Last updated · Written for practice managers and office administrators.
A digital fax service, also called cloud fax or online fax, replaces the fax machine and phone line with a hosted service. Your fax number lives on the provider’s carrier network. Incoming faxes arrive as PDFs by email and in a web dashboard; outgoing faxes go from a browser or email with delivery confirmation. Nothing at your office has to be on.
What a digital fax service replaces
A traditional fax setup is three things: a phone line, a machine, and the paper and toner that feed it. The line is now the fragile part. Copper POTS lines are being retired, and the carrier VoIP products many fax lines were moved onto are being discontinued in places too; the landlines overview explains what is ending. A fax machine on a VoIP adapter keeps the machine but inherits the reliability problems described in fax over VoIP. A digital fax service removes all three parts and keeps the one thing that matters: the number.
How usfax.com works
- The number. Every subscription plan includes a US fax number, local or toll-free. If you already have one, we port it in at no charge from us; your current carrier may bill a port-out fee under its terms. Numbers are portable while the line is active, so the port goes in before the old line is cancelled.
- Receiving. A fax sent to your number is received on our carrier network and delivered to you as a PDF: an email notification with the document, and a copy in the web dashboard where your team can search, assign and archive it. Receive faxes by email covers the options.
- Sending. Upload a PDF, Word file or image in the browser, or email it to the fax address, enter the recipient’s number, and send. You get a delivery confirmation or a failure notice, and every attempt is logged. Long documents are handled without the page-count limits of a machine; see send large faxes.
- Team and records. Per-user logins, shared inboxes, and an audit trail of who sent and received what. The security page lists the measures in plain terms.
Digital fax vs the alternatives
| Fax machine on POTS | Fax machine on VoIP adapter | Digital fax service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone line needed | Yes (being retired) | VoIP line plus adapter | No |
| Hardware at the office | Fax machine | Adapter and fax machine | None |
| Where the fax is negotiated | On the copper line | Across your internet connection | On the provider’s carrier network |
| Receives during office outage | Yes (line powered from central office) | No | Yes |
| Record of every page | Paper log, if kept | Paper log, if kept | Automatic audit trail |
| Keep the number | Until the line is retired | By porting | By porting, free on every usfax.com plan |
Plans
| Plan | Monthly | Billed annually | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | $19 per month | $15 per month | 1 dedicated US fax number; 300 pages per month; Free HIPAA BAA (coming soon — sign it yourself in Settings); Send & receive from web or email |
| Practice | $29 per month | $24 per month | 1 dedicated US fax number; 800 pages per month; Up to 3 users; Free HIPAA BAA (coming soon — sign it yourself in Settings) |
| Multi-site | $59 per month | $49 per month | 3 dedicated US fax numbers; Unlimited pages; Up to 10 users; Free HIPAA BAA (coming soon — sign it yourself in Settings) |
No contract, no overage charges, a 7-day trial on Solo and Practice, and cancellation online. The full comparison, the seat add-on and the refund terms are on the pricing page.
What to look for in a digital fax service
- Number porting, and what it costs. The number is the asset. Confirm the provider will port yours in, what it charges, and whether you can port it out again later; usfax.com charges nothing to port in, and our terms let you port the number to another provider at any time.
- Delivery evidence. A confirmation for every outgoing fax and a log of every incoming page, so a dispute with a payer or a court is settled by the record rather than by memory.
- Team access. Separate logins per person, a shared inbox, and an audit trail of who handled what. Practice and Multi-site include seats; extra seats are priced per user on the pricing page.
- Plain pricing. A monthly price per practice with a page allowance and no overage charges, not a per-page meter. All usfax.com subscription plans work this way.
- Security posture, stated honestly. Encryption in transit and at rest, US data storage, and a clear statement of BAA status. usfax.com is HIPAA-ready; see HIPAA fax for the current status of the self-serve BAA.
Who a digital fax service is for
Any office whose fax line exists because someone on the other end insists on fax: medical and dental practices sending prior authorizations and claims, law firms filing with courts and agencies, and small businesses dealing with suppliers, banks and government forms. If the office has just received a carrier notice about its line, the AT&T discontinuance page and the POTS line replacement guide explain the options.