How to fax without a fax machine
Updated October 25, 2026 · PlusFax team
You can fax without a machine from any computer or phone. Compare online fax, printer-scanners, copy shops and fax apps on price, speed and privacy.
The short answer
You do not need a fax machine to send a fax. The machine was only ever a scanner, a modem and a phone line in one box, and each of those parts has moved somewhere else: the scanner is now your phone camera, the modem belongs to a carrier in a data centre, and the phone line is theirs too. What is left for you is choosing a document and typing a number. There are four realistic ways to do that, and they differ mostly in price, how long they take and who gets to see your document.
Option 1: an online fax service
You upload a PDF or photos on a web page, enter the number and pay by card. The service transmits the fax from its carrier connection and emails you a delivery receipt. With PlusFax a one-off fax costs $1.99 for up to 5 pages, no account needed, and a typical fax is delivered within a few minutes. Our step-by-step guide walks through it.
Best for: almost everyone. It is the cheapest option per fax, works from any device, and gives you a timestamped proof of delivery that a machine never did.
Watch out for: services that only offer a weekly or monthly subscription for a single fax, and "free fax" sites that add an advertising cover page or cap you at a page or two.
Option 2: an all-in-one printer
Many home and office printers include a fax modem. You still need an active landline plugged into the printer; a cable or fibre internet line usually will not work without an adapter, and VoIP lines often drop faxes mid-page because of compression. If you already have both the printer and a working analogue line, the marginal cost is just the phone call.
Best for: an office that already has a landline and faxes every day.
Watch out for: the landline rental, which costs more each month than most fax plans, and the absence of a record beyond a printed confirmation slip.
Option 3: a copy shop, shipping store, library or pharmacy
Shipping stores, office-supply chains and many public libraries will fax for you, typically for one to two dollars per page domestically and more internationally. You hand over paper, the clerk sends it, and you get a confirmation printout.
Best for: a paper-only document when you have no phone or computer at hand.
Watch out for: the per-page price, opening hours, the queue, and the fact that a stranger handles your document. For medical or financial papers that last point matters.
Option 4: a fax app on your phone
App-store fax apps work like an online service inside an app. Many are fine, but the business model is often a subscription that renews weekly after a short trial, and the price per fax ends up far above a web service. Your phone's built-in scanner plus a web page does the same job without the subscription; see faxing from an iPhone and faxing from Android.
Best for: people who fax every week from their phone and want a dedicated inbox on it.
Watch out for: trial periods that convert to a recurring charge, and apps that insert their own cover page.
Side by side
| Method | Typical cost | Time to send | Proof of delivery | Who sees the document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online fax service | $1.99 for 5 pages | Minutes, from anywhere | Email receipt and status page | Only the carrier, encrypted |
| All-in-one printer | Landline rental plus the call | Minutes, at the printer | Printed slip | Nobody else |
| Copy or shipping shop | $1 to $2 per page | A trip plus the queue | Printed slip | The clerk |
| Fax app | Subscription, often weekly | Minutes, from your phone | In-app history | The app provider |
Can you fax from email?
Yes, with a provider that offers email-to-fax. You attach a PDF and address the message to the fax number at the provider's domain. It needs an account so the provider can recognise your sending address; every PlusFax plan includes it. The email-to-fax guide explains the addressing and what the recipient sees.
And receiving without a machine?
Receiving is the one thing a one-off service cannot do, because someone has to own a number that answers calls around the clock. A monthly plan gives you a dedicated fax number; when a fax arrives, our carrier answers, receives the pages and delivers them to your inbox as a PDF. See how to receive faxes online.
Send a fax now, no account needed
$1.99 for up to 5 pages, then $0.25 a page. Upload, enter the number, pay by card, get a delivery receipt by email.
Send a faxNeed your own number? Plans with fax-to-email start at $7.99 a month. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
- How to send a fax online · The four steps from a PDF on your screen to a confirmed delivery, and what to check before you press send.
- How to send a fax from an iPhone · Scan with the built-in document scanner, send from Safari, keep the receipt in Mail.
- How to send a fax from Gmail or any email account · How email-to-fax addressing works, which attachments are accepted, and how incoming faxes land in your inbox.
- Is online fax secure? HIPAA, encryption and what to look for · How online fax compares with a machine, what HIPAA requires, and the questions to ask a provider.