Which Type Of Online Fax Plan Is Right For You?

Most people know Internet or online fax is using your web connection and your email program to send and receive all your faxes. However, many don't know that there are numerous types of service plans, often coming from the same provider, which you should be aware of if you want to choose the exact plan to match your needs. Remember, in order to get an online fax service, you have to first sign up to a provider which will give you a local or toll-free fax number. Your faxes or messages are sent as email attachments and you can read/send these messages directly through your email program or through your online account/interface. But when it comes to picking which type of plan you want, there are usually a lot of choices. Each provider or vendor will have different plan options, each with its own conditions and limits. To help you decide which option is right for you, here is a quick general run-down of the different plans you can use. 1. Free Fax Plan - These are usually supported by advertising and/or other restrictions. Some major providers will let you send a fax for free but you have to sign-up to receive a fax. While still other programs will let you receive a fax but you have to sign-up to send one... all these options are usually offered as a means for a provider to convince you to become a paying customer later on. Still it's an option if you just need to send or receive one or two faxes over a long period of time. 2. Pay As You Go Plan - These are rare but if you shop around you will find a few "pay as you go" plans which is a great option if you do very little faxing with your company or business. Some of these plans also have a small minimum monthly payment but you will still save money. Other limitations may apply since this will be a budget version of a regular service, but worth considering if your resources are tight. 3. Annual Fax Plan - Many providers will offer an annual fax plan which will generally be much cheaper than buying a monthly service. Like the plan above, your faxing may be limited but well worth considering for those on a budget. Another consideration, many providers will give you 10% to 25% or more off if you pay at the annual rate. With this type of program you get all the services provided with the monthly plan, you just save because you pay the whole year up-front. 4. Basic Fax Plan - All providers will have their entry-level, basic plan where the monthly rate will average around $8 to $10. But you should shop around because there are cheaper basic plans and each provider will have a slightly different number of faxes you can send/receive each month with your plan. The average is somewhere between 300 to 500, but here again, it does pay to look around before you buy. Also, the number of email addresses (users) on the plan will usually be limited to a low number so you must check this feature. 5. Professional Fax Plan - Most providers will offer a more robust professional fax plan which will offer extra features like more users, more storage and sometimes unlimited faxes per month. These plans obviously will be more expensive but for a company or business where faxing plays a vital role to obtaining sales or clients, you really do need a full-featured plan. 6. Custom Corporate Fax Plan - Many of the major online fax service providers will provide a "custom designed" fax plan which will be tailored to match your company's needs. This can incorporate fax broadcasting where millions of faxes are sent out on a regular basis. This is where both the number of lines/users and online storage would be unlimited. Naturally, these corporate plans will be more expensive but like all volume sales or services, you can still save money, especially when you compare it to the cost of conventional faxing. The above fax options are generalizations of the types of plans you will find with these providers. These should give you a good idea of which type of plan is best suited to meet your needs. Again, it does pay to shop around to find the right plan to match both your needs and budget. Choose wisely.