By David Thompson · Published March 28, 2026 · Updated June 8, 2026 · 9 min read
Ooma fax is included at no extra charge with every Ooma Office VoIP plan — but you cannot buy fax alone. The entry price is $19.95 per user per month for the full business phone system, with fax as one of 50+ bundled features.
If you're already evaluating Ooma for your phone system, virtual fax comes free. If you only need to send faxes occasionally, that bundle cost is hard to justify. This guide covers how the fax feature works, what it actually costs, where it falls short, and when a standalone fax service is the smarter choice.
Quick Summary
Ooma fax works well if you already need a VoIP business phone system. The virtual fax feature is genuinely useful: dedicated fax number per user, PDF email delivery, and no extra charge. The catch: you can't buy fax without the VoIP subscription, there's a 500-page/month cap, no mobile fax support, and HIPAA mode requires the Pro plan ($24.95/user/month) or above.
Does Ooma Support Faxing?
Yes — Ooma supports faxing through two distinct modes:
Virtual Fax (Ooma Office) is the main offering. Every user extension on an Ooma Office plan gets a dedicated fax number at no extra cost. Faxes are sent and received through the Ooma web portal or desktop app. Incoming faxes arrive as PDF attachments in the user's email inbox. No fax machine required.
Physical Fax Machine is also supported. You can plug a traditional fax machine into a Grandstream HT812/HT814 ATA adapter, an Ooma Office Base Station, or an Ooma Linx device. The machine gets its own extension and direct-dial number.
Ooma Home Phone (Telo) supports faxing on a shared or dedicated line, but reliability is poor enough that Ooma's own support documentation states: "If you find a need for reliable faxing, we recommend that you keep a Landline for this purpose." Home phone faxing is covered in a separate section below.
Ooma Office Plans & Fax Pricing
Ooma includes virtual fax on all three Ooma Office tiers. There is no fax-only plan — you pay for the full VoIP system.
| Plan | Price (USD) | Fax | HIPAA Mode | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $19.95/user/month | Virtual fax included | No | No |
| Pro | $24.95/user/month | Virtual fax included | Yes | Yes |
| Pro Plus | $29.95/user/month | Virtual fax included | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Virtual fax included | Yes | Yes |
All plans include unlimited calling to the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, plus 50+ VoIP features. No contracts are required — cancel anytime. Additional phone numbers cost $9.95/month each.
HIPAA Requires Pro or Above
The Essentials plan ($19.95/user/month) does not include HIPAA mode or BAA support. Healthcare providers, legal firms, and other organizations handling sensitive documents need the Pro plan at minimum. Even on Pro+, Ooma explicitly states it "is not intended to store PHI" and makes no formal HIPAA certification claim. For a verified HIPAA-compliant solution, see our guide to the best HIPAA compliant fax services.
What You're Actually Paying For
The fax feature itself is free within the subscription. The math: if you have 2 users, you're paying a minimum of $39.90/month for both the phone system and fax. For a small business already using Ooma as their phone system, this is excellent value. For someone who just needs to fax a few documents a month, it's significant overhead.
If you only need a virtual fax number without a full VoIP system, dedicated fax services start at $3–$10/month with no phone system bundled in.
How to Send a Fax with Ooma Office
Ooma's virtual fax is available through the End User Portal (office.ooma.com/user) and the Ooma Desktop app. Important: the Ooma mobile app does not support sending faxes — only the web portal and desktop app.
Log in to the End User Portal
Go to office.ooma.com/user and sign in with your Ooma Office credentials. Alternatively, open the Ooma Desktop app on your computer.
Click Send Fax
Navigate to the Fax section and click the Send Fax button. You can send to up to 10 recipients in one session — each recipient receives an individual fax transmission.
Enter the recipient's fax number
Type the recipient name or number in the Recipient(s) field. Use the standard 10-digit format for US numbers or include the country code for international faxes.
Attach your document
Click the attachment area or drag and drop your file. Ooma accepts PDF and TIFF formats for virtual fax transmission. Maximum combined file size: 10 MB. Maximum document width: 8.5 inches. Color documents are automatically converted to black and white.
Add a cover page (optional)
Enable the cover page toggle to automatically attach a cover sheet. You can add notes and customize sender details from this screen.
Send and track
Click Send Fax. Monitor delivery status in the fax log within the portal. Failed faxes and delivery confirmations appear in the activity history.
Receiving Faxes
Incoming faxes are delivered automatically to the email address associated with your Ooma user extension as PDF attachments. You can also download them from the End User Portal. No action is required to receive — as soon as your virtual fax number is configured, it starts accepting incoming faxes.
Admin Setup for Virtual Fax
An account administrator must enable virtual fax before users can send or receive:
- Log in to office.ooma.com as admin
- Go to Settings → Add → Virtual Fax
- Assign a phone number to the virtual fax
- Select the user extension from the dropdown
- Click Save — the feature activates immediately at no extra cost
Ooma Fax Feature Summary
Ooma's virtual fax is a solid business tool bundled into a capable VoIP system — but it is not a fax-first product. The lack of mobile sending and the subscription-only pricing model are the two biggest friction points for users who primarily want a fax service.
Pros
- Included in every Ooma Office plan at no extra cost
- Dedicated fax number per user extension
- Incoming faxes delivered as PDF to email automatically
- Up to 10 recipients per fax session
- Admin-level visibility and fax logs
- Physical fax machine support via ATA adapter
- BAA available on Pro and Pro Plus plans
- No contracts, cancel anytime
Cons
- Cannot buy fax without full VoIP subscription ($19.95+/user/month)
- No mobile fax — only web portal and desktop app
- 500-page/month reasonable use cap
- HIPAA mode limited to Pro and Pro Plus ($24.95+)
- 10 MB file size limit per fax
- Only PDF and TIFF formats supported
- No legal-size (8.5"×14") fax support
- Ooma Home Phone faxing is unreliable — not recommended
Ooma Fax Limitations to Know Before You Commit
No Mobile Fax Sending
The Ooma mobile app does not support sending faxes. This is a significant gap for field workers, healthcare staff who move between locations, and anyone who needs to send a fax away from a computer. If mobile fax is a requirement, you'll need a separate solution.
500-Page Monthly Cap
Ooma's Terms of Service limit virtual fax usage to 500 pages per month under their "reasonable use" policy. This covers most small businesses, but organizations with higher volume — insurance claim processing, legal discovery, healthcare records — will hit the ceiling. Dedicated fax services like eFax or mFax Business offer higher or unlimited page allowances.
File Format Restrictions
Virtual fax accepts PDF and TIFF only. If your workflow involves Word documents, JPEGs, or other formats, you must convert them before uploading. A free tool like our document converter can handle this, but it's an extra step not required by most standalone fax services.
HIPAA Is Not Automatic
The word "HIPAA" appears in Ooma's marketing, but the details matter:
- HIPAA mode is only available on Pro ($24.95) and Pro Plus ($29.95) plans
- Ooma will sign a BAA on these plans
- Ooma explicitly states the service "is not intended to store PHI"
- Ooma makes no formal HIPAA certification claim
This is adequate for many use cases, but it is not the same as a service built from the ground up for healthcare compliance. For a full breakdown, see our HIPAA fax requirements guide.
Fax-Only Pricing Doesn't Exist
If you search for "Ooma fax pricing," you will find the Ooma Office plan prices — because there is no standalone fax product. The minimum entry point is the full VoIP subscription. For a single-user business that sends 10 faxes a month, a dedicated fax service is almost always cheaper.
Ooma Home Phone Faxing
Ooma's residential product (Telo) technically supports faxing by connecting a physical fax machine to the PHONE port. In practice, it is unreliable.
The core problem: Ooma Home Phone runs over VoIP, and standard fax protocols (G3/T.30) do not transmit cleanly over compressed VoIP connections. Users in Ooma community forums report success rates of 10–20% without specific workarounds.
Workarounds that improve success:
- Dial
*99before the fax number to tell Ooma to use a higher-quality codec for that call - Disable Error Correction Mode (ECM) on your fax machine
- Lower the baud rate to 9600 bps
- Ensure your internet connection is stable and not congested during the fax
Even with all of these steps, reliability is not guaranteed. Ooma's own support documentation recommends keeping a landline if you need reliable faxing. For Ooma Premier users ($9.99/month), a dedicated second line for fax is available, which helps with incoming fax reliability on a dedicated line.
Ooma Home Phone Faxing: Not Recommended
If you rely on faxing for important documents — medical records, legal filings, IRS submissions — Ooma Home Phone is not a reliable fax solution. Use a dedicated online fax service or maintain a traditional landline for fax.
Online Alternatives to Ooma Fax
If you need fax without a VoIP phone system, or you need mobile fax support, higher page limits, or standalone pricing, these services are worth evaluating:
| Service | Best For | Starting Price | Mobile Fax | HIPAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mFax | Mobile faxing, one-time fax | Pay-per-fax or subscription | Yes (iOS & Android) | Via mFax Business |
| mFax Business | Teams, HIPAA compliance | From $9/mo | Yes | Yes (BAA included) |
| eFax | High-volume business fax | ~$18.95/month | Yes | HIPAA plans available |
| RingCentral Fax | Enterprise UCaaS users | $17.99/month | Yes | BAA on RingEX only |
| Fax.Plus | Cloud-first small teams | Free tier available | Yes | HIPAA plans available |
When mFax Is a Better Choice Than Ooma
You only need fax, not a full phone system. mFax starts at pay-per-fax pricing — no monthly VoIP subscription required. You pay for what you use.
You need to fax from your phone. The mFax app works on iOS and Android. Snap a photo of a document, upload a PDF, enter the fax number, and send — under 2 minutes, from anywhere.
You're a small team with modest volume. mFax Business starts at about $9/mo (billed annually) with a dedicated fax number, team accounts, HIPAA compliance, and a BAA included — at a lower per-user cost than Ooma Office. Instead of rigid fixed tiers, you build your own plan with a live calculator, choosing the exact seats (1–35) and pages (200–5,000) you need and paying only for what you use ($3/seat + $4 per 100 pages).
You hit the 500-page cap. Ooma's reasonable use policy limits you to 500 pages/month. mFax Business plans include higher page limits suited to regular business faxing.
For a broader look at the market, see our comparison of the best business fax services.
Verdict: Is Ooma Fax Worth It?
Yes, if you're already evaluating Ooma Office as your business phone system. Getting virtual fax bundled into a VoIP plan you're already paying for is good value. The feature is solid: dedicated fax numbers, email delivery, multi-recipient support, and admin visibility.
No, if you specifically need fax without a VoIP subscription, mobile fax capability, or more than 500 pages per month. In those cases, a dedicated fax service like mFax Business delivers more fax-specific capability at a lower cost without requiring you to subscribe to a phone system you might not need.
The bottom line: Ooma is a VoIP company that does fax well. It is not a fax company.
Send Your First Fax — No Phone System Required
mFax.to lets you fax directly from your phone or browser. Upload a PDF, enter the fax number, and send. No VoIP subscription, no setup, no waiting.
For business teams, mFax Business includes a dedicated fax number, team accounts, HIPAA compliance, and a BAA — build your own plan starting at about $9/mo.