eFax vs. MyFax vs. SmartFax: Leading Internet Faxing Services Compared
Ease of Use
eFax allows its customers to send and receive faxes via their email, web browser or by using their mobile phone app available on iPhone, iPad or Android. Received faxes arrive in your email inbox as an attachment and can easily be viewed, wherever you are in the world. You can view, store and even digitally sign your fax online and it will be with the recipient in a matter of seconds.
eFax can be used in 48 U.S. states and over 4,600 cities across 6 different continents.
Send a fax in 4 simple steps:
- Start a new email
- Attach the document that needs to be faxed
- Type: recipientsfaxnumber@efaxsend.com in the address box
- Press send
You can also send faxes by using their web fax service and you have the ability to store all your faxes for as long as you wish.
eFax offers 150 free sent faxes per month and 150 received faxes per month before additional charges become payable, which are $0.10 per extra page received or sent.
MyFax is available in 50 states and simply requires an email account and internet access for use. No additional software is needed. The service is secure and uses industry standard SSL encryption. The MyFax number you are allocated is an ‘always on and never busy’ number and you are able to send faxes from up to five different email accounts.
Included within the MyFax package are 100 sent faxes and 200 received faxes per month. There is no set-up charge. For inexperienced users, there is an easy-to-understand tutorial available for free.
- Enter your fax number in the email to/recipient field and follow this by adding @myfax
- Put your fax header in the subject field
- Type your fax cover page in the email itself
- Press send
SmartFax is a basic fax service at an affordable cost. Available for use in 25 U.S. states, it offers low minimum rates and a facility for international calling.
SmartFax has no set-up fee and includes 250 free sent or received faxes per month.
- Type in the recipients fax number adding @smartfax.com
- Attach the document you want to fax
- Press send
The Verdict? Whilst shy of additional features, it doesn’t get much easier than using SmartFax with its modern user interface. Users looking for Microsoft Office integration would be better off choosing MyFax, with its free user tutorial.
Pros and Cons:
eFax Pros:
- The ability to send large files that are too big to be sent via email
- Digitized signature which can be easily dragged into place on each of your documents
- Smart Phone apps available
- Automatic save function
- Fax preview
- Enhanced security by encryption
- 24/7 Live support
- Address Book
- Secure fax service with 99% uptime
- Unlimited fax storage time
- Can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Office
- PDF user guide for trouble shooting
- Transfer your existing fax number
- 60 Day free trial
Cons:
- $10 set-up charge
- No auto resend feature
- Expensive when compared with both MyFax and SmartFax
- Not economical when faxing in excess of 300 pages per month
- Can only send faxes to 1 recipient at a time
- Can only fax 5 documents at once
MyFax Pros:
- Auto resend feature
- Integration with Microsoft Office is available
- Can schedule faxes
- Converts paper faxes to TIF or PDF documents
- Transfer existing number
- Pay-as-you-go plan available
- Supports 178 different types of documents
- 30 Day free trial
- 24/7 Customer support
- Microsoft Outlook Plug-In available
- Can send faxes to as many as 50 recipients at once
- Can fax as many as 8 documents at once
- Free 3 minute tutorial available
Cons:
- Fax storage limited to 365 days
- No digital sign feature
- Not as reliable as eFax
- Expensive if faxing in excess of 400 pages per month
SmartFax Pros:
- Auto resend feature
- Modern, easy to use interface
- Economical
- Allotment of free faxes are combined to give best possible value for users
Cons:
- Only available in 25 states
- Faxes have poor picture quality
- Fax storage limited to 30 days
- No digital sign feature
- Customer support is not available 24/7
- Cannot transfer/port your existing number
- Can only send faxes to 1 recipient at a time
- Can only fax up to 5 documents at once
- Individual faxes left in storage for more than 30 days will be billed at $0.05 per tax month although an auto delete facility is available
The Verdict? MyFax offers an excellent package, is widely available in the U.S. and comes complete with lots of additional features, such as a Microsoft Office plug-in and a group send facility.
Plans and Pricing
eFax offers two plans as follows:
eFax Plus
- $16.95 per month
- $14.13 per month if users sign up for annual plan
- $10 set-up fee
- 150 Free sent pages per month and then $0.10 is charged per additional page
- 150 Free received pages per month and then $0.10 per additional page
eFax Pro
- $19.95 per month
- $16.63 per month if signing up for annual plan
- 200 Free received pages per month and additional $0.10 for pages over allowance
- 200 Free sent pages per month and an additional $0.10 for each page over allowance
MyFax offers three plans for its customers as follows:
Best Value
- $10 per month
- Annual plan $110 per year
- Send 100 pages and receive 200 free pages per month
- Additional pages over allowance charged at $0.10 per page
Most Popular
- $20 per month
- Send 200 and receive 200 free pages per month
- Additional pages over allowance charged at $0.10 per page
Fax More
- $40 per month
- Send 400 and receive 400 free pages per month
- Additional pages over allowance charged at $0.10 per page
SmartFax offers only one plan:
- $6.95 per month
- 250 Free fax pages per month combined sent/received allowance
- $0.08 for additional pages sent/received thereafter
- $0.05 for individual faxes left in storage for more than 30 days
The Verdict? For those looking to fax in excess of 300 pages per month who aren't particularly concerned with picture quality, SmartFax offers a great budget package that is hard to beat. Users seeking additional features, such as Microsoft Outlook integration, a group send facility and smart phone apps will find MyFax's three packages have something to suit all.
Customer Support and Free Trial Period
eFax:
- eFax has a generous free trial period of 60 days
- Contact customer support on either a toll free or US local number
- Address available for snail mail
- Email and live chat are also available
- Customer support is available 24/7
- PDF user guide for trouble shooting available
MyFax:
- 24/7 North American based customer service provided
- Toll free technical support telephone number and email
- Billing support toll free number and email
- Live chat available
- International help line provided
- 30 Day free trial period
SmartFax:
- Technical support helpline and email available
- Support is only available Monday to Friday
- FAQ section for common problems
- 30 Day free trial period
The Verdict? Customers seeking above average, 24/7 support will be better served using either eFax or MyFax. For new users, eFax's generous 60 day free trial is a definite advantage over both its competitors.
Conclusion: If picture quality and customer service aren't that important to you, Smartfax's budget plan is hard to beat. For those requiring additional extras such as Microsoft Outlook integration, Smart Phone apps, a group send facility and the ability to fax up to 8 documents at once, MyFax offers several great value packages. With regards to reliability, eFax remains number one.
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