By David Thompson · Published April 8, 2026 · Updated June 8, 2026 · 10 min read
Quick answer: Apple does not make a fax app. There is no built-in iPhone fax feature in iOS. The best alternative is mFax — 4.8-star App Store rating, 5M+ users, and you can send your first fax in under two minutes.
People searching for an "apple fax app" are usually looking for one of two things: a native fax feature built into iOS, or the best fax app available for their iPhone. The honest answer to the first question is no — Apple has never shipped a fax app. But the answer to the second is very much worth exploring.
Faxing is still required for medical offices, government agencies, legal filings, IRS submissions, and insurance claims. If your iPhone is your primary device and you need to send a fax today, you have real options. We evaluated every major fax app available on the App Store in 2026 — what they actually cost, which have hidden weekly billing, and which ones reliably deliver.
The Weekly Subscription Trap
Many fax apps advertise as "free" in the App Store, then charge $5.99–$9.99 per week once you try to send. That's up to $520/year to send faxes occasionally. Always open the App Store listing and scroll to "In-App Purchases" before you tap "Get."
Does Apple Have a Built-In Fax App?
No. As of 2026, iOS has no native fax capability and Apple has never released a fax app. This is true across all iPhone and iPad models.
Apple removed fax support from macOS back in macOS 11 Big Sur (2020), and it was never available on iOS to begin with. The closest Apple gets to document-sending features is AirDrop (local only), Mail (email), and Messages — none of which support fax transmission.
If you need to send a fax from an iPhone, you must download a third-party app. The good news: several excellent options exist, and the best of them let you send a fax in under two minutes with nothing more than a photo of your document.
Quick Comparison: Top Fax Apps for iPhone
| App | Best For | Starting Price | Free Option | HIPAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mFax | General iPhone use | Pay-per-fax or from $9/mo | Pay-per-fax (no subscription) | Business plan |
| Fax.Plus | HIPAA & compliance | Free / from $6.99/mo | 100 pages/mo free | Yes (paid) |
| eFax | Corporate / enterprise | From $18.99/mo | No | Yes (add-on) |
| FaxBurner | Occasional / free use | Free / from $12.99/mo | 5 send + 25 receive/mo | No |
| Genius Fax | One-off faxes | Credits or $3.49/mo | Trial credits | No |
| FaxFlow | iCloud integration | From $4.99/mo | Trial available | No |
In-Depth Reviews
1. mFax — Best Overall for iPhone
mFax is the most downloaded and highest-rated fax app in the Apple App Store for good reason. Over 5 million users have relied on it to send more than 2 million faxes, with a 98% confirmed delivery rate.
The workflow is frictionless: open the app, upload a PDF from Files or iCloud, or snap a document with the built-in scanner. The scanner automatically detects borders, corrects perspective, and sharpens contrast — so a photo taken at an angle still arrives looking like a clean scan. Enter the recipient's fax number, tap Send, and you'll get a delivery confirmation email when it goes through.
Pricing is unusually honest. mFax offers genuine pay-per-fax pricing — you're not forced into a subscription to send a fax. For regular faxers, monthly plans are available. For teams, healthcare providers, and legal offices, mFax Business adds HIPAA-ready features, a shared dashboard, and virtual fax numbers starting at about $9/mo (billed annually) — and instead of locking you into a fixed tier, you build your own plan by choosing exactly the seats and pages you need.
No predatory weekly billing. No feature-locked free tiers designed to trap you. It's the rare fax app that earns its rating.
Pros
- 4.8-star App Store rating with 5M+ users
- Send in under 2 minutes — no complicated setup
- Pay-per-fax option: no subscription for occasional use
- 98% delivery success rate with email confirmation
- Built-in camera scanner with edge detection
- mFax Business adds HIPAA, team accounts, virtual numbers
Cons
- Team features require mFax Business upgrade
- Dedicated fax number requires a paid plan
2. Fax.Plus — Best for HIPAA Compliance
Fax.Plus earns its place with two standout qualities: a genuinely useful free tier and serious compliance credentials. The free plan offers 100 pages per month — an ongoing allowance, not a trial — making it the best free option for light users.
For regulated industries, paid plans unlock a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement, end-to-end encryption, full audit logs, and multi-user access controls. Fax.Plus operates under Swiss privacy law in addition to US compliance standards, which is a meaningful differentiator for organizations handling sensitive data.
The iPhone app works well, though power users get the most value through the web interface. If your organization needs a documented compliance trail for every fax, Fax.Plus is worth the extra setup. For a complete breakdown of what HIPAA requires from a fax solution, see our HIPAA compliant fax guide.
Pros
- Genuinely useful free plan: 100 pages/month
- HIPAA BAA available on paid plans
- Swiss-based — strong privacy regulations
- Works on iPhone, Android, desktop, and via email-to-fax
- ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR certified
Cons
- HIPAA features gated behind paid tiers
- iPhone app less polished than the web interface
- Free plan requires account creation
- Complex UI for first-time fax users
3. eFax — Best for Corporate Teams
eFax is the grandfather of internet faxing — it launched in 1996 and now serves more than 12 million users, including Fortune 500 companies. If your organization already uses eFax at the desktop level, the iPhone app lets you send and receive faxes from your phone using the same account and fax number.
At $18.99/mo, the base plan includes a dedicated fax number and 300 pages. A HIPAA BAA is available, making it viable for healthcare organizations. What you're paying for is stability and integration depth, not mobile experience — the iPhone app is functional but hasn't been substantially redesigned in years.
For individual iPhone users or small teams who don't need eFax's enterprise integrations, there are better-value options available. If you're actively comparing eFax to alternatives, see our mFax vs. eFax breakdown for a direct side-by-side.
Pros
- Established brand — in market since 1996
- Dedicated local or toll-free fax number included
- 300 pages/mo on base plan
- HIPAA BAA available for healthcare
- Strong desktop and Outlook integration
Cons
- Most expensive option at $18.99/mo
- iPhone app feels outdated compared to newer competitors
- Per-page overages add up quickly at $0.10/page
- No meaningful free tier
- Customer support slow to respond
4. FaxBurner — Best Free Option
FaxBurner is the best option if your faxing needs are minimal and you want zero ongoing cost. The free tier provides 5 outgoing pages and 25 incoming pages per month — not a trial, but a permanent free allowance. A temporary fax number is included so you can receive faxes without paying anything.
The iPhone app is among the simpler and cleaner in the category. Upload a document or scan with the camera, enter a fax number, send. For someone who faxes once a month to their doctor's office or occasionally to a government agency, FaxBurner is the most practical free option.
For anything requiring HIPAA compliance, a permanent dedicated number, or more than 5 outgoing pages per month, you'll need to step up to a paid plan or a different service.
Pros
- Genuinely free: 5 send + 25 receive pages/mo permanently
- No subscription required for light use
- Temporary fax number included on free plan
- Clean, simple iPhone interface
- Easy document scanning built in
Cons
- Free plan limited to 5 outgoing pages per month
- No HIPAA compliance
- Paid plan ($12.99/mo) pricey relative to feature set
- Free number is temporary — not permanent
5. Genius Fax — Best for Occasional One-Off Faxes
Genius Fax is built around one use case: sending a fax right now without committing to anything. The credit model means you buy credits as needed — roughly $0.99–$1.99 per fax — and there's no monthly fee.
This is a sensible model for people who fax twice a year (tax forms, a lease, a medical intake form) and have no intention of doing it regularly. The interface is intentionally minimal: scan or upload, enter a number, send.
For anyone who faxes more than 2–3 times per month, credits get expensive fast. The pay-per-fax comparison guide covers the full landscape of credit-based services if you want to compare options.
Pros
- Pay-per-fax credit model — no subscription required
- Extremely simple interface — designed for non-tech users
- Cheap for very occasional use ($0.99/fax)
- Available on iPhone and iPad
- No account setup hassle for one-time use
Cons
- Credits-only model gets expensive if you fax regularly
- No HIPAA compliance
- Limited document management — no cloud sync
- Fewer delivery options and no advanced features
How to Send a Fax from an iPhone (Step by Step)
Regardless of which app you choose, the process is nearly identical across all major fax apps for iPhone.
Download a Fax App
Open the App Store and search for your chosen app. We recommend mFax for most users. Download and open it.
Prepare Your Document
You have three options: upload a PDF from Files or iCloud Drive, import from Google Drive or Dropbox, or scan a paper document using the app's built-in camera scanner. The scanner will auto-detect the document edges and clean up the image.
Enter the Recipient's Fax Number
Type the recipient's fax number including the country code. For US numbers, add a 1 before the area code (e.g., 1-212-555-0100). If faxing internationally, check our international fax country codes guide for the correct prefix.
Add a Cover Sheet (Optional)
Most apps include a basic cover sheet option. For professional or medical use, add a cover sheet with your name, the recipient, and a brief subject line. You can also use the free fax cover sheet generator on mFax.to.
Send and Confirm
Tap Send. You'll receive a delivery confirmation — either within the app or by email — once the fax reaches its destination. If delivery fails, the app will tell you why (busy line, wrong number, no answer) and offer a retry option.
What to Look for in an iPhone Fax App
Not all fax apps are equal. These are the features that separate the good ones from the frustrating ones.
Honest Pricing Model
The biggest pain point with iPhone fax apps is predatory billing. Many advertise as "free" but charge $5.99–$9.99 per week. Before downloading, scroll to "In-App Purchases" in the App Store listing. The price you should see is per month or per fax — not per week.
Built-In Document Scanner
A good scanner isn't optional — it's core functionality. Look for automatic edge detection, perspective correction, and contrast enhancement. A scanner that produces unreadable output defeats the purpose.
Delivery Confirmation
You need proof the fax arrived. Any reputable app provides a confirmation — either a receipt within the app or an email confirmation with timestamp and recipient number.
iCloud and Files Integration
The best iPhone fax apps connect to iCloud Drive, so you can fax documents stored in Files without downloading them again. Some also support AirDrop incoming documents directly to the fax app.
HIPAA Compliance (If Relevant)
If you're in healthcare, legal, or insurance, your fax service must support a Business Associate Agreement. Not all apps offer this — verify before you commit, especially if you're handling protected health information (PHI).
Why iPhones Don't Have Built-In Fax Support
Apple removed fax support from macOS in 2020 and never added it to iOS. The reason is simple: fax operates over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which requires either a physical phone line or a modem. iPhones use cellular and Wi-Fi data — they don't have the hardware to connect to the PSTN directly.
Internet fax services (like mFax) solve this by converting your document to a fax signal on their servers and transmitting it over the telephone network on your behalf. Your iPhone sends data to their servers over the internet; their system handles the actual fax transmission. This is why an internet fax service is the only way to fax from an iPhone — and why all of the apps above use this same underlying architecture.
For a deeper explanation of how fax transmission works, see how does a fax machine work.
The Bottom Line
There is no Apple fax app. Apple has never built one, and there is no native fax feature anywhere in iOS.
For iPhone users who need to send faxes in 2026:
- Best overall: mFax — 4.8 stars, 5M+ users, transparent pricing, pay-per-fax option, no predatory billing
- Best free tier: Fax.Plus (100 pages/mo) or FaxBurner (5 pages/mo, no subscription)
- Best for HIPAA compliance: Fax.Plus or mFax Business
- Best for enterprises: eFax (if you need the brand and deep integrations)
- Best for one-off use: Genius Fax (credit model, no subscription)
For most people sending the occasional fax from their iPhone, mFax is the fastest path from document to confirmed delivery — and the only one on this list with 5 million users to back it up.