Is it better to use online fax services or using an old fax machine

Despite being one of the only remaining commercial technologies that comes from decades past, fax machines are still widely used today. The reason is quite simple, because people still need to use documents across a long distance, particularly in a corporate environment.

But when the pandemic hits and people start to work from home, most people find themselves unable to effectively do their job. On one hand, they need to use the fax machine. But on the other hand, they can't justify purchasing a bulky and expensive fax machine just for work purposes. 

Thankfully, the advancement in technology could provide a great solution for this particular problem. And the answer is online fax services. This is the next evolution of the faxing technology that would soon be the default choice for the majority of fax users.

As the name implies, an online fax service is a technology that allows you to send and receive faxes through the internet connection. With online fax services, all it takes for you to start sending and receiving faxes are a computer or a smartphone and a decent internet connection.

This makes it possible for you to send and receive faxes no matter where you are. Not only that, most of the companies that provide online faxing services also equipped their product with tons of useful features. These features will make faxing even better, faster, and easier. We reviewed a lot of the best online fax service around and found that there was really no reason to stay with those old pieces of equipment that always seem to break and need more toner the second you turn your back to them.

• Local and toll-free numbers. When you sign up to an online faxing service company, you would usually be given a local number from a different region in the United States. And most companies also offer toll-free numbers that you could use on top of that. 
• Fax to email and vice versa. This feature makes it possible for you to send and receive faxes through your favorite email client. Some companies may offer a dedicated app for your faxing needs, but for some basic mobility, an email support should suffice.  
• Digital signature. To make it easier for you to sign and work on your documents, most online faxing companies offer a digital signature feature for you. You can scan and import your signature to the online fax dashboard and then simply use it whenever you need it.
• Convert documents to PDF. With online faxing services, you could send multiple document formats to the recipient. But not only that, you could also convert the documents that you've received into the PDF formats to make further edits that much easier. 
• Unlimited cloud storage. Different online faxing service companies may offer different pages plans for its users, but for the most part, they would give you unlimited storage. That means you can upload as many pages as you want without having to worry about a thing.
• Number porting. This feature makes it possible for you to port an existing number into your new fax number or vice versa. This feature is especially useful if your number is already well-known to your existing customer. But do keep in mind that some company may charge an additional fee for it.
• Secured connection. Since we are highly dependent on the internet connection when it comes to online faxing services, every company will make sure to implement a highly secured connection for you. That means your documents will be safe.

Online faxing services are clearly superior to the conventional old fax machine. And the following are the reasons why:

• Convenience. The most obvious reasons why an online faxing service is better than a conventional fax machine would be the convenience and flexibility that it provides. With an online faxing service, it would be possible for you to send and receive faxes whenever and wherever you are.
• Speed. Another advantage that an online faxing has is its speed. You can basically go paperless with online faxing. Not only that, its digital signature feature also allowed you to put your signature while still within the online faxing dashboard without having to print it out first.
• Security. As mentioned before, every online faxing service will make sure that all of the documents that you will send and receive through their connection will be secured. That way you can rest assured knowing that all of your sensitive and important documents will be safe from prying eyes.
• Cost-saving. Although you would still need to pay a recurring subscription fee with an online faxing service, it won't be as costly as using a fax machine. Not only is the fax machine alone quite expensive, the monthly expenses of inks and papers are quite substantial as well. None of that cost exists with online faxing.
• Scalability. Whether you're a small business or just a professional working alone, there might come a time when you want to scale your business into something bigger. If you use conventional faxing, you would need to purchase lots of expensive fax machines along with increased monthly expenses. With online faxing, however, you simply need to upgrade your current plan to the one that suits your needs.

Faxing is still very relevant today, especially in the corporate world. But there are challenges that couldn't be solved by the old way of doing faxing. Mostly because of cost-related reasons. If you want to scale your business or simply need to work remotely from home, a fax machine with all of its monthly expenses is a very expensive option. 

And that's where online faxing services come in. It has all of the benefits of conventional faxing without any of its constraints. Online faxing services are a more flexible, convenient, fast, secured, cost-effective, and scalable option. So the answer is yes, it is better to use online fax services rather than an old fax machine. If you want to know who we think is the best online fax service check out our entire review lists and rankings.