By: Mitch | Last updated March 29, 2021 
Modern times demand from us greater investments, greater risks, but also a constant profit to keep the business stable. At the same time, we are faced with the requirements to harmonize and simplify everyday business obligations. If we meet these conditions, we will make it much easier for ourselves, the employees of our company, but also our clients. However, a lot of paperwork is often a big obstacle that slows down the work, but also the communication with clients. To speed up communication, solve certain requests faster, and have a more efficient procedure, we need to raise our business to a new level.
This is exactly what the online fax service is for.
Online fax is a modern type of online fax service that provides their users to send and receive faxes without a fax machine. Because it is usually a cloud-based service, all you need is a stable Internet connection. To be able to use an online fax service, you need to choose one provider and a suitable monthly or annual subscription. Once you subscribe, you will be assigned a fax number. Every time someone sends you a fax, the converted file will be forwarded to your email address.
Many providers offer the option to use their services from a mobile phone. It is an even better option because you are not limited to your PC or laptop. You can send and receive faxes wherever you are if you have access to the internet.
Many small businesses and enterprises are using online fax service for obvious reasons: it is mobile, convenient, and much faster service than any fax machine. You can send and receive a larger number of files and faxes at the same time, the whole correspondence is usually encrypted resulting in privacy and protection. The best thing is that it will save your budget for long-distance calls. You can also get rid of endless paper and fax machines, saving your time on endless paperwork and messy offices.
You might be wondering how you will organize your files if you do not have the physical document. There is a solution. First, you can always print an online document if you need it. This feature is usually only one click away. Also, there is a possibility that you will not have to print all the documents you receive. Online fax service providers offer suitable features that will help you organize your files on your cloud service.
Another benefit is that you will be able to receive faxes 24/7 because the allocated fax is available 24 hours. It will not be like before when your landline had to be free to receive a document. Before you needed a free telephone line and fax machine. The whole process lasted longer and took away precious time. Besides that, you can save the budget and be eco-friendly by saving paper and fax toner on an everyday basis.
Another great benefit is that online service providers offer user-friendly software that is extremely easy to use. You do not have to be tech-savvy to use their services and software and you can also add any feature to your existing profile. In addition, the providers usually have video tutorials on their official website to help you ease the whole process. If you are looking for the best options for online faxing just keep reading as we review all the best options available today.
Depending on the pricing plan you choose, you will have limited or unlimited users. If you are running a small business, the basic plan will be a good option for you most of the time. Also, if you are in the enterprise world and want to have some additional features, you will get a fair offer by combining different features and plans.
Today it is essential to have features like conference calls (both audio and video). Depending on the pricing plan you choose, you will have a quality service when it comes to these features. If you go with higher value plans you can even get video and audio meetings for up to 200 participants. It really depends on your needs and current circumstances.
Another great benefit is numerous advantages and can be found within different online fax service providers. This is the list that contains some of the most needed features and most interesting ones:
Automatic call recording – This feature will help you save unlimited minutes of phone calls. How many times have you forgotten some important tasks or requests from your clients? You do not have to take notes anymore, now you can just play the recorded call and be on track with your tasks. Also, you can protect yourself and your employees by saving phone calls in case you get a customer complaint.
Administrator protection – You can oversee everything that is happening on an online cloud service. You can also choose if you want to add somebody else to the role. This way you can see the access to the platform, changes made, give, or close the access to a specific person.
Optimized CRM – Providers usually offer integrations with Office 365, Salesforce, G Suite, and many more to help you organize internal and external communication. This feature will save you time and allow you to be more effective on an everyday basis and stay up to date with the market and requests from existing and new clients.
Storage – Well, like every cloud-based service you can choose between several different options. If you want to have unlimited storage for your documents, you will have to choose a plan that will cost you more. If you are satisfied with the offered storage possibilities within the basic plan it is a good option. Basic plans also have suitable storage options that will satisfy your business requirements.
Accessibility – It is important to pay attention to the features that give you better access and mobility. To be able to send your faxes faster you need to have the option to edit and sign the document electronically. Of course, you can always print, sign manually, and send it. But now it is much faster, cheaper, and convenient to do all the tasks with just one click.
Mobile app – Together with the editing feature, you should also look for providers that offer a mobile app. This way you can send, receive, and operate anywhere and anytime if you have an internet connection.
Confidentiality – No matter what type of business you have it is always welcomed to have high-end confidentiality. An encrypted connection is a must when talking about business correspondence because you are sending private information like bank accounts, names, addresses, etc. In some other industries, like medical companies, it is recommended to look for providers specialized in this industry because you will also get important compliances to be in accordance with the law in your or your client’s country.
Trial period – Companies that value their clients, their time and money, will always offer a free trial period. Of course, you want to know if the service suits your business needs. Sometimes these trial periods can include some comprehensive offer with advanced features, the more the better. Remember that the trial period is limited and that you should explore all the options offered before purchasing the online fax service.
Transparent policy – Make sure that you always check the policies of the company, their customer support, and compliances. This is not a detective job, you just need to see if they have it all on their official website, to see if the company has some certificates, affiliates, and compliances. You can also check the reviews on their customer support and see if they are available through email, live chat, or some other option.
Look at our selection of the top five online fax providers.
RingCentral is a cloud-based phone and fax service founded in 2003. Since then the company has been a leader in cloud-based calls and faxing. The company offers a 30-day free trial period for 5 users and 2 phones. Their comprehensive plans offer a wide range of features:
Call features – call forwarding, blacklist and white list, call recording, call logs (time, date, and duration), call transfer to softphone, mobile, and desk phone, music on hold, and toll-free numbers.
Faxing features – fax recording, integration with Outlook and MSOffice, cloud-based faxing service.
Mobility – iOS and Android mobile app as well as the Blackberry app.
RingCentral offers both monthly and annual pricing plans. If you choose to go for the annual, you can save up to 30% on your budget.
HelloFax was founded in 2010 and since then the company has specialized for home offices and small businesses. Some of the best features this company offers are:
The easiest document editing with their HelloSign API (sign the document, embed it on your website, or to a contract)
Integration with Google Drive, One Drive, box, Dropbox, and Evernote.
Faxing features – fax to numerous recipients at once, send email to fax, sign in with your Google credentials.
HelloFax also offers a free trial period, but to get an offer you need to register on their official website and make a plan that suits your needs. In our ranking we found that after we did our HelloFax Review that they were one of the better options to take a look at.
Trustfax was founded in 2005 in LA, California. Their services are most suitable for home offices and small businesses. If your business does not require you to fax very much, Trustfax can be a good option for you.
Local fax numbers are available in 50 states, as well as toll-free numbers (855, 855, 877).
International faxing is completely customized for simple exchange because it has a user-friendly interface. The company does not offer a mobile app, but a desktop cloud connection can be also a suitable option. You can send different types of files: PDFs, JPG, HTML, GIF, and more; plus, their cloud faxing allows complete integration with MS Office.
Easy configuration and interface, available customer support during business days, and transparent policy is something that many of their users are satisfied with.
Sfax is focused on companies whose main activity is sending confidential data, such as medical institutions and privately held health care companies. That is the reason their policy is strictly confidential, HIPPA and BAA compliant. The company offers a comprehensive set of features and plans to choose from, together with a 256-encryption and two-factor verification system.
Their mobile app is currently available only for iOS users and can be downloaded through Apple Store. If you are wondering what Sfax is, then we suggest reading our full review about them to see if they are the right choice for your online faxing needs.
The company is also committed to keeping its competitiveness in the market. That is the way they are focused on both small businesses and enterprises with options to combine their plans and advanced features to get the best offer that suits your budget.
MyFax offers three ways to send a fax: via email, their official website, or via mobile app. The company offers three pricing plans with 14 days free trial period you can cancel anytime at no cost. You can link your fax number with 5 different email addresses and choose between the local number or toll-free numbers. The difference is that MyFax works straight-forward without any hardware or software needed.
MyFax is a completely secure way to send faxes because the line is supported with strong encryption. Another great feature is that their pricing plans offer unlimited storage. You don’t have to buy extra space, like for most other companies.
Based on our testing the results were remarkably close, but RingCentral stands out as a service with the most comprehensive offer, features, and pricing plans. Offering you to save your budget for up to 30% together with the option to use their service on the cloud, desktop, or mobile app, RingCentral makes a difference on the market today.
Whichever online faxing service you choose, you can be sure that it will lower your cost, accelerate your business and enable you to be mobile and use their service wherever you are.
