How Much Does a Fax Line Cost?


Written by:  Howmuchisit.org Staff

Fax machines need a telephone line, commonly referred to as a fax line, in order to be able to communicate or send documents to other fax machines.

Day Sixty Four - Fax Machine by Yortw, on Flickr
Day Sixty Four – Fax Machine” (CC BY 2.0) by Yortw

How much does a fax line cost?

On average, a dedicated fax line that works just like a phone line will cost $15 to $25 a month.  This price will depend on your geographical location and the telecommunication company you choose.

While it isn’t a fax line per se, there are fax to email services available.  These services allow you to fax documents to other fax machines using the Internet.  These services can cost anywhere from as little as $1 per fax to more than $20+ per month.  The cost will depend on the number of faxes you send each month.  Vonage, for example, charges $9.99 per month for unlimited incoming faxes and 250 minutes of outgoing faxes.  AT&T plans start at $10 per month.

CompanyCost (per month)
AT&T- $15 per additional line.
- $10 online for 300 faxes.
- $20 online for 600 faxes.
- $30 online for 1,000 faxes.
Comcast - $24 per month
MagicJack$5
Ooma$3.50 (for taxes and fees)
Verizon- $23 + tax/fee per line
Vonage- starts at $9.99 for 250 faxes.

Fax line overview

A fax line will be a dedicated phone line that connects to the fax machine.  Acting as a phone line, most businesses will need this second line to make sure all faxes are received when sent.

If choosing an online fax service, they will offer you a dedicated fax line, just like the one you would receive from a local company.  The only difference here is that you will have to upload your documents via a scanner to your computer so you can send it online.  With your account, you will be able to send and receive faxes from anywhere in the world as long as you have Internet access.

A fax line can be purchased through any telephone and/or Internet provider, VoIP services and online fax services.

Fax line service providers

AT&T (telecommunications)

Verizon (telecommunications)

nextiva (online fax to email)

RingCentral (online fax to email)

metro fax (online fax to email)

myfax (online fax to email)

efax (online fax to email)

FaxZero (online fax to email)

MaxEmail (online fax to email)

Free fax line providers

FaxBurner

Faxbetter

myfax

What are the extra costs?

Some online fax to email services may charge a small set up fee that ranges anywhere from $5 to $10.

Of course, you will need to factor in the fax machine, cartridges in the future and paper.

Some online fax services will charge a premium to those who send faxes internationally.

If a company limits your minutes, such as Vonage, mentioned above, you will have to pay to upgrade your account.

Tips to know

There are free fax services online, and while it may be tempting to sign up for one, be sure to read the fine print.  Some free fax services may only allow you to receive incoming faxes, while others may place an advertisement on the page.  Some may even limit you and will charge you once you reach your allotment.

If you want to test your new fax line, send a fax to 1-888-hpfaxme.  Within five minutes, you should receive a fax back confirming the fax was received.  If you don’t receive one within 10 minutes, the fax line isn’t set up properly.

According to this Lifehacker.com poll, MyFax seems to be the best online fax to email option.

Can I use my phone line as a fax line?  Yes, a fax line is a phone line.  While it’s ideal to have a separate line, fax machines have the ability to be setup to handle the phone and fax machine at once.

Can I use my cell phone as a fax line?  Yes, there are adapters online that allow you to use your SIM card to plug into your fax machine.  However, these adapters can be expensive and will require you to remove your SIM card whenever you want to make a fax, making your phone not able to accept or make phone calls at the time.

How to set up a fax line with a single connection

Plug in your fax machine into the wall phone using a standard phone line.  You will want to use the “incoming” port on the fax machine.

With the phone, plug the phone into the “outgoing” port.  This will often have a phone symbol above it.

Plug in the fax machine, turn it on and go to the fax options.  On the options menu, you will want to look for the “fax/tel mode.”  This mode will tell the fax machine to answer the phone either as a phone call or fax.  If it’s a phone call, the phone will ring, but if it determines it’s a fax, the machine will pick up and print the fax.

How can I save money?

Fax to email service is becoming a more and more popular and cost-effective way to send fax documents. Determine what you need and find the best subscription or other alternatives to sending out faxes.

Estimate how many faxes you’re going to send per month.  If you only plan on faxing one to two documents each month, you may be better off paying per fax instead of paying per month.

People have stated that MagicJack, which can cost less than $60 per year, can accept faxes.  Refer to this Youtube video to see how it’s done.

Fax machines tend to be outdated technology for offices as there are much cheaper options found online.  Highly consider signing up for a premium fax to email service before purchasing a traditional fax machine and phone line.


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