By David Thompson · Published February 11, 2026 · Updated June 8, 2026 · 7 min read
Quick Answer: eFax costs $18.99–$49.99/mo plus a $10 setup fee and $0.10/page in overages. It's the most expensive mainstream fax service. mFax.to offers comparable features at a lower price with no setup fee.
eFax is one of the oldest online fax services — and one of the most expensive. If you're considering an eFax subscription or wondering whether you're overpaying, this guide breaks down every plan, exposes the fees that don't appear on the pricing page, and compares eFax to five cheaper alternatives.
We've used eFax and tested its competitors. Here's what your money actually buys.
eFax Plans at a Glance
eFax offers three consumer plans and a custom enterprise tier. All plans include a dedicated fax number, mobile app, and cloud storage.
| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price | Pages Included | Users | Setup Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eFax Plus | $18.99/mo | $15.83/mo ($189.99/yr) | 170 in + 170 out (340 total) | 1 | $10 |
| eFax Pro | $24.99/mo | $19.99/mo | 275 in + 275 out (550 total) | 5 | $10 |
| eFax Protect | $49.99/mo | $41.66/mo | 1,000 total | — | $10 |
| eFax Corporate | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Promotional pricing: eFax frequently offers the first month at $5 (Plus/Pro) or $15 (Protect). After that, the full price kicks in automatically.
Watch the Auto-Renewal
The discounted first month auto-renews at full price with no reminder email. If you're testing eFax, set a calendar reminder before your trial ends.
The Hidden Costs of eFax
The sticker price doesn't tell the whole story. Here's what eFax charges beyond the monthly fee:
$10 One-Time Setup Fee
Every eFax plan carries a $10 activation fee — charged on top of your first month. Most competitors have eliminated setup fees entirely.
$0.10/Page Overage Charges
Exceed your monthly page allotment and eFax bills $0.10 for every additional page. On the Plus plan with only 340 pages, this adds up fast.
Example: Send 500 pages on the Plus plan → 340 included + 160 overage × $0.10 = $16 in overage charges on top of the $18.99 subscription. Your real cost that month: $34.99.
Duration-Based Page Counting
This is the fee most users miss. eFax counts pages by transmission duration, not by physical pages. Every 60 seconds of fax transmission counts as one page. If the recipient's fax machine is slow, a single physical page can count as two or three "pages" against your allotment.
International Fax Surcharges
Sending faxes outside the US and Canada incurs additional per-page charges that vary by country. eFax doesn't prominently disclose these rates on their pricing page. For international faxing rates, check each provider's rate card.
Cancellation Difficulty
eFax requires a phone call to cancel — there is no online cancellation option. Multiple consumer reports on ConsumerAffairs and the BBB (600+ complaints) describe continued billing after verbal cancellation confirmations.
Know Before You Subscribe
eFax has a 2.1/5 rating on Sitejabber based on 194 reviews. The most common complaints are about billing after cancellation and difficulty canceling. Factor the cancellation experience into your decision.
What You Get with Each eFax Plan
eFax Plus ($18.99/mo)
The entry-level plan. Includes one user, 340 combined pages, a dedicated fax number, the mobile app, and cloud storage for received faxes.
Best for: Individuals who send fewer than 340 pages per month and don't need HIPAA compliance.
Missing: Team accounts, HIPAA compliance, e-signature tools.
eFax Pro ($24.99/mo)
Adds up to 5 users and 550 combined pages. Otherwise identical to Plus.
Best for: Small teams that share a single fax number but don't handle protected health information.
Missing: HIPAA compliance, BAA, advanced security features.
eFax Protect ($49.99/mo)
The only consumer eFax plan with HIPAA compliance. Includes 256-bit AES encryption, a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), 1,000 pages, and the jSign e-signature tool.
Best for: Healthcare providers, legal firms, and anyone handling sensitive documents. However, at $49.99/mo, it's significantly more expensive than HIPAA-compliant alternatives.
eFax vs. Cheaper Alternatives
Here's how eFax stacks up against five popular alternatives. We compared the cheapest paid plan from each service.
| Service | Cheapest Plan | Pages Included | Setup Fee | Overage | HIPAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eFax Plus | $18.99/mo | 340 | $10 | $0.10/pg | No (Protect only) |
| mFax | Pay-per-use | Varies | None | N/A | Yes (Business) |
| Fax.Plus | $6.99/mo | 200 | None | $0.10/pg | Enterprise only |
| iFax | $12.49/mo | 200 | None | ~$0.03/pg | Yes |
| FaxBurner | $14.95/mo | 500 | None | Varies | No |
| HelloFax | $9.99/mo | 300 | None | $0.05/pg | No |
Key takeaway: eFax charges the most for the fewest pages. Every alternative on this list offers a lower entry price, more pages per dollar, or both — and none charge a setup fee.
For a deeper dive, see our full eFax review and eFax alternatives guide.
Better Alternatives to eFax
mFax — Best for Pay-Per-Use and Mobile
mFax is ideal if you don't want a monthly subscription eating into your budget. The pay-per-use model means you only pay when you actually send a fax. The mobile app is fast — upload a PDF or snap a photo, enter the number, done. For teams, mFax Business adds virtual fax numbers, team accounts, and HIPAA compliance starting at about $9/mo (billed annually). Instead of rigid fixed tiers, you build your own plan with a live calculator — pick the exact seats and pages you need ($3/seat + $4 per 100 pages) and pay only for what you use.
Pros
- No setup fee or contracts
- Pay only for what you send
- Send from phone in under 2 minutes
- HIPAA-ready Business plans
- 5M+ users, 4.8 App Store rating
Cons
- Newer brand than eFax
- Business plans start at about $9/mo
Fax.Plus — Best Free Tier
10 free pages on signup, no credit card required. Paid plans start at $6.99/mo for 200 pages — less than half of eFax's price. The web app is clean and modern, and the Enterprise plan offers HIPAA compliance with a BAA.
iFax — Best for HIPAA on a Budget
HIPAA-compliant on all paid plans (not just the top tier). Starting at $12.49/mo for 200 pages with AES-256 encryption. Much more affordable than eFax Protect's $49.99/mo for healthcare users.
HelloFax (Dropbox Fax) — Best Value Per Page
$9.99/mo for 300 pages — nearly as many pages as eFax Plus at roughly half the price. Integrates natively with Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
FaxBurner — Best Free Receiving
The most generous free tier for receiving: 25 inbound pages per month at no cost. Paid plans offer 500 pages for $14.95/mo — more pages and cheaper than eFax Plus.
Is eFax Worth It?
For most users, no. Here's why:
- Price: $18.99/mo for 340 pages is the highest price-per-page ratio of any mainstream fax service
- Setup fee: $10 that competitors have eliminated
- Duration billing: Inflates your page count beyond what you physically send
- Cancellation: Phone-only, with widespread reports of continued billing
- HIPAA: Only available on the $49.99/mo plan — competitors offer it for $12–$30/mo
When eFax makes sense: If your company already uses eFax Corporate with negotiated enterprise pricing, or if you specifically need eFax's integration with a legacy system, switching may not be worth the migration effort.
For everyone else: You'll get more pages, better pricing, and an easier cancellation process with virtually any alternative. mFax.to is our pick for most users — pay-per-use means you never pay for pages you don't send, and there are no surprise fees.
How to Switch from eFax
If you're ready to move to a cheaper service:
- Export your fax history — download any important sent/received faxes from your eFax account before canceling
- Set up your new service — create an account at mFax.to or your preferred alternative
- Get your new fax number — update it on your business cards, website, and with any organizations that fax you regularly
- Cancel eFax by phone — call eFax customer service. Note the date, representative's name, and confirmation number. Follow up with an email confirming the cancellation for your records
- Monitor your credit card — check for continued charges for 2–3 months after cancellation
About Number Porting
eFax-assigned numbers are typically not portable — eFax claims they are not required to release numbers they provision. If keeping your current fax number is critical, confirm porting availability before canceling. With mFax Business, you get a new dedicated virtual fax number that you own.
The Bottom Line
eFax pioneered online faxing, but its pricing hasn't kept pace with the market. At $18.99/mo for 340 pages — plus a $10 setup fee, duration-based billing, and $0.10/page overages — it's the most expensive option in a category where competitors offer more for less.
Try mFax.to — upload a document, enter a fax number, and send. No setup fee. No monthly commitment. No surprises.
For teams, mFax Business delivers virtual fax numbers, HIPAA compliance, and team accounts starting at about $9/mo — less than half the cost of eFax Protect.