How to get a fax number (and can you get one for free?)
How do you get a fax number? You rent one from a fax service: it gives you a phone number connected to a fax line, and every fax sent to it arrives as a PDF. On an iPhone it takes a few minutes in a fax app - you pick a number, give it to the sender, and the fax lands on your phone. Here's what your options cost, and whether a free fax number really exists.
Full disclosure: I make HonestFax, the first option below. The numbers about other services are the ones they publish on their own websites.
The short answer
| Way to get a fax number | What it costs | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Need it once HonestFax 7-Day Pass | $9.99 once, for 7 days - never renews | One fax you're waiting for: a form, records, a signed contract |
| HonestFax Pro | $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year | Receiving faxes every week, keeping the same number |
| Monthly plan of an online fax service | Around $7 a month and up, often billed for a full year | Office work on a computer, email to fax |
| A fax machine and a landline | The phone line every month, plus the machine | An office that already has both |
What is a fax number?
A fax number is a phone number that's answered by a fax machine or a fax service instead of a person. When someone faxes you, their machine dials that number and sends the pages as fax tones. The service on the other end turns those tones back into pages - on paper for a fax machine, or a PDF for an app.
Is a fax number the same as a phone number? It looks the same - a US fax number has an area code and seven digits like any other - but it has to be connected to something that can receive a fax. Your mobile number is connected to your phone's calls and texts, so a fax sent to it fails. That's why you need a separate number, even if you only want to receive one fax.
How to get a fax number on your iPhone
The fastest way is a fax app that rents the number for you. In HonestFax:
- Install HonestFax and open the Inbox tab.
- Choose how long you need a number. The 7-Day Pass ($9.99, one payment) is for a fax you need once. HonestFax Pro keeps the number for as long as you're subscribed.
- Pick a US or Canada number. Type an area code if you want a local one, or leave it empty and pick from the list.
- Find your number at the top of the Inbox and give it to whoever is sending you the fax, area code included.
- The fax arrives as a PDF in your Inbox, with a notification if notifications are on.
The full walkthrough of the Inbox, with what an incoming fax looks like, is in how to receive a fax on iPhone.
Why the 7-Day Pass fits most people:
- Most people need a fax number once. A doctor's office sending records, a lender sending a form, an agency replying. A week covers it.
- Nothing to cancel. The pass is a single payment and simply ends after 7 days. You get a reminder a day before, and the faxes you received stay in the app.
- You can send from the same app. The pass includes up to 100 pages of sending that week, for the signed form you have to send back. See how to send a fax from your iPhone.
- Changed your mind? Buy another pass to add 7 days, or move to HonestFax Pro while the pass is active and the number stays yours.
Can you get a fax number for free?
Rarely, and usually not one that receives. A fax number is a real phone number that a provider rents every month and keeps connected to a fax line, so receiving almost always costs something. What you'll find for free is sending: a free first page, a few pages on a free fax website, or a small free allowance on an online fax plan.
Read what "free" covers before you hand the number out. Fax.Plus, for example, has a free plan with 10 pages to fax in total, but its own pricing page says receiving faxes needs an active paid plan.
If all you need is to send a fax for free, that's easier - how to fax from iPhone for free compares the options. In HonestFax the first page you send is free, but receiving needs a number of your own, which starts with the 7-Day Pass.
Other ways to get a fax number
A monthly online fax plan
Online fax services give you a number with a monthly plan, and you send and receive from a website, an app or email. Fax.Plus Basic, for example, is $6.99 a month on a yearly plan ($83.99 billed once a year), with one fax number and 200 pages a month. That's good value if you fax every week from a computer. For one fax, it's a year of a plan you didn't need - and it renews automatically, so set a reminder if you only want it for a while.
A fax machine and a landline
The traditional way: a fax machine plugged into a phone line, and the line's number is your fax number. If your office already has both, it's free to use. Buying a machine and paying for a line just to receive a fax rarely makes sense today - see how to send a fax without a fax machine.
Before you give out your fax number
Give it exactly as it appears, with the area code. For a US or Canada number, a sender in North America dials it like any other number; a sender abroad dials +1 first.
Ask for a cover sheet with your name so you recognize the fax when it lands. What to put on a fax cover sheet has a template the sender can use.
Keep the number active until the fax arrives. If the sender says it will take a few days, a 7-Day Pass covers it. To check that a fax you sent arrived on the other side, see how to confirm a fax was received.
More on getting faxes to arrive, and what to do when they don't, in receiving faxes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a fax number for one fax? Get a number for a short time instead of a monthly plan. In HonestFax, the 7-Day Pass gives you a personal US or Canada fax number for 7 days for $9.99, and it never renews.
Can I use my cell phone number as a fax number? No. Your mobile number handles calls and texts, and a fax sent to it fails. You need a separate fax number, which a fax app can give you in minutes.
Can I choose my area code? In HonestFax, yes: type the area code when you pick the number, or leave it empty to see what's available. Numbers are US or Canada.
Do I keep the number after the 7-Day Pass ends? Not automatically - when the pass ends, the number is released. If you want to keep it, subscribe to HonestFax Pro while the pass is still active and the same number stays yours.
Can I get a fax number for free? For receiving, almost never - free plans usually only send. Check what a free plan includes before you give the number to anyone.
Checked on October 23, 2026: Fax.Plus plans, prices, the free plan's 10 pages and its note that receiving needs an active paid plan, all on its pricing page (fax.plus/pricing). HonestFax prices and pass terms as shown in the app and in the HonestFax Terms of Use.