Online Fax Service

I disconnected my fax years ago. That's been a great thing ... for the most part. I don't pay the local phone company for an extra line. And I don't have to put up with a daily onslaught of junk faxes. In my field, faxes are a thing of the past. But I was out doing a bit of consulting at a friend's place today, and I learned that in his industry, the fax still reigns king ...

My pal has a broadband connection in his office but his orders fly in and out over the fax line. He's paying for local and long distance phone service for the line, while the big pipe is largely untapped.

It got me thinking ... does my friend really need that extra line or would he be better off ditching the conventional machine and dedicated line for an online fax service?

So off I went in search of the answer ...

I put on my research hat and found a bevy of Internet companies that stick a fork in the conventional fax machine (it's done!). Online fax service providers include BroadFax, eFax, FaxFreedom, innoport, Packetel, Ring Central, uFax (uReach), UniFax (Data On Call), and a host of others.

It's unquestionably convenient to receive faxes electronically. With the right online fax service, you can retrieve your documents whenever and wherever you are ... there's no need to hover by the fax machine ... or be in the office, at all. And you don't need to worry if the machine is filled with ink and paper.

When your received faxes are forwarded to an email account, they're always with you.

Online fax providers offer a range of pricing schemes. Here's where things can get a little tricky. You'll want to weigh all your options as one company's bargain intro rate may not be the best deal for the long run.

Here are some details on a smattering of plans:

eFax allows you to select either a local or toll-free number for their online fax service. Monthly rates start at $12.95, with all received pages free on a local number (pages received on a toll-free number cost 20¢ per page). Outgoing pages are 10¢ a piece within the United states.

uFax provides a personal toll-free number and charges $5.99 monthly for their online fax service, with a fee of 10¢ per page (in/out). There's a 5¢ additional per page surcharge for Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Canada, while pages to or from Alaska and Hawaii cost an additional 10¢ each. Overseas per page charges vary from 2¢ to well over $1.00 per page, depending on the country.

UniFax online fax plans start at $9.95 with 100 free pages and a toll-free number.

Just need to receive incoming faxes? Packetel offers unlimited incoming faxes for a flat monthly rate of $3.95. Local service areas include California, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, and New York.