Sending a Fax in 2026

The other day my wife gave me 4 pages of paper and asked me to take it to a store and fax it to its destination. I suspected that this was the most expensive and inconvenient method to send the document. Based on various online sources, sending a domestic outgoing fax at FedEx costs approximately $2.50 for the first page, followed by approximately $2.00 for each additional page, so a 4-page fax would cost approximately $8.50. Prices would be similar at The UPS Store, Staples, Office Depot, and other similar offerings and of course would vary from store to store.

Therefore, I asked her to consider alternative options. Could the document be sent as a PDF file via email? She told me that email was unfortunately not an option and that it had to be sent via fax.

I read online that some public libraries offer free or low-cost fax services. I checked the website for our local library, and unfortunately it did not list faxing as a service at that branch. I wanted to call the library to ask if they offered fax services, but unfortunately it was after hours.

Finally, I decided to use an online fax service. Not having ever used an online fax service, I asked ChatGPT to recommend one with a good reputation and fair pricing. It offered a couple of options, and I somewhat randomly went with FaxZero.com, although I am sure that there are many other online fax services with competitive offerings. The process was simple. I first scanned my 4-page document to a PDF file. I then entered information about the sender and receiver and attached my PDF file. There was an option to enter text for a cover page, but I left it blank. Then I paid $3.29 via credit card (note that sending faxes up to 3 pages is free) and sent the fax. Email confirmations were provided upon initial transmission and successful sending of the fax.

I appreciated many aspects of the online fax service. First, we could send a fax without purchasing a physical fax machine. Second, we could send the fax from the comfort of our own home and avoid locating and driving to a physical store, and potentially waiting in a line or waiting for an agent to assist us. Third, we did not have to wait for the fax to transmit—instead, we simply received an email notification upon job completion.

If I was ever asked to fax something, I’d still first search for better alternatives such as email, but if I absolutely had to fax something, I’d definitely consider using an online fax service again due to its convenience and lower cost in comparison to in-store options.