iFax Reviews

There’s no shortage of online faxing apps on the market, but iFax was the very first. When the app was released in 2008, it was designed solely for iOS, but now everyone can use iFax regardless of their device. The London-based company allows you to send faxes and emails to fax numbers, add cover letters, and include various types of attachments. iFax also lets you use your mobile device to scan a document with your camera and then immediately fax it. Plus, it’s HIPAA and GLBA compliant, making it ideal for businesses. The best part is that you can use iFax for free forever, though it comes with the limitation of five pages per month. To unlock more pages (as well as more advanced features), a paid subscription is necessary. Fortunately, you can check if these are worth the investment through the company’s free demo and 7-day free trial.

iFax is an easy-to-use and flexible online fax service that allows you to send faxes and emails to fax numbers through any of its browser versions and apps. Overall, the service is pretty light on features compared to some of its competitors, but what it does do, it does well.

More importantly, iFax provides various features to streamline your fax workflow. You can add a cover sheet from a choice of five templates, making for a simple way to personalize your messages. Plus, it’s possible to customize faxes with digital signatures, simplifying the delivery of official documents. Moreover, iFax allows you to change the quality and size of your pages, along with the ability to add a logo.

Faxing with iFax is a mixed bag. If you’re sending a document between fax numbers, then the process is easy and exactly what you would expect from an online faxing service. The software even allows you to add attachments of unlimited size with the Professional plan (up to 20MB for Plus users). Plus, it lets you choose between importing files directly from your computer or through a file-hosting service like Box, Google Drive, or Dropbox.

But when you want to send an email to a fax machine, things are a little different. Some other services have email integrations for this, but with iFax, you have to email your message to iFax first, and it’ll send the fax for you. You’ll then get a confirmation when it has been sent. This all seems unnecessarily complicated compared to other faxing services.

All of iFax’s apps are well designed and simple to use, whether you’re using Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android. The service also works well on desktop and mobile browsers. Everything is accessible, and you don’t have to worry about scrolling through lots of different menus to find what you need. The mobile version’s scanning option is a great plus. Simply point your phone’s camera at the document to quickly scan and send.

But there are a few things that could be improved. For example, when it comes to storing and sorting your received faxes, iFax lags behind others. There’s also no inbox available with the Free and Plus plans, so those users are better off downloading their faxes and sorting them out themselves. Additionally, some configurations are only accessible in the browser version. For businesses using the Professional package, it’s possible to add users with varying permissions, access iFax’s API, and get a dedicated account manager.

Getting started

It’s quick and easy to get started with iFax, and there are no installation fees to worry about. First, you’ll need to choose your number (or transfer an existing one). Before you start sending faxes, you can add contacts manually or import them using a CSV file. Contacts can also be organized into lists if you want to send faxes to a group of people.

You can rest assured that all faxes are protected by AES-256 encryption and the entire service is HIPAA and GLBA compliant.

iFax provides fax numbers from just three countries: Canada, the UK, and the U.S. – with all 50 states covered. While the fax number list isn’t very international, the number selection process is more customizable. Unlike many other fax services where you select a country and are automatically given a number without any input, iFax lets you create your own number from a list of area codes. While the Plus plan provides only a single number, the Pro plan offers more numbers at an additional cost. It’s also possible to port over your existing fax number by contacting iFax’s customer support, and toll-free numbers are also available.

The pricing of iFax is a little confusing, especially since it changes depending on the platform – subscriptions made through the app are far more expensive than if you sign up online. You can always use the Free package, which is good for five pages per month. However, this package doesn’t let you receive faxes. To do that, you’ll need to sign up to the Plus plan, which price starts at $16.67 per month with an annual billing cycle. With Plus, you can choose your own fax number, as well as send and receive 500 pages a month. The Professional plan price starts at $25 for a monthly allowance of 1,000 faxes ($26.66 if you want a fax number). To send more than this number, you’ll need to pay extra for a bigger fax quota.

In addition to the extra features and higher number of monthly faxes, the Professional plan is the only plan which offers a 7-day free trial or free demo. Unless you subscribe via the mobile app. In that case, you’ll be offered the free trial regardless of which subscription you want, which is confusing. On the bright side, iFax doesn’t charge any setup or cancellation fees. However, there’s also not much room to maneuver when it comes to cancellations, as iFax only offers refunds under exceptional circumstances.

Email is your primary method of contact with iFax, and you’ll find support easy to reach through the dashboard. iFax boasts 24/7 support, and we did get an answer within a couple of hours, although if you have multiple questions you might have to follow them up. Professional users also have the ability to contact support through phone and live chat. Be wary as we did get stuck in live chat for a couple hours, so it might be more useful to just send an email or give the company a call. In addition to these channels, you can also get in touch through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Unfortunately, the iFax website isn’t too helpful if you’re looking for solutions. There’s an FAQ section and a Help Center, but they’re short and somewhat outdated. But the website does have a regularly updated blog that is full of helpful faxing advice.

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