6 Best Online Fax Services for Small Businesses in 2024

As a small business owner, you’re likely always looking for ways to improve efficiency and save money. One area where you might be able to streamline your operations and cut costs is faxing. While traditional fax machines might seem like a relic of the past, they’re still surprisingly prevalent in many industries, especially those dealing with legal documents, healthcare, or financial transactions. Instead of investing in a dedicated fax machine, consider using an online fax service. These services allow you to send and receive faxes directly from your computer, tablet, or smartphone, offering a modern and convenient alternative to physical fax machines.

I’ve been working in the tech space for 15 years, and I’ve seen firsthand how online fax services have transformed the way businesses operate. Not only are they cost-effective, but they’re also much more secure and user-friendly than traditional faxing. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll break down the top 6 online fax services for small businesses, highlighting their key features, pricing, and pros and cons to help you choose the best option for your specific needs.

How We Choose the Best Online Fax Services

To ensure you get the best advice, I’ve carefully reviewed each online fax service based on the following criteria:

• Ease of Use: I considered how easy each service is for small businesses to set up and use, even if they’re not tech-savvy.
• Features: I looked at essential features like mobile access, electronic signatures, file storage, and integrations.
• Security: I evaluated the level of encryption and compliance with regulations like HIPAA, which is critical for certain industries.
• Integrations: I assessed how well each service integrates with other business tools and software you might already be using.
• Pricing: I analyzed the value for money by considering page limits and additional features included in each plan.
• Customer Support: I factored in the quality and availability of customer service, which is essential for resolving any issues.

The 6 Best Online Fax Services for Small Businesses

Here’s a detailed look at the best online fax services for small businesses in 2024:

1. Nextiva

Nextiva is the best overall online fax service for most businesses due to its affordable pricing, flexible plans, and comprehensive feature set. While Nextiva is best known for its unified communications suite and business phone services, it also offers an excellent online fax service that perfectly fits most small business owners.

I’ve personally been using Nextiva’s phone and communication platform at WPBeginner for years. Their service has always been reliable, and their customer support is top-notch. One of the things I love about Nextiva vFax is that it’s perfect for remote teams. You can send and receive faxes through your mobile device, desktop, and tablet, no matter where you are.

If you have a traditional fax machine, Nextiva can integrate with it. They let you migrate your existing fax number to their platform, but if you need a fresh start, you get a free number and a local phone number when you sign up. For growing businesses needing additional numbers, you can add them from your dashboard with just a couple of clicks.

Online storage is automated. Nextiva will save all your incoming and outgoing faxes for 6 months, including any large files. They also have integrated file sharing, so you can easily download and share faxes with your team members. Nextiva is trusted by organizations like Taco Bell, Stanley Steemer, and the Buffalo Bills, but their plans are also perfect for smaller businesses.

I recommend starting with the Nextiva Engage plan for their unified communications platform, which starts at $28 per month (44% off) with our Nextiva coupon. It includes unlimited fax, unlimited voice and video calls, an auto attendant, toll-free numbers, and much more. If you only need occasional faxing, you can also get Nextiva vFax separately, starting at $7.95 per month for 500 pages. This is a cost-effective solution, but this plan is limited and doesn’t allow you to use the full power of Nextiva.

Overall, Nextiva is the best phone and fax app for growing businesses.

Expert Review: I believe Nextiva is the best online fax service for small business owners. Beyond faxing, you also have their full business communication platform at your disposal.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral is another excellent online fax service for small and growing businesses. RingCentral is a leader in providing business communications services like phone lines, instant messaging, video conferencing, and, of course, online faxing.

RingCentral Fax can work as a standalone service or integrate with their business communication and VoIP platform. This fax service is best suited for businesses sending a high volume of faxes, such as law firms or universities. If your company uses outdated physical fax machines, RingCentral can integrate and upgrade your existing fax system.

RingCentral Fax offers standard fax features right out of the box, including custom fax cover sheets, integration with cloud storage services, encryption, and the ability to add an unlimited number of dedicated fax numbers. There are many workflow integration options, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Docs, Microsoft Outlook, Amazon, and many others.

It’s also a truly mobile solution. You can set up text messages to alert you about incoming faxes. Or, use the mobile app to send, receive, view, and store faxes. There’s even a built-in option to block spam faxes and reduce the total number of junk faxes you receive.

With RingCentral, you can get a large number of pages at an affordable price. The Fax 3000 plan costs $22.99 per month for 3,000 pages, which comes out to $0.007 per page. But the best deal is their Ultimate plan at $25 per month. This plan lets you send unlimited pages per month via fax, plus it includes business phone calls, video conferencing, audio conferencing, business texting, and much more.

The only downside is that storage is limited to the last 200 faxes. You’ll need to delete existing faxes or store them externally.

Expert Review: I think RingCentral Fax is best for businesses that need to send a high volume of faxes or want to bundle business communications. It tends to be a favorite among enterprise customers due to its robust security features, including two-factor authentication, easy-to-use access controls, and more.

3. SRFax

SRFax is another online fax service offering the highest levels of security, privacy, and compliance. SRFax is fully HIPAA compliant for healthcare professionals based in the US and PHIPA compliant for those based in Canada.

Many online fax services offer HIPAA compliance, but usually, these services provide the bare minimum. The security features that SRFax offers end up exceeding HIPAA regulations. For example, you’ll find application security, hardware and organizational safeguards, user identification, backup and physical security around the clock.

Additionally, faxes are sent with 2048-bit encryption, while the industry standard is 256 bits. Beyond security, you’ll find standard features like unlimited storage and cross-platform integration. There are also dedicated clients for Windows and Mac that allow you to send and receive faxes from your preferred programs.

Pricing plans are a bit higher, starting at the Basic Plus plan for $11.45 per month for 200 pages. However, if you need rock-solid security, the price is worth it. You can also send international faxes. International fax fees are based on the country you’re sending to or receiving faxes from.

Expert Review: I think SRFax is the best online fax service for businesses that need the highest levels of security.

4. Fax.Plus

Fax.Plus is one of the best online fax services for small teams. It’s easy to use, and the service’s goal is to save you as much time as possible. If you’re looking for a way to upgrade your current faxing process at an affordable price, this is a great option.

You can even keep your current fax number for free or add new local and toll-free fax numbers. There are dozens of integrations for managing your faxes within the platforms you’re already using. This means no complicated setup process or time wasted learning the ins and outs of new software. For example, it integrates with platforms like Microsoft Office, Google Chrome, Slack, Google Drive, Google Workspace apps, other APIs, and more.

You’ll also find a bunch of apps for iOS and Android so you can read, download, and send faxes on the go. The mobile app is as easy to use as the web portal. It lets you browse documents from your phone, add digital signatures, add notes, organize your files, send faxes, and more. You can also optimize faxes with one click, making them easier to read and sending them faster.

If you have simple needs and only need to send a handful of faxes per month, there’s a free plan you can use. This plan allows you to send up to 10 pages per month. However, you can’t receive faxes, only send them. While Fax.Plus is great for very small businesses, you’ll find a variety of fax plans to meet all business needs. The Basic plan costs €6.99 per month and allows you to send up to 200 pages. If you’re looking for the best deal, the Business plan lets you send 1,000 pages every month for €27.99.

Expert Review: I think Fax.Plus is the best online fax solution for small teams.

5. eFax

eFax is a household name in the online fax service industry. It’s packed with features, easy to use, and focuses on fax archiving and storage. This makes it a great option for organizations that need to store faxes for a long time, such as financial and legal institutions, universities, real estate offices, accountants, charities, and activist groups, etc.

While other fax providers offer fax storage and archiving, none go as deep as eFax. This provider offers unlimited storage for your faxes, plus in-depth fax archiving and organization features. When faxes are saved, additional information is stored, such as the transmission time and date, recipient and sender names, etc. This makes it easy to sort and search for the exact information you’re looking for. Your faxes are automatically stored, and older faxes aren’t deleted to make room for new ones. Basically, with eFax, you’ll never lose a fax again.

It includes an intuitive mobile app available for both iPhones and Android devices. It allows you to archive, search, download, and forward directly from your phone. Another great mobile feature is the ability to take pictures of documents and send them via fax, all while you’re away from the office.

You’ll also find standard features like support for electronic signatures, multiple users, cloud storage integrations, email inbox notifications, and the ability to send a fax to up to 20 recipients. Additionally, it supports international faxes, and all faxes are sent over an encrypted SSL connection.

eFax plans start at $19.99 per month for 200 incoming and outgoing faxes. There’s also a $10 signup fee. The best value plan is the Pro plan, which costs $29.99 per month and lets you send 375 fax pages and receive 375 pages every month.

Expert Review: I think eFax is a great option for businesses that need advanced search, storage, and archiving features.

6. MyFax

MyFax is a great online fax service for small businesses and home-based businesses that send and receive a low volume of faxes. You can use a free fax service to send faxes occasionally. However, free services can be unprofessional, as you can’t change the cover sheet, and you usually can’t receive faxes either.

Instead, I recommend using an affordable service like MyFax. MyFax is very straightforward and can also be used to send faxes to anywhere in the world. All plans include unlimited fax storage, a free fax number, and a library of pre-designed cover sheet templates you can customize to match your brand. You can even search through your fax archives.

There are also apps for Android and iOS to bring your faxes with you wherever you go. Smaller teams can benefit from the Home Office plan for $12 per month, which allows you to send 100 pages and receive 100 pages each month. There are also more expensive plans if you need to send or receive more pages. If you go over your page limit, there’s a $0.10 per page fee.

It also offers a free trial, but you need to provide your credit card information to access it.

Expert Review: I think MyFax is the best online fax service for businesses on a tight budget.

Which Is the Best Online Fax Service for You?

After researching all the major online fax service providers, I believe Nextiva is the best online fax provider on the market. You can send a high volume of faxes at a low cost. Plus, it comes with powerful features like business phone, video calls, and other collaboration tools. For these and other reasons, Nextiva is the best online fax service and business communication platform out there. This is also why WPBeginner uses Nextiva.

In my research, RingCentral came in second. The online fax service offers many of the same features as Nextiva for a good price. However, it doesn’t have the same level of flexibility.

You really can’t go wrong with either of these two online fax services.

I also reviewed other fax service providers, such as MetroFax, HelloFax, FaxZero, GotFreeFax, J2 Global, mFax, etc. However, my goal is to make it easier for you to choose the best online fax provider without paralyzing you with choices, so I didn’t review them all here.

Online Fax Services FAQs

After helping hundreds of business owners find the best online fax services for their needs, I’ve encountered many questions.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received about online fax service providers.

How Does Online Faxing Work?

Online faxing converts your documents into a file format readable by a fax machine and vice versa. If you’re sending a document to a fax machine, you enter the recipient’s fax number into your online fax dashboard and attach your file. Online fax services translate the document into a file type that the fax machine can read and send it to the recipient over a phone line. The document is then printed and read like a standard fax or viewed with your online fax service provider.

What Is the Best Free Online Fax Service?

Generally, I don’t recommend using a free fax service provider, especially in a business setting. Free online fax services allow you to send faxes, but you usually can’t receive faxes or customize the cover sheet.

If you only need to send up to 10 pages per month, I recommend the free tier of Fax.Plus. This also gives you the option to upgrade if your faxing needs increase.

What Is the Most Secure Fax App?

All fax apps are incredibly secure and use encryption to ensure your transmissions are protected. Faxing is one of the most secure forms of communication. However, SRFax has the highest security protocols of all online fax apps. Its primary focus is providing a secure fax service for healthcare professionals, who must comply with HIPAA.

SRFax features strong encryption, spam blocking, user identification, automatic fax deletion, and more. Basically, everything you’d expect from an enterprise-grade plan.

Can I Send a Fax Without a Fax Machine?

Yes, you can send faxes without a fax machine. Online fax services like Nextiva and RingCentral allow you to send faxes through the internet, tablets, and even mobile devices.

You can also send faxes online to a traditional fax machine with an online fax service.

I hope this guide has helped you choose the best online fax service for your small business. You might also want to check out our comparison of the best email marketing services and the best AI chatbot software for small businesses.

If you’re interested in learning more about tech news, feel free to visit my website: www.naveedahmed.me.

Conclusion

The shift to online faxing presents a compelling opportunity for small businesses to modernize their operations, enhance efficiency, and potentially reduce costs. By ditching traditional fax machines, you can embrace a more flexible, convenient, and secure way to handle essential document transmissions. Remember, choosing the right online fax service boils down to understanding your unique business needs and selecting a provider that aligns with those needs, whether it’s affordability, security, advanced features, or a specific focus on mobile accessibility.