Best Online Fax Services

A low price won’t mean much though if the product that comes with it is not up to par. But the MetroFax stands up to the competition quite well, offering a pool of 500 pages even at its lowest tier. Now, you may be wondering why that isn’t split 50/50 into sent/received limits but bringing the two together makes it easier for you to take advantage of the service. If you send out faxes more often than you receive them, the limit of 250 received would be pointless to you while the 250 sent would be too restrictive. This approach lets you choose exactly how many pages you want to allocate to sent/received pools.

In addition to the generous limit, the MetroFax also takes a pretty modes overage fee at 3 cents per fax, one of the lowest we’ve seen. All of the above truly makes it a great budget-friendly choice but the service still has a bit more to offer.

Whenever you compose a fax to send off, the service stores the recipient’s address in your account for later use and, if words aren’t enough, you can attach up to 10 documents to the message, more than some expensive services offer.

And since faxes are all about numbers, you get a choice between local, toll-free, and importing your pre-existing digits. Sadly, the service doesn’t make international numbers available though you can still send a fax overseas, just at an additional cost.

So yes, the MetroFax is a bit basic and lacks the extra features that you may find in the more expensive analogues. However, it works fast and doesn’t require any difficult setup, simplifying the process of sending a fax from computer to the point where any layman can do it. It’s nice to see a company approach this outdated technology and try to bring it to the modern era. Besides, if all you need is to shoot off a couple documents to a business partner, it makes sense to go for a budget-friendly and accessible choice like the MetroFax. Small business owners will certainly find a lot to like about the simple interface and variety of sending methods.

Another important facet that too many online services seem to forego is convenience. The MyFax Online offers that in spades by letting you send out faxes from your regular email client, automatically converting files into fax attachments, and offering a mobile app, which works on both iOS and Android. You can share documents on the go, especially convenient if an urgent request comes from your supplier or client.

The service doesn’t offer a dedicated desktop app, opting for a web version instead. Once you register an account, the service is ready to go, right after you choose the number you want. Your options include local, toll-free, and international numbers as well as converting your pre-existing digits to accept faxes. This is one of the broader choice ranges among the services we’ve seen so far and the options come at no additional cost, even the international one.

Last but not least, the MyFax Online encrypts absolutely everything that goes through its servers so your data will be in the right hands. We do recommend changing the standard password that comes with the account as it’s a bit basic but that’s a tip true for pretty much every service we’ve talked about so far. What really matters is the encryption and secure connection every time you log into your account.

We did find that the MyFax Online service makes a few mistakes that keep it from true greatness but it’s tough to argue that the company is on its way there. It’s one of the few services to offer international numbers, backup email linkage, and, simply put, stable quality. Competitors may have more features but they come with errors and bugs while the MyFax Online works impeccably and always delivers. Even if you’re on the fence, the free 30-day trial should convince you of MyFax’s worthiness. Its mid-range price, simple interface, and easy setup won us over and you will definitely find a lot to like about the service.

Those working with documentation know that the papers can really pile up, which means you might need to send more than a hundred pages every month. The RingCentral offers a range between 750 and 2500 pages, depending on the pricing tier you choose, and, for those that are simply drowning in documents, an unlimited plan with no restrictions on pages sent and received. We do want to warn you that any page over the limit is going to cost you between 3.9 and 5.9 cents, which may not seem like much but could really pile up if you have 50 unsent files to go through.

When you use the RingCentral service, you can choose which type of number your faxes will come from. The options range between local, toll-free, and vanity (choose your own digits, basically). You can even use your own pre-existing number if you feel a particular attachment to it. However, you can’t take an international number and you can’t send or receive faxes from overseas, which may be a problem for business owners that deal internationally.

Last but not least, we highly recommend taking advantage of the group fax setting. That’s right, you can simply create a list of partners and send out the necessary documents to them all at once instead of going through the motions manually.

In the end, we do feel that the extensive support services and security measures offered by the RingCentral Online are worth the price, especially since you can choose between 4 tiers. It’s not too hard to find the right level for you depending on how many pages you need and what kind of budget you’re working on. It's tough to deny that the lack of faxing outside the USA is a problem, especially for larger businesses that work on an international scale. But the availability of a mobile app on all tiers is certainly a plus, though the desktop fax software isn’t anything special, just enough to send and receive the documents. The service is well-rounded and a few small qualms shouldn’t deter you from using the reasonably priced and speedy software.

The eFax Online service lets you send faxes as email attachments, via its desktop program, or the mobile app. There’s definitely a lot to like about the latter as it works fast and we’ve encountered no bugs in our experience with the app. However, the desktop software looks a bit outdated even though the interface is admittedly quite convenient.

Still, it’s not the looks we’re after, it’s the functionality so let’s look at what you can do in the eFax Online. The program lets you do a group fax, sending out the documents to up to 50 people at once and you can even add your signature to the file if it’s required. Though the process of actually uploading the verified signature is a bit finicky, it’s nice to have the option. Also, the creation of a fax is all done in one window with guidelines helping you along, good for those that are unfamiliar with this kind of software.

You can also send out any faxes you have without the desktop program, using your usual email client instead. The process isn’t complicated as you just add the extension provided by the service to convert a regular email into a fax.

It feels nice to have several ways of sending out a fax without ever getting close to an actual fax machine and the modern mobile app is certainly one of our favorites among the services reviewed so it’s fair to say that the eFax would get a good grade on sheer convenience.

Even though the restrictive page limit soured the impression somewhat, it’s tough to deny that eFax Online’s services are fast and comprehensive. We have to specifically single out the international faxing capabilities and the blessedly bug-free mobile app as two big pluses. And though the voice mail feature may not see everyday use it’s certainly a nice bonus, letting small business owners separate work from personal life by sending all business inquiries straight to the fax line. If you don’t mind springing for a higher tier, the eFax Online could actually shoot straight above competitors’ heads but even at the basic level, it’s quite a contender.

A big reason for using electronic fax services instead of an actual machine is convenience. It’s much easier to click a few buttons and send off the documents instead of fiddling with a device. The Nextiva Online may not revolutionize this software type but it does the job reasonably well, offering a web client and integration with email apps. All the versions are easy to use and we’d actually give bonus points to the service for having no cumbersome desktop program, opting for integration and portability instead. Though the web client does have the problem of using Flash, an outdated standard that will require an update sooner rather than later. As it is, this isn’t the most secure choice and we hope the Nextiva company shifts its platform to a new standard.

The interface itself, though, is quite easy to navigate and though the service offers extensive tutorials on every feature, you should be fine even without watching them. Still, it’s nice to have the help available just in case. We do feel like the options menus go a bit too deep with pretty much all features opening an extra tab, which may eventually leave your screen looking cluttered. If you have to send off a fax while out of the office, you can easily do so by accessing your regular email via your phone and using the simple method of attaching the service's email address to the regular letter.

While you may be initially lured in by the Nextiva Online’s free trial, you should stay for the service’s generous page limit, pretty affordable rates, and tutorial videos for every feature. We do have to point out that the service’s web client is a bit outdated though easy to navigate. But any adjustments and customization take way too much time, not because they're tough to figure out but because all options are stuck into separate tabs. But basic faxes are a breeze and sending them via email or even the web client is quite convenient when you use this service. The Nextiva Online may be a mixed bag but the pros outweigh the cons in the end.