FaxBurner vs MetroFax (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, FaxBurner grades higher than MetroFax: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
FaxBurner grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FaxBurner
iPhone fax app and email-to-fax service with a free temporary number
MetroFax
Low-cost online fax by email, web and mobile app for small businesses
Which one is for you
Pick FaxBurner if
- Fits if you need to send or receive a fax or two from your iPhone
- Works for anyone who needs a fax number for a single day
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you fax abroad, as only the US and Canada are supported
- Not for you if you handle health records, as its FAQ says it isn't HIPAA compliant
- Tight if you stay free: the number lasts 24 hours and you get 5 pages to send in total
- Watch out: the app is iPhone and iPad only, so Android and computers use email or the browser
- Watch out: cancel a paid plan and your number may turn temporary again, with the free limits back
Pick MetroFax if
- Fits if you send and receive a few hundred pages a month, in uneven amounts
- Works for small offices where up to five people share one fax number by email
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want time to try it, as the trial lasts 3 days
- Not for you if you need an API, a signed BAA or a desktop app, as none is on record
- Watch out: email faxing fails unless your sending address has SPF records set up
- Watch out: overage comes from a prepaid balance that tops up in $10 steps, and faxes outside the US and Canada cost extra
- Tight if you need more numbers, as extras, up to 10, are added by a specialist after sign-up, not online
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFaxBurnerFair | 2.2GPAMetroFaxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CProfessional is $14.95 a month for a permanent toll-free number and 500 pages in and out, at the start of this category's dearer quarter. No yearly price is listed. | CEssential is $9.96 a month billed yearly ($11.95 monthly) for 550 pages, exactly this category's middle. Pages over the plan come out of a prepaid balance that tops up in $10 steps. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plan has a number that lasts 24 hours, 5 pages to send in total and 25 received a month, with no card. Enough for a one-off, and you'll hit the limits fast. | DOnly a 3-day trial of the monthly Essential plan, with no free plan behind it. That's shorter than a week. |
| Features | CScanning and signing on the phone, email to fax and back, stored signatures, file merging and porting. That's the basic job; the gaps are US and Canada only, no HIPAA, and no API or team accounts on record. | CFax by email, Outlook, the web and phone apps, a dedicated or ported number, five email addresses on one number, retries and confirmations. The gaps: no API, BAA or e-signing on record, and the plans differ only in pages. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. You sign up with just an email and get a number, then photograph a page and send it from the app. | BMetroFax rates 4.7 on the US App Store from 3,214 ratings, which puts it at B on our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and an app for iPhone and iPad, and email from anything, including Gmail and Outlook. No Android or desktop app, and no API. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plus Microsoft Outlook. No desktop app, no API and no other integrations on record. |
| Best for | the odd fax from an iPhone | a fax number with a few hundred pages a month |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: FaxBurner and MetroFax. How we grade
Price against what you get
FaxBurner starts at $14.95 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MetroFax starts at $9.96 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and MetroFax starts $4.99 a month lower. Of the other online fax services on the chart, 3 score higher than FaxBurner for less, and 2 score higher than MetroFax for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- FaxBurner also covers pDF editing.
- MetroFax also covers shared inbox.
At a glance
| FaxBurner | MetroFax | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $14.95 per month for 500 pages | $9.96 per month for 550 pages, billed annually ($11.95 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | a disposable fax number that lasts 24 hours, 5 pages to send in total and 25 received pages a month, with email to fax. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 3-day free trial of the Essential monthly plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Networx Online, Inc. | Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. |
| Price read from | faxburner.com | metrofax.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FaxBurner
- The app is for iPhone and iPad only; on Android and computers you fax by email or in a browser.
- Faxing is limited to the US and Canada; international faxes are not supported.
- FaxBurner's FAQ says the service is not HIPAA compliant.
- If you cancel a paid plan, your number may become temporary again and the free limits return.
MetroFax
- Pages over the plan come from a prepaid balance that tops up in $10 steps when it drops below $2.
- International faxes are charged at separate send rates; the free long-distance applies to the US and Canada only.
- Extra fax numbers, up to 10, are added by a MetroFax specialist after sign-up rather than online.
- Fax by email needs SPF records set up on the sending address, or the fax fails.
Key features
FaxBurner
- iPhone and iPad app
- Photograph a paper document, sign it and fax it from the app; your account and fax history sync between iPhone and iPad.
- Email to fax and fax to email
- Send a fax from Gmail, Outlook or any email app, and get incoming faxes back as email, with no app or login needed.
- Stored signatures
- Keep signatures on file to sign an incoming fax and send it back, and combine PDF, JPEG and PNG files before sending.
- Free temporary number
- Sign up with just an email for a fax number that lasts 24 hours; a paid plan turns it into a permanent toll-free number.
- Number porting
- An existing fax number can be ported to FaxBurner.
MetroFax
- Fax by email and Outlook
- Attach a document to an email to send it as a fax, or send from Microsoft Outlook. Received faxes arrive as PDF or TIFF attachments.
- Web and mobile apps
- Send and receive in a browser after logging in, or from the iPhone and Android apps.
- Dedicated or ported number
- Every plan comes with a dedicated local or toll-free number, and you can port an existing number through the sales team.
- Combined page allowance
- Plan pages count both sent and received faxes in whatever mix you use, and long-distance faxes within the US and Canada carry no extra charge.
- Retries and confirmations
- A failed fax is retried up to five times, and an email confirms each sent or received fax.
- Shared number for 5 addresses
- Up to five email addresses can send and receive on one MetroFax number at no extra charge, and the MyAccount site lets you search, print and save every fax.
Plans
FaxBurner
Free$0
A 24-hour fax number, 5 pages to send in total and 25 pages received a month. No credit card.
Professional$14.95
per month for 500 pages sent and received
A permanent toll-free fax number with 500 pages in and out a month, plus email to fax and fax to email.
Premier$24.95
per month for 2,000 pages sent and received
A permanent toll-free fax number with 2,000 pages in and out a month.
MetroFax
Essential$9.96
per month for 550 pages, billed annually ($11.95 billed monthly)
550 pages a month, sent or received in any mix. $119.50 a year on annual billing, which the page says saves $23.
Best Value$12.46
per month for 1,050 pages, billed annually ($14.95 billed monthly)
1,050 pages a month. The page labels this plan Best Value and gives it no other name. $149.50 a year on annual billing.
Professional$31.63
per month for 3,000 pages, billed annually ($37.95 billed monthly)
3,000 pages a month. $379.50 a year on annual billing, which the page says saves $75.
Ways to pay less
FaxBurner
No public discounts listed.
MetroFax
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual billing
MetroFax's pricing page says annual plans save 17%: Essential is $119.50 a year against $11.95 a month on monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FaxBurner or MetroFax?
As of Oct 23, 2026, MetroFax is cheaper to start with: $9.96 a month, against $14.95 a month for FaxBurner. FaxBurner starts at $14.95 per month for 500 pages, and MetroFax starts at $9.96 per month for 550 pages, billed annually ($11.95 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, FaxBurner or MetroFax?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only FaxBurner has a free plan. MetroFax does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do FaxBurner and MetroFax run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only MetroFax lists an Android app. Both list a web app and an iOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.