusive mobile app
Missing digital signature tool
Multiple plans can be confusing
How did we choose these products?
Many services offer online faxing services, but not all will offer the best features and characteristics for your needs.
To find the best online fax services in 2021, we consider these important factors:
Storage: Look for an online fax service that has reliable and protected archives to store all of the information you send and receive.
Integrations: Some services will connect to the Cloud for reliable storage. There are also many integrations that may be available, such as popular programs Microsoft Office, Google G Suite, Dropbox, Box, and Evernote.
Accessibility: Another important consideration is whether your online fax service provides a desktop or mobile app for faxing. Other services may simply stick to email-to fax-service.
Page limits: Most online fax services limit the number of pages that you can use per month, making it critical to review plan allowances.
Plan type: We consider plans suitable for several purposes, including those for individual, small business, and corporate enterprise accounts.
Fees: Plans may include several different types of fees, such as page overages, set up fees, and additional fax numbers. To ensure there are no surprises, we review each fee schedule in detail.
Type of fax number: Many different types of fax numbers are available, depending on the online fax service you choose. These may be available as local, toll-free, vanity, and international fax numbers. Other companies may allow you to port your existing number in order to minimize confusion.
Based on these factors and more, these companies will offer the best online fax services in 2021.
Which is the right one for you?
The digital craze caught on early, so several companies are offering online fax services today. To help you find the right online tax service for you, we offer these considerations.
Choose this product… | If you want… |
eFax | A popular and proven service with a large storage capacity |
Fax.Plus | When you have a smaller team with lower volume |
HelloFax | When you don’t do a lot of faxing |
MetroFax | When you want to send faxes on the go |
RingCentral Fax | A service to keep up with your business |
SRFax | When you want a HIPAA-compliant online fax service for healthcare |
Online fax services FAQ
What is an online fax service?
Also known as cloud-based faxing, online fax services use the internet to receive and transmit faxes electronically instead of the traditional machine-and-paper format. Most plans come with additional features, like multiple fax numbers, several users, and cloud-based storage.
What is the best online fax service?
There are a number of choices for the best online fax service, but the best service for you depends on your needs. For example, the best online fax service may be different from the best online fax service for businesses. To find the best option for you, check out our top picks for the best online fax services in 2021.
How much do online fax services cost?
Many services have free plans available, but they may limit features or functionality. Paid plans for online fax services can cost anywhere from a few dollars to $1,000 and more, depending on the company and plan you choose.
Are there alternatives worth considering?
In our search for the best online fax services, we analyzed many different options for our review. These are some of the other options we considered for our list:
Biscom 123: Good for new users
FaxBurner: Great for affordable online fax services
FaxZero: Best for minimal use
MFax: Recommended for up to 50 users
MyFax: Preferred for personal use
vFax by Nextiva: Consider for multiple devices
For other resources for your administrative needs, consider these reviews:
Source: Networking - zdnet.com
