HelloFax vs Concord

Unsure of which fax service to choose? This detailed Concord vs HelloFax comparison will help you make an informed decision.

HIPAA Compliance

Some internet fax providers say that HIPAA rules do not cover them. They argue that just like the US Postal Service or ISPs, they are merely “conduits” wherein protected health information (PHI) only passes through them. But this is not true. If a fax service stores PHI on its servers, and this data remains stored until you or the provider deletes it, then the fax service is covered by HIPAA and classified as a business associate.

Concord is the wiser alternative to HelloFax in the area of HIPAA compliance. It offers to sign a business associate agreement to comply with HIPAA rules. While Dropbox Business can be HIPAA-compliant, that does not automatically apply to HelloFax. Upon chatting with the sales team online, we learned that only its sister product, Dropbox Sign, complies with HIPAA. Here’s what they said:

No, at this moment, only Dropbox Sign’s subscriptions can be used in a HIPAA-compliant manner.

No wonder the HelloFax website doesn’t mention that Dropbox will sign a BAA with you using their fax service. Sticking with a provider who can help you comply with HIPAA and back its claim up with a BAA is better.

Security

HelloFax says it provides bank-grade level security and full encryption for fax transmissions. Apart from this, there’s no mention of its other security features.

On the other hand, Concord offers better security by employing network, physical, and logical security measures. Its data centers are in secured, highly restricted facilities with closed-circuit video security and monitoring. Moreover, access is logged and recorded with strong password requirements. This fax service also asks for authentication of identity before allowing viewing access to a confidential fax. You can set permissions for deleting, viewing, forwarding, or printing shared faxes. Lastly, Concord is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, a data security standard by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Sending a Fax

HelloFax makes it easy to send a fax in two ways: through the Dropbox Fax Portal or your email client. You can’t send faxes over a dedicated mobile app or multifunction printer. Once you register your account and agree with Dropbox Fax’s policies, you can immediately start faxing for free on the Dropbox Fax portal or using email. You will receive a confirmation email if your document is successfully sent.

As a HelloFax alternative, Concord offers more ways to fax. You can fax using the Concord Cloud Fax Web Portal, email providers, Office 365, Google Workspace, Concord Print2Fax-supported apps, or multifunctional printers (MFPs). Concord Print2Fax also lets you print faxes EHR and EMR apps that can print.

Unfortunately, neither provider offers dedicated mobile fax apps. You can fax on mobile through your browser or email.

ESignatures

HelloFax integrates esigning with a Dropbox esignature service, HelloSign (Dropbox Sign). You will be given the option to “fill out and sign” the document after you upload it to the Dropbox portal. Note that this option will require a separate Dropbox Sign subscription. 

Concord, on the other hand, misses out on offering digital signing capabilities.

API and Developer Support

Paid plan subscribers may access the Dropbox Fax API for $2 monthly and $0.05 per page. Transactions should be at least $100 monthly. The API allows you to send and receive faxes, avail of new fax lines and manage them, review a fax status, send multiple documents, add cover sheets, and identify any faxing errors.

Concord users who need the API should register on the Concord API Access Developer Portal. You can use different programming languages such as C++, .NET, Java, Perl, and PHP to send faxes, collect fax status, track billing information, and extra data. Like the HelloFax API, access to this service’s Fax API isn’t free. 

Fax Number Porting

HelloFax offers number porting, but it isn’t free. You need to pay a $60 one-time fee. Alternatively, you can purchase a subscription with an assigned local fax number from the US, UK, and Canada.

Concord allows local number porting, which is available for specific countries. Also, you must use its Cloud Fax Web Portal to initiate a request for fax number porting. You can also view the porting status on the same platform. Unlike HelloFax, this service doesn’t charge a fee for porting. It also includes a toll-free number on all of its monthly plans.

Fax Reports and Status Monitoring

Concord offers fax reporting and status monitoring when you send a fax via its web portal or email. It also lets you identify any fax numbers that aren’t receiving transmissions, provides the numbers you send to most often, and gets reports on Cloud Fax usage per user or department. 

As a Concord alternative, HelloFax sends fax confirmation to your email address. 

Pricing and Plans

HelloFax is a slightly more affordable alternative to Concord if you don’t need an API or number porting service. 

It offers four different monthly plans: 

• Free
• Home Office at $9.99 for 300 fax pages
• Professional at $19.99 for 500 fax pages), and
• Small Business at $39.99 for 1000 fax pages

These subscriptions don’t include the cost of fax number porting or the Dropbox Fax API.

Concord offers three monthly plans: 

• FaxPro 100 at $10.95 for 100 pages
• FaxPro 300 at $14.95 for 300 pages), and
• FaxPro 1000 at $49.95 for 1,000 pages 

You can also check the Concord price estimator to understand the cost for your specific needs.