HelloFax vs Biscom

Searching for the ideal fax service can be challenging. By comparing Biscom vs HelloFax, you can determine which one suits your faxing needs best.

Deployment

Biscom is a flexible fax solution that fits enterprises. You can choose from different deployment models, helping you transition your company from legacy fax machines to digital faxes. If you still prefer faxing using multifunctional printers (MFPs) or physical fax machines, you can do so with Biscom. 

This fax service lets you select from the following products:

• Biscom Cloud Fax – Fax to email solution with advanced features such as OCR, annotations, and bar code scanning
• Biscom On-Premise Fax – A virtual fax server designed to operate within your organization’s infrastructure. It can connect with traditional phone lines (PSTN) and internet-based voice networks (VoIP).
• Biscom Hybrid Fax – Also called FAXCOMhybrid, this product combines on-premise and cloud components. You can send and receive faxes via email, web client, or any application.

Meanwhile, HelloFax is a cloud fax service that lets you fax from your computer or mobile device. All faxes are sent online without the need for traditional phone lines, fax machines, or MFPs. You can send a fax using your email or Dropbox fax account. Received faxes are sent to your email address as PDFs.

HIPAA Compliance

Biscom is a HIPAA-compliant alternative to HelloFax. It is also willing to sign a business associate agreement with healthcare providers and associates covered by HIPAA regulations.

HelloFax (now Dropbox Fax) is more suitable for individual users and businesses that don’t need a HIPAA-enabled fax service. It may work alongside Dropbox’s other apps like HelloSign, but using it to fax protected health information could result in potential HIPAA violations. Another critical point to consider is that Dropbox itself isn’t inherently HIPAA compliant. You must first configure the platform to meet the federal law’s stringent security and privacy requirements.

Security

As a HIPAA-compliant solution, Biscom provides advanced security features such as activity logs, role-based access controls, user authentication, and FIPS 140-2 EAS 256-bit encryption. Moreover, the provider uses secure Tier 4 data centers.

Meanwhile, Dropbox also has the standard level of security that most businesses and users need. Its website mentions bank-grade security level security and full encryption for your faxes.

Mobile Apps

Biscom offers a mobile fax app for Android and iOS devices. The app allows you to sign and annotate faxes, view faxes, and open, fax, and save documents stored on your email or other mobile apps.

Unfortunately, HelloFax isn’t a good Biscom alternative if you need a dedicated mobile fax app. Dropbox doesn’t provide an app for faxing, but paid subscribers can use its email-to-fax feature on any mobile phone. Email to fax lets you send faxes from your preferred email client.

ESignatures

HelloFax incorporates electronic signing through its sister product, HelloSign (also called Dropbox Sign). Once you upload your document to the Dropbox Fax portal, you can choose to fill out and sign it. However, you need a separate subscription to Dropbox Sign to use this feature.

Biscom, on the other hand, doesn’t include electronic signing in its features. You have to use a third-party app to sign your documents digitally.

Integrations

HelloFax integrates with popular cloud storage solutions such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and OneDrive. When faxing, you can choose a document stored on these apps. HelloFax also integrates with Microsoft Word and the note-taking app Evernote. 

On the other hand, Biscom integrates with Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive. Moreover, you can set up Biscom integration with Office 365. Once enabled, you can start sending a fax from Microsoft Outlook. One advantage of Biscom over HelloFax is that Biscom on-premise integrates with Epic, a widely used EHR system.  

API and Developer Support

Biscom offers a REST API to integrate faxing into other applications or systems, such as ERMs, CRMs, or EHRs. REST APIs are developer-friendly and have high compatibility with most programming languages. However, it isn’t clear in its online documentation if the API is included in its fax plans or if it costs extra to access.

HelloFax is a suitable alternative to Biscom if you need API functionality. To access the API, subscribe to a paid plan and set it up according to Dropbox Fax’s instructions. API access costs $2 monthly per fax line and $0.05 a page. Moreover, you need to spend a minimum of $100 monthly.

Pricing and Plans

We appreciate HelloFax’s transparent pricing, which includes a free option. You can choose from four monthly plans:

• Free: 5 pages, 1 sender
• Home Office: $9.99, 300 pages, 5 senders
• Professional: $9.99, 500 pages, 10 senders
• Small Business: $39.99, 1000 pages, 20 senders

Biscom doesn’t publish its pricing online. You need to request a quote from their sales team.