Does Internet Fax Work Well?

Q: I'm thinking about switching to Internet fax, does it work well?

A: Yes, Internet fax works really well!  And, the people sending and receiving faxes from you will never know the difference. As long as you have an Internet connection, faxing is easy and convenient with these services — there's no waiting around the fax machine, no busy signals and no paper waste lying around.

When signing up for Internet fax, you can choose a local number and some services give you the option of choosing a toll-free number as well. Oftentimes, you can port your current fax number for an easy transition. Click here to learn how to transfer your current number to Internet fax.

After you're set up, you can begin sending and receiving faxes right away. This is super simple whether you're using the service's web interface, your email or your mobile phone. Check out this short tutorial that shows how to send a fax from our top-rated Internet fax service, MetroFax:

If you want to choose the best service for your faxing needs, visit our Internet fax services comparison chart, where you can read full reviews and compare the services side-by-side.

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What Format Does Internet Fax Use?

Q: When someone sends an Internet fax and I want to open it in my email, what format is it in? How about when I send a fax from my computer?

A: Great question! Most Internet fax services, like the top provider in our reviews, MetroFax, allow you to use a wide variety of common file formats, including Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word (.doc and .docx), Microsoft Excel (.xls and .xlsx), or image files including TIFF and JPG. Usually when you receive a fax to your email or Internet fax dashboard, you receive these in PDF or TIFF format.

Internet faxing is convenient, affordable and great for the environment. As we mentioned, MetroFax placed #1 in our Internet fax rankings. Their annual plan comes out to just $6.63 per month and their month-to-month plan is also well-priced at $7.95 per month. If you're looking for something even cheaper, Nextiva fax comes out to $4.95 per month when you pay up front for the annual plan. Read full reviews and compare all of the top Internet fax providers here.

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Does Internet Fax Have Busy Signals?

Q: My employees are required to fax in their timeslips on Fridays. Sometimes they have to try 4-5 times before the fax will come through and get busy signals. Can Internet fax services accomodate this incoming volume without busy signals?

A: The absence of busy signals is just one of the many benefits of Internet fax. Faxes sent to your Internet fax number are sent to your service's dashboard and/or to the email address you have associated with the account. This means you can receive faxes anywhere there is an Internet connection, even your smart phone, without having to worry about the busy signals that regular fax machines get through a phone line.

When choosing an Internet fax service, take note of their monthly fax allowance, how many email addresses you can associate with the account and of course, the price. Our favorite service is MetroFax, thanks to their good value and excellent interface. Take a look at this blog post to help you choose the right service, and make sure to check out our Internet fax comparison page to look at all the services we review side-by-side.

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What Is The Best Internet
Fax Service For Bulk Faxing?

Q: I need an Internet fax service that will allow me to send to a large number of recipients at once. I will be sending at least 500 pages per month, which service should I choose?

A: Bulk faxing is cheaper, more organized and generally easier when using Internet fax rather than a traditional fax machine.

If you're looking for a plan with a high fax allowance for a good price, Fax87 is our top pick for bulk faxing. Their "Best Choice" plan includes 1,000 pages to send and receive per month for just $9.99/month after the 15-day free trial. If you go over the monthly fax limit, each additional page costs .08 cents. Fax87 does not limit the number of recipients you send to at once; however, they do have a daily 150 page limit for outbound messages. You can send and receive up to 2,000 pages per month with their "Pro Plan," but this is much pricier at $34.99/month. Want to try the service for free? Try it out with their 15-day free trial and be sure to read our full review for all the details.

For those whose fax limit doesn't exceed 500 pages to send and receive per month, MetroFax's free 30-day trial is worth a try. Their plan is a real bargain if you pay up front for a year, coming out to just $6.63/month. Plus, each additional page is only .03 cents if you go over your fax limit. If you need to send in bulk, you can send to a maximum of 250 recipients when you send from a MetroFax email address, or up to 50 recipients from the MetroFax online dashboard. Other plans include:

• 1,000 monthly pages for $10.75/month with the annual plan or $12.95/month-to-month. 
• 2,500 monthly pages for $29.96/month with the annual plan or $35.95/month-to-month.

Read our full review of MetroFax and sign up for the 30-day free trial here.

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How Does VoIP Faxing Work?

Q: I have a fax machine that I depend on for work. If I switch to VoIP would I still be able to use my current fax machine?

A: Good question! You might be able to continue faxing on your fax machine, depending on the service you choose. Most of our reviewed business VoIP services offer traditional faxing with an additional line or Internet fax — which is usually included for free with the service. Internet faxing is completely paperless, so there is no need for the physical machine. Faxes are sent as a PDF  attachment via email, a web-based interface and/or dedicated software. Visit our Internet Fax FAQs to learn more about how Internet faxing works.

Please be aware that some home VoIP services — such as Vonage — do not offer any faxing with their home VoIP services, while others — including VOIPo — only allow one-way faxing, meaning you can only receive faxes with their home VoIP service.

However, if you work from home and need the ability to send faxes, you still have the option to change your home phone service to VoIP and send faxes by signing up for an Internet fax service. Even with two different services for calls and faxing, you will save money because both VoIP and Internet fax services are cheaper options to traditional phone lines and traditional faxing.

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Get Organized With an Internet Fax Inbox

In addition to reducing paper waste and upping your fax confidentiality, Internet fax can help you get organized. Internet fax services combine the ease of email with the necessity of faxing by allowing you to send and receive faxes from your computer or phone, and organizing all of your faxes in a streamlined, password-protected and encrypted inbox.

One of the best Internet fax inboxes we've seen comes from MetroFax, the #1 rated service in our Internet fax rankings. The photo below shows a sample fax inbox, which you can organize by date received, fax ID, fax number it was sent to (if you have more than one), sender fax number or fax ID. You can sort your sent faxes in this way as well. Searching for a fax? No problem — you can search your MetroFax inbox by fax number, date ranges and the sender's name if they are in your contacts list. From your inbox, you can export fax information into CSV files and create reports. The service even allows you to forward up to 10 faxes at a time to an email, or 3 faxes at a time to another fax number. Another useful feature is the ability to remedy junk faxing by blocking certain senders from sending you future faxes.

Source: MetroFax

Read our full review of MetroFax here and check out our Internet fax comparison chart to see how it compares to other popular Internet fax services. Other providers whose inbox layouts we've ranked highly include Fax87 and Nextiva.

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Earth Day: Go Green with Internet Fax

Happy Earth Day! Looking to add a little green to your business? There are always ways to help make your business more green. Faxing uses tons of paper, and oftentimes these documents are just set aside, never to be looked at again. Internet fax cuts down paper waste significantly by allowing users to send and receive faxes via electronic documents. Not only that, but Internet fax makes it convenient to send faxes anytime, anywhere with an Internet connection, even from your smart phone. You can send and receive faxes just as you would with a regular fax machine — your clients won't know the difference.

Saving the environment, getting more organized and building your confidentiality are just some of the benefits of Internet fax. Still unsure? Some of the top services offer free trials, so you can take a test run before you commit. Read full reviews and compare the best Internet fax services here.

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What Are The Best Internet Fax
Services for Limited Faxing?

Q: I want to sign up for Internet faxing, but I don't want to sign up for a big plan because I only send and receive a couple faxes a month. Are there any services that would be worth it for me? 

A: While most Internet fax services only offer monthly plans that have pretty high fax allowances, some services are still affordable and can save you some money even though you're not a frequent faxer. MetroFax, the highest rated provider in our Internet fax rankings, is one of them. Their plan includes a 500 page fax allowance per month, which includes sending and receiving. While this is a high fax allowance for casual faxers, it's cheap at just $7.95 monthly or if you buy the annual plan it comes out to just $6.63/month. Check out why we think MetroFax deserves 1st place.

Nextiva is another affordable service, with an annual plan that comes out to just $4.95/month, with the monthly plan being $8.95/month. They also include 500 page to send and receive. Read our full review and sign up here.

Want to send a couple faxes for free? You can try both of these services free of charge with their 30-day free trials! Check out our comparison page to read full reviews of both services and sign up.

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Free Internet Fax: How to Fax For Free

The hype you've heard surrounding Internet fax is all true. Sending faxes from your computer or smartphone using an Internet fax service is more convenient and more affordable than waiting on a clunky fax machine that causes paper jams. The best Internet fax services offer a high number of pages per month and extra features like toll-free number options and intuitive online interfaces.

Still not ready to give up that big hunk of plastic?
Try out the top Internet fax services for free:

- MetroFax, the number one service in our Internet fax comparison, is offering a 30-day free trial so you can get a feel for the service before you commit for their affordable month-to-month or annual plans.

- Fax87 is another 5 out of 5 star service that offers a slightly shorter 15-day free trial.

- Nextiva is the cheapest out of all the services, with an annual plan that comes out to just $4.95/month for a 500 pages per month allowance. Try the service with their 30-day free trial.

To read full Internet fax reviews and check out all the free trials, visit our Internet fax comparison page.

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Enter the NextAdvisor $500 Giveaway!

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