Packetel

June 11th, 2009

http://www.packetel.com/

Company Overview: Packetel offers telecommunication services in select areas in the US. It provides long distance communications, web and voice conferencing to small businesses and individuals. Its Internet fax service lets users receive faxes in multiple email addresses.

Internet Fax Features

Receiving Faxes

  • You can receive faxes in up to two email addresses provided by Packetel.
  • Fax alerts can be sent through text messages.
  • Faxes arrive in PDF or TIFF format.

Plans and Pricing: Packetel’s monthly plan costs $3.95 a month for a minimum subscription period of three months. Optional features such as additional fax emails and fax alerts through mobile phone can be purchased for additional monthly fees.

Customer Support

  • Toll free number
  • Email

Packetel vs. Fax2Mail

June 11th, 2009
Packetel Fax2Mail
Monthly Fee $3.95 $7.95
Included Pages Unlimited inbound, no outbound pages 30 inbound, no outbound pages
Setup Fee free $15.00
Free Trial Period 2 days None
Overage Rates n/a 9 ¢
Fax Storage none 30 days
International Sending n/a Yes
Broadcast n/a Yes
Fax Alerts Email & SMS Email
Fax Logs Not specified In online account
Sending No Yes
Receiving Yes Yes
Available Numbers Local numbers Local or toll free numbers
Block Junk Faxes No Not specified
Fax Software No Yes

Summary: If you only need to receive faxes, you can use Packetel. Its monthly fee of $3.95 already includes an unlimited number of inbound pages. It includes basic features such as email and SMS fax alerts. You can use Fax2Mail if you send and receive a few faxes. Its monthly plan costs $7.95 and includes 30 inbound fax pages. Additional inbound and outbound fax pages cost 9 cents each.

Packetel vs. Faxaway

June 11th, 2009
Packetel Faxaway
Monthly Fee $3.95 $1.00
Included Pages Unlimited inbound, no outbound pages Unlimited inbound pages
Setup Fee Free $10 sign-up fee
Free Trial Period 2 days None
Overage Rates n/a 10 ¢
Fax Storage none 20 messages
International Sending n/a Yes
Broadcast n/a Yes
Fax Alerts Email and SMS Email
Fax Logs Not specified In online account
Sending No Yes
Receiving Yes Yes
Available Numbers Local numbers Seattle numbers
Block Junk Faxes No No
Fax Software No No

Summary: Both Packetel and Faxaway include an unlimited number of incoming faxes, but Packetel does not have sending capabilities. It costs $3.95 a month, while Faxaway requires a minimum payment of $1.00 a month. However, Faxaway offers only Seattle numbers while Packetel has local numbers for different areas in the US.

Packetel vs. Efax

June 11th, 2009
Packetel Efax Plus
Monthly Fee $3.95 $16.95
Included Pages Unlimited inbound, no outbound pages 130 inbound, 30 outbound pages
Setup Fee Free $10.00
Free Trial Period 2 days 30 days
Overage Rates n/a 15 ¢ inbound; 10 ¢ outbound pages
Fax Storage none 2 years
International Sending n/a Yes
Broadcast n/a Yes
Fax Alerts Email and SMS Email
Fax Logs Not specified In online account
Sending No Yes
Receiving Yes Yes
Available Numbers Local numbers Local or toll free numbers
Block Junk Faxes No No
Fax Software No Yes

Summary: Packetel is an affordable receive-only fax service with a monthly fee of $3.95 that lets you receive an unlimited number of fax pages. Efax, on the other hand, is a send and receive service which costs $16.95. It includes 130 inbound and 30 outbound pages, and overage rates of 15 cents for inbound and 10 cents for outbound pages. Efax has more features than Packetel, making it the better choice if you are after functionality and effectiveness.

iSendit vs. Packetel

June 11th, 2009
iSendit
(Fax Broadcast Service)
Packetel
Monthly Fee Not specified $3.95
Included Pages 0 Unlimited inbound, no outbound pages
Setup Fee Free Free
Free Trial Period Not specified 2 days
Overage Rates 8 ¢ per minute n/a
Fax Storage n/a none
International Sending Not specified n/a
Broadcast Yes n/a
Fax Alerts Email Email & SMS
Fax Logs In online account Not specified
Sending Yes No
Receiving No Yes
Available Numbers Local or toll free numbers Local numbers
Block Junk Faxes n/a No
Fax Software No No

Summary: These two providers are on opposite ends. iSendit is a fax broadcast service, so it will work best for you if you send a lot of faxes and do not receive any. On the other hand, Packetel is a receive-only service which lets you receive an unlimited number of fax pages for $3.95 a month.

MyFax vs. Packetel

June 11th, 2009
Packetel MyFax
(Best Value)
Monthly Fee $3.95 $ 10
Included Pages Unlimited inbound, no outbound pages 200 inbound, 100
outbound pages
Setup Fee Free Free
Free Trial Period 2 days 30 days
Overage Rates n/a 10 ¢
Fax Storage none 1 year in online account
International Sending n/a Yes
Broadcast n/a Yes
Fax Alerts Email & SMS Email
Fax Logs Not specified In online account
Sending No Yes
Receiving Yes Yes
Available Numbers Local numbers Local and Toll free
Block Junk Faxes No No
Fax Software No Yes

Summary: The choice between Packetel and MyFax greatly depends on how you use your Internet fax. If you receive faxes but do need to send them, then you can go for Packetel. For a very affordable monthly fee of $3.95, you can receive an unlimited number of faxes. This service has no sending capabilities, and therefore can potentially limit your communications. To have more freedom and flexibility, you can get the Best Value plan of MyFax. For a minimum fee of $10.00 a month, you get 200 inbound and 100 outbound fax pages.

RapidFax vs. Packetel

June 11th, 2009
RapidFax
(Standard)
Packetel
Monthly Fee $9.95 $3.95
Included Pages 300 Unlimited inbound, no outbound pages
Setup Fee Free Free
Free Trial Period None 2 days
Overage Rates 8 ¢ n/a
Fax Storage Not specified none
International Sending Yes n/a
Broadcast No n/a
Fax Alerts Email Email & SMS
Fax Logs In online account Not specified
Sending Yes No
Receiving Yes Yes
Available Numbers Local and Toll free Local numbers
Block Junk Faxes No No
Fax Software Yes No

Summary: Choosing between RapidFax and Packetel would greatly depend on your faxing needs. Packetel provides a very affordable receive-only service. For $3.95 a month you get to receive an unlimited number of faxes. This means that you do not have to pay for additional charges every month. On the other hand, RapidFax offers both sending and receiving faxes for $9.95. This is still a convenient and affordable choice for some small businesses that do not transmit a lot of faxes. It includes 300 combined inbound and outbound fax pages, and charges 8 cents per additional page.