Comparing HelloFax and FaxNgo
As online faxing’s popularity grows, new service providers are entering the marketplace. Here we take a look at two of those newer providers, FaxNGo and HelloFax.
HelloFax is pricier than some of its competitors, with monthly plans at $9.99 per month for 300 total pages, $19.99 per month for 500 total pages, and $39.99 per month for 1,000 total pages. That’s more money for fewer pages compared with plans that other providers offer, but HelloFax does offer international faxing, unlimited storage of sent and received faxes, and eSignatures.
HelloFax also says it offers HIPAA-compliant features, which means an additional level of safety when faxing sensitive documents like medical records. However, the company won’t sign a Business Associate Agreement, so if HIPAA security is one of your primary faxing needs, read up on exactly what HelloFax’s HIPAA compliance does and doesn’t apply to.
HelloFax has also received a lot of attention for its partnership with Google, allowing users to fax any document right from Google Drive. The company was started by Joseph Walla and Neal O’Mara, who also formed the eSignature service HelloSign.
FaxNgo, like HelloFax, has a sleek design, and is relatively new to the market. It offers only one package: for $12.90 per month, users get unlimited incoming faxes, and can send up to 150 faxes per month. FaxNgo also offers Android and Apple mobile apps. Because of the low volume included in the plan, this provider might be best for small businesses or sole proprietors with few faxing needs.
FaxNgo features include international fax coverage, eSigning, and 24/7 customer support. FaxNgo is owned by ClickMeIn, which is based in Israel.
Unfortunately, there are a few technical glitches that have made signing up for FaxNgo difficult. The website asks for a location in order to assign you a local fax number, but it has not been generating geographically accurate numbers – for example, an attempt to sign up from Austin, TX, ended in a number that’s local to Austin, MN. A few users have also noted problems with the provider not recognizing the account holder’s email, or not letting a would-be user complete the signing up process with their email address.
Hopefully these glitches are growing pains from a new company, and will be addressed quickly.
At least for the time being, HelloFax seems like a more reliable and more established service. However, FaxNgo has some promising features, and with its simple package and reasonable price, it could be a great service once its technical details are ironed out.