Tech Talk: Fax Apps

One might assume that the facsimile, or fax as it came to be known, is a thing of the past. Faxes are obsolete technology from the days of screeching modems and are better relegated to the past along with floppy disks.

If you're faxing in 2019, you might as well pull out a chisel and slab of limestone. Why not send a telegram? Or spend 6-8 weeks raising a homing pigeon. They fly between 600 and 800 miles a day. Surely that's faster and more rewarding than sending a fax.

The idea of faxing today is a bit backwards when most everyone you meet has a computer in their pocket with a host of connectivity options. Mobile devices come with cameras and pre-installed text message applications, as well as app stores offering downloads of even more options.

Faxed signatures have been accepted since the 1980s. Twenty years later, the Electronic Signature Act of 2000 made emailed signatures just as valid.

A further twenty years later and some businesses and government agencies still require fax. Those businesses, along with citizens who distrust emails on the basis that it's easier to hack an email than to tap a phone line, are prolonging the fax.

In theory, faxes are no more secure than emails. There are no encryptions and, depending on where your message is sent, the receiving end may very well read your messages aloud. Many faxes don't even show whether the message was received. It's an imperfect system to say the least.

If faxing is a definite must, however, consider these options:

Tiny Fax by Appxy

Tiny Fax claims to turn your phone into an easy-to-use fax machine for documents, photos from Dropbox, Google Drive, One Driver, or your device's Gallery, or using the in-app camera. Tiny Fax archives documents by their status and provides international fax numbers and a list of reachable countries.

The app itself is free, but in order to send faxes users must purchase credits. This is ideal for sporadic faxers. Faxes to the USA and Canada are 10 credits per page. The others are 15 credits per page.

Each fax page costs between $0.25 and $0.50 depending on how many credits you buy at once. The more credits purchased, the better discount received.

Overall, user reviews are positive. The most appreciated features is the pay-as-you-go aspect. Naysayers consider it a bit expensive compared to brick and mortar print store prices. You're paying for the convenience of not having to go to into a copy center.

Note: there are two versions of this app; Tiny Fax is free, Tiny Fax+ costs $2.49 and is not reviewed as well.

Compatibility: Tiny Fax is exclusively for Android users.

Fax Burner by Networx Online

Fax Burner is an app for both sending and receiving messages. To fax, you send an email with a PDF attachment to Fax Burner's special fax email address with the recipient's fax number in the subject line.

To receive a message, the app provides users with a toll-free US fax number available for up to 24 hours at a time. Once a fax is received, the app notifies you, stores the fax on your phone and then forwards a copy to your email inbox.

Fax Burner has mixed reviews. This app only supports numbers in the USA and Canada.

The app is free, but users are limited to receiving 25 fax pages per month and sending five total pages. Those five free pages apply to attempts, not necessarily completions. If, for some reason, the fax fails, those pages still count against the total.

Compatibility: Fax Burner works on Android and iOS.

JotNot Fax by MobiTech 3000 LLC

JotNot Fax may be the easiest, most cost-effective mobile fax option. With it, you can send PDF and Word documents from email attachments, documents in a cloud account, or documents stored on your device.

It also comes with a built-in scanner that uses your phone's camera. Import the document, enter the fax number, and tap send. The app sends a notification once the fax is completed as well as a proof of transmission receipt for each successful fax.

JotNot Fax also scores points for being pay-as-you-go versus charging a monthly subscription fee. They charge credits based on the total number of pages in each fax. Every five pages costs one credit, so 1-5 pages costs 1 credit, 6-10 costs 2 credits, etc.

Credits cost $3.99 for a 3-pack and the larger packs are heavily discounted. Getting the largest pack can come to about $0.16 per page. Cover pages are free and do not count against the total pages.

Compatibility: JotNot Fax works on Android and iOS.

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