The options
| Option | What it costs | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Public library | Free to a small fee per page, depending on the library | Not every library offers it; you go in person |
| Shipping or office-supply store | A per-page fee that varies by store | A few pages can cost several dollars; ask before they dial |
| “Free” fax apps | Often a free trial that turns into a weekly or monthly subscription | Check what you’ll be billed after the trial, and how to cancel |
| Free fax websites | Free with limits | Page caps, ads on your cover page, or a wait |
| Faxwell on the web | 50 page credits for $3.99 (about 8¢ a page) or 200 for $11.99 (about 6¢) | The smallest web pack is 50 page credits |
| Faxwell iPhone app (coming soon) | 10 page credits for $0.99, about 10¢ a page | Needs an iPhone |
Just one or two pages? Get the app
In the Faxwell iPhone app (coming soon), the smallest pack is 10 page credits for $0.99. App payments don’t carry the fixed fee a card payment does, so the app can sell a smaller pack.
On the web, each card payment has a fixed fee, so very small card payments cost more to take than they bring in. That’s why the web sells 50 and 200 page credits. Either way, page credits last as long as you fax once a year, so the rest of the pack is there for your next fax.
Why Faxwell costs so little
Faxwell runs on a modern fax backend. It’s cloud software that talks straight to the phone network: no fax machines, no phone lines rented for each customer, and no call center. Software dials, checks each page and retries busy lines on its own.
So sending a page costs us very little, and the savings go to you. A standard page costs 10¢ or less, and you only pay for pages that go through.
The trap: the free trial that bills weekly
Many fax apps let you send one fax “free,” then start a subscription, sometimes weekly, unless you cancel in time. If you only fax a few times a year, that’s the most expensive way to do it. See how to fax without a subscription.
Never pay for a fax that didn’t arrive
Faxwell only charges for pages that go through. A busy line is retried for about 3 hours; if it still doesn’t go through, you’re told why and charged nothing.