Remember the good old days of traditional fax machines, with their sputtering printers and scrolling paper? While fax technology has been around since the 1800s, online fax services are revolutionizing this once manual process.
Fax remains an important communications tool across industries like healthcare, government, legal, and finance. The rise of online fax services delivers the convenience of internet-based faxing combined with improved security, integrations, and affordability compared to legacy fax machines.
How Online Fax Services Work
Online fax services allow users to send and receive faxes digitally using an internet-connected device. While the underlying technology remains similar to traditional faxing over phone lines, the interface and delivery are modernized for the digital age.
With an online fax service, users can:
- Send faxes via a web interface or mobile app
- Integrate directly with cloud storage platforms to attach documents
- Receive incoming faxes digitally to view on any device
- Maintain contacts/address book online
- Get notifications when faxes are sent or received
Online fax services offer improved convenience, security, affordability, and accessibility compared to standard fax machines. As internet speeds continue to improve globally, online fax adoption keeps growing across sectors.
Top 10 Online Fax Services
With dozens of online fax solutions available in 2023, I‘ve compiled the top 10 services currently on the market based on features, capabilities, security, reputation, and value:
1. Fax Plus
Pricing: Basic, Premium, Business, and Enterprise plans from $7.99/month. Discounts for annual subscriptions.
Key Features:
- Send and receive faxes worldwide
- Easy integrations with top apps like Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive
- 256-bit TLS encryption with SOC 2 compliance certification
- Award-winning mobile app for iOS and Android
- Local inbound numbers available in 47 countries
Best For: Individuals and SMBs seeking an full-featured and secure online fax solution.
2. JustCall
Pricing: Free and premium tiers available. Paid plans start at $30/month.
Key Features:
- Integration with top CRM platforms like Salesforce and Zoho
- Make and receive calls globally
- Secure 256-bit encryption
- Team messaging and collaboration tools
- Voicemail transcription
Best For: Businesses using CRM platforms like Salesforce who want tight integration for calls/faxes.
3. Nextiva
Pricing: Essentials, Professional, and Enterprise plans starting at $22.95/month.
Key Features:
- Cloud phone system integration
- 256-bit SSL encryption
- Receive faxes by email
- Online fax dashboard to view activity
- HIPAA compliance available
Best For: Businesses that want a full-featured voice/fax solution from a single provider.
4. iFax
Pricing: Free and paid plans from $9.99/month. Volume discounts available.
Key Features:
- HIPAA and HITECH compliant
- 256-bit SSL encryption
- Customizable fax cover sheets
- Receive faxes to email or iFax mobile app
- HIPAA-compliant cloud storage integrations
Best For: Healthcare organizations that require advanced security and HIPAA compliance.
5. RingCentral Fax
Pricing: Available as add-on to RingCentral Office plans starting at $24.99/month.
Key Features:
- Multi-level security and encryption
- Customizable cover sheets and branding
- Fax logging and reporting
- Integration with top productivity apps
- Mobile apps allow faxing from any device
Best For: Businesses that already use RingCentral Office and want an integrated fax solution.
6. Cloudli
Pricing: Quote-based customized packages.
Key Features:
- High reliability with multi-server architecture
- SSAE 18 SOC 2 Type II audited data centers
- Scales easily to enterprise volumes
- Real-time monitoring dashboard
- Integrates with top cloud providers
Best For: Midsize to large enterprises that need highly reliable and secure fax infrastructure.
7. eFax
Pricing: Plans starting at $16.95/month. Volume discounts available.
Key Features:
- Send high resolution color faxes securely
- Integrated cloud storage and backup
- eSignature capability included
- Supports sending to 20 recipients
- Desktop and mobile apps for convenient access
Best For: Businesses that want enhanced cloud integrations baked into their online fax solution.
8. FaxZero
Pricing: Free and paid plans. Up to 5 free faxes/day. Additional faxes $2.09 each.
Key Features:
- Totally free fax sending
- No registration required
- Easy to use web interface
- Receive faxes by email
- Paid international fax available
Best For: Individuals and microbusinesses with very light faxing needs.
9. HelloFax
Pricing: Starter, Team, and Business plans ranging from $10 – $40/month.
Key Features:
- Intuitive web interface
- Integrations with top cloud storage platforms
- End-to-end 256-bit SSL encryption
- Setup multiple fax numbers
- HIPAA compliant capabilities
Best For: Growing SMBs that want an easy-to-use online fax service.
10. GotFreeFax
Pricing: Free and paid plans available. Send 2 free faxes daily in US and Canada.
Key Features:
- Totally free fax service
- No ads or upsells
- Send faxes easily from web interface
- Upgrade to increase pages and priority
- Unused faxes rollover month to month
Best For: Individuals in US/Canada looking for the basics completely free.
Choosing the Best Online Fax Service
With this overview of the top players in 2023, the ideal online fax solution for you depends heavily on your use case, volume, and security needs.
For healthcare organizations that handle patient data, HIPAA-compliant services like iFax and HelloFax are essential. Businesses wanting deep CRM platform integrations will appreciate JustCall, while solopreneurs typically get by with free tiers from FaxZero or GotFreeFax.
Enterprise IT teams should evaluate the scalability, reliability, infrastructure, and security of platforms like Nextiva and Cloudli to handle high fax volumes. SMBs tend to thrive with solutions like Fax Plus and RingCentral Fax that balance robust features with ease of use.
Getting the Most Out of Your Online Fax Service
Beyond just choosing the right fax provider, there are several best practices users should follow:
Build Out Your Contacts
Maintain a detailed address book of frequently used contacts/numbers within your account. Avoid manually entering details repeatedly.
Integrate Cloud Storage
Link cloud storage platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox to easily attach files when faxing.
Leverage Integrations
Connecting your CRM, analytics, or storage solutions with your fax service improves workflows.
Fax From Mobile
If available, leverage mobile apps to conveniently send/receive faxes on-the-go.
Review Logs Regularly
Audit fax delivery receipts, failures, etc. regularly to identify any issues promptly.
The Future of Online Fax Solutions
While email dominates modern digital communications, fax fills specialized niches across regulated industries or sensitive documents requiring signatures/approvals. Online fax solutions will only continue improving:
- Global expansion to localized services worldwide
- Tighter alignment to industry security/compliance standards
- More sophisticated integrations with surrounding martech/cloud stacks
- Increased reliability and scalability for enterprise usage
- Further workflow automation for outbound/inbound faxes
Ultimately, the convenience, accessibility, security, and affordability of online fax services positions them as the obvious successors to legacy fax machines.
Say Goodbye to Your Fax Machine
While fax technology has been around since the 1800s, modern online fax services have revolutionized this communication channel – eliminating paper, improving security/compliance, and enhancing workflows.
SMBs and enterprises alike stand to gain tremendous efficiency, collaboration, reliability, and cost savings by adopting one of the top online fax solutions profiled here compared to maintaining outdated fax machines and analog phone lines.
So join the digital transformation and make your next fax an online one with the plethora of capable services now available!
