- You may have heard of cloud faxing, or faxing documents via a web interface. This is a new way of sending and receiving documents that has the potential to save you lot of hassle. Traditional paper based faxing involved automatic prints sent from physical fax machines. This creates a data security risk, as sensitive documents can accumulate in printer trays and end up in the wrong hands. Through online fax solutions, you can rest assured that your documents are safely transferred.
Cloud faxing for business operations allows you and your team to send and receive documents while enjoying benefits such as:
- Increased efficiency and streamlined faxing
Money-saving accounting and reporting on fax usage - Sustainability, since cloud faxing doesn’t trigger unnecessary prints
- Enhanced cybersecurity functions to protect sensitive documents
- On-the-go faxing capabilities with services that include mobile apps
If you’re interested in purchasing a cloud fax service, it’s important to know what your options are. Here are our top picks for cloud faxing solutions in no particular order.
mFax
mFax is a good fax solution if you’re looking for user-friendliness. With a great interface and team management features, mFax will likely be easy to use and manage. Data security is another major perk of the service, with features including encryption, secure storage, and HIPAA-compliant standards.
Although the provider offers many benefits, reviews have said this service is on the pricier side. mFax will run your business anywhere from $9.99 to $49.99 per month, which is much higher than other services.
The drawbacks you might find with mFax include a lack of reporting on how many pages you’ve used until the end of the billing cycle, and some admin features were reported to be less than user friendly. Overall, mFax has solid reviews and the flexibility of pricing is a major benefit to the service.
eFax
eFax is a unique service that has been around for a long time in the cloud fax industry. It’s a good option if you have clients or staff that are located in different countries, as it offers features like local, international, and toll-free fax numbers. For businesses that need it, eFax’s digital signature functions can streamline contracts and other signed document management.
eFax is a bit more expensive than other services. With prices from $16.95 to $19.95, a setup fee of $10, and a 10-cent fee per page you fax after your monthly limit, you might be paying a bit more for eFax than other providers when all is said and done.
Biscom 1-2-3
As a cheaper alternative to other services, Biscom 1-2-3 offers a simple faxing experience if you have limited faxing needs. This service is best for you if you’re not looking to spend too much on a cloud faxing solution but you still need the capability to easily fax documents. The mobile app allows for on-the-go faxing, and its seamless email integration allows you to send and receive faxes via your email inbox.
Biscom 1-2-3’s user management features, along with digital signature and annotation right in the app, will streamline your everyday business operations. However, with a high cost of 7 cents per page and no way to send faxes internationally or from the web interface, the capabilities of the service leave much to be desired. Reviewers have also reported that the service does not send a notification when faxes are received by an outside party. They also reported that receiving documents can be confusing for first-time users.
The monthly cost of this service is $7.99 per month, which is considerably cheaper than many of the other solutions on this list. Overall, this service is a solid option for a business with limited fax needs and a tighter budget.
eGoldFax
eGoldFax is an excellent solution for businesses that need a secure means of faxing documents via the cloud. With great data security features, eGoldFax is ideal for industries that deal with sensitive documents, like legal firms or healthcare. This service allows you to manage your contacts, send SMS messages to collaborators, and much more.
This service is also ideal for document tracking. Users can determine which departments or services have the most faxes going in and out and measure productivity with different reporting tools.
It’s advisable to contact a managed print provider that carries the service for a quote, but the service will typically run you around $29.99 per month. Although not the cheapest option on the market, this solution will offer peace of mind due to its flexibility for remote workers and compliant document security features.
Ringcentral
Ringcentral is an excellent solution if you have extensive faxing needs. It offers features to justify the cost if you’re okay with the higher price point. With features like fax scheduling and a sleek website mobile app, it offers ease of use along with scalability.
For businesses like law firms that deal with a large volume of faxes, this will be a good option. This is especially true with the service’s capacity to accommodate larger file attachments. Also a perk for businesses that deal with sensitive documents, it offers strong cybersecurity features as well.
Pricing is a bit higher for Ringcentral, which will run you anywhere from $22.99 to $49.99 per month. Like most tiered pricing plans, you can save money by paying annually. With the pricier tiers, however, you’ll get collaboration-friendly functions like multiple users, VoIP capabilities, and team messaging.
MetroFax
This option is great for a businesses that fax a wide variety of file formats. With features like an easy-to-use web portal and mobile app, MetroFax will allow for ease of use and smooth integration with your business.
This service starts at around $9.95 per month, making it an affordable solution. Like many services, the number of allotted faxed pages per month goes up with a tiered pricing structure, the next tier being $11.95 and up from there. There are some drawbacks to the service, with a slight lack of control over faxing notifications and non-customizable cover sheets.
HelloFax
Hellofax is a great solution if you’re looking for a seamless online experience that will be easy for your team to adopt. With an easy-to-use and modern interface, you can send faxes and collect digital signatures easily.
Although there is a free version of the service, you will not be able to receive faxes with it. As most businesses need to both send and receive faxed documents, the paid subscription is likely to the way to go.
You might find yourself frustrated with the lack of a mobile app because you won’t be able to fax on the go. As mobile faxing is a major selling point for cloud fax services, this may be a dealbreaker for a business that needs flexibility. There is also a drawback for international faxing since the services support few non-US fax numbers.
As for the cost of Hellofax, the paid tiers start at $9.99 with an additional $4.99 per extra user. The next tier up is $19.99 for up to 10 users and 500 pages per month, and $39.99 for up to 20 users and 1000 pages per month. This price range is middle-of-the-road compared to similar services.
FaxPlus
Another great option for cloud faxing is FaxPlus. This service features flexible pricing, a modern interface, and a great mobile app. The cybersecurity is also strong for the service, with required multi factor authentication. This feature prevents unwanted attackers from logging in and gaining access to your network.
If your business has a need for digital signature collection, this service may leave you out of luck unless you or your clients are using the app. The document signing tool is only available on the app, which might create some confusion and roadblocks in collecting signatures for important documents.
There is a free version of the service, but like many other services, you get much less with it in order to incentivize the paid version.
How To Decide Between Countless Cloud Based Fax Solutions
If you’ve decided that faxing with the cloud is right for your business, you might want to first speak to a managed print company. Managed printing experts can advise you based on your business’ unique document security needs and other aspects such as:
- Number of users you’ll add
- How many fax pages you’ll need per month
- The flexibility of your cloud faxing budget
- The level of accessibility and portability you require
These factors will ultimately determine what service is right for you. To learn more about the benefits of cloud printing and faxing, check out our blog: What is Cloud Printing? If you’re ready to explore the possibilities to fax in the cloud, click on the button below to speak to a managed print expert about your needs.
