{"id":19265,"date":"2024-06-25T15:10:12","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T22:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/efaxunifiedstg.wpengine.com\/?p=19265"},"modified":"2025-10-22T12:05:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T19:05:05","slug":"efax-vs-fax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.efax.com\/blog\/efax-vs-fax","title":{"rendered":"The Difference Between eFax and Fax: Why Take Fax Online?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fax machines aren\u2019t your only option for sending fax documents anymore. eFax\u00ae provides a new solution to a centuries-old system. But what are the differences between eFax, a digitized version of a standard fax, and fax? Is it worth moving to new technology?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is eFax?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all know what a fax machine is and what it does, but what about online faxing? Before we can look at the difference between fax and eFax, it\u2019s important to understand what eFax actually is. eFax refers to our electronic faxing solution, which is a mode of faxing over the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online faxing<\/a> is a straightforward practice that eliminates the need for the legacy fax machine. It allows you to send and receive fax documents over the internet using phones<\/a>, computers<\/a> and tablets. Instead of transmitting physical paper files, our system operates using digital documents like PDFs. You upload your document to your eFax account and send it using our custom-built online portal. This process means you don\u2019t have to print off documents to fax them. However, if you want to fax a physical document, you can always capture it using smartphone<\/a> cameras for easy upload to our service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Difference between Fax and eFax<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before delving into the differences between traditional fax machines and eFax, it’s essential to grasp what eFax entails. eFax represents a digital revolution in fax communication, enabling users to send and receive faxes over the internet<\/a> without the need for dedicated fax machines. This innovation leverages digital formats such as PDFs<\/a>, eliminating the inefficiencies associated with physical paper transmission. Documents are uploaded to the eFax platform and transmitted through a user-friendly online portal. For those needing to fax physical documents, eFax accommodates this by allowing easy capture via smartphone cameras for seamless upload and transmission<\/a>. Now that it\u2019s clear what online faxing is, we can look at the difference between fax and eFax:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/td>Fax Machine<\/td>eFax<\/td><\/tr>
Flexibility<\/td>Immobile and heavy hardware units that often require landline connection to operate<\/td>Accessible anywhere with an internet connection. Allows for flexible and remote faxing<\/td><\/tr>
Resources<\/td>Requires ink, toner, paper and maintenance, resulting in high costs from regular usage<\/td>A totally digital format that only requires access to digital devices. Low cost and light on resources<\/td><\/tr>
Features<\/td>The ability to send and receive fax documents from other fax machines<\/td>Large file transfers, submits fax to multiple recipients, simultaneous access for several users and more<\/td><\/tr>
Legal Uses<\/td>Send and receive legal documentation through submission of signatures and reliable date stamps<\/td>Send and receive legal documentation through electronic signatures<\/a> and date stamps<\/td><\/tr>
Scalability<\/td>Purchase machines and find office space for new units to increase fax volume. Or remove old and unused units if volume decreases<\/td>Immediately purchase a higher number of online fax credits to keep up with demand, or reduce subscription size to fit your needs<\/td><\/tr>
Document Management<\/td>Print and store all required documents in physical units such as filing cabinets<\/td>Save and archive received and sent documents on secure cloud servers<\/a> for easy access<\/td><\/tr>
Security<\/td>Limited security options, leading to the potential for unauthorized third-party access<\/td>Advanced encryption, 24\/7 live security monitoring and access controls to files<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Benefits of Online Fax over Fax Machines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The above highlights the difference between fax and eFax, and the disparities in the technology that now exists. Old-fashioned fax machines were unrivaled in their day. But developments in digital solutions now mean online faxing offers a much more viable fax system for businesses. Switching from legacy fax machines to eFax means you can better support your brand\u2019s communication goals through these powerful benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n