Online Fax FAQ
Everything you need to know about sending and receiving faxes online, answered clearly.
Quick Answer
Online faxing lets you send and receive faxes through a web browser without a fax machine. Documents are uploaded, converted to fax format, and transmitted over the phone network. It works on any device, supports common file formats (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images), uses TLS encryption for security, and costs $4.95 per fax or $10/month for unlimited. Most faxes are delivered in 1-3 minutes.
What Is Online Faxing?
Online faxing (also called internet faxing or e-faxing) lets you send and receive faxes through a web browser without a physical fax machine, phone line, or special software. You upload a document to a service like Best Fax, enter the recipient's fax number, and the service converts your document to fax format and transmits it over the phone network to the recipient's fax machine. Incoming faxes work the same way in reverse — someone sends a fax to your dedicated number, and it arrives in your email as a PDF attachment.
Who Uses Online Faxing?
Online faxing is used by healthcare providers (patient records, prescriptions, insurance forms), law firms (court filings, contracts, privileged correspondence), real estate agents (contracts, title documents, closing paperwork), small businesses (purchase orders, invoices, vendor communications), government agencies and contractors, insurance companies, and individuals who occasionally need to fax a signed document, tax form, or application. Anyone who needs to communicate with a fax machine but doesn't want to own one uses online faxing.
How Best Fax Compares to Alternatives
Most online fax services charge per page (typically $0.10-0.25 per page sent, plus $0.05-0.10 per page received) on top of monthly fees of $15-25. Many require app downloads. Some have storage limits or charge for fax history access. Best Fax offers a simpler model: $10/month flat for unlimited sending and receiving with a dedicated fax number, or $4.95 for a single fax with no subscription. Everything runs in your browser — no app required. There are no per-page fees, no storage limits, and no hidden charges.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is online faxing?
Online faxing lets you send and receive faxes through the internet using a web browser, without a physical fax machine or phone line. Your documents are converted to fax format and transmitted to the recipient's fax machine via the phone network.
How does online faxing work?
You upload a document to Best Fax, enter the recipient's fax number, and click send. Best Fax converts your document to fax format and transmits it over the phone network. The recipient gets it on their fax machine. If you subscribe ($10/month), incoming faxes to your dedicated number are delivered to your email as PDF attachments.
Do I need a fax machine?
No. Online faxing replaces the fax machine entirely. You send faxes from your web browser and receive them as PDF attachments in your email. The recipient can have a traditional fax machine or their own online fax service.
Is online faxing secure?
Best Fax uses TLS encryption to protect your documents during upload and transmission. Documents are stored in access-controlled accounts with per-user login credentials. This is more secure than traditional faxing, where documents print in open areas accessible to anyone walking by.
How much does online faxing cost?
Best Fax offers two options: a single fax for $4.95 (no subscription required), or a monthly subscription at $10/month that includes a dedicated fax number and unlimited sending and receiving. There are no per-page fees, setup charges, or hidden costs. Payments accepted via credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal.
What file formats can I fax?
Best Fax supports PDF, Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX), Excel (XLS, XLSX), PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX), images (JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF), RTF, TXT, CSV, and ODT. You can upload up to 10 files totaling 50MB per fax. PDF produces the best fax quality.
How long does it take to send a fax?
Most faxes are transmitted within 1-3 minutes after you send. You'll receive an email confirmation as soon as the recipient's fax machine acknowledges receipt. The entire process from opening your browser to confirmed delivery typically takes 2-5 minutes.
Can I send faxes from my phone?
Yes. Best Fax works in any mobile browser — Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android, and others. No app download required. You can upload files from cloud storage or use the file picker to capture a photo of a paper document.
Can I receive faxes online?
Yes. With a Best Fax subscription ($10/month), you get a dedicated fax number. Anyone can send faxes to that number — from a fax machine or another online service — and they arrive in your email inbox as PDF attachments.
Can I send faxes internationally?
Best Fax supports sending faxes to international numbers. Include the country code when entering the fax number (e.g., +44 for UK, +81 for Japan). Note that the product is optimized for US and Canada fax numbers. International destinations may work but are not individually verified for all countries.
Is Best Fax suitable for healthcare faxing?
Best Fax provides TLS encryption, access-controlled accounts, delivery confirmation, and transmission records — all relevant to secure document handling. However, Best Fax does not currently offer a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) or formal HIPAA compliance certification. Healthcare organizations should evaluate our security features against their specific requirements.
What happens if a fax fails?
Best Fax automatically retries failed faxes up to 6 times with increasing delays and intelligent protocol fallback (T.38 to G.711) at no extra cost. Common temporary failures (busy signals, connection issues) usually resolve on retry. If the fax ultimately can't be delivered, you'll be notified by email with the specific reason.
Do I need to install any software?
No. Best Fax is entirely browser-based. It works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and any modern web browser without plugins, extensions, downloads, or software installation.
Can I cancel my subscription?
Yes. You can cancel your Best Fax subscription at any time from the billing page. There are no cancellation fees, no early termination charges, and no long-term contracts. Your service continues until the end of your billing period.
What payment methods are accepted?
Best Fax accepts credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. All payments are processed securely through Stripe.
Still have questions?
Our support team is available to help. Or just try it — sending a fax takes less than 5 minutes.