MetroFax review

Simple, affordable online faxing

Website screenshot for MetroFax
(Image: © MetroFax)

TechRadar Verdict

MetroFax is a good online fax provider if having a mobile app and 24/7 support is important to you. But, it doesn’t have sophisticated security protocols and could use a lot more features.

Pros

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    Mobile app

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    24/7 customer support

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    Affordable

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    Unlimited fax storage

Cons

  • -

    Lax security protocols

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    UI needs improvement

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    No electronic signatures

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    US/Canadian residents only

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On the hunt for the best online fax services? Then it’s worth taking a closer look at MetroFax.  This electronic fax provider offers affordable plans and a modern, intuitive user interface. It also comes with a mobile app for sending faxes on the go. Our MetroFax review will help you decide if this is the right online fax provider for you.

MetroFax pricing

Pricing options at MetroFax. (Image credit: MetroFax)

MetroFax: Plans and pricing

 MetroFax offers three pricing plans; Essential, Best Value, and Professional. The Essential plan costs $11.95 per month and allows you to send or receive 550 packages. The Best Value plan costs $14.95 per month and raises the page limit to 1050, while the Professional plan costs $37.95 per month and lets you send or receive 3000 fax pages. 

All MetroFax plans come with a local or toll-free number, but you can also port your existing fax number for free. Each extra page above your plan limit costs $0.03.

You can take advantage of the 14-day free trial period to test each plan before making your final purchase decision.

MetroFax 3

Create folders in the MetroFax web client to organize received faxes. (Image credit: MetroFax)

MetroFax: Features and utilities

MetroFax allows you to send faxes in various ways. First, you can use the browser-based client to set up a new fax to send to the desired recipient. The platform allows you to import contacts directly from your Google account or from a CSV file, which is very helpful for staying organized. The web client also lets you create folders and tags to sort faxes that you have received, just like you would with an email client..

The second way to send faxes is directly from your email. Just send an email to the recipient’s number at @metrofax.com and the attachments will automatically convert into a fax, while the subject line and body text will be the fax cover page.

MetroFax: Setup

Setting up MetroFax is fairly straightforward, as there isn’t much to set up. At the beginning, you’ll choose whether you want a local or toll-free number for sending and receiving faxes. If you want to port an existing fax number, you’ll need to contact MetroFax’s support team.

With every MetroFax account, you can add up to five users through their email address. However, this platform doesn’t offer much in the way of account management or permission features. The most important change you can make during setup is whether all users or only select users get notifications for their incoming faxes.

MetroFax: Interface and performance

The MetroFax user interface feels in many ways like a slightly outdated email client. You can’t drag and drop messages or file attachments, and we would have liked the ability to rename faxes to make future searches easier. It would also be nice to have image previews of faxed documents that show up in the inbox. But, these are minor gripes, and the browser-based interface is otherwise very user-friendly.

The mobile app was similarly antiquated in appearance, but we were pretty happy with its functionality. One tab in the app gives you control over the cover page and recipient information, while another tab lets you browse your device’s files or access the camera to fax a photo on the spot.

We tested out MetroFax’s performance for sending and receiving faxes and got fairly positive results. A photo sent from the mobile app to another online fax account arrived in about 90 seconds. MetroFax registered a new fax sent from another provider within the same amount of time, and an email notification appeared a minute later. This delivery time isn’t too slow but we think the platform should do better.

However, note that the service is available to only residents within the US and Canada, which significantly limits its utility.

MetroFax 5

The MetroFax mobile app lets you design the cover page before adding attachments. (Image credit: MetroFax)

MetroFax: Security

MetroFax doesn’t mention security anywhere on its website, which isn’t a great sign if you need to fax sensitive documents. The platform also does not support two-factor authentication when logging into your online account or the mobile app.

Support

MetroFax offers support via phone, email, and live chat 24/7, which is pretty impressive. The provider’s website also includes a handful of video tutorials that walk you through the process of setting up and using your MetroFax account. For example, there are video tutorials demonstrating how to add contacts, how to send faxes by email, and how to organize your inbox with folders and tags. 

MetroFax 7

MetroFax offers 24/7 support via phone, email, and live chat. (Image credit: MetroFax)

MetroFax: The competition

One of the best alternatives to MetroFax is Faxage. This online fax provider offers a wide range of plans, with a comparable option to MetroFax’s Essential plan for $7.95 per month plus a $5 setup fee.

Unlike MetroFax, Faxage enables you to add an unlimited number of users to a single account and offers HIPAA-compliant security measures. This provider doesn’t have a mobile app, but it does have a powerful API for creating custom workflows around your faxes.

MetroFax: Final verdict

MetroFax is an affordable option for sending and receiving faxes online. The platform feels a little bit outdated, but we liked that it allows you to organize your fax inbox. Having a mobile app to send and check faxes on the go is also a major plus for this electronic fax service. 

Still, MetroFax isn’t ideal for businesses that need to send and receive sensitive documents since it doesn’t offer much information about its security practices.

We've also featured the best fax machines.

Michael Graw

Michael Graw is a freelance journalist and photographer based in Bellingham, Washington. His interests span a wide range from business technology to finance to creative media, with a focus on new technology and emerging trends. Michael's work has been published in TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Business Insider, Fast Company, Salon, and Harvard Business Review. 

With contributions from