Send a free fax online: What are the options?

If you need to send a fax online sporadically, you have various options for doing so. You can usually find free trial options on corresponding websites and apps. For more frequent use, there are various subscription models or rates per page.

In many workplaces, faxing is still an important means of communication. It is rarely worthwhile for individuals or companies to purchase their own fax machine. It makes more sense to send a fax online using your computer or smartphone. There are lots of providers for this — but not every option is going to work out well. We’ve found three free options for you below.

Before you send a fax online, there are some things to bear in mind.

• Limited Response Options: The most important thing here is probably your own accessibility. In most cases, you can send a fax online without any problems, but the recipient will not be able to reply to you by fax. Make sure you leave your contact details on your fax and make it clear that you cannot receive a fax yourself.
• Hidden costs: Although you can send a fax free online, some providers use subscription models. Ensure you read the terms and conditions in advance and avoid sites with hidden costs or obligations.
• Sensitive Data: Do not send private or sensitive data online via fax. Even with reputable providers, this creates an avoidable risk. Do not disclose confidential information to third parties.
• Ads: Some providers finance themselves through advertising and may place this on your fax. This may be the case when sending a free fax online. Find out about this in advance; it is best to select a provider that does not use advertising.
• Sending faxes abroad: Not all sites or apps also offer the option to send internationally. Others charge a surcharge for faxing across national borders. Here, too, it is worth taking a closer look at the general terms and conditions.
• Signatures: It is usually not possible to use a signature when you send a fax online. Therefore, the easiest way is to sign a PDF first and then send the document as a fax.

A recommended provider if you want to send a free fax online is PDF24. You can use it to send up to five faxes per month via your computer for free. The registration itself is also free and there is no monthly cost. The provider is based in Germany, so your fax number will be German, but the site allows users to send their files to other countries. PDF24 is ad-free, so your document will be free of unwanted additional print. If required, you have the option to book a paid upgrade.

Unlike other providers, however, PDF24 does not provide a text field in which you can enter your message. Instead, the fax you want to send needs to be available as a PDF and will then be sent in its entirety. The necessary registration is a minor drawback, but it also gives you a certain degree of security. However, PDF24 only offers one sending option. You cannot receive faxes via the provider.

The provider MyFax is not a completely free option, but gives you a generous 14 day trial. Beyond that it costs $10/month. You get a local or toll-free number, and you can fax free online, by phone or by email. You can fax your files to around 40 countries, and MyFax includes support for lots of different file types, such as Word or image files.

So you can either edit a PDF file and upload it, or upload another format that suits you. Included in trial and subsequent subscription are 100 incoming pages and 200 outgoing pages. Just make sure you cancel your subscription before the end of the trial if you don’t want to continue using the service so you don’t get charged!

There are also several apps that offer the option of sending a free fax online. However, most providers make you pay for the service and use paid subscriptions. In principle, this also applies to PamFax — however, the app allows three free faxes after sign up. The site is also ad-free. The app itself is free and available for iOS and Android. With an account, you can get a dedicated local fax number in the US. You can then pick if you want to purchase a subscription or a pay-as-you-go style online fax service.

The pay-as-you-go solution is more suitable for occasional use on the road. For users who need to send faxes online regularly, the subscription models might be better suited. These plans also include unlimited fax reception.