The alternative to a fax machine
The simplest alternative to a fax machine is an online fax service: you upload a PDF or a phone scan, type the fax number, and the service dials the recipient's fax machine for you. No machine, no landline, no paper. For teams in the US and Canada, faxB2B does this in the browser. For one person on the go, the FAX: send from phone app does it on iPhone and Android.
Key facts
- The fax stays, the machine goes. Online fax replaces the hardware, not the fax: the recipient still receives a normal fax on their fax line.
- faxB2B is an online fax service for business teams by HELPERG LLC. It sends to the US, Canada and countries of the European Union and receives on US and Canadian fax numbers.
- Price: faxB2B's Team plan is $15 per seat per month with 150 sent pages per seat; received faxes are free. The free trial lasts 14 days with 25 pages and up to 3 seats, no card.
- On a phone: FAX: send from phone is free to download on the App Store (iPhone and iPad, iOS 13.0 or later) and Google Play (Android).
- Proof of delivery: faxB2B issues a PDF receipt for every delivered fax, with a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact document sent.
- Not for health records: faxB2B does not sign BAAs and does not claim HIPAA compliance.
Fax machine alternatives compared
There are five realistic ways to get a document to a fax number today. The first two depend on a physical fax machine; the rest do not.
| Option | What you need | Receive faxes | Best for | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fax machine and landline | The machine, a phone line, paper and toner | Yes, on the line's number | Offices that already own one | Tied to one desk; paper copies; the line is billed every month |
| Fax counter at a print or shipping store | A trip to the store | Sometimes, at the store | A one-off fax | Usually a per-page fee; you go in person and wait |
| Online fax service, for example faxB2B | A web browser | Yes, on an online fax number, as PDFs | Teams that share a number and need receipts | Needs internet; the provider's coverage and plan limits apply |
| Fax app on a phone, for example FAX: send from phone | An iPhone, iPad or Android phone | Yes, per the store listing | One person faxing on the go | Phone-sized workflow; check in-app pricing |
| Email or e-signature instead of fax | The recipient's agreement | Not a fax | Recipients who accept email | Not an option when the other side requires fax |
Why fax is still around, and what you can replace
Many clinics, insurers, government offices, courts, banks, and legal and real-estate offices still publish a fax number and accept forms, orders and signed agreements only by fax. When the other side requires fax, email or e-signature is not a substitute. What you can replace is everything on your side: the machine, the phone line, the paper and the trip to the store.
That is what an online fax service does. Your document travels to the provider over the internet, the provider's carrier calls the recipient's fax line, and the recipient's machine prints or stores the fax as it always has.
How to fax without a fax machine, in four steps
- Get the document ready. Use a PDF or image, or scan the paper page with your phone camera.
- Open an online fax tool. faxB2B in any browser, or the FAX: send from phone app on your phone.
- Enter the fax number. Include the country code for international numbers; add a cover sheet if the office expects one.
- Send and watch the status. The fax moves from dialing to sending to delivered. With faxB2B, keep the PDF receipt.
Read the full step-by-step guide, including what to do when a fax fails.
For teams: faxB2B online fax
faxB2B is a browser app for sending, receiving and tracking faxes, built for offices that still have paperwork that travels by fax. A team gets its own fax number in the US or Canada, a shared inbox where received faxes land as PDFs, roles for owners, admins and members, two-factor sign-in and an audit log. Every delivered fax gets a PDF receipt; every failed one shows why it failed, with a one-click retry.
See faxB2B pricing, coverage and security in detail or go straight to faxb2b.com.
On your phone: the FAX app
FAX: send from phone turns an iPhone, iPad or Android phone into a fax machine: scan a page with the camera or pick a PDF, enter the number and send it to local or international fax numbers. It shows the delivery status and keeps your fax history so you can resend a document.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send a fax without a fax machine?
Yes. An online fax service or a fax app sends the fax for you: you upload a PDF or image, or scan the page with a phone camera, type the fax number and press send. The service dials the recipient's fax line, so the recipient gets an ordinary fax. You need no fax machine, no landline and no paper.
Can I send a fax from my iPhone or Android phone?
Yes. FAX: send from phone is a free-to-download fax app for iPhone and iPad (iOS 13.0 or later (iPhone and iPad)) and for Android. It scans paper with the camera or takes a PDF, sends it to local and international fax numbers and shows the delivery status. faxB2B also works in a phone browser, with camera scanning built in.
Can I receive faxes without a fax machine?
Yes, with an online fax number. faxB2B gives each team a local or toll-free fax number in the US or Canada. Faxes sent to it arrive as PDFs in a shared online inbox, or go straight to one person. Received faxes do not count toward the plan's pages.
How much does online fax cost?
With faxB2B, the Team plan is $15 per seat per month, or $144 per seat per year. Each seat includes 150 sent pages a month, shared by the team; extra pages are $0.08 each on monthly billing. One fax number is included and extra numbers are $5 a month. Received faxes are free. A 14-day free trial includes 25 pages and up to 3 seats, with no card. Prices exclude tax.
Is online fax secure?
It depends on the provider. faxB2B encrypts stored documents with AES-256-GCM, uses HTTPS on the way to its fax carrier, virus-scans every upload and received fax, requires two-factor sign-in for team workspaces and keeps an audit log. The fax call itself crosses the telephone network unencrypted, as every fax does.
Is faxB2B HIPAA compliant?
No. faxB2B does not sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) and does not claim HIPAA compliance, so it must not be used to send, receive or store protected health information. It also has no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification yet. It says so on its security page.
Which countries can I fax with faxB2B?
faxB2B sends faxes to the US, Canada and countries of the European Union, and its fax numbers for receiving are in the US and Canada. The service is for eligible business customers and is not offered to customers in the EEA or the UK, although sending to EU fax numbers is supported.
Can I keep my existing fax number?
Yes, for US and Canadian numbers. faxB2B can move (port) a fax number you already use: you send a transfer request with your current carrier, account holder, service address and a signed Letter of Authorization, and the faxB2B team arranges the move with the carriers. Keep the old service running until the transfer is confirmed.