How much does it cost to send a fax?
A fax can cost nothing, a couple of dollars, or a monthly bill you forget about. It depends on how many pages you send, how often you fax, and whether you also need to receive one. Here is what each option costs, with prices checked on each provider's own website on October 19, 2026.
Full disclosure: I make HonestFax, one of the options below. I've kept every number to what the providers publish themselves, so you can check them.
The short answer
| How you fax | What you pay | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Print or shipping store | A per-page price set by the store | People who'd rather hand the pages to someone |
| Free fax website | $0 for a few pages, with the site's branding on the cover | A short, non-sensitive fax from a computer |
| Paid fax website, per fax | A few dollars per fax | Longer faxes from a computer, now and then |
| Monthly online fax plan | A monthly subscription, with a fax number | Sending and receiving every week |
| Phone app, pay per fax | A few dollars per fax, no subscription | Paper forms, one-off faxes |
At a print or shipping store
Stores like FedEx Office and The UPS Store will send a fax for you. Neither publishes a fax price list on its website:
- FedEx Office offers self-service faxing at its copier stations. You pre-authorize a payment based on the number of pages, and any unused balance goes back to your card.
- The UPS Store sends and receives faxes. Its locations are independently owned, and the site says products, services and prices may vary by location.
In practice that means a per-page price that differs from store to store, usually with a first-page price and a lower price for each extra page. Ask before you send, especially for a long document, and ask whether international numbers cost more.
Hidden costs: the trip, the opening hours, and printing the pages first if your document is a file on your phone. Other ways to send without a machine are in how to send a fax without a fax machine.
On a free fax website
Free fax websites let you upload a file and type a number. FaxZero, for example, sends up to 3 pages plus a cover page for free within the US and Canada, up to 5 free faxes a day. Free faxes carry FaxZero branding on the cover page.
Good for: a short, non-sensitive document that's already on your computer.
Watch for: page limits, branding on your cover page, and what happens to your documents afterward. Read the privacy terms before you upload anything personal, like medical or tax forms.
On a paid fax website, per fax
The same sites usually sell a paid fax for longer documents. FaxZero's paid fax is $3.29 per fax for up to 25 pages, without its branding.
Good for: a longer document from a computer, a few times a year.
With a monthly online fax plan
Online fax services sell monthly plans with a fax number and a page allowance - how an online fax service works compares them with paying per fax. Fax.Plus, for example, starts at $6.99 a month for 200 pages and one fax number. Its free plan gives 10 pages in total.
Good for: anyone who sends or receives faxes every week. A fax number of your own is the main reason to subscribe.
Watch for: a plan you only needed once. Put a reminder in your calendar to cancel it, or pick something that ends on its own. See how to cancel a fax app subscription on iPhone.
With a phone app
A fax app scans paper with your camera and sends it from your phone. How you pay matters more than the app. Many fax apps in the App Store start a weekly subscription after a short trial, which can cost far more than the fax itself. See our look at FAX from iPhone for an example.
HonestFax is pay-per-fax:
- A fax of up to 3 pages is $2.99, 10 pages are $4.99 and 30 pages are $9.99. Pages never expire.
- Your first page is on us.
- The price is on screen before you scan anything.
- If you need to receive a fax, a 7-Day Pass is $9.99 once for your own number for a week. It never renews. See how to receive a fax on iPhone.
- If you fax every week, HonestFax Pro is $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year.
What does a fax cost in real life?
| What you need | Cheapest sensible option |
|---|---|
| One 2-page form, once | A free fax website if it isn't sensitive, otherwise a store or a pay-per-fax app |
| A 12-page document, once | A paid fax website or an app page pack, rather than a per-page store price |
| A form to send and a reply to receive this week | Something that gives you a number for that week only, so there's nothing to cancel |
| Faxing every week | A monthly plan or a yearly app plan |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a truly free way to send a fax? Yes, for short faxes. Free fax websites send a few pages at no cost, in exchange for their branding on the cover and a daily limit. They're fine for non-sensitive documents. See how to fax from iPhone for free for every free option and its limits.
Why do some fax apps cost so much? Many of them sell weekly subscriptions that renew automatically after a trial. If you only needed one fax, that adds up quickly. Check how an app charges before you scan your first page.
Does an international fax cost more? Usually, yes. Calls abroad cost the provider more, so stores and websites charge more for them. Ask or check before you send. See how to send a fax internationally.
Do I pay if the fax fails? It depends on the service. In HonestFax, a fax that can't be delivered gives your credits back automatically. See why a fax fails.