Which e-signature platforms include Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES), and at what tier?
Find which e-signature platforms offer Qualified Electronic Signatures and at what subscription tier they're available.
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Quick answer · the 30-second read
All six platforms compared on this site offer Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES), the highest tier of electronic signature under eIDAS, but none include it as standard, and the mechanism for getting it varies more than any other feature compared on this site. Zoho Sign and PandaDoc gate QES behind a specific tier (Enterprise, and Business/Enterprise on annual billing respectively). SignNow restricts it to Site License only. Docusign offers it two different ways depending on region. Dropbox Sign and Adobe Acrobat Sign both treat it as a separate paid service layered on top of a subscription, not a plan-tier feature at all.
What is a Qualified Electronic Signature, in brief?
QES is the highest of three signature levels defined under the EU's eIDAS Regulation (EU No 910/2014), alongside Simple Electronic Signatures (SES) and Advanced Electronic Signatures (AES). It requires a qualified certificate issued by an accredited Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP), created using a Qualified Signature Creation Device, and is the only tier treated as legally equivalent to a handwritten signature across the EU and UK. [See our What is a Qualified Electronic Signature? explainer for more information]
Which platforms include QES, and how do you get it?
Platform | Tier / mechanism |
|---|---|
Zoho Sign | Enterprise only |
PandaDoc | Business or Enterprise, annual billing only |
SignNow | Site License only, via Qualified Trust Service Provider integration |
Docusign | Two routes: a £9-per-recipient add-on on Personal, Standard, and Business Pro, or through the custom-quoted Enhanced plan |
Dropbox Sign | Paid add-on, quoted through sales, no confirmed plan-tier restriction |
Adobe Acrobat Sign | Not a plan-tier feature; requires a separately purchased Qualified Trust Service Provider integration on top of any Acrobat Sign licence |
Source: pricing and feature comparisons confirmed directly from each platform's own pricing and compliance pages, checked 14 August 2026.
Why do Dropbox Sign and Adobe Acrobat Sign work differently from the other four?
Because they don't gate QES by subscription tier at all. Zoho Sign, PandaDoc, SignNow, and (on one of its two routes) Docusign all restrict QES to a specific named plan, upgrade to that plan and QES becomes available. Dropbox Sign and Adobe Acrobat Sign instead treat QES as a separate paid service that sits on top of whichever plan a business already has: a Qualified Trust Service Provider is connected to the account, billed separately, regardless of subscription tier. In practice, this means a business on Dropbox Sign's cheapest plan or Adobe's Standard for teams could technically access QES without upgrading their base subscription at all, provided they're willing to pay for and configure the separate QTSP integration.
Why does Docusign have two different answers?
Because its UK and enterprise pricing describe genuinely different products. Docusign's UK pricing page lists QES as a straightforward £9-per-recipient add-on available on Personal, Standard, and Business Pro, no upgrade required beyond paying per use. Separately, Docusign's Enhanced plan, still a current product name, also includes QES as part of a broader compliance package. Docusign has also launched a newer, separate product line called IAM (Intelligent Agreement Management), aimed at larger enterprise agreement automation, but whether IAM independently includes QES, or whether it's only available through Enhanced, hasn't been confirmed by Docusign directly.
Our verdict
Which platform should a business needing QES choose? For a UK or EU business that only needs QES occasionally, on specific high-risk documents rather than as a routine feature, Docusign's £9-per-recipient add-on or Dropbox Sign and Adobe Acrobat Sign's pay-as-needed QTSP integrations avoid paying for an entire upgraded tier. For a business that expects to use QES routinely, Zoho Sign Enterprise or PandaDoc's annual Business or Enterprise plan bundle it into a fixed subscription rather than a per-use or per-integration cost, which will usually work out cheaper at volume. A business on SignNow needs to budget for Site License specifically, since no lower tier offers a path to QES at all.
