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Quick answer: At a chain store, the first local page usually costs $1.79 to $2.19 and each page after it a little less, with more for long distance and a lot more abroad. Many public libraries charge less, and some fax free. Online, you can send a few short faxes a day for nothing, pay about $3 a fax, or subscribe: Municorn Fax is $9.99 a week, or $4.81 a week on the annual plan, with no charge per page.
Three things set the price of a fax: how you send it, how many pages it has and where it’s going. A twenty-page fax to another country can cost more than a month of an online service. Below: what each kind of place charges, what pushes the price up, worked examples, and which option suits how often you fax.
What a fax costs, by where you send it
Store figures are typical prices from our store guides; each store sets its own, so ask before you send. The FedEx Office, FaxZero, GotFreeFax and Genius Fax figures are from their own sites, checked on 18 October 2026.
| Where | What you pay | More detail |
|---|---|---|
| FedEx Office | From $2.19 to send a local fax and $2.49 to send one elsewhere in the US; from $1.59 to receive one | Faxing at FedEx |
| The UPS Store | About $2 for the first local page and $1.50 for each page after; about $2 a page national and $3 a page international | Faxing at UPS |
| Staples | About $1.79 for the first local page and $1.59 after; about $2.39 national and $5.99 international for the first page | Faxing at Staples |
| Office Depot and OfficeMax | About $1.99 for the first local page and $1.79 after; about $2.29 national and $7.99 international for the first page | Faxing at Office Depot |
| Post office | About $1 to $2 a page where it’s offered; not every post office faxes | Faxing at USPS |
| Public library | Free at 7 of the 20 libraries we sampled; the 6 that charged averaged $1.88 for the first national page and $0.83 for each page after | Faxing at the library |
| FaxZero (online) | Free: up to 5 faxes a day, 3 pages plus a cover with FaxZero branding. Paid: $3.29 a fax, up to 25 pages | Free fax services |
| Genius Fax (app) | One credit a page; credits cost $0.40 to $0.99 each, cheaper in bigger packs | Pay-as-you-go options |
| Municorn Fax (app) | $9.99 a week, $29.99 a month or $249.99 a year on iPhone, with unlimited pages | Plans |
What makes one fax cost more than another
Counters charge per page, and the first page costs more than the rest, so a long fax adds up quickly. Some online fax services charge per fax instead, up to a page limit: FaxZero’s paid fax covers up to 25 pages for $3.29, which makes a long fax far cheaper there than at a counter.
Where it’s going matters next. A local fax is the cheapest and a national one costs a little more. International first pages run from one and a half to four times the local rate, depending on the chain and the country. Our guide to international faxing covers what it costs to send abroad.
Stores charge to receive a fax too, usually per page. FedEx Office’s starts at $1.59. An online fax number receives as part of the plan, which matters if you’re expecting a reply.
And a store charges for the pages it sends, so a wrong number costs you twice. UPS Store locations say they’ll resend a fax that didn’t go through and give you a confirmation sheet when it does; it’s worth asking any counter what it does if the line is busy.
A few worked examples
Using the typical prices from the table:
- One page, local: $1.79 to $2.19 at a chain store, $1 or so at a post office, and often nothing at a library or through FaxZero’s free tier.
- Ten pages, local: $15.50 at a UPS Store ($2 plus nine pages at $1.50) or $16.10 at Staples. FaxZero’s free tier stops at three pages, so it’s one paid fax at $3.29.
- Five faxes a month of four pages each: about $32.50 a month at a UPS Store’s local rates, against $29.99 for a month of Municorn Fax with no page count.
- Once a year, one page: go to the library or use a free service. A subscription is the wrong buy for this.
Owning a fax machine
A machine only makes sense if you fax often from one place. Brother’s IntelliFAX-2840, a basic laser fax, was listed at $289.99 at Staples on 18 October 2026. On top of that comes toner, paper and a phone line it can plug into, if you don’t already pay for one.
That last part is getting harder. Phone companies are retiring copper landlines, and a fax machine doesn’t always work on the line that replaces one; our guide to landline shutdowns and fax machines explains what changes. For the full comparison with faxing online, see how to fax without a phone line.
Choosing by how often you fax
If it’s once or twice a year, the cheapest options are a library, a post office, or a free online service if the document is short and not sensitive. Our list of cheap places to fax covers where to go.
Once you’re faxing every month, or sending more than a few pages at a time, pay-as-you-go pricing starts to cost more than a monthly plan. The roundup of online fax services compares what each one charges and includes.
Municorn Fax is $9.99 a week, $29.99 a month or $249.99 a year on iPhone, which works out at $4.81 a week, and there’s no charge per page or per fax. It includes a fax number for receiving. On Android it’s billed through Google Play, where prices vary. Send one single-page fax free before you decide; EveryFax, for faxing from a computer or by email, has its own plans and a two-week trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to receive a fax?
At a store, usually a charge per page: FedEx Office’s starts at $1.59. An online fax number receives as part of the plan, with no charge per fax.
Is there a free way to send a fax?
Yes, for short faxes. FaxZero sends up to 5 free faxes a day of 3 pages plus a cover, and GotFreeFax up to 2 a day of 3 pages each. Some libraries fax free too. Our roundup of free fax services covers the limits.
How much does an international fax cost?
At a store, typically $3 to $7.99 for the first page, depending on the chain. Online services vary by country; our international faxing guide has the details.
Does it cost money to fax from a phone?
It depends on the service: some apps charge per page, others are free with limits, and subscriptions like Municorn Fax cover unlimited pages. The fax goes over Wi-Fi or mobile data rather than as a phone call, so there’s no call charge.
Sources
- FedEx Office store pages (New York, Houston and Vancouver, WA): “Pricing starts at $2.19 to send a local fax and $2.49 to send a domestic fax” and “$1.59 to receive a fax”. Checked 18 October 2026.
- The UPS Store, faxing and scanning location page: no prices listed; resends a failed fax and gives a confirmation sheet. Checked 18 October 2026.
- FaxZero: 5 free faxes a day, 3 pages plus cover; $3.29 a fax, up to 25 pages. Checked 18 October 2026.
- GotFreeFax: 2 free faxes a day, 3 pages each. Checked 18 October 2026.
- Genius Fax, “How much does a fax cost?” (updated 16 November 2020): one credit a page, $0.40 to $0.99 a credit. Checked 18 October 2026.
- Staples, Brother IntelliFAX-2840 listing: $289.99. Checked 18 October 2026.
- Store figures for The UPS Store, Staples, Office Depot and post offices: our own store guides, linked in the table. They are typical prices and vary by store.
- Library figures: our sample of 20 New York State public libraries, described in our library guide.
