Best Online Fax Services Compared: eFax, iFax, HelloFax & More

If you're trying to figure out the best online fax services compared side by side, you've probably noticed the same problem I ran into: every provider's pricing page is designed to make comparison shopping harder, not easier. Monthly minimums, page caps, overage fees, and setup charges all hide behind vague phrases like "starting at." I dug into the actual pricing terms, trial conditions, and receiving limits for the most-searched fax services so you can see what you'd really pay before you commit to anything.

This isn't a takedown of any competitor. Several of these services have been around for years and do a lot right. But if you only need to send a fax occasionally, for a medical form, a lease, an insurance claim, or a signed contract, a monthly subscription built for offices with hundreds of pages a month is probably the wrong tool.

What to actually compare before you pick a fax service

Before looking at brand names, it helps to know which details actually matter for a one-off or occasional fax:

• Is there a subscription, or can you pay per fax? Many services require a monthly plan even if you only fax twice a year.
• What happens after the free tier runs out? Some free allowances are monthly, others are a one-time total that never resets.
• Can it receive faxes, or only send them? A few free tools are send-only.
• Does it work outside the US and Canada? Some free plans are geographically limited.
• What's the real cost per page once you add overage fees?

How eFax compares

eFax is one of the oldest names in online faxing, and it's built for offices that fax constantly. The entry-level Plus plan runs $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year, and it includes 170 inbound and 170 outbound pages per month. There's no permanent free plan; eFax instead offers a promotional first month at a reduced rate that auto-renews at full price afterward. One quirk worth knowing before you sign up: you must call customer service to cancel, since there's no self-serve cancellation option online. eFax is a solid pick if you're faxing hundreds of pages a month and want phone support, but it's a lot of commitment for someone who needs to send three pages to a landlord.

How HelloFax (now Dropbox Fax) compares

HelloFax was rebranded to Dropbox Fax after Dropbox's 2019 acquisition, though the product still runs on hellofax.com infrastructure. The free plan includes 5 pages with no credit card, pay-as-you-go sending costs $0.99 per fax for up to 10 pages, and the $9.99 Home Office plan includes 300 monthly pages, which works out to roughly 3.3 cents per page. That 5-page free allowance is a one-time total, not a monthly reset, so a single multi-page fax can use it up immediately. It's a reasonable budget option if you already live inside the Dropbox ecosystem and only fax occasionally.

How FaxZero compares

FaxZero has been running since 2006 and is genuinely free with no account or credit card required, which is rare in this space. Free faxing: Up to 5 faxes per day to US and Canadian numbers at no cost, with a page limit of 3 pages plus a branded cover page, and paid faxing at $2.09 per fax for up to 25 pages with international destinations supported. The catch: FaxZero does not allow users to receive faxes, and there's no dedicated fax number, no stored fax history, and no HIPAA compliance, which matters if you're sending medical records. It's best treated as a disposable, one-time send tool rather than an ongoing fax solution.

How iFax compares

iFax uses a tiered subscription structure, with paid plans starting at $8.33 per month for the Basic tier, scaling up to plans that unlock HIPAA compliance and broader support options. Each plan is built around monthly page allowances, so costs can climb if your volume varies. iFax also offers a short free trial for testing the service before committing to a plan. It's a well-reviewed option for predictable, recurring fax volume, but like most subscription faxing tools, you're paying for a monthly allotment whether you use it or not.

How CocoFax compares

CocoFax's paid plans start around $9.99 to $14.99 per month depending on the tier, with additional pages billed separately once you exceed your plan's limit. There's also a free path: 10 pages, send-only, US and Canadian numbers only, no credit card required, no expiry, though receiving faxes requires upgrading to a paid plan. If you need to receive an inbound fax rather than just send one, budget for a subscription.

One more name worth a quick mention: Fax.Plus lists Basic plan pricing at $6.99 per month, making it one of the cheaper subscription entry points if you decide a monthly plan fits your needs.

Side-by-side pricing snapshot

| Service | Entry price | Subscription required? | Can receive faxes? | Notable limit |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| SendFax.me | Pay per page, first fax free | No | Yes, with a dedicated number | None beyond per-page cost |

| eFax | $18.99/mo (170 pages) | Yes | Yes | Cancel by phone only |

| HelloFax / Dropbox Fax | Free (5 pages total) or $9.99/mo (300 pages) | Optional | Yes on paid plans | Free tier doesn't reset |

| FaxZero | Free (5/day, 3 pages, US/Canada) | No | No | Send-only, no dedicated number |

| iFax | $8.33/mo (200 pages) | Yes | Yes | HIPAA gated to higher tiers |

| CocoFax | Free (10 pages, send-only) or $9.99/mo | Optional for sending, required to receive | Paid plans only | Overage fees per page |

Where SendFax.me fits in

SendFax.me was built for the exact situation this article started with: you need to send a fax, maybe just once, and you don't want to guess which subscription tier covers your usage. There's no monthly plan to pick. You send faxes to 150+ countries straight from your browser, pay per page as you go, and your first fax is free so you can test quality before spending anything. You can upload a PDF or image, fill and sign a document right in the browser, add a cover page, and even schedule the fax to go out later if the recipient's line is only open during business hours.

If you fax more than once, a contacts book saves you from re-typing numbers, and every fax comes with a delivery confirmation and transmission report so you have proof it went through, something FaxZero's free tier doesn't offer at all. If you need to receive documents back, a dedicated fax number handles that, and email-to-fax means you can send a fax from Gmail or Outlook without opening the app at all.

How to send your first fax with SendFax.me

1. Go to the SendFax.me homepage and upload your PDF or image file.
2. Add a cover page if you want one, or fill and sign the document in the browser.
3. Enter the recipient's fax number and country.
4. Choose to send now or schedule it for later.
5. Confirm and pay per page, no subscription screen, no plan selector.
6. Check your delivery confirmation and transmission report once it's sent.

You can create a free account in under a minute to save your contacts and track past faxes, and the SendFax.me blog has more guides on faxing specific document types if you run into an unusual situation.

If you're a small business owner comparing tools instead of just faxing, it's worth noting SendFax.me is part of a small family of practical web tools. If your business misses calls or messages after hours, the same team built Agentika, a 24/7 AI assistant widget that answers website visitors and captures bookings while you're away from the desk.

Whichever fax service you land on, the right choice comes down to how often you actually fax. Frequent, high-volume senders will likely save money on a subscription tier from eFax, iFax, or CocoFax. Everyone else, the person faxing a signed lease once or a medical form twice a year, is usually better off paying only for the pages they send.