What 5 Services Let You Send Faxes Online?
Introduced in its modern form in 1964 by Xerox, faxing is a mature technology that shows no signs of becoming obsolete. In fact, a recent International Data Corporation survey indicates that fax usage is actually growing in a variety of industries. Faxing is still fairly common in the legal and medical fields due to industry regulations regarding signatures and delivery confirmations. The rapid proliferation of online faxing services, in particular, has helped fax technology to retain its relevance in the 21st century.
Online faxing boasts several compelling benefits that have made it the go-to way to fax in recent years. For one thing, it allows companies and individuals to send faxes without actual fax hardware. Furthermore, online faxing works over phone lines when digital communications aren’t an option. Lastly, it’s cheaper than traditional faxing when you factor in paper and ink savings.
If you want to get started with online faxing, here are five top notch services that will never let you down.
1. eFax
Easily the most popular online faxing service around, eFax is a reliable workhorse with a long history of dependable performance. It boasts the same fax-by-email capabilities that you’d find in any other provider as well as tons of local and toll-free numbers. Searchable fax history, lifetime storage, and access to as many as five email addresses come standard. What’s more, eFax’s Large File Sharing feature allows users to send files up to 3GB in size from any iPhone or Android.
On the one hand, eFax is easy to use, boasts unlimited cloud storage, and comes with 24/7 customer support. Furthermore, electronic signing and HIPPA compliance provide a great degree of security. Additionally, their mobile apps are polished and glitch-free.
On the flip side, users can only fax one email address per transmission. The Pro plan’s pricing is a little steep at $15.95 per month as it includes just 150 pages sent or received and costs 10 cents a page afterwards.
2. HelloFax
One of the more refined online fax providers around, HelloFax is famous for its slick user interfaces and flawless desktop functionality. HelloFax boasts unlimited file storage, configurable routing, local numbers, the ability to fax multiple recipients simultaneously, and seamless integration with Google’s entire web suite. What’s more, users can sync their faxes with popular cloud storage providers like OneDrive, Dropbox, and Evernote. Lastly, HelloFax supports international faxing to over 70 countries as well as the ability to electronically sign documents.
For many customers, ease of use is HelloFax’s biggest selling point. Getting started is a breeze since HelloFax will migrate existing fax numbers that you already use when you sign up. Furthermore, pricing is reasonable compared to competing online fax providers. The $40-per-month Business plan allows up to five users to send unlimited documents. The high-end Enterprise plan tacks on Oracle Content and Experience Cloud integration. The only major downside of HelloFax is the lack of dedicated mobile apps for Android and iOS.
3. RingCentral
Like any other online fax provider, RingCentral allows users to send and receive faxes as email attachments from a variety of devices. They offer both local and toll-free numbers as well as the ability to block faxes based on caller ID preferences. Cloud storage integration with services like Google Drive and Box come standard with every account. Better yet, users can send faxes straight from Microsoft Office applications. Best of all, fax alerts let you know when communiques arrive.
As far as upsides go, RingCentral is arguably the most feature-rich online faxing service around. In fact, it may be overkill for some casual users. Support for large files and the ability to send batches of faxes using the Groups feature saves customers a lot of time and headache.
The principal drawback of RingCentral is that it will cost you more than most other services. The $17.99-per-month Fax 1500 plan includes one shared number and 1,500 faxes. Each additional number will cost $4.99 per month regardless of the plan in question.
4. MyFax
Like any online faxing service, MyFax allows users to send faxes using their email client without a traditional fax machine. Every MyFax plan comes with the ability to fax up to 50 numbers simultaneously from up to five email addresses. MyFax also boasts over 100 custom cover sheet templates to personalize transmissions. In addition, MyFax’s archiving system allows customers to tag files with keywords for easier searches later. At present, MyFax can send files up to 10MB in size.
For many clients, the best thing about MyFax is its simple management interface. The MyAccount portal allows users to quickly send faxes to multiple numbers and search their archives based on a variety of parameters. MyFax also offers a slew of local, toll-free, and international numbers as well as existing number migration. As far as pricing goes, the Power User plan allows customers to send and receive 400 pages a month for $40. The primary downside of MyFax is the lack of digital signatures.
5. MetroFax
Like many online fax platforms, MetroFax allows users to send faxes from up to five email addresses using either a PC or a smartphone. Support for faxing to over 170 countries is included in every plan. Local numbers are available in literally thousands of U.S. and Canadian cities. MetroFax supports a wide array of file types including PDF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and DOC. The MyAccount management center allows users to search old faxes, check monthly usage and configure SMS or email alerts.
The big selling points of MetroFax are its clean UI and simple functionality. While it doesn’t offer as many features as more popular online fax programs, MetroFax is dependable and easy to use. It’s also a great bargain for small businesses. The Value plan comes with 1,000 pages for just $12.95 per month. Additional pages cost just three cents a pop.
Notable downsides include a lack of support for digital signing, somewhat lackluster cover sheet options, and limited fax notifications.