10 Best Online Fax Services

Email may be taking over, but many businesses still rely upon the convenience of fax as a communication tool or to submit copies of original documents. There are dozens of online fax services that combine the best of both worlds allowing users to receive faxes to their email when sent to their assigned fax number, or send their own through email by scanning original documents and incorporating text into the body of the email.

These internet faxing services combine the best of both worlds, and are ideal for small businesses that don’t need to make the investment of a large fax system; but do still want to offer fax as a communication option for their clients.

If you’re thinking about using an online fax service, here are some of the 10 best ones to choose from.

RapidFax [Recommended]
RapidFax is an affordable email-based fax service that has quite a few perks. It caters to individuals and small businesses in particular, with no packages that cater to corporations like MetroFax. What they do offer is a 30-day free trial, toll-free numbers at no extra cost for those who would prefer them, and multiple faxes can be sent at the same time.

Ring Central
Ring Central is a mobile provider that does more than just faxes, though it is one of their central services. What makes Ring Central different from many of the online fax services outlined so far is that it can operate independently by email alone; but it’s also possible to install their software. This allows users to archive their faxes, save contacts, and even customize cover pages and signatures.

Nextiva Fax
Nextiva has a fax service that offers more flexibility than most competitors, combining an online fax service with a traditional fax service. One down-side of the service is that it does have an annual fee as well as a monthly cost. But for the additional cost the fax service can be integrated with Microsoft Office, or your existing fax machine. You can choose from a number of packages based on the volume of faxes an individual or business is likely to require.

MyFax
MyFax is another online fax provider that offers packages to individuals and small businesses or corporations. Faxes can be sent and received by computer or email and fax numbers can be selected to be toll-free or local. There are free trials and no contracts with MyFax, and since they do cater their services to corporations, it’s an ideal service as it’s more affordable to set up faxing for everyone in an office rather than purchase individual fax machines.

MetroFax
MetroFax offers a traditional online fax service with a few twists. They offer two choices for services; 1 designed to cater to small businesses and the other which has large corporations in mind. Both packages are essentially the same, with the one for corporations providing all features on a larger scale so all members of the establishment have similar access. With all plans, MetroFax offers some flexibility setting prices based on the number of faxes that users can receive for each month of payment, so it’s easier to find a plan that’s tailor-made. No contracts are required to sign up for MetroFax so the type of service can be changed or the service can be cancelled at any time if for any reasons it’s no longer required.

MetroFax operates in a typical manner for email fax programs. A personal fax number is assigned, and all faxes are delivered to a user’s inbox. To send a fax, an email simply needs to be sent to an assigned number with the recipient’s fax number included. A unique feature of MetroFax is that it also has mobile phone integration.

eFax
eFax is a simple fax service that positions itself as the #1 online fax service. All packages guarantee users 180 pages for free without accruing additional charges if more than that are sent. They also offer a 30-day trial for free; however, they do only offer local numbers. One benefit however, is that users can choose their own fax number (provided it’s available). Their program is also compatible with mobile phones with email and requires no additional software to download and install.

GoFaxer
GoFaxer takes a different approach with their online fax service. It’s a typical email fax service that deals exclusively in online faxing. What makes it stand apart is its approach. Many fax services focus on marketing to small businesses who want to appear better developed by offering a fax number. GoFaxer emphasises the benefits of using email fax services for the environment with no wasted paper or ink, plus added convenience.

TrustFax
With TrustFax the services are strictly email based; this isn’t an atypical fax service. They do offer a free trial, they choice between toll-free phone numbers or local fax numbers. A couple of things that make this service different are annual packages which offer a discount on standard monthly rates and a special fax storage inbox.

FreedomVoice
This is a more complex service as online faxing is simply one part of a larger virtual phone service. FreedomVoice supplies toll-free or local numbers for small businesses along with voicemail boxes, with the fax service as part of the deal. It’s a typical email service with no added bells or whistles, but for those who are looking for a whole package to help them with their small business communication, this is a solid option.

Phone.com
Like FreedomVoice, this is another online fax service that comes as part of a complete virtual office system. Along with phone services and more, online fax by email is thrown in as an added incentive.