We track ten online fax services and price every one against real monthly usage. Below they're ranked by our independent editorial score — a blend of pricing, features, compliance and reliability — followed by a plain-English guide to choosing the right one. Every 'Visit Website' button points to the provider's own site; some are affiliate links that help fund our testing and never change the order.
Ranked by our independent editorial score. Prices shown are the cheapest plan on annual billing.
Our top pick for most people. Fax.Plus pairs the category's best cross-platform apps — web, iOS, Android and desktop — with a genuine free tier and local numbers in 190+ countries, so it fits everyone from a one-off sender to a busy team. The one catch is HIPAA, which is locked to the $79.99 Enterprise plan.
The best mobile experience here. iFax's apps feel built for 2026, it signs a BAA from the Plus plan, and its hard-capped plans never spring an overage fee on you. The trade-off is the send-only entry tier — step up to Plus ($12.49/month) for a full two-way fax line.
The one to beat for regulated work. Documo (mFax) signs a HIPAA BAA on every plan, adds OCR and a real API, and connects to EHR systems — a stack most rivals reserve for their top tier. You pay for it: plans start at $25/month, so it makes sense once compliance is non-negotiable.
The safe, expensive incumbent. eFax brings a HITRUST certification almost nobody else carries, a HIPAA BAA on its Business plan without a sales call, and sending to 200+ countries. You pay premium rates for that reassurance, and there is still no native iOS app — iPhone users fall back on the web.
The cheapest way to keep a real fax number, at $4.99/month, and to fax abroad — it sends to 180+ countries. Know the limits, though: inbound numbers are US and Canada only, the 20¢ overage bites if you underestimate, and its compliance is self-attested with no signed BAA, so keep patient data off it.
The simplest way to send the occasional fax. Formerly HelloFax, it lives inside the Dropbox ecosystem, offers a HIPAA option, and will even send a single fax for $0.99 with no subscription. There is no mobile app, so it suits desktop users who fax now and then rather than daily.
The cheapest legitimate HIPAA option we track. SRFax signs a BAA from $13.65/month, adds PGP-encrypted storage and an API, and is a long-time favourite of clinics and Canadian offices. The gaps are a dated interface, no native app, and numbers only in the US and Canada.
A tidy choice for light, personal use. Running on eFax's mature network, MyFax starts at $8.25/month with polished apps. The catch is its split allowance — sent and received pages sit in separate buckets — and there is no HIPAA, so it suits an occasional individual rather than a practice.
The value leader for steady office volume. Nextiva vFax hands you 500 pooled pages for $7.95/month on annual billing — the lowest effective per-page cost here — and failed faxes don't count against your quota. HIPAA needs a custom quote rather than a checkbox, and numbers are US-only.
A strong pick for higher volume without compliance needs. MetroFax gives you 550 pages for under $10/month, a flat 3¢ overage that stops a bad estimate becoming a bad bill, and solid mobile apps. There is no HIPAA option, so it is for general business faxing, not regulated records.
Most plans pool your sent and received pages into one monthly allowance; a few, like MyFax, split them into separate buckets that never share. Watch the overage rate as closely as the headline price — a cheap plan at 20¢ per extra page can cost more than a pricier one at 3¢. Annual billing usually saves 15–40%.
The biggest mistake is guessing high. Count both directions — pages sent plus received, including cover sheets and inbound junk — and average across two or three months instead of a busy one. Then run that number through the price calculator: the cheapest sticker price rarely wins once overages are in.
If you touch patient records, the only thing that matters legally is a signed Business Associate Agreement — encryption alone is not enough. SRFax signs one from $13.65/month and Documo includes it on every plan. Be wary of services that lean on 'HIPAA-friendly' wording without a signed BAA, such as CocoFax; for German data, look for DSGVO terms and an EU data-processing agreement.
Sending and receiving are two different things. Almost every service sends worldwide, but a local inbound number is another matter, and coverage varies widely. Fax.Plus and eFax issue local numbers across dozens of countries (Germany included), and MyFax covers about 35 — while CocoFax, Nextiva vFax and SRFax stick to the US and Canada. Confirm your country appears on the list before you commit, then decide whether you need a local number or only need to send.
If you fax from a phone, check for a real native app: Fax.Plus and iFax lead, while SRFax and Dropbox Fax are web-only. Developers automating fax should confirm API and webhook support and which plan unlocks it — usually a mid or top tier. Useful extras include desktop print-to-fax and sending straight from Google Docs.
The headline price is rarely the whole story. Look for setup fees, toll-free surcharges, and whether a low rate is tied to annual prepayment. Confirm the cancellation terms and run a full trial cycle before locking in a year — deliverability to the destinations you care about is the one thing a price sheet cannot tell you.
For a real, permanent number, CocoFax Lite is the floor at $4.99/month, though its 20¢ overage adds up fast. For steady volume, Nextiva vFax is the value leader at $7.95/month for 500 pages. And if you only ever receive the odd fax, Fax.Plus has a permanent free tier worth trying first.
SRFax is the cheapest that signs a Business Associate Agreement, from $13.65/month, with PGP encryption and an API. Documo includes a BAA on every plan plus OCR and EHR connectors, and eFax bundles one on its Business tier. A signed BAA — not just 'HIPAA-friendly' wording — is what makes a service compliant.
No. Every service here works entirely online: you send from a browser, by email or in an app, and incoming faxes arrive as PDFs in your inbox. There is no hardware, no dedicated phone line, and no toner — just an internet connection.
Sending is easy — most services reach 150+ countries, and CocoFax alone sends to over 180. A local inbound number is where they differ: Fax.Plus and eFax offer numbers in dozens of countries including Germany, MyFax in about 35, while CocoFax, Nextiva vFax and SRFax are US and Canada only. Confirm your country is supported before signing up, and match it to whether you need to receive locally or just send.
Rankings come from our own hands-on editorial testing of pricing, features, compliance and reliability — not user reviews or pay-to-play placement. We earn a commission when you sign up through some of our links, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the order. Run your real usage through the calculator to find your personal best match.
Two minutes with our calculator usually saves $5–15 a month.
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