Free Fax Number Online: Receive Faxes Free for 24 Hours (No Card)
Need to receive a fax right now? Get an instant local fax number with zero cost and no credit card required. Faxes arrive directly in your inbox as PDFs. Keep this exact number anytime for $4.99 (30 days), $7.90/mo, or $97 for life.
How to receive one fax free
- 1Verify your email
We send a sign-in link. Open it to get your number. No card is needed.
- 2Get a local number
Assigned in about a minute. Live for received faxes for 24 hours from assignment.
- 3Give the number to your sender
Share the full number and the expiry time. Ask them to send the complete document before it expires.
- 4Open the PDF
Released faxes arrive as PDFs in your email and dashboard. Check every page and save a copy.
Receive a fax free online
To receive a fax free online you need a number a fax machine can dial. An email address alone is not enough. Your free SingleFax number is a real local line. The sender faxes it from any fax machine or online fax service, and the document reaches your inbox as a PDF. You don’t need a fax machine, phone line or app.
Claim the number only when the sender is ready. The 24-hour clock starts when the number is assigned, not when the first fax arrives. Free receiving covers 25 inbound pages per rolling 30 days across your claims. If the reply may take days, such as an IRS EIN letter, use a 30-day temporary fax number instead.
What’s included
24 hours free
Then a 3-day recovery window on the same number. We do not recycle it the minute it expires.
25 inbound pages
Per rolling 30 days across free claims. Extra faxes are held from $0.99 to view (same page extras as send). Make searchable is one-tap, not automatic.
Keep this number
$4.99 / 30 days, $7.90/mo or $79/yr, or $97 forever, same number.
No card to start
Verified email only. One active number at a time. Three free claims per 30 days.
Free fax number vs FaxBurner, FaxBetter, Dropbox Fax and eFax
Only some “free fax” offers give you a number to receive on. Dropbox Fax’s free pages are for sending only, and eFax’s free option is a 7-day trial. Terms below come from each provider’s own page; confirm them at signup.
| Service | Free benefit / number | Duration / receiving | Sending | Paid option | Card / catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SingleFax | Private receiving Local, private | 24 hours 25 pages per rolling 30 days | Paid separately | $4.99 for 30 days | No 3 claims per 30 days; excess faxes held for paid viewing |
| FaxBurner | Disposable receiving Private | 24 hours 25 pages/month | 5 pages total | $14.95/month | No Paid plan to retain the number |
| FaxBetter | Receiving with email notifications Dedicated toll-free | Receive from a new sender every 7 days 50 pages/month | Paid plan required | Advertised from $5.95/month | No Different sender required each week; free documents stored for 30 days |
| Dropbox Fax | Starter sending allowance Inbound line on paid plans only | 5 starter send pages, one time (do not renew) Paid plan required (30-day free trial) | 5 pages once; then $0.99 per fax up to 10 pages | Paid plan for receiving | Check signup Free users can send but not receive; no one-time receiving |
| eFax | Sending and receiving trial Assigned trial number | 7 days Up to 200 combined trial pages | Combined trial allowance | Check checkout | Check checkout Trial; confirm renewal and cancellation terms |
| Google Voice | Voice service Voice number | Not a fax service No supported fax receiving | No supported fax sending | Use a dedicated fax service | Not applicable A voice number is not a fax inbox |
Need more time? Get a 30-day temporary fax number or read the free fax services roundup. Sending one fax? Compare online fax services for one-time use. $0.99 covers up to 10 pages, pay only if delivered.
Test a fax machine · Receive by email · Best free online fax services
Not for PHI
This free number is standard inbound only, not HIPAA and not toll-free. Covered Entities and Business Associates should use HIPAA Secure Mode with an electronic BAA.
FAQ
A receiving number and free outgoing faxing are different products. Read what a fax number is or compare genuine free sending and receiving options.
- Is it really free?
- Yes. No card is required. Verify your email to claim one active number. You can make three claims per rolling 30 days, with 25 free inbound pages shared across those claims. Excess faxes are held for paid viewing; the free number is not HIPAA Secure.
- How long does it last?
- Receiving lasts 24 hours. After expiry, receiving stops and incoming faxes are discarded. You have 3 days to convert the same number to a paid product; that recovery window does not extend free receiving.
- Can I keep the number?
- Yes. Convert the same number during the active or recovery window: $4.99 for 30 days, Standard at $7.90/mo or $79/yr, or lifetime from $97. The 30-day product includes the first received fax; extra receiving is paid. Standard includes a monthly page pool; lifetime includes starter credit with further usage paid.
- How do faxes arrive?
- Released incoming faxes arrive as PDFs by email and in your dashboard. Keep an eye on the page allowance: excess faxes may require payment to view. Free numbers offer a Make searchable action; searchable text is automatic on paid receiving products.
- Can I send from it?
- $0.99 covers up to 10 pages, pay only if delivered. Free receiving does not include free sending or use of the temporary number as an outbound caller ID. Standard guest sending uses a shared outbound line. Read the pricing FAQ for payment terms.
- Is the free number local or toll-free?
- It is a local number, not a toll-free number. Give your sender the full assigned number, including its country code when needed.
- Can the IRS fax my EIN to it?
- A 24-hour number is too short for an EIN reply. The IRS says Fax-TIN replies generally arrive within four business days. Use a 30-day receiving number if you already filed, or the guided EIN filing product, which includes a 90-day return line.
Need a Fax Number for Longer?
Skip the 24-hour expiration. Get a dedicated 30-day number for $4.99, or own your number forever for $97 with zero recurring fees.
What customers say
"SingleFax made the whole process surprisingly easy. I needed to fax an EIN application to the IRS and also have a temporary fax number so the IRS could send the EIN back. I was able to get a 30-day receiving number, send the application online from my computer, and avoid signing up for a monthly fax service I didn’t need."
