What each practice management system supports

For a law firm, this question usually decides the purchase. A signing platform that does not connect to the case management system means documents moving by hand between two places, which is where errors and lost time come from. The table covers four systems used widely by UK firms and records what each provider publishes about its own integrations.

Source: each practice management provider’s own website, help pages or integration directory, checked on 21 August 2026. We have not tested these integrations. Providers change their integration lists, so confirm before buying.

How does LEAP handle signing?

Differently from the others, and it is worth understanding before you buy.

LEAP does not connect to an e-signature platform you choose and pay for separately. Signing is sent through LawConnect, which is LEAP’s own client portal, and it requires an InfoTrack account. InfoTrack is a legal services provider that also supplies searches and post-completion work. DocuSign sits underneath, and the completed document comes back into the file with a DocuSign certificate attached.

There are two practical consequences. You need an InfoTrack account as well as LEAP. And LEAP describes the signing as carrying a cost recovery that can be invoiced to the client, so the charge sits per document rather than as a subscription your firm absorbs.

What if your firm already uses a different platform?

You may have a problem. In a non-exhaustive search of provider documentation and app directories, we found no native integration with these four practice management systems documented for Adobe Acrobat Sign, PandaDoc, SignNow or Zoho Sign. We did not test every possible combination.

That does not mean it cannot be done. Some systems connect through general automation tools such as Zapier, and some firms use a signing platform alongside their case management system without an integration at all, moving documents manually. But neither is the same as a supported connection, and a manual process in a regulated environment carries its own risk.

Before assuming a platform will work, ask the practice management provider directly rather than the signing provider. The signing providers have a commercial interest in saying yes. For the underlying legal position on what law firms can sign electronically, see Can law firms use electronic signatures for client documents?.

What to ask before you buy

• Ask which signing platforms are supported on an account in your country, not globally.
• Ask whether signing is included in the subscription or charged separately, and if separately, whether it is per document or per user.
• Ask whether the signed document and its certificate come back into the file automatically, or whether someone has to save it manually.
• Ask whether the integration supports witnessed signing, if you do conveyancing or other deed work.
• Ask what happens to documents in progress if you stop using the integration.

Why does Scotland have different rules?

Scotland has its own legal system, and always has. It was never merged with the English one, so contract law, property law and the rules on signing documents all developed separately.

This means a page about UK electronic signature law is usually describing England and Wales. Most of the well-known rules, including the requirement for two witnesses on a will and the way deeds are executed, are English rules that do not apply north of the border. For the position in England and Wales, see Are electronic signatures legally binding in the UK?.

Do most contracts need to be signed?

No. In Scotland most contracts do not have to be in writing. If two parties agree, the agreement can be valid whether it was made in person, by email or on paper. Any electronic signature will do for these.

So for the everyday business of a Scottish company, sales agreements, terms of business, employment contracts, an ordinary electronic signature is fine.

The special rules apply to a short list of documents set out in section 1(2) of the 1995 Act. These are the ones that must be in writing. The main ones are any document creating or transferring an interest in land, a promise made without anything given in return, a declaration of trust where someone makes themselves the sole trustee of their own property, and a will.

What does self-proving mean?

This is the idea that makes Scots law different. Scots law asks two questions. Is the document valid? And can the document prove its own validity without anyone giving evidence?

A document is valid if the person signs it at the end. Lawyers call this subscribing. That makes the document effective, but if someone later disputes the signature, you would have to prove it was genuine.

A document is self-proving, or probative, if it carries its own proof. A court will presume the signature is genuine unless someone shows otherwise. On paper, this is achieved by having one witness watch the signing and then sign as well, adding their full name and address.

Self-proving status is not optional for everything. Documents that go into the Land Register have to be self-proving, so for property transactions it is a requirement.

What level of electronic signature do you need?

For the documents covered by the 1995 Act, an ordinary electronic signature is not enough. An advanced electronic signature is needed for the document to be valid. A qualified electronic signature is needed for it to be self-proving. For what these terms mean, see What is eIDAS? and What is a qualified electronic signature?.

The practical effect is that any Scottish document which has to be registered, and therefore has to be self-proving, needs a qualified electronic signature if it is going to be signed electronically at all.

Can a witness make an electronic document self-proving?

No, and this is the point that most surprises people who know the English rules.

On paper, a witness is exactly how a Scottish document becomes self-proving. One witness watches the signing, signs, and adds their name and address. For an electronic document, that route is not available. Only a qualified electronic signature gives self-proving status.

This is a real difference from England and Wales, where a witness who is physically present can attest an electronic signature, and HM Land Registry accepts property deeds signed that way. See Can an electronic signature be witnessed? for how that works south of the border. It does not work the same way in Scotland.

How does Scotland compare with England and Wales?

What about property transactions?

Documents going into the Land Register of Scotland must be self-proving. Combined with the rule above, that means an electronically signed property document needs a qualified electronic signature.

This is a higher bar than England and Wales, where HM Land Registry accepts deeds signed electronically and witnessed by someone physically present, provided a conveyancer certifies the process. That route does not exist in Scotland.

A practical consequence for firms working on both sides of the border is that the signing process that satisfies HM Land Registry will not satisfy the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland.

What cannot be signed electronically in Scotland?

Wills, testamentary trust dispositions, settlements and codicils cannot be executed electronically in Scotland. As in England and Wales, they need to be on paper.

Beyond that, the restriction is less about categories of document and more about the level of signature required. Most things can be signed electronically if you use the right level.

How do companies sign in Scotland?

In Scotland, a company can be signed for by a director, the company secretary, or any person the board has authorised.

An English company executing a deed generally needs two directors, or a director and the company secretary.

For a document to be self-proving, a company signature needs either a witness, or a second authorised signatory.

What does the name stand for?

Electronic identification, authentication and trust services. It is a clumsy name, and a fair warning that the law covers more than just signatures.

‘Trust services’ is the phrase eIDAS uses for digital services you need to be able to rely on. Electronic signatures are one of them. The others are electronic seals, which are like a company stamp rather than a personal signature. Time stamps, which prove a document existed at a certain moment. Registered delivery, which proves something was sent and received. And website certificates, which prove a website is really who it says it is.

What does eIDAS actually do?

Two things.

The first is about being valid. Article 25(1) says a court cannot throw out a signature just because it is electronic, or because it is not the strongest kind. A basic electronic signature is still a signature.

The second is about the strongest kind of signature. Article 25(2) says a qualified electronic signature counts exactly the same as signing by hand. That applies in every EU country, which is the whole point. Before eIDAS, each country had its own rules, so a signature accepted in France might not be accepted in Germany.

eIDAS also sets up the system behind those strongest signatures. The companies allowed to issue them are called qualified trust service providers. Each EU country checks its own and publishes a list of approved ones, called a trusted list.

What are the three levels of electronic signature?

This is the part of eIDAS people refer to most. The three levels are simple, advanced and qualified. The difference between them is how much they prove about who actually signed.

Stronger does not always mean better. Most everyday contracts are signed with a basic electronic signature, and that is fine. Qualified signatures cost more and take longer, because the person signing has to prove who they are first. For a fuller comparison, see Types of electronic signature: which method should you use? and What is a qualified electronic signature?.

Does eIDAS apply in the UK?

Part of it does. When the UK left the EU, eIDAS was copied into UK law under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, then changed by a set of regulations in 2019. The Information Commissioner’s Office calls the result the UK eIDAS Regulations.

Those changes cut the law roughly in half. The part about digital ID was dropped, because it was about EU countries accepting each other’s national ID schemes and the UK is no longer in that club. The part about signatures, seals, time stamps and the rest was kept, and still applies here.

The Information Commissioner’s Office checks UK providers and keeps the UK trusted list.

One thing to watch. UK law accepts approved providers based in the EU, but the EU does not automatically accept UK ones. It only works in one direction. See Do UK electronic signatures work in the EU? for what that means in practice.

One common misunderstanding is worth clearing up. eIDAS is not the main UK law on electronic signatures. That is the Electronic Communications Act 2000, together with ordinary case law and the Law Commission’s 2019 report.

What is eIDAS 2 and the EU Digital Identity Wallet?

eIDAS 2 is the nickname for a newer law, Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, which updated the original. It was agreed on 11 April 2024 and came into force on 20 May 2024.

Its big idea is the EU Digital Identity Wallet. Every EU country has to offer people and businesses at least one of these by the end of 2026. It is an app that holds official proof of who you are. You can use it to prove one thing about yourself, such as your age or a qualification, without handing over a whole passport or driving licence.

This is important for signatures because proving who you are is the slow, expensive part of getting a qualified signature. If someone already has verified ID in a wallet, that step gets much easier.

Two things to bear in mind. Countries are moving at different speeds, and in early 2026 some had wallets running while others had not said when theirs would arrive. And private companies do not have to accept the wallet until around the end of 2027.

Does eIDAS apply to businesses outside the EU?

Not directly, but it can still affect them.

Any business that signs contracts with EU customers or partners may run into it, because the other side can ask for a particular level of signature. A US or UK company signing with an EU government body may be asked for a qualified signature, which means using an approved provider based in the EU.

That is why the big e-signature platforms all offer qualified signatures, even though most of their customers never need one.

What each practice management system offers

For a law firm, this question usually decides the purchase. Signing that does not connect to the case management system means documents moving by hand between two places, which is where errors and lost time come from. The table covers five systems used widely by US firms and records what each provider publishes about its own product.

Source: each practice management provider’s own website, help pages or support documentation, checked on 21 August 2026. We have not tested these products. Providers change their features and pricing, so confirm before buying.

Why do US systems build their own signing?

Because e-signature has become a standard expectation rather than a specialist product. Sending a retainer for signature is such a routine part of running a US firm that the case management providers have absorbed it, in the same way they absorbed billing and client portals.

Including signing removes a reason for a firm to buy anything outside the platform, and it makes the subscription look better value against competitors. MyCase lists unlimited e-signature on its Pro and Advanced plans, which is a direct answer to firms comparing against a per-envelope subscription elsewhere.

Filevine took a different route and built Vinesign as a product in its own right, sold separately as well as used inside Filevine. That means it is priced as a product rather than absorbed into the case management fee.

How does this differ from the UK?

Considerably, and it is worth knowing if your firm works across both. In the UK, the leading systems integrate with DocuSign rather than building their own, and firms usually buy that subscription separately. In the US, most leading systems include signing, so a US firm often pays nothing extra. A UK firm usually pays twice. See Which e-signature platforms integrate with UK legal practice management software?.

One company appears in both markets. InfoTrack sits behind signing for Smokeball in the US and for LEAP in the UK, in each case supplying DocuSign underneath rather than a direct connection between the case management system and DocuSign.

When is the included option not enough?

Three situations come up most often.

Identity verification. If your work requires knowledge-based authentication, where the signer answers questions drawn from public records, check whether the included tool offers it. It is widely used in higher-risk transactions, such as remote real estate signings and financial agreements.

Qualified electronic signatures, the highest tier under European rules. A US firm acting for European counterparties may need them, and no case management system’s included signing offers them. See Which e-signature platforms include qualified electronic signatures, and at what tier?.

Signing outside the case management system. If your firm signs documents that never become part of a client file, such as vendor contracts or employment paperwork, an included tool tied to files may be awkward to use.

What to ask before you buy

• Ask whether signing is included in the subscription or charged separately, and whether there is any cap on volume.
• Ask whether the signed document and its audit trail save back into the file automatically.
• Ask what identity checks are available, and what they cost.
• Ask whether the included signing can be used for documents that are not attached to a client file.
• Ask what happens to documents in progress if you leave the platform.

What each platform says

This is one of the most common worries for anyone sending a document for the first time. Nobody wants to ask a client to create an account before they can sign a contract. The good news is that no platform requires it. The table records what each provider publishes.

Source: each platform’s own product or help pages, checked on 21 August 2026. Settings and plan limits change, so confirm with the provider before relying on this.

Why do my signers keep being asked to log in?

Almost always because of a setting in your own account rather than anything the platform forces on you.

DocuSign is the clearest example. An administrator can choose from four login requirements for recipients. The default is that no login is needed. The second option asks people to log in only if they already have an account. The third and fourth options are stricter, and mean you cannot send a document to anyone without a DocuSign account at all. On those settings, recipients must log in once per session, or for every single document.

If your clients are complaining about being asked to sign in, this setting is the first place to look. Changing it needs administrator access to the account.

Does the answer change for in-person signing?

Not for the platforms that publish a position on it. In-person signing means handing your own phone or tablet to someone so they can sign there and then, rather than emailing them a link.

PandaDoc states that in-person signers do not need an account, in the same way as remote signers. Its representative opens the document from their own account and passes the device across. One thing to check is your plan, because PandaDoc makes in-person signing available on its Business and Enterprise plans rather than its cheapest paid tier.

Does the answer change for signing inside another app?

Sometimes, and this is the exception most likely to catch out a developer.

Embedded signing means putting the signing experience inside your own website or app rather than sending people to the platform. Adobe’s documentation notes that where signing runs through its standard login process, the person signing does need an account. The email route has no such requirement.

If you are building signing into a product, ask the provider specifically about embedded signing rather than relying on what the marketing pages say about email signing. They are different routes with different rules.

Is there a limit on how many people you can send to?

Yes, and this can catch people out.

PandaDoc publishes clear limits. On its free plan you can add up to two recipients per document. On a trial you can add five. On an active paid account you can add up to fifty, and beyond that you need its bulk send feature.

Other platforms limit the number of documents you can send in a year rather than the number of people per document. For those caps, see Which e-signature platforms cap how many documents you can send a year?.

Which client documents can be signed electronically?

Most of them. There is no general rule stopping a law firm using electronic signatures. The Law Commission confirmed in its 2019 report on electronic execution of documents (Law Com No 386). It states that an electronic signature can execute a document wherever a signature is required, as long as the person signing means to authenticate it.

That covers the everyday work of a firm. Client engagement letters and terms of business, ordinary commercial contracts, settlement agreements, consent orders, and internal authorisations can all be signed electronically without special steps.

Can court documents be signed electronically?

Yes. Under rule 5.3 of the Civil Procedure Rules, if a court document needs to be signed, the signature can be added electronically or printed by a computer or other mechanical means.

Practice Direction 5A says the person’s name must also be printed on the document, so it is clear who has signed it. A signature image on its own is not enough if the person cannot be identified.

The same applies to statements of truth. These can also be signed electronically.

There are also separate rules for courts using the Electronic Working scheme. Practice Direction 51O includes requirements about electronically filed documents, including when signed originals must be kept and produced if the court asks for them.

What is a Mercury signature, and is it electronic?

A Mercury signature is not an electronic signature. It needs a real signature in wet ink.

The name comes from a 2008 case, R (Mercury Tax Group Ltd) v HMRC, in which the court said that for a deed, the signature and the witness’s attestation must form part of the same physical document. The Law Society and the City of London Law Society then set out practical procedures for signing at a distance, first in 2009 and updated since.

The Mercury method works like this...

• The conveyancer or solicitor emails the final version of the document to the person signing.
• That person prints only the signature page, signs it in ink in front of a witness, and scans or photographs it.
• They then send back a single email attaching both the final version of the document and the scan of the signed page. Together, those two attachments count as the signed document.

So Mercury solves the problem of people being in different places. It does not remove the pen. A firm that tells a client they can use a Mercury signature and then sends them an e-signing link has misunderstood the method.

One practical point. Using an e-signing platform can make the Mercury requirements easier to meet, because the whole final document is uploaded and everyone signs that same version, rather than signature pages moving between drafts. The requirements still apply in full.

What about deeds?

A deed can be signed electronically, but if an individual is signing, a witness must be physically present and must then sign as well. Watching by video call does not count. For the detail, including what HM Land Registry accepts, see Can an electronic signature be witnessed?.

Companies have an easier route. Under section 44 of the Companies Act 2006, a company can execute a deed through two authorised signatories, such as two directors, or a director and the company secretary. No witness is needed, and the Law Society’s 2016 practice note confirms the two can sign in counterpart rather than the same copy.

One exception. If a company is executing a deed by using its common seal in the presence of two directors, both directors must be physically present and should sign the same counterpart.

What cannot be signed electronically at all?

A will must be signed on paper in the presence of two witnesses who are physically there (Wills Act 1837, section 9). A temporary provision allowing remote witnessing during the pandemic expired on 31 January 2024 and was not renewed. Even during that period the signature itself had to be in wet ink.

Statutory declarations also fall outside of this. HM Land Registry practice guide 82 lists documents that can be signed by Mercury signature, and expressly excludes statutory declarations while allowing statements of truth. A statutory declaration must be made in front of a person authorised to administer oaths.

Some other document types are excluded by statute or in practice. For the wider list, see What documents cannot be signed electronically?.

What should a firm have in place?

• Decide which document types the firm will allow to be signed electronically, and write it down. The risk is not usually the law. It is a fee earner applying the wrong method to the wrong document.
• Keep the audit trail. If a signature is ever challenged, the evidence that the right person signed at the right time comes from the platform record, not the document.
• Check that any online portal you use records a real signature rather than a tick, particularly for statements of truth.
• Check that your professional indemnity insurer is content with your approach, and that your client care letters explain how documents will be signed.
• Agree the signing method with the other side early in a transaction. Mixing methods causes more problems than either method alone. 

Where does each platform store your documents?

All six platforms store your documents in the cloud, which means they sit in a data centre in a particular country. The country is important as it affects which data protection laws apply, whether you can bid for public sector work, and whether you can meet contracts that specify where information is held. The table below records what each provider publishes.

Source: Each platform's own documentation, checked on 21 August 2026. Adobe's data centre list was last updated by Adobe in February 2026. 'None found' and 'not stated' mean we could not find the information published, not that the capability does not exist.

Does choosing a region mean nothing leaves it?

No, and this is the most misunderstood part of data residency. Choosing a region controls where documents are stored. It does not put a wall around every piece of information connected to them.

DocuSign is the clearest about this. Its documentation explains that agreement data stays in your region, but when you send a document to someone in another country, limited personal data such as the signer’s name and email address must travel to that person’s location so they can be notified and can log in to sign. That information also forms part of the completion certificate.

PandaDoc notes that conversations with its support team are stored and transferred to the US whichever region you choose, because its support staff work across the world.

Adobe pairs each data centre with a backup in a different country and copies data to it continuously. The EU centre in Frankfurt is paired with Dublin, and the Amsterdam centre is also paired with Dublin. Both are inside the EU, but a contract naming a single country would not be satisfied by either.

The practical test for a procurement questionnaire is not ‘can I choose a region’ but ‘what exactly stays in that region, and what does not’.

There is a second question behind that one, which is whose laws can reach your files wherever they are kept. See What is the difference between data residency and data sovereignty?

Can you store data in the UK?

Only with Dropbox Sign, of the six compared here. It lists the UK as one of six storage regions alongside the US, EU, Canada, Australia and Japan. The others offer EU storage in Germany, the Netherlands or Ireland, but not the UK.

For most UK businesses, EU storage is legally workable rather than a problem. UK data protection law permits transfers to the EU. But some contracts, public sector frameworks and internal policies name the UK specifically, and in those cases the distinction decides the purchase.

Two things to watch with the Dropbox Sign route. The default region on every plan is the US, so UK storage is something you have to actively select. And only customers on the Premium plan can choose a region at all.

Does your region affect which features you can use?

With Zoho Sign it does, which is unusual and worth knowing. Its qualified electronic signature options, provided through InfoCert, Uanataca, Swisscom, itsme and EU national eID schemes, are available only in the EU data centre. Some other features, including its knowledge-based authentication, are available only in the US data centre.

So for Zoho Sign the region is not only a storage decision. It determines what the product can do. If you need qualified electronic signatures, the account has to be in the EU data centre. See Which e-signature platforms include qualified electronic signatures, and at what tier? for how QES is sold across the six.

What happens if you pick the wrong region?

It depends on the platform, and none of the answers is painless.

Zoho Sign allows migration between data centres, but with conditions. Documents you received from other people are not carried over, and trusted timestamping stops working and has to be set up again with a provider available in the new region.

PandaDoc runs its US and EU services as separate installations. A US account is not visible to the EU service at all, so moving means starting again rather than switching a setting.

DocuSign assigns your region automatically from your billing address or location, and choosing a preferred region is described as something customers do when working with a DocuSign representative at account setup.

The lesson is the same across all of them. Decide the region before signing up, including before starting a free trial, because a trial account created from the wrong country can fix your storage location before you have bought anything.

What should a business check before buying?

• Ask what stays in the chosen region and what does not. Signer names, email addresses, audit trails and support conversations are often treated differently from documents.
• Ask where the backup sits. Several providers copy data continuously to a second country.
• Ask whether the region can be changed later, and what is lost if it is.
• Ask whether any features are unavailable in your chosen region.
• Check the region before starting a free trial, not after.

What is data residency?

Data residency means the country where your files are kept. Cloud services store your files on servers, and those servers sit in real buildings in real countries. If your signed contracts are kept on a server in Frankfurt, your data residency is Germany.

This is a simple fact you can check. Most suppliers publish it, and many let you pick a country when you open an account. To see how the main e-signature platforms handle this, read Where do e-signature platforms store your data, and can you choose the region?

What is data sovereignty?

Data sovereignty is the question of which country’s laws apply to your data, and which governments can compel someone to hand it over.

This depends less on where the data sits than on who holds it. A company is subject to the laws of the country it is based in. If that company can access your data, its home government has a route to your data, wherever the server happens to be.

Why is this difference important?

Because a supplier can answer your question honestly and still not tell you what you needed to know.

Imagine a US e-signature company that offers to keep your files in Germany. Your files really are in Germany, and German and EU privacy law really does apply to them. But the company itself is a US company, so it has to follow US law as well.

A US law called the CLOUD Act, passed in 2018, says this plainly. If a US company is ordered to hand over data it holds, it must do so, whether that data is in the US or not. The rule follows the company, not the server.

So the German server answers the question about where your files are kept. It does not put them out of reach of the US courts. Both of those things are true at the same time, which is why people mix the two ideas up.

Is it legal to use a US supplier for UK or EU data?

Yes, in general, and most organisations do.

Personal data can move from the EU to the US under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, adopted by the European Commission in July 2023. US companies self-certify to the framework, and transfers to certified companies are permitted without extra paperwork.

The framework is valid law today. It is also the third attempt at this arrangement. Safe Harbor was struck down by the EU courts in 2015 and Privacy Shield in 2020. The current framework survived its first challenge when the EU General Court dismissed the case brought by French MP Philippe Latombe on 3 September 2025. That judgment has been appealed to the Court of Justice, and the appeal is still pending.

The practical position for a buyer is that using a US supplier is lawful, but the legal basis has been rebuilt twice in ten years and is under challenge again. Organisations that cannot tolerate that uncertainty are the ones asking sovereignty questions.

Who actually needs to worry about sovereignty?

Most businesses do not. For ordinary commercial contracts, residency and a proper data processing agreement are enough.

However, there are exceptions. Public sector bodies and their suppliers often work to procurement rules that specify where data is held and who can access it. Regulated sectors such as defence, health and financial services may have sector rules of their own. Legal and professional firms holding privileged material may need to show that no foreign government has a route to it. And any organisation with a contractual promise to a client about data location will need to check that promise against the sovereignty question, not just the residency answer.

What should you ask a supplier?

• Ask where the data is stored, and where the backups are stored. These are often different countries.
• Ask who owns the company and where it is incorporated, because that determines which government can compel disclosure.
• Ask whether any support staff, subcontractors or subprocessors outside your chosen region can access your data.
• Ask what happens if the supplier receives a foreign legal demand for your data, and whether it will tell you.
• Ask who holds the encryption keys. If the supplier holds them, it can decrypt your data on request. If you hold them, it cannot.

For what HIPAA actually requires of an electronic signature, see Do electronic signatures meet HIPAA requirements? Here we are looking at which of the platforms reviewed on this site will sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), and what it takes to get one.

Which platforms offer HIPAA support, and how do you get it?

Source: each platform's own HIPAA or compliance documentation. Docusign, Adobe, SignNow and PandaDoc were checked on 2 July 2026. Dropbox Sign and Zoho Sign were rechecked on 21 August 2026, and both publish their position directly, Dropbox on its HIPAA help page and Zoho on its Zoho Sign compliance page. The requirement for a BAA comes from the HIPAA Privacy Rule and is confirmed in guidance from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Vendor tiers and pricing change often, so confirm current terms with the provider before signing.

Why does Dropbox Sign's billing frequency matter here?

Dropbox Sign's own help page states that it supports HIPAA compliance for customers on an annual Standard or Premium plan who have a signed BAA and meet a minimum contract value. None of the other five platforms ties HIPAA eligibility to billing frequency. Elsewhere the gate is plan tier, not payment schedule.

A healthcare business on Dropbox Sign's monthly Standard plan would need to switch to annual billing before it could even request a BAA, however long it has been a customer.

Is HIPAA support ever included automatically, without a request?

No, on any of the six platforms. Every one of them requires an active request, either through sales or support, and a signed BAA executed separately from the standard subscription terms, before an account is enabled for HIPAA-compliant use. Simply being on the qualifying tier is necessary but not sufficient on any platform checked.

Why is there no approved list?

HM Land Registry sets out a process, not a product list. Practice guide 82 states directly that it does not approve or list particular signing platforms. Responsibility sits with the conveyancer, who must certify that the requirements were met. A platform with every feature can still produce a deed that fails, if the process is run incorrectly. A simpler platform used correctly can produce one that succeeds.

This is important when reading vendor marketing. A claim to be ‘HM Land Registry compliant’ or ‘HMLR approved’ is the provider’s own description of its product. No such approval exists. For the underlying rules, see Can an electronic signature be witnessed?.

What must a platform be able to do?

Practice guide 82 sets out the signing process for conveyancer-certified electronic signatures. To support it, a platform needs five things.

1. It must let the conveyancer set up and control the whole process, including the order in which people sign, with witnesses signing after the people they are witnessing.
2. It must send a one-time password by text message to each signer and each witness. The password must be at least six numbers long.
3. It must let a witness sign the same document after watching the signer, and capture the witness’s name and address.
4. It must let a conveyancer date the document inside the platform once everyone has signed.
5. It must produce a completion certificate recording who signed, when, from where, and how each person was authenticated. This is the evidence behind the conveyancer’s certificate.

Which platforms state that they support the process?

Six of the nine platforms we checked claim a witness role with text-message authentication for both signer and witness. Three do not. The table records what each provider publishes about its own product.

[Note: Every entry is based on what the provider publishes about its own product [checked on 21 August 2026]. None of it is verified or endorsed by HM Land Registry, which does not assess platforms. ‘None found’ means we could not find the feature in the provider’s own documentation, not that it definitely does not exist. Providers change their products, so confirm current capability with the provider before buying.]

Does the platform choice change if you use a qualified electronic signature?

Yes, and the requirements are different. A qualified electronic signature (QES), verifies the signer’s identity in advance through a qualified certificate. HM Land Registry accepts QES on dispositionary documents, which are not deeds, so no witness is needed and the witnessing features above become irrelevant.

What matters instead is whether the platform can issue or accept a qualified certificate from a qualified trust service provider. Far fewer platforms can. DocuSign has publicly described taking part in an HM Land Registry pilot on QES. If the QES route suits your firm, that is the capability to ask about, not witnessing.

What should a firm check before buying?

• Ask for the completion certificate from a real transaction, redacted. It shows exactly what the platform records and whether it captures witness details, timestamps and authentication method in a form your certificate can rely on.
• Confirm the text message password is at least six numbers, because some platforms default to fewer.
• Check whether the platform can send passwords to witnesses as well as signers. Some support signer authentication only.
• Check whether your firm or the signer can nominate the witness, since practice guide 82 permits either and firms differ in how they work.
• Ask where data is stored, and confirm the provider will still hold the audit record if a transaction is questioned years later.

What is the general rule of validity?

The core rule sits in section 101(a) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001(a)) and has two parts. A signature, contract or record cannot be denied legal effect just because it is electronic. And a contract cannot be denied legal effect just because an electronic signature or record was used to form it. The Act is deliberately neutral about technology. It does not name an approved signing method, require particular software, or rank one type of electronic signature above another.

What must businesses do before a consumer signs electronically?

Some laws say a consumer must be given information in writing. The ESIGN Act allows that information to be sent electronically instead, but only if the consumer agrees first.

Before the consumer agrees, the business must give them a clear statement of their rights. The consumer must be told they can have the documents on paper instead. They must be told they can withdraw their consent later, and what that would cost or change. The statement must say whether the consent covers only this transaction or future ones too. It must explain how to withdraw consent and how to update contact details. It must also explain how to ask for a paper copy, and whether there is a charge.

The business must then tell the consumer what hardware and software they need to open and keep the records. Finally, the consumer must agree electronically, in a way that proves they can open the documents in the format being used. For example, if a business emails its contracts as PDFs, the consent process has to show the customer can receive and open a PDF.

This last requirement has been challenged. A bill called the E-SIGN Modernization Act would remove it, so that consent alone would be enough. It has been introduced in Congress several times since 2020 and has never become law, so the requirement still applies.

What are the record-keeping requirements?

Where a law requires a contract or record to be kept, an electronic copy only counts if it accurately reflects the original and stays accessible to everyone entitled to see it, in a form that can be reproduced later. The Act also allows a contract to be refused legally, if the electronic record of it cannot be kept and accurately reproduced. So, an electronic signature with no reliable stored record behind it can fail in court, even though electronic signing itself is perfectly legal.

What does the ESIGN Act not do?

It does not force anyone, business or consumer, to use or accept electronic signatures. It does not change what other laws require a disclosure to say or when it must be given. It only allows electronic delivery. And it does not cover every document. Section 103 excludes wills, family law documents such as adoption and divorce papers, court orders and notices, and certain critical notices, including eviction, foreclosure, utility cut-off, insurance cancellation and product recalls.

For the full list, see What documents cannot be signed electronically?

One thing it does allow, perhaps surprisingly, is a notary’s signature.

How does the ESIGN Act relate to UETA?

UETA, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, is a model law from 1999 that states can adopt. It establishes the same core principle at state level. The ESIGN Act allows a state that adopts UETA to apply its own version in place of the federal rules. So in everyday transactions, the rules that apply are usually the state’s UETA, with the ESIGN Act sitting behind it as the federal baseline, most visibly on consumer consent and the excluded documents.

UETA has been adopted by 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Adoption took a long time in some places. Washington adopted it in 2020 and Illinois in 2021, each replacing an older state law.

New York is the only state that has not adopted UETA. It uses its own law instead, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act (ESRA), at section 301 of the New York State Technology Law. ESRA reaches the same basic result, in that electronic signatures are valid, but it is structured differently and New York state agencies apply extra requirements to government transactions. Anyone working on a New York transaction should check against ESRA rather than assume UETA applies.

Does HIPAA itself say anything about electronic signatures?

Almost nothing, which is where the confusion comes from. When HIPAA was passed in 1996, section 1173 told the health department to adopt standards for authenticating signatures in certain healthcare transactions. A digital signature standard was proposed in the 1998 draft of the Security Rule. It was dropped from the final rule in 2003, on the basis that the technology was not mature enough and the industry was not ready.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidance since then has been clear on two points. First, the Security Rule does not require the use of electronic or digital signatures. Second, no standards exist under HIPAA for electronic signatures, so covered entities must make sure any signature they use creates a legally binding contract under the state or other law that applies.

What makes an electronic signature HIPAA-compliant in practice?

Two things together. First, the signature must be legally valid. In the US that means it must satisfy the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001), the state’s version of UETA, and any state law on medical consent.

Second, the organisation must protect any patient information in the signed document. Identifiable patient data is known in the law as protected health information, or PHI. HIPAA’s Security Rule sets out how it must be looked after, and the most relevant requirements are the technical safeguards at 45 CFR 164.312. In practice they mean four things. Check who is signing. Keep a record of who signed what and when. Encrypt documents while they are being sent and stored. Store them so any tampering would show.

The signing platform is also important. If an e-signature provider handles patient information for a healthcare organisation, the law treats the provider as a business associate. That means the organisation must have a signed contract with the provider, called a business associate agreement, before any patient documents go through it. HHS has confirmed that this agreement can itself be signed electronically.

Which healthcare documents can be signed electronically?

Most of the documents a patient or partner organisation ever signs. Authorisations to use or share patient information must be in writing, but the writing can be electronic (45 CFR 164.508). The same goes for confirmations that a patient received the privacy notice, treatment consent forms, telehealth intake forms and business associate agreements. The test in every case is the same. The signature must be legally valid, and any patient information involved must be protected.

What changed in 2026?

In March 2026, HHS and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalised a rule that creates the first specific HIPAA electronic signature standard. It is known as CMS-0053-F and was published in the Federal Register on 24 March 2026. The rule took effect on 26 May 2026, and organisations must comply by 26 May 2028.

It applies only to claims attachments. These are the supporting documents that healthcare providers and insurers exchange when handling a claim, such as medical records, imaging, clinical notes and lab results. The rule adopts an HL7 standard for digital signatures used with those transactions. CMS projects it will save around $781 million a year by replacing fax and post.

Two limits are worth noting. The rule does not change anything for patient-facing documents such as consent forms and authorisations, which remain governed by general e-signature law. And the proposed version of the rule would also have covered prior authorisation transactions, but the final rule dropped those and covers claims attachments only.

Which rules apply beyond HIPAA?

HIPAA is not the only law that touches signatures in US healthcare. Electronic prescriptions for controlled drugs have their own, stricter federal rules (21 CFR Part 1311), including identity checks and two-factor signing. Records in clinical trials regulated by the FDA fall under 21 CFR Part 11. State law adds its own layer, because rules on consent and medical records vary from state to state. This page covers US law only.

Note: UK health records are governed by UK GDPR and the duty of confidentiality, not HIPAA.

What does the law require when a signature is witnessed?

The main witnessing rule in England and Wales applies to deeds. These are formal documents such as property transfers, mortgages and some powers of attorney. When an individual signs a deed, the law says they must sign 'in the presence of a witness who attests the signature' (Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, section 1(3)). In plain terms, someone else must watch them sign. The witness then signs the document too, adding their own name and address, to confirm what they saw. The same rule applies when a single company director signs a deed (Companies Act 2006, section 44(2)(b)).

Can the witness attend by video call?

No. The Law Commission looked at this question directly and concluded that 'in the presence of a witness' means the witness must be physically there. Watching on a screen, whether by video call or through a signing platform, is not enough. This is true even when both the signer and the witness are using electronic signatures. The Government said in March 2020 that it agreed. The Law Commission recommended that video witnessing be considered as a future reform. The law has not changed. For deeds, the witness must still be in the room.

Practice guide 8 does allow one exception to being in the room. A witness and signatory can be separated by glass. HM Land Registry gives the example of a witness looking through a car or house window, provided they can clearly see the person signing. The test is a clear line of sight, not a shared doorway.

Can the witness sign electronically?

Yes. The witness does not need a pen. As long as they are physically present and watch the signer apply their electronic signature, they can confirm it by adding their own electronic signature to the same document. Practice guide 82 describes exactly this process for property deeds. The signer enters a one-time password and signs while the witness watches. The platform then emails the witness, who enters their own one-time password, signs, and adds their address.

What does HM Land Registry accept for property deeds?

HM Land Registry registers property ownership in England and Wales. It has accepted electronically signed deeds since 27 July 2020. The current rules are in practice guide 82, which covers electronic signatures, and practice guide 8, which covers how deeds are signed.

The terminology changed in June 2026. HM Land Registry now calls these conveyancer-certified electronic signatures. It previously called them witnessed electronic signatures, and practice guide 82 now states that the older term was misleading, because some documents signed this way do not need a witness at all.

Three requirements apply to a deed signed this way.

The first is that every party must be represented by a conveyancer. This includes parties who are not signing. There are three exceptions. For a mortgage, discharge or release, only the lender needs a conveyancer. For an assent, only the personal representatives need one. For a power of attorney, only the donor needs one.

The second is that a conveyancer must set up and control the signing process through the platform.

The third is that a conveyancer must certify to HM Land Registry that the requirements in practice guide 82 were met. The certificate must be signed by a named individual, such as a solicitor or licensed conveyancer, rather than given in the firm's name.

The signing process itself has fixed steps. The platform sends each signer a one-time password by text, of at least six digits. The signer enters it and signs while the witness is physically present. The witness then receives their own email and one-time password, signs, and adds their address. A conveyancer dates the document inside the platform. HM Land Registry does not approve or list particular signing platforms.

Mixing signature types is restricted. A signer and their witness must both sign the same way through the platform. A signer using wet ink with a witness signing electronically is not acceptable, and neither is the reverse.

When is no witness needed?

There are three situations. The first is a company signing through two authorised signatories, such as two directors, or a director and the company secretary (Companies Act 2006, section 44). No witness is required and the signatories do not have to be in the same place.

The second is an assent of unregistered land, which passes property from a deceased person's estate to whoever inherits it. Practice guide 82 sets out the same signing process for these, but without the witness steps.

The third is a qualified electronic signature, or QES. This is a stronger form of signature that verifies the signer's identity in advance through a qualified certificate. It is used for what HM Land Registry calls dispositionary documents, under section 91 of the Land Registration Act 2002. These documents can transfer a legal estate but are not deeds, and because they are not deeds the signatures do not need to be witnessed. A notice effective from 1 June 2026 allows any registrable disposition to be made this way. HM Land Registry has said it intends to publish a separate practice guide covering dispositionary documents and QES.

Who can act as a witness?

Almost any independent adult, with one firm rule and several cautions. The firm rule is that a party to the deed cannot witness another party's signature.

The law does not prevent a signatory's spouse, civil partner or partner from acting as witness, provided they are not a party to the deed. Practice guide 8 advises against it anyway. It also advises that a witness should be at least 18, or old enough that their evidence could be relied on if the signing were ever questioned.

The witness must print their full name and address legibly on the deed, including the postcode. HM Land Registry is explicit about why. If a dispute arises about how the deed was signed, someone may need to find the witness and ask them.

One witness can witness several signatures. Each signature must be attested separately, unless the wording on the deed makes clear the witness saw every named person sign.

Which documents need a witness at all?

Fewer than most people think. Ordinary contracts do not need witnesses, so most electronically signed documents never raise the question. Witnessing mainly applies to deeds signed by individuals. Wills are the strictest case. A will must be signed on paper in front of two witnesses who are physically present, and it cannot be signed electronically (Wills Act 1837, section 9). This page describes the law of England and Wales. Scotland has its own rules, under the Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995. For the wider picture, see Are electronic signatures legally binding in the UK?.

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]

Is a QES from these platforms UK-qualified or EU-qualified?

Almost always EU-qualified. Platforms do not issue a qualified signature, a Qualified Trust Service Provider does, and the platform integrates with one. Every provider named by the six platforms compared here is supervised in an EU member state, so the signature produced is qualified under EU eIDAS.

That works in the UK. Under Article 24A of UK eIDAS, UK law continues to recognise qualified trust services from providers established in the EU. A British business signing a British contract with an EU-qualified signature is on solid ground.

However, it does not work in reverse. No reciprocal arrangement exists, so a UK-qualified provider is not automatically recognised in EU member states. A UK business signing into an EU regulator or public body should use an EU-qualified provider rather than a UK one.

When a platform advertises QES to a UK customer, it is usually offering an EU-qualified signature. So, when comparing platforms it is therefore important to distinguish which qualified provider sits behind it and where that provider is supervised. Adobe publishes the cloud signature providers it works with. Zoho Sign names InfoCert and eID Easy, and also supports signing with EU national eID schemes. If a counterparty or regulator asks a business to evidence the chain behind a signature, the answer names the provider, not the platform.

Which platforms include QES, and how do you get it?

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.

At 20 users, price per seat stops being the only question. Whether a plan can actually be bought at that size without contacting sales starts to matter just as much, and two of the six platforms compared on this site can't clear that bar on their own pricing page.

What does a 20-person team cost on each platform's entry tier?

Source: pricing confirmed directly from each platform's own pricing page, checked 14 August 2026.

Does the cheapest option come with any trade-off at 20 users?

Yes, mainly around document volume. SignNow's Business plan, the cheapest at this size, caps each user at 100 documents a year, meaning a 20-person team has a combined 2,000-document annual ceiling before excess fees apply. Zoho Sign's Professional plan, the tier a 20-person team would actually need, removes the document cap entirely, unlimited envelopes and templates, which changes its position in this comparison: it's no longer the cheapest with a volume trade-off, it's the second-cheapest with no volume trade-off at all. PandaDoc has no document cap either on Starter, but remains the more expensive of the two uncapped options.

Which platforms offer in-person signing, and what are the conditions?

Source: confirmed directly from each vendor's own site or help documentation — Docusign, SignNow, PandaDoc, Dropbox Sign, and Adobe, all checked 2 July 2026.

Why does Adobe Acrobat Sign have two different versions of this feature?

Adobe splits in-person signing into two genuinely separate features with different eligibility rules, not tiers of the same feature.

The mobile app version, "Get Signature in Person," works by handing the phone or tablet to the signer, who verifies locally by email on the spot. It's treated as a standard mobile-initiated signature collection and is available to standard named-user Acrobat DC and Acrobat Pro entitlements, including Acrobat Standard and Pro for teams. This is confirmed on Adobe's own help centre.

The web-based version, the "In-Person Signer" role, is a separate, more advanced feature inside the web admin console. It lets a sender pre-assign a hosted-signing workflow with its own audit tracking configuration, and Adobe's own documentation confirms it is restricted to Acrobat Sign Solutions and Acrobat Sign for Government. Acrobat Standard and Pro for teams do not include it.

So a business on Acrobat Standard or Pro for teams does have in-person signing available, through the mobile app, but cannot configure or assign the web console's formal In-Person Signer role. The two shouldn't be treated as the same feature gated by tier; they're different mechanisms with different scopes.

Does this correct anything published elsewhere?

Yes. SignNow's own marketing pages, comparing itself to competitors, state that "PandaDoc and Adobe Sign don't provide" in-person signing functionality. Both of those claims don't hold up against the two vendors' own sites. PandaDoc has a dedicated in-person signing feature page, and Adobe has documented in-person signing in both its web app and mobile app, albeit with tier restrictions. Any comparison repeating SignNow's claim about PandaDoc or Adobe Acrobat Sign not supporting this feature would be repeating something contradicted by those two vendors' own documentation.

Plans and pricing

Zoho Sign has three paid tiers plus a free plan, priced in US dollars with regional currency options including GBP. Standard costs $10 a user a month billed annually (£8). Professional costs $16 a user a month billed annually (£13). Enterprise costs $22 a user a month billed annually (£18). A custom plan with usage-based pricing is available through Zoho sales. 

 (Source: Zoho Sign pricing page, checked 2 July 2026)

Is there a usage-based option beyond the four main plans?

Yes. Zoho Sign offers a Custom Plan and a separate API-only plan, both quoted through Zoho sales, with no fixed monthly or annual commitment. The API-only plan is billed per envelope through Zoho Sign credits, which cost $0.10 each and are sold in blocks of 500. A standard signature request sent via the API consumes 5 credits, working out to $0.50 per request.

Getting started

If you select the Free option from the Zoho Sign home page, you are taken through to a form which requires you to offer up contact details and set a password. After completing the login, by inputting a 7-digit texted code, you're placed automatically on a 14-day trial of the Enterprise plan, with no credit card required. If you don't upgrade before the trial ends, the account moves automatically to the Free plan. This is the last overt move to tempt you into a paid package, but the possibility of upgrading remains a mouse click away throughout. The verification process is notably briefer than that of rival products such as DocuSign, requiring far less personal information be input before proceedings start.

Upon selecting the Free option, you can get started right away from a simple home page. Side by side on this page are the options of either sending off documents for signature or dealing with a document you’ve been sent to sign. If you are sending, then you are presented with a way to add documents and recipients. If signing, there’s a basic means to drag relevant files. As an interface, it’s all very stripped back and feature-lite.

If you want to upgrade to, say, Standard and benefit from more elaborate features, you can click through to a new page which offers you a four step process before inviting you to pay your £96 per user per annum. You don’t get asked for any payment details until this final stage.

Features

Document preparation

When sending a document for signature, you click on the relevant button on the dashboard and are given the chance to add a document from your own Desktop, or from the Cloud. There are also Template and Mail Merge options. You can upload from a mobile device by using it to scan an on-screen QR code.

From a bar on the left, you can select the Documents tab to check up on the progress of signing tasks, to see whether they are scheduled, in progress, completed or have been declined. Below this there is a Templates tab where you can load in any template documents you might need on an ongoing basis.

The SignForms tab is a useful feature that lets you collect signatures through forms embedded on a web site or as a URL that can be put into an email as a link and shared with anybody.

The Reports tab will give you periodic reports of all documents signed and sent for signature, useful for administrative and audit purposes. However, you don’t get this for free. If you want the Reports function then you’ll need one of the paid-for plans.

Zoho Sign supports a number of well-known document file types including PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, TXT, RTF, ODT, HTML, HTM, TEX, and SXW. When sending files for signature, you can upload up to 40 files per request, but individual files cannot exceed 25 MB and the total size of all files combined cannot exceed 40 MB.

Signing experience

As a first time signer you’ll need to go through the process of setting up a Zoho account. You’ll be asked up upload some simple credentials before you get flashed through to the main dashboard. You’ll then be able to fill in your profile and create a signature. You can choose to just type in a signature, draw your own, or upload a scan of your signature from somewhere else. You can also upload your organisation’s logo.

You are then ready to open the email or SMS link sent by the person requiring your signature. Once you have verified your identity you can click Start Signing. We tested it by sending a four page document by email. At the other end it was opened and a signature typed in.

Workflow and automation

Obviously a free subscription will only get you so far in terms of features. Those with a paid subscription (Standard, Professional, or Enterprise) can benefit from a suite of tools that helps them automate document lifecycles. You can use them to streamline signature collection through customizable routing, intelligent data-driven fields, and bulk distribution capabilities.

There’s a sequencing tool that puts you in charge of who receives a document and when. Sequential Signing lets you nominate a signing order, with the document routed to the next signer only after the previous person has done their bit. With Parallel Signing you can forward to multiple recipients simultaneously so they can review and sign at their own pace. You can trigger deadline reminders and document expirations.

Audit trail and evidence

Paid-for plans also let you generate an automated and immutable, time-stamped audit trail, and a certificate of completion for every document. The sender can log document lifecycles from creation to signing, tracking participant actions, IP addresses, authentication methods, and timestamps to provide legally binding evidence in the unfortunate event of a dispute.

The audit trail feature ensures that every action is permanently recorded. Once a document is completed, neither users nor administrators can alter the audit data. Once a document is finalised, Zoho Sign generates a certificate containing the sender's details, signer details, the authentication methods used and any legal disclosures.

This robust logging and auditing is in line with global e-signature laws like ESIGN, UETA, and eIDAS. This is particularly useful in highly regulated verticals such as financial services where authorities can demand to see that rules have been complied with at short notice.

Integrations

One of the most obvious plus points that Zoho Sign offers over more highly-featured rivals is its tight integration with the broader Zoho ecosystem, working well with platforms like Zoho CRM, Zoho Flow, and Zoho Writer. This helps with document workflow and management in the most holistic way possible, creating a link between document creation, document signing and the management of the document after signing is completed.

For example, you can automate the sending of signature requests when a process on the CRM platform reaches a specific stage. You can also automate the storing of freshly signed documents in the appropriate database, notifying internal stakeholders that this has happened.

This level of integration allows you to manage bulk signings easily, distributing a single agreement to a large list of recipients simultaneously with just a few clicks.

Ease of integration within the Zoho ecosystem is not matched by ease of integration with non-Zoho platforms. Other e-signature brands are better geared for this.

Security and compliance

Zoho Sign deals with data protection and legality issues through zero-knowledge architecture, AES 256-bit encryption, and blockchain timestamping. It is compliant with global e-signature standards and privacy regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, ESIGN, and eIDAS, and states that it is HIPAA compliant, though details of its Business Associate Agreement process are not published.

Documents are converted to PDF format and cryptographically hashed. Only the encrypted hash is stored, so that absolutely nobody can view your documents without your say so.

Support

Support for Zoho Sign comes in several tiers based on the plan you have opted for. A basic level of support is free for all users. This will allow for troubleshooting of basic issues. With a paid subscription like Standard and Professional you get a bit more in the form of faster response times, 24/5 support, remote assistance, and help with onboarding. An Enterprise plan buys you 24/7 support, an assigned account manager, and on-site assistance options for large deployments.

Should you use it?

This product is ideal for small business users and sole traders who prioritise benefits like low pricing and ease of use. For users who really only want the basics, the Zoho Sign Free plan will be all they ever require. With other products on the market, like DocuSign, it can feel as though the free plan is designed to let you test the platform out and not much more, with a tight cap on how many times you can use it.

If you are a power user within a large organisation, and need a highly customizable tool that is part of your every day armoury, then you might find Zoho Sign a bit simplistic. The only real drawback to deploying this platform is a lack of top end features. The Zoho Sign mobile app lets you sign and email documents while on the go, but it is not really geared for complex jobs.

1. George Washington — $9.8 million (£7.7m)

Top of the list by a wide margin. America's first president signed his own personal copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, and when Christie's sold it in 2012, it fetched $9.8 million, reported at the time by Reuters. The buyer was the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, which still has it on display at Washington's former estate.

2. William Shakespeare — $4.6 million (£3.6m)

Not a single handwritten play by Shakespeare has ever surfaced. All that survives are six examples of his signature, and five of those are held permanently by British institutions, including the British Museum. The sixth, the only one ever in private hands, sold at Sotheby's in 2006 for $4.6 million.

3. Abraham Lincoln — $3.7 million (£2.9m)

Lincoln's signature on a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation sold for $3.7 million at Sotheby's in December 2010. Lincoln signed 48 of these in 1864 to raise money for the Union war effort, but only 27 are known to survive. This particular copy had once belonged to the Kennedy family, a detail that helped it sell for far more than a similar copy that went for $2.1 million just two years later.

4. Albert Einstein — $2.9 million (£2.3m)

A year before his death, Einstein wrote a candid letter setting out his views on God and religion. Known as the “God letter,” it sold for $2.9 million at Christie's in 2018, nearly double its estimate, according to The Guardian. It remains the highest price ever paid for an Einstein letter.

5. The tsunami relief guitar — $2.7 million (£2.1m)

Not every entry here is a single signature on paper. In 2005, a white Fender Stratocaster covered in the signatures of 19 musicians, including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, David Gilmour and Eric Clapton, was sold to raise money for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It went for $2.7 million, a world record for a guitar, bought by a member of Qatar's royal family.

So where does the Steve Jobs business card fit in?

Nowhere close. It shares the same ingredients as every entry above: rarity, proper authentication, and a widely recognised name, just without the centuries of history behind it. Give the tech memorabilia market long enough, and a name like Jobs' might climb this list one day, but for now it's not even in the same league.

"Free version" gets used loosely across e-signature marketing. Some platforms mean a permanent account with a capped monthly allowance, and some mean a free trial that expires and requires payment once the trial period ends. This guide separates the two properly and compares what each genuine free version actually includes.

Which platforms have a genuine, permanent free version?

Source: PandaDoc Free plan guide, Zoho Sign pricing page, and Dropbox Sign's own help centre on its free plan, all checked 2 July 2026.

Which platforms only offer a free trial, not a free version?

• Docusign offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. There is no permanent free version for sending documents; a separate "Free Edition" exists for signing documents sent by others, not for sending them yourself.
• SignNow offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required, and no permanent free version beyond that.
• Adobe Acrobat Sign has no standalone free version; Acrobat Pro for teams and Acrobat Studio for teams both offer a free trial limited to 10 licences, but e-signature capability requires a paid Acrobat subscription once the trial ends. Separately, Adobe also offers a 30-day Acrobat Sign enterprise trial through its sales-led product, which includes features like bulk sending and Salesforce integration not available on the team-plan trial.

None of these three should be described as having a free version in the way PandaDoc, Zoho Sign, or Dropbox Sign do. A trial is a time-limited evaluation period. A free version continues indefinitely at no cost, within its stated limits.

Which of the three genuine free versions is the best?

PandaDoc's free version is the clearest leader of the three. It matches Zoho Sign's 60-document annual allowance and beats Dropbox Sign's 36, while being the only one of the three to include unlimited seats and reusable templates. Both Zoho Sign and Dropbox Sign restrict their free version to a single user with zero templates, meaning every document has to be prepared manually each time it's sent, with no way to add a second person to the account.

Zoho Sign and Dropbox Sign each hold a narrower advantage of their own. Zoho Sign's free version includes native apps for iOS, iPadOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. It also includes cloud storage import and export from Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, and Zoho WorkDrive. Neither feature is confirmed on PandaDoc's or Dropbox Sign's free version. Dropbox Sign's free version includes a verified, time-stamped audit trail on every signed document, the same standard used on its paid tiers. This isn't stated as a feature of PandaDoc's or Zoho Sign's free version specifically.

CRM integration is one of the features vendors describe in general terms on a pricing page, often saying "connects with your favourite tools" but without stating clearly which specific integrations are included, which cost extra, and at which plan tier. For a sales team evaluating e-signature platforms, this is often a deciding factor, so it's worth setting out plainly rather than taking a vendor's feature list at face value.

Which platforms include CRM integration, and at what tier?

Source: pricing and feature comparisons confirmed directly from each platform's own pricing page and integrations page, checked 2 July 2026.

Why is Salesforce specifically so hard to get without an upgrade or add-on?

Across all six platforms compared, Salesforce integration is treated as a premium feature rather than a standard one, and on one platform it isn't offered natively at all. It appears only as a paid add-on on Dropbox Sign and PandaDoc's Business plan. It is withheld entirely from self-serve pricing on Docusign, SignNow, and Adobe Acrobat Sign, appearing only once a business contacts sales, or in Zoho Sign's case, doesn't exist as a direct integration at any published tier. This pattern holds regardless of a platform's overall price positioning. Even PandaDoc, which markets itself heavily to sales teams, does not include Salesforce integration free on Business.

What does Zoho Sign actually include here?

Zoho Sign's native CRM integrations, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Vtiger CRM, are confirmed directly on Zoho's own integrations page. However, the HubSpot integration specifically is restricted to Zoho Sign's Enterprise plan. Documents sent through the integration may consume Zoho Sign credits; Enterprise includes a monthly complimentary allocation, after which additional credits may be required. No native Salesforce integration is listed anywhere on Zoho's own integrations page; the only route to Salesforce found is through general-purpose automation tools such as Zapier, which can connect almost any two apps that don't integrate directly and isn't specific to Zoho Sign.

Small businesses choosing an e-signature platform usually start with the price list. That's a reasonable first step, but the cheapest monthly price doesn't always produce the cheapest real cost, since document limits, user minimums, and gated features all affect what a business actually pays. This guide compares six platforms on price per user, document limits, and what's missing at the entry tier.

What does each platform cost per user, and how does that scale?

Source: pricing confirmed directly from each platform's own pricing page, checked 2 July 2026.

Does the cheapest plan actually work for a growing small business?

Not always, once document volume is factored in. Two of the three cheapest platforms by sticker price, SignNow and Docusign, cap sending at 100 documents per user per year on their standard plans, and that cap doesn't lift on any higher self-serve tier. Zoho Sign's Standard plan allows 25 documents a month, or 300 a year, well above SignNow's cap at a similar price point.

Dropbox Sign, Adobe Acrobat Sign, and PandaDoc all have a higher entry price, but none of them cap document volume on their entry paid tier. For a small business sending more than 100 documents a year per user, one of these three may offer better value overall than SignNow or Docusign once fees or forced upgrades are accounted for.

What features are missing at the cheapest tier on each platform?

• SignNow Business excludes bulk sending, custom branding, and conditional routing, all of which require Business Premium at $15 a user a month.
• Zoho Sign Standard excludes unlimited templates and custom branding, both of which require Professional at $16 a user a month.
• Docusign Personal is licensed to one user only and excludes shared templates, team branding, and delegated signing, all of which require Standard at $30 a user a month.
• Dropbox Sign Essentials excludes bulk send and detailed reporting, both of which require Standard at $25 a user a month, with a minimum of two users.
• Adobe Acrobat Standard for teams excludes bulk e-signature sending, which requires Acrobat Pro for teams at $23.99 a user a month.
• PandaDoc Starter excludes CRM integration entirely, which requires Business at $49 a seat a month.

Which platform is cheapest depends on what "cheap" needs to include

A one or two-person business sending fewer than 100 straightforward documents a year, with no need for CRM integration or bulk sending, will genuinely find SignNow or Docusign Personal the cheapest working option. A five-person team that expects to exceed 100 documents a year, or that needs bulk sending or CRM connectivity from the start, will likely spend less overall on Zoho Sign, Dropbox Sign, or PandaDoc, even though each has a higher entry price than SignNow.

Not every e-signature plan lets you send as many documents as you like. Two platforms in this comparison, Docusign and SignNow, cap their standard plans at 100 documents per user per year, however much you upgrade within their self-serve tiers. Three others, Dropbox Sign, PandaDoc, and Zoho Sign, remove that cap once you reach a mid-tier paid plan. This guide sets out which platforms cap sending, which don't, and what it costs to remove the limit on each one.

Which platforms have an annual document cap?

Source: pricing and limits confirmed directly from each platform's own pricing page, checked 2 July 2026

Why does this matter more than the headline price?

Because the two platforms with the lowest advertised entry price, Docusign Personal at $11 a month and SignNow Business at $8 a month, are also the two that never remove their document cap, no matter how much you upgrade within their self-serve plans. A team that outgrows the cap on either platform faces a per-document fee rather than a straightforward upgrade to an uncapped tier.

On SignNow, documents sent beyond the 100-per-year limit incur a $1.50 fee per envelope, per SignNow's own pricing page. This rate is stated as a flat figure across tiers, though it could change depending on subscription tier. On Docusign, the 100-envelope-per-user-per-year limit applies identically to both Standard and Business Pro, meaning upgrading to Business Pro buys extra features, not extra sending capacity.

Which platforms remove the cap, and at what price?

Three of the five platforms reviewed remove the annual document cap entirely once you're on a paid plan:

• Dropbox Sign removes it from the cheapest paid tier, Essentials, at $15 a user a month.
• PandaDoc removes it from its cheapest paid tier, Starter, at $19 a seat a month.
• Zoho Sign removes it only from Professional, at $16 a user a month, one tier above its cheapest paid plan.

For a team that expects to exceed 100 documents a year per user, any of these three works out cheaper in practice than Docusign or SignNow, even though Docusign Personal and SignNow Business both look cheaper on a bare price comparison.

Why is it called a ‘wet’ signature?

The name refers to the ink being wet at the moment of signing. The term only came into common use after electronic signatures appeared. Before that, a wet signature was simply a signature. It is also called a wet ink signature, an ink signature or an original signature.

A wet signature is usually a handwritten name. It does not have to be. A handwritten initial, a mark such as an ‘X’, or an inked stamp or seal counts as a wet signature if it is applied physically to paper and identifies the signer.

Is a wet signature more legally valid than an electronic signature?

No. For most documents in the UK and US, a wet signature and an electronic signature carry the same legal weight.

In England and Wales, the Electronic Communications Act 2000 provides for the admissibility of electronic signatures, and the Law Commission confirmed in its 2019 report ‘Electronic Execution of Documents’ that an electronic signature is capable of executing a document wherever a signature is required, provided the signer intends to authenticate the document and any formalities are satisfied.

In the US, the ESIGN Act 2000 (15 U.S.C. § 7001) states that a signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form. The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) applies the same principle at state level and has been adopted by most states.

In the EU, Article 25(2) of the eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 gives a qualified electronic signature the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature.

When is a wet signature still required?

It depends on the document type and jurisdiction.

In England and Wales, wills must be signed on paper by the testator in the presence of two witnesses under section 9 of the Wills Act 1837. Wills cannot be signed electronically.

A temporary provision allowing witnesses to be present by video link, introduced during the pandemic, expired on 31 January 2024 and was not renewed. The signature itself required wet ink throughout that period. Only the witnessing could be remote.

In the US, section 103 of the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. § 7003) excludes certain documents from its scope. These include wills and testamentary trusts, family law documents such as adoption and divorce papers, court orders, and notices of utility cancellation, eviction, foreclosure or insurance termination. For these documents, state law governs, and a wet signature is the standard method of execution.

Some organisations also require wet signatures as a matter of policy rather than law. A bank, insurer or counterparty is entitled to insist on ink even where legislation permits an electronic signature.

For a fuller breakdown of which documents fall outside e-signature legislation, see What documents cannot be signed electronically?.

Is a scanned signature a wet signature?

No. A scanned or photographed wet signature becomes a digital image. Once inserted into an electronic document, it functions as a form of electronic signature, not a wet signature. Where a wet signature is legally required, the original ink-on-paper document is what satisfies the requirement, not a scan of it.

When John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress (a provisional government in the US during the American revolution) signed the US Declaration of Independence in 1776 he clearly wanted to make a statement. His signature, while almost certainly the most famous and important in US history, was also one of the biggest. It measures roughly 4.7 inches wide and 1.3 inches tall, and is the largest of the 56 names by some distance. If all 56 delegates had signed at Hancock’s scale, they would not have fitted on the page.

The reason behind the signature has been debated for years. The legend is that Hancock signed big so that King George III could read it without his spectacles, and stood up to say so. It is a lovely story. It has defiance, and a punchline but it is almost certainly made up. No account from the time records the remark. The earliest versions appeared in print decades later, usually bundled with the claim that Britain had put a price on Hancock’s head too.

So how did the man become the word? Copies of the Declaration spread through the new country, and Hancock’s was apparently the one name anybody could read from across the room. By the mid-1800s, ‘put your John Hancock here’ was everyday American English. Cowboys in the West then somehow turned it into ‘John Henry’, a variant that is still in dictionaries and that nobody has ever satisfactorily explained.

Should July 4th actually be Independence Day?

There is also uncertainty over the signing date of the document. The official record shows most of the 56 delegates signed the parchment on 2 August 1776, a month after Congress adopted the text, with the final names added later still. But Jefferson, Adams and Franklin all insisted, to the ends of their lives, that the Declaration was signed on 4th July. Jefferson went further, claiming a paper copy was signed that day and the parchment then signed again in August. If that paper copy ever existed, it has never been found, and fellow signer Thomas McKean flatly denied the 4th July signing ever happened.

Most historians side with McKean and the record. A few side with Jefferson, including one legal historian who argued in the 1980s that around 34 delegates really did sign on the day. Either way, three Founding Fathers and the man who printed the record could not agree on when the most famous document in American history was signed, which is quite the endorsement for keeping a good audit trail.

One more twist. There is a woman’s name on the Declaration of Independence, and it is the only name on it that was never signed. In January 1777, Congress ordered a new printing that would, for the first time, list the signers publicly, and gave the job to Mary Katharine Goddard, a Baltimore printer, publisher and postmaster, quite possibly the first woman employed by the United States government. At the bottom, where she usually put a discreet ‘M.K. Goddard’, she set her name in full - ‘Baltimore, in Maryland: Printed by Mary Katharine Goddard’. Putting your full, unmistakably female name on a treasonous document was its own act of defiance, arguably braver than Hancock’s, since she was not protected by a fortune. Only nine of her broadsides are known to survive.

Lost and found

The UK, meanwhile, has been sitting on its own copies. The UK National Archives at Kew holds three of the original broadsides printed in Philadelphia in 1776, and this year gained a fourth when a volunteer cataloguing Royal Navy papers found a copy printed in New Hampshire in July 1776. It had been seized on Christmas Eve that year when HMS Raisonable ran down an American ship off Portugal after a seven-hour chase.

The captured papers were shipped to Plymouth, then to Whitehall, where a naval clerk recorded the founding document of the United States as ‘another paper’. There it sat for almost 250 years. It has now been conserved and is going on display in the archives’ Revolution 250 exhibition, the only known copy of the Declaration ever taken by military action.

And one final thing. That painting by John Trumbull, called the Declaration of Independence which is hanging in the US Capitol rotunda (based on a smaller version currently held at Yale University Art Gallery), does not actually depict the signing of the document, as is sometimes suggested. It does in fact show the presentation of the draft declaration to Congress in June 1776.

So a story full of intrigue, complication and myth. The quote is invented, the date is disputed, the painting shows a different day, and the most defiant name on the document may belong to the printer. Strip all of that away and one fact is left standing: 250 years on, Americans still call a signature a John Hancock. Nobody has ever needed to fact-check that.

Electronic signatures have the same legal standing as a handwritten signature for the vast majority of documents in the UK, US, and across the EU. You do not need to print, sign, and scan a document. You sign it digitally, and it is done.

The term covers a wide range of methods. A typed name at the bottom of an email is an electronic signature. So is a tick-box on a website, a finger-drawn squiggle on a touchscreen, or a secure certificate-backed signature generated by a signing platform. What is important is not what it looks like, it is whether you intended to sign.

Some types of electronic signature are more secure than others. A typed name is easy to dispute. A signature generated by a specialist platform creates an automatic record of who signed, when, and on which device, making it much harder to challenge. For everyday documents, a simple electronic signature is fine. For high-value contracts or regulated transactions, a more secure type gives you stronger protection.

BASIC QUESTIONS

Is an electronic signature legal?

Yes. Electronic signatures are legally recognised in the UK, across the EU, and in the US. In the UK, the law that makes them valid is the Electronic Communications Act 2000. In the US it is the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (the ESIGN Act, 2000). Across the EU it is the eIDAS Regulation. All three laws say that a signature cannot be rejected simply because it is electronic.

A small number of documents are exceptions. Wills in England and Wales, for example, still require a traditional wet-ink signature witnessed in person. But for the vast majority of everyday documents, an electronic signature is as valid as ink on paper.

What counts as an electronic signature?

More than most people expect. Any of the following count:

• Typing your name at the bottom of an email or document
• Clicking ‘I agree’ or ‘I accept’ on a website or app
• Drawing your signature on a touchscreen with your finger or a stylus
• Using an e-signature platform such as those that send a signing link by email
• A scanned image of your handwritten signature pasted into a document

The common thread is intent. You must be doing it deliberately, with the intention of signing. A signature is not valid just because your name appears on a document.

Is it safe to sign electronically?

For most documents, yes, and in many cases safer than paper. A signed paper document can be lost, altered, or disputed without a clear record of what happened. A good e-signature platform creates a timestamped record of who signed, from which device, and at what time. That record is often more reliable evidence than a piece of paper.

The level of security varies by method. A typed name provides minimal protection on its own. A signature generated by a dedicated platform provides a much stronger audit trail. For high-value or sensitive documents, it is worth using a platform rather than simply typing your name.

Do I need special software or an account?

Not for basic electronic signatures. Typing your name on a document or clicking a button requires no specialist software at all.

For a more secure signature with a proper audit trail, the kind most businesses use for contracts, you will typically need to use an e-signature platform. These are web-based services; in most cases the person signing does not need an account. They receive a link by email, click to open the document, and sign. The platform handles everything else.

Is an electronic signature the same as a digital signature?

No, though the terms are often confused. An electronic signature is the broad term. It covers any electronic method of signing. A digital signature is a specific, more secure type of electronic signature that uses cryptography to verify who signed and to detect whether the document has been changed afterwards.

Think of it this way: all digital signatures are electronic signatures, but most electronic signatures are not digital signatures. A typed name is an electronic signature. A certificate-backed signature generated by a secure platform is a digital signature. For a full explanation of the difference, see Electronic signature vs digital signature: what is the difference?.

GOING DEEPER

Are all electronic signatures equally strong?

No. There are three recognised tiers, defined in law across the UK and EU.

A simple electronic signature is any electronic indication of intent to sign, such as a typed name or a tick-box. It is legally valid but the easiest to dispute, because there is no automatic proof of who actually signed.

An advanced electronic signature is linked to the signer in a way that can be verified, and it detects any changes made to the document after signing. It is harder to dispute and is the standard offered by most reputable e-signature platforms.

A qualified electronic signature is the highest tier. It is backed by a certificate from a government-approved authority and carries the same legal weight as a handwritten signature in law. It cannot be rejected solely because it is electronic. It is typically used for high-value or regulated transactions.

For most everyday purposes, a simple or advanced electronic signature is sufficient. The tier matters most when a dispute is likely, or when a specific contract or regulator requires a higher standard.

When do I need a more secure type of electronic signature?

The higher the stakes, the more secure your signature should be. Consider using an advanced or qualified electronic signature when:

• The contract is high value and a dispute would be costly
• You are dealing with a regulated industry such as financial services or healthcare
• You are signing across borders within the EU, where qualified signatures carry a specific legal guarantee
• The other party requires it, or your organisation’s policy specifies it

For standard commercial contracts, employment agreements, and routine supplier documents, a simple or advanced electronic signature from a reputable platform is generally sufficient.

What documents cannot be signed electronically?

Most documents can be signed electronically. There are some exceptions where the law still requires a traditional handwritten signature.

In England and Wales, wills must be signed in wet ink in front of two witnesses in the same room. Electronic signatures are not valid for wills under the Wills Act 1837. Certain other documents, including statutory declarations, also require specific formalities that electronic signatures cannot satisfy.

Property deeds are a special case. They can be signed electronically, but only through specific methods accepted by HM Land Registry: either a Mercury signature (where you sign a printed page in ink, then scan it) or a Conveyancer-Certified Electronic Signature (where you sign through a platform in the physical presence of a witness). Your conveyancer will manage this process.

In the US, wills, court orders, and certain consumer protection notices are also excluded from the federal law that recognises electronic signatures.

Does an electronic signature need a witness?

For most documents, no. Everyday commercial contracts, employment agreements, and the majority of business documents do not require a witness, whether signed electronically or in ink.

Deeds are different. A deed, including a property transfer or a lasting power of attorney, must be signed in the physical presence of a witness. This applies whether you are signing electronically or in ink. The witness must be there in person; someone watching over a video call does not count.

If you are unsure whether a document needs a witness, check with a solicitor. The question is usually about the type of document, not the type of signature.

What happens if someone disputes an electronic signature?

The key question in a dispute is whether the signature is authentic. Did the right person sign, and is the document unchanged since they signed it?

A simple electronic signature such as a typed name relies on surrounding evidence: emails, timestamps, the context of the transaction. That evidence may be strong or weak depending on the situation.

A signature from a reputable e-signature platform comes with an audit trail: a record of the email address used, the IP address of the device, the time of signing, and each action taken. This makes it significantly harder to dispute. An advanced or qualified electronic signature goes further, using cryptography to tie the signature to the signer’s verified identity and to detect any change to the document after signing.

In UK courts, electronic signatures are admissible as evidence under the Electronic Communications Act 2000. Courts look at the totality of the evidence, not just the signature itself.

Does the law work differently in Scotland?

The core principle is the same: electronic signatures are legally valid. But Scotland has its own rules about formal documents.

For a document to be self-proving in Scotland, meaning a court presumes it is valid without needing additional evidence, it must carry a qualified electronic signature. An advanced electronic signature satisfies the authentication requirement but does not make a document self-proving. A simple electronic signature such as a typed name does neither for formal documents.

For everyday commercial contracts that do not require formal writing, any type of electronic signature works fine in Scotland, just as it does elsewhere in the UK.

What is the position in the US?

Federal law, in the shape of the ESIGN Act 2000, gives electronic signatures the same legal standing as handwritten signatures for most commercial and consumer documents. Forty-nine states have also adopted the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), which covers transactions within individual states.

The ESIGN Act excludes a limited number of document types: wills, adoption and divorce documents, and certain consumer protection notices. For everything else, an electronic signature is fully valid.

Illinois and New York have their own state electronic signature laws rather than UETA, though the practical effect for most signers is similar. If you are signing a document with specific state-law implications, it is worth checking the rules for that state.

Legislative references

Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the following primary sources.

UK

Electronic Communications Act 2000 (c. 7), s. 7 - makes electronic signatures admissible as evidence in UK proceedings. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/7

Wills Act 1837 - requires wet-ink witnessing for wills in England and Wales. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Will4and1Vict/7/26/section/9  

Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, s. 1(3) - requires physical witness presence for deeds. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/34

HM Land Registry, Practice Guide 82 (updated 7 July 2025) - Mercury signatures and CCES; physical witness required; QES pilot. gov.uk — Practice Guide 82

Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995; Electronic Documents (Scotland) Regulations 2014 (SSI 2014/83) - self-proving status requires a qualified electronic signature in Scotland. legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2014/83

Law Commission, Electronic Execution of Documents, Law Com No 386 (2019) - confirms electronic signatures valid for deeds; physical witness presence required. lawcom.gov.uk — Electronic Execution of Documents

Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (c. 18), Part 2 - Digital Verification Services (DVS) framework; OfDIA. In force 1 December 2025. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/18/part/2

EU

eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 - defines simple, advanced, and qualified electronic signatures. Article 25(2): qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature across all EU member states. eur-lex.europa.eu — CELEX:32014R0910

Note: eIDAS 2.0 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183) does not apply to the UK. EU member states must provide digital identity wallets to citizens by end of 2026.

US

ESIGN Act 2000, 15 U.S.C. §§ 7001–7031 - electronic signatures legally equivalent to handwritten signatures in interstate and foreign commerce. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/7001 

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) - adopted by 49 states and the District of Columbia. uniformlaws.org — UETA adoption table

All information on this page was accurate as of May 2026. Produced by Signatures.com, an independent editorial authority. Not legal advice.

Before Brexit, the UK was part of the EU’s eIDAS system - a shared set of rules that gave electronic and digital signatures the same legal standing across all member states. A qualified digital signature issued by a UK trust service provider was automatically recognised in France, Germany, or any other EU country, and vice versa.

That automatic recognition ended when the UK left the EU. The UK kept the rules, writing them into UK law but it is no longer part of the EU’s mutual recognition network. The two systems now run in parallel, with similar rules but no formal connection between them.

For most organisations, this is not a day-to-day problem. A standard electronic signature, such as a typed name or a platform-generated signature, is legally valid on both sides of the Channel regardless of where the certificate comes from. The gap becomes relevant at the highest level of digital signature, where the formal guarantee of legal equivalence to a handwritten signature depends on which trusted list the certificate authority appears on.

Where things stand today

Basic Questions

Does Brexit mean my electronic signature is no longer valid in the EU?

No. Electronic signatures remain legally valid across the EU regardless of where you are based or where your signing platform is registered. The EU’s eIDAS rules say that an electronic signature cannot be rejected solely because it is electronic. That applies to signatures from UK-based signers as much as anyone else.

What changed after Brexit is the automatic mutual recognition of trust service providers at the highest tier. A qualified digital signature certificate issued by a UK provider is not automatically on the EU’s trusted list. That does not make the signature invalid, it means the formal legal guarantee of equivalence to a handwritten signature, which eIDAS provides across all EU member states, may not automatically apply.

What is the practical effect for most people?

For the vast majority of documents, such as commercial contracts, supplier agreements, and employment documents, there is no practical difference. Both sides accept electronic signatures, and neither system requires a qualified certificate for everyday transactions.

The gap matters most when you are signing a document that specifically requires the highest level of digital signature (a qualified electronic signature) because that guarantee of legal equivalence depends on the certificate being from a trusted list provider in the relevant jurisdiction. Organisations operating across both the UK and EU on regulated or high-value transactions are most likely to encounter this.

Are the rules the same in the UK and EU?

Broadly yes, but they are no longer linked. The UK kept the original eIDAS rules when it left the EU, so the three tiers of signature - simple, advanced, and qualified - are defined the same way on both sides. The key difference is that the UK and EU now maintain separate trusted lists of approved certificate authorities, and certificates from one list are not automatically recognised on the other.

The EU has also updated its rules since Brexit through eIDAS 2.0, which came into force in May 2024 and includes plans for a mandatory EU Digital Identity Wallet by end of 2026. The UK has not adopted these changes and is developing its own separate framework.

Going Deeper

What is the EU Digital Identity Wallet and how does it change things?

The EU Digital Identity Wallet is a new digital tool that every EU member state must make available to its citizens, residents, and businesses by the end of 2026. It is part of the updated eIDAS framework, known as eIDAS 2.0.

The wallet is a single app that lets people store and share their verified identity and other personal attributes, such as a driving licence, professional qualification, or bank account details, securely and selectively. Rather than handing over a full set of personal documents, a person can share only what is needed for a specific transaction.

For electronic signatures specifically, the wallet will allow EU citizens to use a qualified digital signature free of charge for personal use. Businesses that fall into certain categories, including large online platforms and banks, will be required to accept the wallet for verification and signing purposes.

The UK is not part of this system. UK citizens will not have access to an EU Digital Identity Wallet, and UK organisations are not subject to the acceptance obligations that apply to EU businesses. The UK is developing its own separate digital identity framework - the Digital Verification Services (DVS) trust framework under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 - but this is a different system with a different purpose and no formal connection to the EU wallet.

What is the UK’s Digital Verification Services framework?

The Digital Verification Services (DVS) trust framework is the UK’s approach to digital identity verification. It was established by Part 2 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and came into force in December 2025, overseen by the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA) within the government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The DVS framework is a voluntary system. Providers of digital identity checking services can apply to be assessed against the government’s standards, and those that pass receive a trust mark and appear on a public register. This allows businesses and individuals to identify which digital identity services are reliable.

The DVS framework is about proving who you are digitally rather than about electronic signatures specifically. It is the UK’s equivalent in spirit, to parts of what the EU is doing with its wallet, but it covers a narrower scope and operates on a voluntary rather than mandatory basis. The two systems are not connected.

Could UK and EU signatures become mutually recognised in the future?

Possibly. The EU’s updated eIDAS framework includes a provision allowing the European Commission to assess whether trust frameworks in non-EU countries (known as third countries) are equivalent to the EU system. If a country’s framework is found to be equivalent, its trust service providers could be recognised within the EU’s system.

This has not happened for the UK, and there is no confirmed timeline for it to do so. The UK and EU are taking different approaches. The EU’s is mandatory and harmonised, the UK’s is voluntary and market-led. This is an area that is likely to develop over the coming years, particularly as the EU wallet rolls out and the UK DVS framework matures.

Does the industry I work in affect any of this?

Yes. The significance of the UK/EU gap varies considerably depending on sector. For a business that only signs commercial contracts, the gap is largely theoretical. Standard electronic signatures work on both sides without any issue.

For organisations in regulated industries, including financial services, healthcare and legal services, the picture is more complex. Some sectors have specific requirements for the type of signature or identity verification used, and these requirements may differ between the UK and EU. In financial services, for example, the EU’s new anti-money laundering rules require eIDAS-compliant digital identity for certain onboarding processes by 2027. A UK-based firm providing services into the EU needs to understand how those requirements apply to them.

Signatures.com is producing a series of industry-specific guides covering how these rules apply in different sectors. These will be published over the coming months.

What is a trusted list and why does it matter?

A trusted list is a government-maintained register of approved organisations, called trust service providers, that are authorised to issue qualified digital signature certificates. In the EU, each member state maintains its own trusted list, and together they form a network of mutually recognised providers. In the UK, the trusted list is maintained by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). (Note: this is being renamed the Information Commission later this year).

The trusted list is important because a qualified digital signature (the highest legal tier) must be backed by a certificate from a provider on the relevant trusted list. A certificate from a UK-listed provider gives a signature its qualified status under UK law. A certificate from an EU-listed provider gives it qualified status across EU member states. A certificate from a provider on neither list does not qualify as a qualified electronic signature under either framework, even if the underlying technology is identical.

For organisations operating across both the UK and EU, using a provider that appears on both trusted lists (or using separate certificates for each jurisdiction) is the way to ensure the highest level of recognition on both sides.

Legislative references

Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the following primary sources.

UK

Electronic Communications Act 2000 (c. 7), s. 7 - makes electronic signatures admissible as evidence in UK proceedings. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/7

Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/696) - brings the original eIDAS framework into UK law; establishes the UK trusted list. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/696

Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (c. 18), Part 2 - establishes the Digital Verification Services (DVS) trust framework; OfDIA. In force 1 December 2025. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/18/part/2

EU

eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 - establishes the three tiers of electronic signature; Article 25(2): qualified signature legally equivalent to handwritten signature across all EU member states; mutual recognition of trust service providers. eur-lex.europa.eu — CELEX:32014R0910

Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 (eIDAS 2.0) - amends eIDAS; mandates EU Digital Identity Wallet available to all EU citizens by end of 2026; qualified signatures free of charge for individual non-professional use; acceptance obligations on large online platforms and regulated service providers. Does not apply to the UK. eur-lex.europa.eu — CELEX:32024R1183

Sources cited in preparing this page

Kennedys Law, ‘The European Digital Identity Framework: introducing the new EU Digital Identity Wallet’ (2026) - analysis of eIDAS 2.0 and comparison with the UK DVS framework.

EY, ‘The new EU AML rules and digital onboarding’ (February 2026) - confirms eIDAS 2.0 requirements for financial institutions and the end-2026 wallet deadline.

All information on this page was accurate as of May 2026. Produced by Signatures.com, an independent editorial authority. Not legal advice.

The five methods at a glance

The table below gives the key details for each method.

Each method in detail

1. Typing your name

You type your name into a designated field. The platform or document may style it automatically in a cursive or signature-like font, or it may appear exactly as you typed it.

This is the simplest electronic signature. It is legally valid. A typed name is an electronic signature under UK, EU, and US law and requires no software beyond a keyboard.

The limitation is evidence. Anyone could type your name. If a dispute arises, proving that it was you who typed it relies on surrounding context: the email thread, the timestamp, the circumstances of the transaction. There is no automatic record embedded in the document itself.

Best used for: low-value internal documents, quick approvals, situations where both parties know each other and a dispute is unlikely.

2. Drawing your signature

You draw your signature directly onto the document using a mouse on a desktop, or your finger or a stylus on a touchscreen. The result looks more like a traditional signature than a typed name.

Like a typed name, a drawn signature is legally valid but provides limited evidence of identity on its own. The visual resemblance to a handwritten signature does not make it more secure. Anyone with access to your device or a screenshot of your signature could reproduce it.

Where a drawn signature has practical value is familiarity and feel. Many people find it more natural, and for touchscreen users it is often the most convenient method. On a phone or tablet it takes seconds.

Best used for: the same situations as a typed name, such as everyday documents where the identity of the signer is not likely to be challenged.

3. Uploading an image of your signature

You upload a photograph, scan, or digital image of your handwritten signature. The image is placed onto the document in the designated signature field.

This method is common when someone wants their electronic signature to look identical to their physical one, or when they have an existing signature image file they use regularly.

The security limitation is the same as for typed and drawn signatures. An image file can be copied and reused by anyone who has access to it. Placing the image on a document does not prove that the image’s owner authorised the signing.

Best used for: documents where appearance matters and the parties involved trust each other. Not recommended for high-value or regulated transactions.

4. Platform-generated signature

This is the method most businesses use for day-to-day contracts and agreements. You sign through a dedicated e-signature platform, which captures your signature (whether typed, drawn, or pre-set) and embeds it in the document alongside a detailed audit trail.

The audit trail is what makes this method significantly stronger than the first three. The platform records:

• The email address used to access the document
• The IP address and device used
• The date and time of each action
• A log of every step taken during the signing process

This record is stored separately from the document itself and can be produced as evidence if the signature is ever challenged. It does not prove identity in the way a government-issued ID does, but it makes a successful challenge significantly harder.

Most platform-generated signatures qualify as advanced electronic signatures under the eIDAS framework meaning they are uniquely linked to the signer and detect any change to the document after signing.

Best used for: the vast majority of business documents, such as employment contracts, supplier agreements, non-disclosure agreements, service contracts, and any commercial document where a record of the signing is important.

5. Digital signature

A digital signature uses cryptography to do two things that no other method can: prove conclusively who signed, and detect any change to the document after signing.

When you apply a digital signature, the software creates a unique fingerprint of the document at that exact moment and locks it to your verified identity using a certificate issued by a government-approved authority. If anyone changes even a single word after you sign, the fingerprint no longer matches and the signature shows as invalid.

At the highest level, the certificate requires verified identity checks before it is issued, similar to opening a bank account. A qualified digital signature carries exactly the same legal weight as a handwritten signature in UK and EU law.

Best used for: property transactions, high-value contracts, regulated documents, cross-border EU transactions, and any situation where the identity of the signer and the integrity of the document must be provable beyond reasonable doubt.

For more detail on how digital signatures work, see What is a digital signature?.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Does it matter which method I use?

For most everyday documents, no. All five methods are legally valid electronic signatures, and the law does not require you to use a more secure method than the situation demands.

It starts to matter when a dispute is likely, when a regulator requires a specific standard, or when the document is high value. In those cases, a platform-generated or digital signature gives you much stronger evidence than a typed name or drawn squiggle.

Are all five methods legally valid?

Yes. Under the Electronic Communications Act 2000 in the UK, the ESIGN Act 2000 in the US, and the eIDAS Regulation in the EU, none of these methods can be rejected solely because it is electronic. The law does not prescribe which method you must use for most documents.

The exception is a small number of documents, such as wills in England and Wales, for example. These still require a wet-ink signature. The method of electronic signing is irrelevant for those documents because electronic signing is not permitted at all. See What documents cannot be signed electronically?.

Which method is most commonly used?

For individual use, typing your name or drawing your signature is most common. For business use, platform-generated signatures are the standard. Most organisations that send contracts electronically use a dedicated e-signature platform that handles the audit trail automatically.

Digital signatures with certificates are most common in regulated industries, high-value transactions, and cross-border EU documents where a qualified signature is required.

Can I use different methods on the same document?

In most cases yes. Different parties to a contract can sign using different methods. There is no general rule requiring everyone to use the same approach.

The exception is property deeds submitted to HM Land Registry, where the signatory and their witness must both sign through the same platform using the same method. See What documents cannot be signed electronically? for more on deeds.

Is a drawn signature more legally valid than a typed one?

No. The visual similarity to a handwritten signature does not affect its legal standing. A typed name and a drawn signature are both simple electronic signatures. Neither is inherently more valid or more secure than the other.

What matters legally is intent to sign. What matters evidentially is the audit trail attached to the signature. A drawn signature with no platform audit trail is no stronger than a typed name in a dispute.

The question of whether a document can be signed electronically is really two separate questions. The first is whether electronic signing is permitted at all. The second is whether there are conditions attached, such as the need for a witness, or a particular type of signature.

For most documents, the answer to both questions is straightforward. For a smaller group, mainly formal legal documents and property transactions, the conditions are important and vary depending on where you are.

The table below covers the most commonly asked-about document types. The questions that follow explain the detail behind the most important categories.

Document types at a glance

Green: electronic signatures permitted without restriction. Red: not permitted electronically. Amber: permitted but specific conditions apply.

Basic Questions

Can I sign a will electronically?

No, not in the UK or the US. A will requires a wet-ink signature witnessed in person by two people who are both present at the same time. This is a long-standing legal requirement and it applies regardless of how straightforward the will is.

In England and Wales this rule comes from the Wills Act 1837. A temporary exception was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic allowing wills to be witnessed by video call, but that exception expired in January 2022 and no longer applies. In Scotland the position is the same. In the US, wills are explicitly excluded from the federal law that permits electronic signatures.

If you sign a will electronically it will not be valid. Your estate could be treated as if you had no will at all.

Can I sign a property deed electronically?

Yes, but only in specific ways. A deed, including a property transfer, a mortgage, or a lease, must be signed in the physical presence of a witness. That requirement applies whether you sign electronically or in ink. Remote or video witnessing is not accepted.

In England and Wales, HM Land Registry accepts two methods. A Mercury signature is where you print the document, sign it in ink in front of a witness, then scan it. A Conveyancer-Certified Electronic Signature (CCES) is where you sign through a platform, again in the physical presence of a witness, with your conveyancer certifying the process was followed correctly. Your conveyancer will manage whichever method applies to your transaction.

A simple electronic signature, such as a typed name, is not sufficient for a deed, even though it is legally valid for most other documents.

Can I sign an employment contract electronically?

Yes. Employment contracts can be signed electronically in the UK and the US without any restrictions. There is no requirement for a witness, a specific type of signature, or a particular platform. A typed name, a platform-generated signature, or any other electronic method is valid.

Some employment documents, such as a settlement agreement in the UK, require the employee to have received independent legal advice before signing, but this is about the advice requirement, not the signature. The signature itself can still be electronic.

Can I sign a power of attorney electronically?

It depends on the type. An ordinary power of attorney, used for a specific transaction or period, can be signed electronically in most cases.

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) in England and Wales is more complex. An LPA must be signed in the presence of a witness, and the prescribed form set out by the Office of the Public Guardian must be followed precisely. The form itself has specific signature and witnessing requirements that limit how electronic signing can be used in practice. If you are setting up an LPA, your solicitor will advise on the current accepted methods.

In Scotland, the equivalent document is a continuing or welfare power of attorney. Similar formal requirements apply.

Can I sign a tenancy agreement electronically?

Yes. Tenancy agreements, including assured shorthold tenancies in England and Wales, can be signed electronically by both landlord and tenant. There is no legal requirement for a wet-ink signature or a witness for a standard tenancy agreement.

Some landlords or letting agents may have their own policies requiring a physical signature, but this is a preference, not a legal requirement. If the tenancy agreement is being used as the basis for a deed, for example a lease of more than three years, which must be executed as a deed, the deed rules apply instead.

GOING DEEPER

What exactly is a deed and why are the rules different?

A deed is a specific type of legal document that transfers a right, creates an obligation, or makes a solemn promise. The most common examples are property transfers, mortgages, leases of more than three years, lasting powers of attorney, and guarantees.

Deeds are treated differently because the law has always required more formality for them. In England and Wales, a deed must be signed in the presence of a witness, someone who is physically there and who also signs to confirm they witnessed the signing. This requirement comes from the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989.

The key point is that this witness requirement applies to the act of signing, not to the type of signature. You can sign a deed electronically provided the witness is physically present. What you cannot do is have the witness watch over a video call, or sign separately without being present at the moment you sign.

Does a document need a witness to be signed electronically?

Most documents do not need a witness at all, whether signed electronically or in ink. Everyday commercial contracts, employment agreements, supplier agreements, and most other business documents have no witness requirement.

The exceptions are documents that must be executed as deeds. These require a witness who is physically present. The witness must sign the document themselves to confirm they were there. They cannot be a party to the document. They must be an independent third party.

If you are unsure whether a document needs a witness, the question to ask is whether it is a deed. If it is not a deed, it almost certainly does not need one.

What documents are excluded in the US?

The federal ESIGN Act 2000 explicitly excludes a specific list of document types from the general rule that electronic signatures are valid. These are:

• Wills, codicils, and testamentary trusts
• Adoption and divorce documents
• Court orders and official court documents
• Notices of cancellation or termination of utility services
• Notices of default, foreclosure, eviction, or repossession relating to a primary residence
• Notices of cancellation of health or life insurance
• Notices relating to hazardous materials or substances

Beyond these federal exclusions, individual states may impose additional requirements. Real estate transactions in particular vary significantly between states, and some require notarisation which has its own rules. If you are signing a document with specific state-law implications it is worth checking the rules for that state.

What is the position in Scotland?

Scotland has the same broad position as England and Wales. Most documents can be signed electronically, and the exceptions follow a similar pattern. The detail differs in two ways.

First, the formal requirements for Scottish deeds are set out in the Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995. For a document to be self-proving in Scotland, meaning a court presumes it is valid without further evidence, it must carry a qualified electronic signature. An advanced electronic signature is sufficient for authentication but does not make a document self-proving.

Second, wills in Scotland require a wet-ink signature. The formal requirements for Scottish wills have not been relaxed in the way that the temporary Covid exception briefly relaxed them in England and Wales.

Can the rules change? Have they changed recently?

Yes, and they have. The clearest recent example is will-signing in England and Wales. During the Covid-19 pandemic the government temporarily changed the law to allow wills to be witnessed by video call. That change applied to deaths between January 2020 and January 2022. It has since expired and the original rules now apply again.

HM Land Registry has also updated its practice over time. The Conveyancer-Certified Electronic Signature process was formalised in Practice Guide 82, first published in March 2022 and updated in July 2025. The terminology changed from ‘witnessed electronic signature’ to ‘conveyancer-certified electronic signature’, and the process was refined.

The EU’s digital identity wallet (being rolled out by end of 2026) will change some of the practical landscape for EU-based signers, particularly around identity verification for regulated documents. This does not apply to the UK. Signatures.com will update this page as the rules develop.

What happens if I sign a document electronically when I should not have?

It depends on the document and the circumstances. For a will, the consequences are serious: an electronically signed will is not valid, and if there is no valid earlier will, your estate could be distributed as if you had died without one. That may be very different from your wishes.

For a deed, an invalid signature could mean the document is unenforceable. In a property transaction this could cause the transfer not to complete, or create a dispute about whether ownership has passed. The practical consequences depend on what the parties have done in reliance on the document.

For most other documents, the consequences are likely to be less severe. The document may be treated as a binding agreement even without a technically valid signature, depending on what the parties intended and how they have acted. But this is not something to rely on. If you are in doubt about whether a document requires a wet-ink signature, take advice before signing.

Start here: three questions before you look at any platform

These three questions determine your minimum requirements. Get them wrong and you may choose a platform that cannot legally serve your needs.

1. What type of documents will you be signing?

This is the most important question. Different documents require different types of signature, and not all platforms support all types.

• Everyday commercial contracts, employment agreements, and supplier documents can be signed with a standard platform-generated signature. Most platforms support this.
• Regulated transactions or cross-border EU documents that specify an advanced or qualified electronic signature require a platform that supports those tiers and holds certificates from a UK or EU trusted list provider. Not all platforms do.
• Property deeds in England and Wales require a specific process accepted by HM Land Registry. This is either a Mercury signature or a Conveyancer-Certified Electronic Signature (CCES). Only platforms that support HMLR’s CCES process are suitable. Your conveyancer will advise.
• Documents that cannot be signed electronically at all, such as wills and statutory declarations, should not be routed through any e-signature platform. See What documents cannot be signed electronically?

2. What signature tier do you need?

Platforms vary significantly in the tier of electronic signature they support. Some offer only simple electronic signatures. Others support advanced signatures with full audit trails. A smaller number support qualified electronic signatures backed by certificates from a government-approved trust service provider.

If your documents require an advanced or qualified signature because of their value, their regulatory context, or because a counterparty requires it, confirm that the platform supports that tier before trialling it. A platform that only supports simple signatures cannot be upgraded by changing a setting.

For a full explanation of the three tiers and when each is required, see Types of electronic signature: which method should you use?.

3. Do you operate across the UK and EU?

If you sign documents with counterparties in EU member states and need the highest legal certainty in both jurisdictions, you may need a platform whose certificate provider appears on both the UK trusted list and an EU member state’s trusted list. UK and EU trusted lists are separate since Brexit and certificates from one are not automatically recognised on the other.

For most everyday commercial contracts this is not a practical issue. For regulated transactions however, such as in financial services, certain professional services and public procurement, it may be essential. See Do UK electronic signatures work in the EU? for the full picture.

Nine criteria for evaluating any platform

Once you have answered the three questions above, use these criteria to assess each platform you trial.

Evaluation checklist

Use this when trialling platforms. A platform should meet all items marked as essential before you commit.

Essential

Important

Also consider

How to trial a platform properly

Most platforms offer a free trial of two to four weeks. The way you use that trial determines whether it tells you anything useful. Five things to do before the trial ends:

• Trial with your most common document type, not a test document. A dummy NDA tells you nothing useful. Your standard employment contract or supplier agreement will.
• Involve a real signer who is not from your IT team. If they cannot work out how to sign without assistance, your clients will not either.
• Send yourself a document and review the audit trail in full before the trial ends. Check it records everything on the essential checklist above.
• Test the support channel during the trial, not after you have committed. Raise a question and see how long it takes to get a useful answer.
• Check the cancellation and data export process before you sign up, not when you want to leave. Confirm you can export all signed documents and audit trails in a usable format.

Plans and pricing

Source: Dropbox Sign plans and pricing (checked July 2026).

Does Standard include Salesforce integration?

No, not as standard. Salesforce sits under a line labelled "Select integrations" on Dropbox Sign's pricing page, marked as an additional-cost add-on that requires contacting sales. Standard includes Google Drive, Microsoft Word, HubSpot, and other integrations at no extra cost, but Salesforce is not one of them by default.

How many templates does each plan include?

Essentials includes 5 templates. Standard includes 15 templates. Both figures are stated directly on Dropbox Sign's own feature comparison table.

Getting started

Setting up an account is straightforward. Just three fields of name, email address and agreeing to terms need to be completed before the payment page comes up. Although there is a free trial option, full credit or debit card details need to be entered, or selected from the PayPal option. It’s a frictionless step which reminds a new user of the data their trial ends. The sign-up process takes less than a minute.

Features

Document preparation

Adding documents to be signed is highly intuitive. They can be dragged and dropped from a computer into the tools download box or selected from the computer’s document library. The seamless integration with cloud document storage providers adds an extra level of ease. Once third parties are activated, they appear on the documents for signature page and, when selected, users can scroll through folders to find the item that needs signing.

When the document is selected, it appears with a range of box options on the left side for signatures, dates, tick box, company name and position. The user simply needs to drag and drop these where they are required. If the document is going to multiple people, different boxes can be assigned to each recipient. The same drag and drop feature is offered in the mobile app.

Signing Experience

People whose signature is required get an email outlining who is asking them to sign with an accompanying message explaining what the documents concerns and why they need to provide approval. If the sender has selected the deadline option, the email also sets out when they need to sign by. If they haven’t signed and the deadline is near, a reminder will be automatically sent out.

The signee’s experience is made simple by a large blue ‘Review and Sign’ icon that takes them straight to the document with a bar at the top showing how many actions they need to complete. The document highlights these in order and the counter at the top of the form counts down until all steps are complete.

Workflow and automation

Progress for each document is intuitively signalled with a counter for how many documents are out to be signed and a list of which ones are complete. For requests requiring more than one signature, for users with a Standard or higher subscription, each person is listed as having signed or not.

A useful touch is ranking these so they can sign in order and fit into a company’s approvals workflow. For example, the finance function may require an internal team to first sign a document before a client follows suit, paving the way for it to commit a PO number after it has provided the third signature. By numbering the signees in order, each is given a ‘heads up’ they need to sign a document but the order of signing if made clear. The first person is asked to sign before the second invitee is then followed up to sign and then the third, and so on.

Integrations

There are multiple integrations on offer for downloading documents from third parties, including Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. We tested these and they worked seamlessly with just the press of a button.

To work with additional tools, customers need to be on a Standard package or above, rather than Essentials. The CRM platform HubSpot is offered as one of many possible integrations, including document collaboration with Coda, HR applicant tracking with recruitee, Greenhouse for getting signatures in the digital onboarding process and Slack for group work chats.

Salesforce is also available as an add-on but only at additional cost which is not available when you contact support. Approaching the question from the opposite angle, adding Dropbox Sign to a pre-existing Salesforce account costs $5 per month per user.

Security and compliance

Dropbox Sign features all the security certifications a user is likely to require, including ISO 27001 for information security management, SOC 2 Type II for security audits, ISO 20718 for personal data protection and HIPAA for healthcare privacy. It also has ISO 27017 for cloud security, ISO 22301 for business continuity.

There’s also GDPR to comply with EU data protection and eIDAS for EU electronic signature compliance and, where applicable, QES.

For Premium customers, data residency can be set to whichever region is required for each signed agreement. There is a choice of UK, EU, US, Australia and Japan. For multinational businesses, sub teams can be assigned different locations, so their documents remain both secure and compliant.

Support

This may be the sticking point for some potential users. Customer support across all tiers is limited to an email form with the promise of an answer within 48 hours.

Should you use it?

Individual users will likely want to look elsewhere. The single licence entry option lacks bulk send and reporting features which can be added at the Standard level, but only if two licences are bought. PandaDoc is a better option, offering a fuller set of features for a single user at a more reasonable price.

SMEs who need two to five users are well served with the wide range of features and highly intuitive drag and drop control on both desktop and mobile. Be aware, though, that help is restricted to email.

Plans and pricing

Adobe does not sell Acrobat Sign as a separate, self-serve product with its own price. E-signature capability is built into every paid Acrobat plan, for individuals and for teams.

What are Adobe's individual Acrobat plans and prices?

Note: All three are billed monthly on an annual contract.

Source: Adobe Acrobat individual pricing, US and Adobe Acrobat individual pricing, UK, checked July 2026.

What are Adobe's Acrobat for teams plans and prices?

Note: All three are billed monthly on an annual contract, with up to 10 licences available self-serve.

Source: Adobe Acrobat for teams pricing, US and Adobe Acrobat for teams pricing, UK, (checked July 2026).

Is e-signature collection included in every plan, or only higher tiers?

Basic e-signature collection, meaning sending a document and collecting a signature, is included in every paid plan: Standard, Pro, and Studio, for both individuals and teams. Bulk e-signature sending, meaning sending the same document to many recipients at once, is included only in Acrobat Pro and Acrobat Studio, not Acrobat Standard.

Does Adobe sell Acrobat Sign as its own product?

Not with public self-serve pricing. Adobe's marketing page for Acrobat Sign describes it as "our standalone e-signature solution", but no price for that product appears on Adobe's pricing pages. What Adobe actually sells with published prices is e-signature capability bundled into Acrobat Standard, Pro, and Studio. A fully standalone, advanced e-signature product, Acrobat Sign Solutions, exists for enterprise needs such as HIPAA compliance, Salesforce or Workday integration, and bulk API sending, but this is quoted only through Adobe sales, with no published price.

What does the AI Assistant add-on cost?

On Acrobat Pro (individual plan), AI Assistant can be added for $1.99 a month in the US or £1.99 a month (incl. VAT) in the UK.

Getting started

All roads lead to Adobe Acrobat Pro when searching for Adobe Acrobat Sign, even when searching on the brand’s own website. It takes quite a bit of ingenuity to find the individual Adobe Acrobat Sign service without being redirected to an Acrobat Pro page. We resorted to asking the customer service ‘chat’ function to get the correct link which means answering several questions which were trying to steer us to buy Adobe Acrobat Pro. When you do eventually get the right page, it takes less than a minute to sign up.

Features

Document preparation

Getting a document ready for a signature is straightforward. Users can either upload documents through a search on their computer or drag and drop them to a clearly labelled box. Companies regularly sending out the same, or very similar, document in batches will like the template section. It takes just a few moments to create an agreement, invoice or contract template, complete with corporate branding, that needs to be sent out to be signed.

Setting up the required fields for a recipient to fill in is very straightforward, thanks to a drag and drop facility. There are many options available from boxes for ticks or initials, to register approval, as well as larger text field for name, position, date and signature. A top tip is to leave a few lines of space on each document to give room for text boxes. Without this pre-emptive step, we found dragging and dropping multiple boxes can lead to text fields overlapping one another.

Signing Experience

People who are asked to sign a document receive an email with a large blue button to proceed and add their approval. Invitees are guided through the process with a notification of how many fields needs their attention. These are highlighted within the document in order, from top to bottom, guiding the recipient to the next task. There’s a choice of typing a name or signing on a trackpad and then, when all fields are filled, they simply submit the finished document.

Both the sender and the signee are then emailed finished versions of the document for their records. It’s an intuitive step-by-step process that takes seconds to complete.

Workflow and automation: routing, sequencing, conditional fields, bulk send

Adobe Acrobat Sign is rich in features, including some which other tools would expect a higher grade of subscription and monthly fee. Prime among these are the workflow and automation tools that allow a user to bulk send documents to be checked, ticked, signed and dated by multiple recipients. This facility comes with an ordering option so people can sign in the correct order to allow an internal workflow to be completed, such as marketing approving a brief and then finance using that acceptance to tick the right box to show a PO order has been created, for example.

The ability to change recipient is a useful tool for when the dreaded out of office email arrives. Rather than wait for a colleague to return, the original request can have the signee changed at the click of a button. It’s a quick way to keep documents on track without having to wait or starting again and sending off a new agreement.

Audit trail and evidence

Every signature requested through Adobe Acrobat Sign is returned with a time stamp under the person’s drawn or typed name to show the exact moment each person signed. Furthermore, each document can be opened up and a certificate request made to prove the signatures are authentic and are properly time-stamped with an EU Electronic Qualified Seal CA G2 (Certificate Authority Generation 2). This provides users with the peace of mind that authenticity has been approved at the highest possible level should the document ever need to be verified formally by a third party.

Integrations

Although Adobe is synonymous with PDF creation and editing, its Sign tool integrates seamlessly with Microsoft, Google and Dropbox so documents can be seamlessly downloaded and sent out for signature request.

For workflows requiring other tools, there are multiple options to add tick boxes and signature fields in documents and forms including Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics in CRM or Workday and ServiceNow in HR and recruitment. For procurement and supply chain work there’s SAP Ariba and NetSuite integrations.

One integration point worth mentioning is the Adobe Acrobat Sign mobile app. It is very useful for keeping up to date with the progression of documents that have been sent out to be signed. It can also be used to create documents to be sent out, although there is no drag and drop facility for the required fields. It takes patience to click the precise point where each field needs to be placed but the system works well.

Security and compliance

In addition to the aforementioned EU Electronic Qualified Seal CA G2 for authenticating signatures, Adobe Acrobat Sign features a wide range of security and compliance features. These include ISO 27001 for cloud security, as well as eIDAS, QES, SOC 2 Type 2, PCI DSS, GDPR, and HIPAA for information management and security compliance.

There are three options for data sovereignty – EU, USA and APAC (in Japan). These need to be set up with Adobe while negotiating a contract if a company wants data held outside their region. They are not available for the end user to select once a service is up and running.

Support

Adobe claims to offer live chat and phone support but when we hit the help button we were asked to confirm we wanted the UK page. This then sent us to a sales page for Adobe Acrobat Pro. When we clicked the user guide feature instead, a page featuring a live chat icon appeared, but the suggested Qs were again for other Acrobat products. We asked for a live chat which took about a minute to connect but then a further couple of minutes for account checking before help was on offer. A live chat speech bubble on the home, send or manage pages within the tool would have been far more useful, and direct.

We had to ask to find out there is a support telephone number which can be called Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm UK time. So help is on offer, finding out how to access it is not straightforward.

Should you use it?

 The real question for anyone who already uses Adobe Acrobat Pro to create and edit PDFs, as well as request signatures, is whether the expense of buying Sign, for its bulk send and reporting features, makes sense. For occasional or low-use customers, it probably will not. However, for SMEs and enterprises that need bulk sending and reporting, Adobe Acrobat Sign is priced competitively and offers the reassurance of detailed reporting and authentication which can be an added-on expense with some other vendors.

Plans and pricing

SignNow offers four pricing tiers in US dollars.

Source: SignNow plans and pricing (checked 2 July 2026).

Is there a limit on how many documents each user can send?

Yes. Business, Business Premium, and Enterprise all limit each user to 100 signature invites per year. This is stated directly on SignNow's own pricing FAQ. Site License removes this cap and charges per invite instead.

What happens if a user exceeds the 100-invite limit?

SignNow's own pricing page states the 100-invite annual limit and cites a flat $1.50 excess fee per envelope. These rates could change depending on subscription tier.

What other limits apply to documents sent through SignNow?

Each document uploaded is limited to 50MB on desktop or 15MB on the iOS and Android apps. An envelope, meaning a set of documents sent together for signature, is capped at 130 unique documents.

Getting started

SignNow offers a seven-day free trial that requires no credit card. The sign-up process is immediate, asking only for an email address and password before routing the user directly to the primary dashboard. The interface is functional, though the visual design is older than modern competitors. Users immediately see options to upload a document, create a template, or view pending signatures. There are no mandatory onboarding tutorials, which allows users to start configuring documents without delay. The only notable friction point occurs when testing advanced features like bulk sending during the trial, as the platform frequently prompts users to upgrade to a paid subscription.

Features

Document preparation

Users upload documents via a drag-and-drop interface that supports PDF, Word, Excel, and image files. The editor relies on a standard left-hand toolbar containing signature boxes, text fields, calculated fields, dropdown menus, and date markers. Administrators create reusable templates for frequently used contracts and store them in shared team folders to ensure consistency across the business. You can set specific recipient roles, customise request messages, and enforce mandatory fields before dispatching the document. The preparation screen handles large files well. However, adding large numbers of fields to complex documents requires manual placement, as the platform lacks automatic field detection functionality.

Signing experience

Signers do not need a SignNow account or any proprietary software to execute a document. They receive an automated email link that opens the document in a standard web browser. The interface guides them directly to the required fields, highlighting missing information in red to prevent incomplete submissions. On mobile devices, the browser view adapts securely to smaller screens, allowing users to draw their signature with a finger, upload a saved image, or type their name. SignNow also provides a native application for iOS and Android devices. This mobile application includes a dedicated Kiosk mode for offline, in-person signature collection at trade events or front desks, syncing the captured data automatically once the device reconnects to a stable internet connection.

Workflow and automation

Administrators dictate the signing sequence by assigning sequential or parallel routing orders, ensuring that documents move through departments in the correct order. SignNow handles this basic routing well, but advanced workflow capabilities are heavily gated. Bulk sending, the ability to distribute a single document or policy update to hundreds of individual signers simultaneously, requires the Business Premium plan. Furthermore, high-volume automation is severely restricted by the platform's strict allowance of 100 signature invites per user per year. Teams automating large workflows must purchase the dedicated Site License to avoid the $1.50 per-envelope overage penalty. The platform lacks native document generation tools, meaning users must create and format complex, variable contracts in external software before uploading them into the SignNow environment for execution.

Audit trail and evidence

Every completed document generates an automated, legally binding audit trail. This certificate records the exact time, date, IP address, and browser configuration of every action taken on the file, from the initial email open to the final signature. SignNow secures the final PDF with a digital tamper-evident seal to prove the document remains unaltered after execution. Administrators access these detailed audit logs directly from the document management dashboard and can download them as separate PDF files for external compliance reporting or legal review. The audit trail is admissible in court under standard electronic signature and commercial laws across North America and Europe.

Integrations

SignNow connects to consumer cloud storage providers like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive natively across all plan tiers, allowing easy importing and archiving. It also offers a Zapier integration to link with other business applications via custom webhooks. However, native integrations with essential enterprise tools, including Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics, demand the Site License or enterprise-level custom contracts. Once unlocked, these CRM integrations allow sales teams to populate contracts with client data automatically, trigger sending events, and track document status directly within the CRM interface without logging into the separate SignNow dashboard.

Security and compliance

SignNow holds enterprise-grade security certifications, including SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. It uses 256-bit AES encryption for all data at rest and in transit. The platform complies with the United States ESIGN Act and UETA. European users can execute eIDAS Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES), but this requires an additional fee. Healthcare organisations can execute Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) to meet HIPAA compliance requirements, which is also structured as a paid add-on rather than a default feature. For identity verification, senders can require signers to authenticate their identity via a predetermined password, an SMS text code, or an automated phone call before they access the document.

Support

SignNow provides email support and access to a searchable online knowledge base across all plan tiers. Live web chat is available, but standard tier users frequently encounter slow response times during peak hours. Telephone support is entirely absent for standard subscribers. Priority phone assistance and access to dedicated account managers are strictly limited to customers paying for the Enterprise tier or the usage-based Site License. Furthermore, the platform publishes no binding service level agreements regarding minimum response times for lower-tier subscribers, leaving smaller teams waiting for critical help during document outages.

Should you use it?

SignNow directly suits low-volume sole traders, field service teams, and small businesses that process occasional, unchanging contracts. Its standalone mobile applications and offline capabilities make it an excellent choice for teams collecting physical signatures on site. It does not suit scaling sales teams, human resources departments, or high-volume businesses due to its strict 100-envelope annual limit and expensive overage fees. Readers who need to process high volumes of documents or automate workflows without per-envelope penalties should evaluate FlowSign or PandaDoc, as both offer plans without restrictive annual signature caps.

Full guides on Signatures.com

Each question above has a dedicated in-depth guide. Browse the full series:

The question of whether an electronic signature is legally binding is really a question about intent. The law does not require a specific technology or a specific appearance. What it requires is that the person signing intended to sign. Clicking a button, typing a name, or drawing a squiggle on a screen all demonstrate that intent, provided the context makes clear what the person was agreeing to.

The strength of an electronic signature varies by method. A typed name on an email is legally valid but easier to dispute than a signature generated through a dedicated platform with a full audit trail. A qualified digital signature, backed by a certificate from a government-approved authority, is the hardest of all to challenge and carries an explicit legal guarantee of equivalence to a handwritten signature. But all of them are binding.

The exceptions are important. A handful of document types, such as wills, statutory declarations, and a small number of others, still require a wet-ink signature under specific legislation. For those documents, the general rule does not apply. Outside those exceptions, electronic signatures are fully enforceable.

The legal position by jurisdiction

The core rule is the same in all three jurisdictions: electronic signatures are valid. The detail differs.

Basic Questions

What makes an electronic signature legally binding?

Two things: intent and context. The person signing must intend to sign, to indicate their agreement or authorisation, and it must be clear from the context what they are agreeing to. A signature applied through a dedicated signing platform satisfies both conditions easily: the signer follows a clear process, is shown the document before signing, and confirms their action deliberately.

A typed name at the bottom of an email can also satisfy both conditions, though it is easier to dispute. The intent is demonstrated by the act of typing; the context is the email exchange and the document attached. Courts look at the full picture, not just the signature itself.

Does it matter which type of electronic signature I use?

For most documents, no. Any electronic signature is binding. What differs is how easy it is to challenge. A simple electronic signature such as a typed name is valid but relies on surrounding evidence if disputed. A platform-generated signature with an audit trail is significantly harder to challenge. A qualified digital signature provides the strongest possible evidence and carries an explicit legal guarantee.

The type starts to matter when a specific standard is required - for example, certain regulated transactions or cross-border EU documents where a qualified electronic signature is specified. For those, a simple typed name would not be sufficient, even though it is technically binding for most other purposes.

Can someone refuse to accept an electronic signature?

Not on legal grounds alone in the UK, US, or EU. The law in all three jurisdictions says explicitly that a signature cannot be refused solely because it is electronic. If someone refuses an electronic signature, they must have a reason beyond the fact that it is not handwritten.

Legitimate reasons to require a different method include: the document type is one of the specific statutory exceptions; a contract between the parties specifies a particular signing method; or a regulator has prescribed a specific standard for that transaction type. Habit or preference is not a legal reason, though in practice you may need to comply to complete the transaction.

Is an electronic signature binding even without a witness?

For most documents, yes. The vast majority of contracts and agreements have no witnessing requirement, whether signed electronically or in ink. No witness is needed for employment contracts, commercial agreements, supplier contracts, or most consumer documents.

The exception is deeds. This includes property transfers and lasting powers of attorney. Both require a witness to be physically present. That witnessing requirement applies regardless of whether the signature is electronic or handwritten. Outside of deeds, witnessing is not a condition of legal validity.

Going Deeper

What happens if someone disputes an electronic signature?

The starting point is that the signature is presumed valid. The person challenging it must produce evidence that it was not genuinely made by the person named, or that the document was altered after signing.

A simple electronic signature - a typed name - is challenged by arguing that the named person did not type it. The response relies on surrounding evidence: email records, timestamps, communications between the parties. A platform-generated signature adds a structured audit trail that is harder to unpick. A qualified digital signature is the most robust: any change to the document after signing invalidates it automatically, and the certificate ties the signature to a verified identity.

In UK courts, electronic signatures are admissible as evidence under the Electronic Communications Act 2000. Courts have consistently treated well-documented electronic signatures as binding. The Law Commission confirmed in its 2019 report (Law Com No 386) that there is no legal barrier to electronic signatures being used to execute most documents, including deeds.

Are electronic signatures binding for consumer contracts?

Yes. Consumer contracts for goods, services, subscriptions, and most other everyday agreements can be signed electronically without restriction in the UK, US, and EU. Clicking ‘I agree’ on a website or app is an electronic signature and creates a binding contract, provided the terms were clearly presented before the click.

In the US, the ESIGN Act specifically addresses consumer contracts and sets out requirements for electronic consent to be valid: the consumer must affirmatively consent to electronic records, must be able to withdraw that consent, and must receive a clear statement of their right to receive paper records. These requirements apply to the delivery of documents rather than to the signature itself, but they are relevant for businesses sending contracts electronically to consumers.

Does the law differ for business-to-business contracts?

The legal position is the same. Electronic signatures are binding. However, the practical considerations differ. Business contracts are more likely to be high value, more likely to be disputed, and more likely to require a specific standard of signature as a matter of commercial practice or contractual specification.

Many businesses now specify in their standard terms what signing method is acceptable. If a contract says it must be signed by a qualified electronic signature or by wet ink, then those terms govern the transaction, not the general rule. A business that signs electronically where the contract specified wet ink may find the signature disputed, even though electronic signatures are generally valid.

What about electronic signatures on contracts governed by foreign law?

If a contract specifies that it is governed by the law of a particular country, the validity of the electronic signature may be assessed under that country’s rules. Most major jurisdictions now recognise electronic signatures, but the specific requirements vary.

For UK businesses signing contracts governed by EU law, the eIDAS framework applies. For contracts governed by US state law, the relevant state’s version of UETA or the ESIGN Act applies. For contracts governed by the law of jurisdictions outside the UK, US, and EU, separate advice is needed. The principle - electronic signatures are generally valid - is widely accepted internationally, but the specifics differ.

The term ‘wet signature’ refers to the traditional act of signing in ink. The name comes from the time it takes for ink to dry. It has no special legal status beyond its long history as the default way to sign. The law does not treat a wet signature as inherently more valid than an electronic one for most documents.

The UK’s Electronic Communications Act 2000, the EU’s eIDAS Regulation, and the US ESIGN Act 2000 all establish that an electronic signature cannot be refused simply because it is not handwritten. Many organisations still ask for wet signatures out of habit, internal policy, or because their systems have not caught up with the law.

When is a wet signature actually required?

Red: wet ink required by law. Green: electronic signature is valid. Amber: depends on who is asking, not the law.

What does ‘wet signature’ actually mean?

It means a handwritten signature applied in ink, directly onto a physical document. The term ‘wet’ refers to wet ink, as opposed to a digital mark applied electronically. Beyond that description, it has no formal legal definition in UK or US law.

Is a wet signature more legally valid than an electronic one?

No, for most documents. The Electronic Communications Act 2000 in the UK, the ESIGN Act 2000 in the US, and the eIDAS Regulation in the EU all establish that an electronic signature has the same legal standing as a handwritten one. Neither is superior to the other by law.

The exceptions are the small number of document types where wet ink is specifically required by statute. This includes wills in England and Wales. For everything else, the two methods are equivalent.

Someone is asking me for a wet signature. Do I have to comply?

It depends on whether the request reflects a legal requirement or an organisational preference. If it is a legal requirement, such as a will or a statutory declaration, then yes. If it is a bank, employer, or landlord asking out of policy or habit, there is no legal obligation to provide one, though in practice you may need to comply to complete the transaction.

If you are unsure, ask the person making the request to confirm whether a wet signature is legally required or whether an electronic signature would be accepted. Many organisations will accept electronic signatures once asked directly.

Can I convert a wet signature into an electronic one by scanning it?

Scanning or photographing your wet signature and inserting the image into a document creates an electronic signature, or more specifically, an uploaded image signature. It is legally valid for most documents. It is not, however, a wet signature. The original physical act of signing in ink on a specific document is what makes something a wet signature, and a digital copy of that act does not replicate it.

For documents that genuinely require a wet signature, a scanned image does not satisfy the requirement. You need to sign the physical document in ink and present that same document.

Is a wet signature more secure than an electronic one?

Not necessarily. A handwritten signature on paper can be forged, copied, or attached to the wrong document without detection. An advanced or digital electronic signature, by contrast, automatically detects any change to the document after signing and creates a timestamped audit trail of the signing event.

For high-value or disputed transactions, a well-implemented electronic signature is often harder to challenge than a wet one.

Related guides

Most electronic signatures you encounter in everyday life are not qualified electronic signatures. A typed name, a drawn squiggle, or a platform-generated signature are all valid electronic signatures, but they sit at a lower tier. A qualified electronic signature requires specific identity verification, a government-approved certificate, and certified signing technology. That combination is what gives it its legal guarantee.

For most business documents, a lower tier is perfectly sufficient. The qualified electronic signature becomes relevant when the stakes are high enough that you need the strongest possible legal assurance, or when a specific regulation, jurisdiction, or transaction type requires it.

The three tiers of electronic signature

A qualified electronic signature sits at the top of a three-tier system defined in UK and EU law.

Basic Questions

What makes a qualified electronic signature different from a normal one?

Three things that work together. First, a verified identity: getting a qualified certificate requires you to prove who you are. Typically this is through a government-issued ID check, similar to opening a bank account. Second, a qualified certificate: the certificate must be issued by a trust service provider on the government-maintained trusted list in the UK or EU. Third, a qualified signature creation device: the signature must be created using hardware or software certified to a specific security standard, which ensures the private key used to create the signature cannot be extracted or misused.

It is the combination of all three that makes a QES carry the force of law. A signature that meets only one or two of these requirements is an advanced electronic signature, not a qualified one.

What is the legal effect of a qualified electronic signature?

In the UK and across the EU, a qualified electronic signature has exactly the same legal effect as a handwritten signature. It cannot be refused solely on the grounds that it is electronic, and it is admissible as evidence in legal proceedings without further proof of authenticity. This guarantee is set out in Article 25(2) of the eIDAS Regulation and applies in retained form in the UK under SI 2016/696.

In the US, the ESIGN Act does not use the same tier system, but a digital signature backed by a certificate from a recognised authority carries the strongest evidentiary weight available under US law.

When do I actually need a qualified electronic signature?

For most everyday documents, including commercial contracts, employment agreements and supplier terms, you do not need one. A standard platform-generated signature (an advanced electronic signature) is sufficient and much quicker to obtain.

A qualified electronic signature is typically needed when:

• A regulation specifically requires it. Some EU financial services and public sector processes specify QES
• You are signing a cross-border EU document where the highest legal certainty is required
• Your organisation’s policy or a contract requires it for high-value transactions
• You are signing a property deed through HM Land Registry’s QES pilot scheme in England and Wales

If you are unsure whether a specific document requires a QES, the obligation usually comes from the regulation or contract governing that transaction, not from the general law of electronic signatures.

How do I get a qualified electronic signature?

You need a qualified certificate from a trust service provider listed on the relevant trusted list. The UK trusted list is maintained by the ICO. Each EU member state has its own trusted list. Getting a qualified certificate requires a verified identity check. Depending on the provider, this may be done in person, by video call, or through a certified digital identity service.

Once you have a certificate, you apply it using a qualified signature creation device. This may be a hardware token (a USB device), a certified software application, or a signing platform that supports QES. The signing platform or your IT team will guide you through the process. Individual users seeking a QES for personal use may be able to obtain one through national identity schemes, and under eIDAS 2.0 EU citizens will be able to use a qualified signature free of charge through the EU Digital Identity Wallet by end of 2026.

Going Deeper

What is a trust service provider?

A trust service provider (TSP) is an organisation authorised by a government to issue qualified certificates and provide other digital trust services. To be authorised, a TSP must meet rigorous security, technical, and operational standards set by the relevant regulatory body.

In the UK, the list of authorised trust service providers is maintained by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is being renamed the Information Commission in late 2026. In the EU, each member state maintains its own national trusted list, and the European Commission publishes a combined list of all EU trusted lists - called unsurprisingly List of Trusted Lists (LOTL). A certificate from a provider on either list qualifies for the legal guarantee associated with a QES in that jurisdiction. UK and EU trusted lists are separate and not mutually recognised since Brexit.

What is a qualified signature creation device?

A qualified signature creation device (QSCD) is hardware or software certified to generate and protect private keys to a standard that prevents them being copied, extracted, or used by anyone other than the rightful owner. This is what ensures that only you can apply your qualified electronic signature.

In practice, a QSCD is often a hardware token, often a small USB device that stores your private key securely, or a certified cloud-based signing service where the key is protected by equivalent hardware in a data centre. The certification standard is set by ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute). You do not need to manage the technical details yourself. Your trust service provider will supply a QSCD as part of the certificate issuance process, or direct you to a compatible one.

Is a qualified electronic signature the same as a digital signature?

All qualified electronic signatures are digital signatures. They use cryptography to verify identity and detect tampering. But not all digital signatures are qualified electronic signatures. A digital signature backed by a certificate from a provider that is not on the UK or EU trusted list, or created without a qualified signature creation device, does not meet the QES standard.

This is an important distinction. A QES carries the statutory guarantee of equivalence to a handwritten signature. A non-qualified digital signature does not carry that same guarantee, though it may still be legally valid and evidentially strong for most purposes. See What is a digital signature? for a full explanation.

Does a qualified electronic signature work across borders?

Within the EU, yes. A QES issued by a trust service provider on any EU member state’s trusted list is recognised across all EU member states. That mutual recognition is one of the core purposes of the eIDAS Regulation.

Between the UK and EU, the position is more complex since Brexit. A QES issued by a UK trust service provider is not automatically recognised within the EU’s mutual recognition framework, and vice versa. Organisations operating across both jurisdictions may need certificates from providers on both trusted lists, or should check with their legal advisers whether a specific transaction requires recognition in both jurisdictions. See Do UK electronic signatures work in the EU? for the full picture.

What is changing with eIDAS 2.0?

The EU updated its eIDAS framework in 2024 with Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 (eIDAS 2.0). The definition and legal effect of a qualified electronic signature remain unchanged. What eIDAS 2.0 adds is the EU Digital Identity Wallet, which every EU member state must make available to citizens by end of 2026. The wallet will allow EU citizens to apply a qualified electronic signature free of charge for personal non-professional use.

This does not apply to the UK. The UK retains the original eIDAS framework as written into UK law after Brexit, and is developing its own separate digital identity framework under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. UK citizens will not have access to the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Legislative references

Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the following primary sources.

eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 — Article 3(12): definition of QES; Article 25(2): QES has same legal effect as handwritten signature; Article 26: four requirements of AES.

eur-lex.europa.eu — CELEX:32014R0910

Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 (eIDAS 2.0) — EU Digital Identity Wallet by end of 2026; QES free of charge for personal use. Does not apply to the UK.

eur-lex.europa.eu — CELEX:32024R1183

Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/696) — brings eIDAS into UK law; UK trusted list; ICO as supervisory authority.

legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/696

Electronic Communications Act 2000 (c. 7), s. 7 — admissibility of electronic signatures in UK proceedings.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/7

HM Land Registry, Practice Guide 82 (updated 7 July 2025) — QES pilot scheme for property deeds.

gov.uk — Practice Guide 82

The signing process: step by step

This is what typically happens when you are asked to sign a document electronically.

If you are sending a document for others to sign

The steps above describe the experience of being asked to sign. If you are the one sending a document, the process from your side typically looks like this.

1. Upload your document to the platform. This is usually a PDF or Word file.
2. Add the names and email addresses of the people who need to sign.
3. Mark where each person needs to sign, initial, or provide information.
4. Send the document. Each signer receives a notification by email.
5. Monitor the progress. Most platforms show you who has signed and who is still to sign.
6. Receive the completed document once all parties have signed.

Most platforms also allow you to set a signing order. For example, person A must sign before person B is notified. You should also be able to set a deadline after which the signing link expires.

Common Questions

Do I need to create an account to sign?

Usually not. Most platforms allow you to sign a document as a guest by following the link in the email you receive. You may need to confirm your email address or enter a verification code, but creating a full account is typically optional for the person signing.

If you are sending documents regularly, you will need an account with a platform. Most offer a free tier for low volumes.

Is my signature legally binding?

Yes. An electronic signature applied through this process is legally valid for the vast majority of documents in the UK, US, and EU. The law does not require a handwritten signature for most commercial and consumer documents. What matters is that you intended to sign - and clicking through a signing process is a clear demonstration of that intent.

A small number of documents, such as wills in England and Wales, for example, still require a wet-ink signature. See What documents cannot be signed electronically? for a full list.

What if I make a mistake while signing?

Before you submit, you can usually clear your signature and start again. Look for a ‘Clear’, ‘Redo’, or ‘Edit’ option near the signature field. Once you have submitted, the process depends on the platform. Some platforms allow the sender to cancel and resend, others require a new document to be prepared.

If you have already submitted and realise you have signed something incorrectly or in error, contact the sender as soon as possible.

Can I sign on a mobile phone or tablet?

Yes. Most signing platforms work in a mobile browser without any app download needed. The experience is optimised for touchscreens. Drawing your signature with your finger is often easier on a phone than on a desktop. If the platform has an app, that will usually give the smoothest experience on mobile.

What happens if I do not sign in time?

If the sender has set a deadline, your signing link may expire and show as invalid. In that case, contact the sender and ask them to resend the document or extend the deadline. Most platforms allow the sender to do this without starting the process again from scratch.

How do I know the document has not been changed after I signed?

If the document was signed through a platform that uses advanced or digital signing technology, any change to the document after signing will automatically invalidate the signature. When you or anyone else opens the completed PDF, it will show whether the signatures are valid and whether the document is unchanged.

Adobe Acrobat Reader - which is free - verifies digital signatures automatically and displays the result clearly. A green tick means the signature is valid and the document is unchanged.

Note: The process below describes how sending works on a typical e-signature platform. The steps and screen layout will vary between platforms, but the underlying process is the same. Signatures.com does not endorse or recommend any specific platform.

Before you send: what to prepare

Getting these things right before you upload the document saves time and avoids the need to cancel and resend.

Sending the document: step by step

If you also need to sign the document

If you are both sending the document and signing it yourself, most platforms offer two options.

Sign first, then send. You sign the document before sending it out. The other signers see your signature already in place when they open it. This is common for contracts where you, as the sender, are confirming the terms before the other party signs.

Sign as one of the signers. Add yourself as a signer at the relevant position in the signing order. You will receive the same signing link as the other signers and complete the process in the same way.

Check your platform’s guidance on which option to use, as the naming and workflow varies.

What can go wrong. And how to fix it

The signer says they have not received the email

Ask them to check their spam or junk folder first. Signing request emails are sometimes filtered. If it is not there, verify the email address you used and resend the notification from the platform dashboard. Do not send a new document from scratch unless the original has an error.

The signer cannot open the document

Most signing platforms work in a browser without any software installation. If the signer is having difficulty, ask them to try a different browser or device. If the problem persists, contact the platform’s support team.

A signer declines to sign

Most platforms notify you if a signer declines and may give them the option to leave a reason. If a signer declines, the document is not complete. Contact the signer directly to understand their concern before restarting the process.

The signing link has expired

If a deadline was set and the signer did not sign in time, the link will have expired. Most platforms allow you to extend the deadline or resend the link from the dashboard without starting again from scratch.

You need to change the document after sending

You cannot edit a document once it has been sent for signing without cancelling the current request. If a change is needed, cancel the existing envelope, make the correction, and send again. Notify any signers who have already signed that a revised version is coming.

Pre-send checklist

Use this before clicking send.

Common Questions

Does the recipient need an account to sign?

Usually not. Most e-signature platforms allow recipients to sign as a guest by following the link in the email they receive. They may need to confirm their email address or enter a verification code, but creating a full account is typically optional for signers.

If the document requires a higher level of identity verification, for example, a qualified electronic signature, the signer may need to go through an identity check process before signing. This is less common for everyday documents.

Can I send to multiple signers at the same time?

Yes. Most platforms support multi-party signing. You can choose to notify all signers simultaneously, so they can sign in any order, or set a sequential order so each signer is only notified once the previous person has signed.

Sequential signing is common for employment contracts (employee signs, then employer countersigns), sales agreements, and any document where the parties sign in a defined order. Simultaneous signing is common for agreements between equals where order does not matter.

Is there a limit on the size of document I can send?

File size limits vary between platforms. Most support documents up to 25MB, which covers the vast majority of contracts and agreements. If your document is very large, for example, a lengthy agreement with many attachments, check the platform’s limit before uploading. Compressing the PDF or splitting attachments into separate documents usually resolves size issues.

Can I send a document that is not in English?

Yes. The document language does not affect the e-signature process. The platform interface may be in a different language from the document itself. What matters legally is that the signer understood what they were signing, which is a question of contract law, not electronic signature law. If a document is in a language the signer does not read, that is a separate issue to resolve before sending.

How long should I keep the signed document and audit trail?

Keep signed documents for at least as long as the contract or relationship they relate to, plus a reasonable period after it ends in case of a dispute. For most commercial contracts, six years is a common benchmark in the UK. This reflects the standard limitation period for contract claims under the Limitation Act 1980. For employment documents, HMRC recommends keeping payroll records for a minimum of three years from the end of the tax year.

Keep the audit trail with the signed document. If a dispute arises, the audit trail is evidence of when and how the document was signed. Store both in a secure location with appropriate access controls.

What if the other party wants a wet signature instead?

Ask them whether a wet signature is a legal requirement or a preference. For most commercial documents, an electronic signature is as legally valid as a wet-ink one. If they insist on wet ink for reasons of preference or internal policy, you will need to accommodate that but it is worth clarifying, as many requests for wet signatures are habit rather than legal necessity.

See Do I need a wet signature, or will an electronic one do? for a full breakdown of when wet ink is genuinely required.

Related guides

• How to send a document for e-signature: a step-by-step guide
• How to sign a PDF electronically: a step-by-step guide
• Types of electronic signature: which method should you use?
• What documents cannot be signed electronically?
• Do I need a wet signature, or will an electronic one do?
• Are electronic signatures legally binding?

All information on this page was accurate as of May 2026. Produced by Signatures.com, an independent editorial authority. Not legal advice.

Plans and pricing

PandaDoc has four pricing tiers, all listed in US dollars.

Source: PandaDoc pricing page, (checked July 2026). Prices exclude applicable taxes.

What does the Free plan include?

The Free plan includes 60 documents a year, a drag-and-drop document editor, real-time tracking and notifications, five templates and 24/7 email and chat support. No credit card is required to sign up.

Does the Starter plan include CRM integration?

No. PandaDoc's own comparison table shows CRM integrations only from Business upward. Starter includes unlimited document uploads and e-signatures, a document editor, and up to five templates, but no custom branding, no content library, and no CRM connectivity.

Does the Business plan include content locking?

Not as standard. PandaDoc's comparison table marks content locking as "optional" on Business, meaning it is available only as an add-on rather than included in the base plan. Content locking is included as standard only on Enterprise.

Does the Business plan include HIPAA compliance?

No. PandaDoc's comparison table shows HIPAA compliance as available only on Enterprise, and even there it is marked "optional" rather than included as standard. It is not available on Free, Starter, or Business at all.

Getting started

New users enter PandaDoc via a 14-day free trial of the Business plan. The sign-up process requires a work email address but does not demand a credit card upfront. Upon login, the platform directs users to a primary dashboard that displays document statuses and prompts them to create their first workspace.  The initial onboarding sequence is straightforward, though the interface feels cluttered immediately after sign-up due to the sheer volume of built-in templates and layout tools presented to the user.

The primary friction point during early use involves template creation. Users attempting to import existing Word or PDF documents discover that maintaining complex formatting requires rebuilding the document entirely within the native PandaDoc drag-and-drop editor. This initial time investment is significant for teams migrating large legacy document libraries.

Features

Document preparation

PandaDoc operates primarily as a document creation tool rather than a simple PDF signer. The native drag-and-drop editor is the platform's strongest feature. Users build proposals using text blocks, pricing tables, and media embeds, allowing for highly visual outputs. The platform provides a content library where administrators save specific blocks of text or branding assets for recurring use. This approach speeds up document generation for sales teams sending variations of the same contract. However, the reliance on the native editor presents a limitation. Uploading pre-formatted PDFs or complex Word documents often results in broken formatting. Users must either place signature fields over a static, uneditable PDF background or spend hours recreating the document inside the PandaDoc system.

Signing experience

The signing interface provides a clear, guided process for recipients. When a signer receives an email notification, they click a link that opens the document in a web browser. The platform automatically highlights required fields and navigates the user from one signature block to the next. On desktop, the experience is clean and fast. On mobile devices, the interface resizes adequately, but complex proposals with multi-column pricing tables require excessive scrolling and zooming. Reviewers and clients sometimes find the field arrangements less intuitive than dedicated signing platforms when navigating complex multi-page contracts. PandaDoc provides basic identity verification through access codes but lacks the advanced biometric authentication options found in strict compliance-focused tools.

Workflow and automation

PandaDoc handles routing and sequencing effectively, provided the user subscribes to the Business tier. Senders define signing orders, ensuring the document only advances to the next recipient once the previous person signs. Conditional logic allows administrators to set rules that change document paths based on variable inputs, such as requiring a director’s signature only if a quote exceeds a specific monetary threshold. The platform also features automated reminders and expiration dates. Bulk send capabilities are available, but they require a higher-tier subscription or a paid add-on. A significant drawback is that approval workflows are locked out of the Starter plan, forcing smaller teams to upgrade if they require internal review before sending a document to a client. 

Audit trail and evidence

Every signed document generates a mandatory audit trail. This log records the document's history from creation to final signature. The evidence file captures the IP address, timestamps, and browser details for every viewing and signing event. Once a document is completed, PandaDoc seals it with a digital certificate to prevent tampering. Users access the audit trail as a separate PDF appended to the final downloaded contract. The level of detail satisfies standard commercial requirements, but the platform does not offer the granular, page-level viewing analytics, showing exactly how many seconds a client spent looking at a specific page, found in specialised data room software.

Integrations

PandaDoc provides native integrations with major customer relationship management (CRM) systems, including Salesforce (as a paid add-on), HubSpot, and Pipedrive. The Salesforce integration is notably deep, offering a bi-directional sync that pulls contact data and pricing details into a document, and subsequently updates the Salesforce record once the client signs. The platform also connects to payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, allowing users to collect payments at the moment of signature. However, the quality of these integrations is tied entirely to pricing. All CRM connectivity is gated behind the Business plan.

Security and compliance

The company maintains a strong security posture suitable for standard enterprise requirements. PandaDoc holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications. Signatures collected through the platform are legally binding under the US ESIGN Act and UETA. In Europe, the platform complies with eIDAS regulations for Advanced Electronic Signatures (AES), though obtaining Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) requires specific configuration. For healthcare organisations, HIPAA compliance requires signing a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), which is only available as a paid add-on or at the Enterprise tier. PandaDoc hosts data on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and offers data residency options in the US and the EU, satisfying basic data sovereignty requirements.

Support

PandaDoc provides 24/7 live chat support across all paid plans. Free plan users are restricted to a self-serve knowledge base and community forums. Email support is available, but the company prioritises chat resolutions. There are no published response time commitments for lower tiers. Phone support is entirely absent unless negotiated as part of a custom Enterprise contract. Meaningful technical assistance, particularly for API and CRM integration troubleshooting, is limited to the Business and Enterprise tiers. Users frequently report friction when attempting to resolve complex billing or template configuration issues through the standard chat channel.

Should you use it?

PandaDoc suits mid-market sales teams that generate bespoke, high-value proposals and rely heavily on platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot. It does not suit small businesses, legal teams, or operations departments that only need to collect signatures on static PDFs, as the per-seat pricing for necessary workflow features is punitive. 

Readers who simply need to execute signatures on existing documents should look at DocuSign. It provides a superior, dedicated signing interface and enterprise-grade compliance for a much lower total cost of ownership when proposal building is not required.

When you sign a document through an e-signature platform, the platform does two things simultaneously. Firstly, it captures your signature and applies it to the document. Secondly, it records every step of the process in a log. That log, also referred to as the audit trail, is kept by the platform independently of the document itself.

If someone claims they did not sign, did not receive the document, or did not understand what they were agreeing to, the audit trail is the evidence that either supports or undermines that claim.

What an audit trail typically records

The exact content varies between platforms, but a well-structured audit trail will include the following.

Does every electronic signature come with an audit trail?

No. The three most basic signing methods (typing your name, drawing a squiggle, or uploading an image of your signature) produce no automatic audit trail. If you type your name at the bottom of an email, there is no platform recording the time, device, or steps involved.

An audit trail is generated by a dedicated e-signature platform. When you use a platform to send or sign a document, the platform records the process automatically. The audit trail is then attached to or stored alongside the completed document. This is one of the main practical reasons to use a platform rather than a simple typed name for business documents.

Where is the audit trail stored?

The platform stores the audit trail on its own servers, separately from the signed document. When the signing process is complete, most platforms attach a summary certificate to the PDF or make the full audit trail available to download. Keep both the signed document and the audit trail together in a secure location.

If you stop using a platform or close your account, check what happens to your stored audit trails. Most platforms retain records for a defined period after account closure, but the terms vary. If long-term retention matters for your documents, download and store the audit trail independently.

Can an audit trail be used as evidence in court?

Yes. In UK courts, electronic signatures are admissible as evidence under the Electronic Communications Act 2000, and the audit trail is the supporting record that establishes how and when the signature was applied. Courts consider the totality of the evidence. The audit trail is not automatically conclusive, but a detailed, timestamped record from a reputable platform carries significant weight.

In the US, the ESIGN Act 2000 and state UETA laws establish that electronic signatures have the same legal standing as handwritten ones. Courts have consistently held that a well-documented audit trail satisfies the evidentiary requirements for enforcing electronically signed contracts.

Is an audit trail the same as a digital signature?

No, though they often appear together. An audit trail is a record of the signing process. Who did what and when. A digital signature is a cryptographic mechanism that verifies identity and detects tampering. A platform-generated signature typically provides both: an audit trail of the process and a cryptographic hash of the document at the point of signing.

A simple electronic signature has neither. It has no audit trail and no cryptographic protection. The document could be altered after signing with no automatic detection.

How long should I keep an audit trail?

Keep it for at least as long as the contract it relates to, plus a reasonable period to cover any potential dispute. For most commercial contracts in the UK, six years is a sensible benchmark. This reflects the Limitation Act 1980 standard limitation period for contract claims. Store it with the signed document, not separately.

Related guides

The UK’s approach to electronic signatures is permissive. The law does not require a specific technology or a specific appearance. What it requires is intent. A person who types their name, clicks ‘I agree’, or draws a squiggle on a screen to indicate they are signing has created a legally valid electronic signature, provided the context makes clear what they were agreeing to.

The UK’s approach is permissive and well-established. The Law Commission confirmed in its 2019 report (Law Com No 386) that electronic signatures are valid for executing documents where a signature is required by law. Courts across England, Wales, and Scotland have consistently upheld electronically signed contracts in disputes.

UK validity by document type

Green: valid without restriction. Red: electronic signing not permitted. Amber: permitted but conditions apply.

Basic Questions

What law makes electronic signatures valid in the UK?

Three sources work together.

• The Electronic Communications Act 2000 (ECA 2000), section 7, makes electronic signatures admissible as evidence in UK legal proceedings.
• The retained eIDAS framework (SI 2016/696) adds the non-discrimination principle: a signature cannot be refused or denied legal effect solely because it is electronic.
• The Law Commission's 2019 report (Law Com No 386) confirmed the position for deeds specifically. Electronic signatures are capable of satisfying a statutory signature requirement, including for deeds, provided the other formalities are met.

Does the type of electronic signature matter?

For most everyday documents, no. A typed name, a drawn squiggle, or a platform-generated signature are all legally valid. The type of signature affects evidential strength, not whether it is valid in the first place.

The type starts to matter when a specific standard is required. Some regulated transactions, cross-border EU documents, and property dealings under HM Land Registry’s qualified signature pilot require a higher tier. For those, a simple typed name would not be appropriate, even though it is valid for most other purposes. See Types of electronic signature: which method should you use?.

Are electronically signed contracts enforceable in UK courts?

Yes. UK courts have consistently treated electronically signed contracts as binding where the signature demonstrates intent and the parties understood what they were agreeing to. The Electronic Communications Act 2000 makes electronic signatures admissible as evidence, and courts consider the totality of the evidence, such as the signature, the audit trail, and the surrounding communications, when determining enforceability.

A well-documented electronic signature from a reputable platform (with a full audit trail recording who signed, when, on which device, and from which location) is in practice easier to defend in a UK court dispute than a wet-ink signature on a scanned piece of paper.

Can someone refuse to accept my electronic signature?

Not on legal grounds alone. The law does not permit a signature to be refused solely because it is electronic. If someone refuses an electronic signature, they must have a reason beyond its being digital. For example, the document is one of the statutory exceptions, or a contract between the parties specifies a different method.

Banks, some landlords, and certain public bodies still request wet-ink signatures as a matter of policy or internal procedure. That is a practical constraint, not a legal one. In many cases, asking directly whether an electronic signature would be accepted resolves the issue.

Going Deeper

What is the position for deeds in England and Wales?

A deed, including a property transfer, mortgage, or lasting power of attorney, can be signed electronically, but with conditions. The Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, s. 1(3) requires a deed to be signed in the physical presence of a witness who also signs to attest. This applies whether the signature is electronic or handwritten.

HM Land Registry accepts two specific methods for electronically processed deeds under Practice Guide 82 (updated 7 July 2025): a Mercury signature, where the signatory signs a printed page in wet ink in front of a witness and then scans it; and a Conveyancer-Certified Electronic Signature (CCES), where the signatory signs through a platform in the physical presence of a witness. In both cases the conveyancer certifies the process. Remote or video witnessing is not accepted.

A simple electronic signature, such as a typed name, is not sufficient to execute a deed for registration purposes, even though it is legally valid for most contracts.

What is the position for consumer contracts in the UK?

Consumer contracts, where a business sells goods, services, or digital content to an individual, can be signed electronically without restriction under the same principles that apply to all contracts. The Electronic Communications Act 2000 and the retained eIDAS framework apply equally to consumer transactions. A signature cannot be refused solely because it is electronic.

For consumer contracts signed online, such as subscription agreements, terms of service and purchase contracts, clicking ‘I agree’ or ‘I accept’ constitutes a valid electronic signature, provided the terms were clearly presented before the click and the consumer had a genuine opportunity to read them. The signature is the click; the legal question is whether the terms were adequately disclosed.

How does UK law compare to the EU position after Brexit?

The UK kept the original eIDAS Regulation rules when it left the EU, writing them into UK law through the Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/696). The three-tier system of simple, advanced, and qualified electronic signatures, applies in the UK in exactly the same way as before Brexit.

What changed is the mutual recognition network. Before Brexit, a qualified electronic signature from a UK trust service provider was automatically recognised across all EU member states. That automatic recognition no longer applies. UK and EU trusted lists are separate, and certificates from one are not automatically valid on the other. For most UK businesses signing documents with UK counterparties, this makes no practical difference. For those operating across both jurisdictions, it may require using certificate providers listed on both trusted lists.

For the full picture, see Do UK electronic signatures work in the EU?.

What happens if an electronic signature is disputed in the UK?

If a signature is disputed, the starting point is that it is presumed valid. The person challenging it must produce evidence that it was not genuinely made by the person named, or that the document was altered after signing.

A simple electronic signature, such as a typed name, is challenged by arguing that the named person did not type it. The response relies on surrounding evidence: the email thread, timestamps, and context. A platform-generated signature adds a structured audit trail that is significantly harder to unpick. A qualified digital signature is the most robust: any change to the document after signing invalidates it automatically and the certificate ties the signature to a verified identity.

In practice, the quality of the audit trail is the most important factor in a UK dispute. A well-documented electronic signature from a reputable platform has consistently been upheld in UK courts.

Related guides

Electronic signatures and digital signatures are not the same thing, even though the terms are often used interchangeably. Understanding the difference helps you choose the right method for what you are signing.

An electronic signature is the broad term. It covers anything electronic you do to indicate you are signing — typing your name, clicking ‘I agree’, or drawing a squiggle on a screen. These are all electronic signatures, and they are all legally valid for most documents.

A digital signature is a specific, more secure type of electronic signature. It uses technology to do two things an ordinary electronic signature cannot: prove exactly who signed, and detect whether the document has been altered since. If someone changes even a single word after you sign, the signature automatically shows as invalid.

For most everyday documents, an electronic signature is all you need. For high-value contracts, property transactions, or anything where a dispute is likely, a digital signature gives you much stronger protection.

A side by side comparison

Basic Questions

Are they both legal?

Yes. Both are legally recognised in the UK, the US, and across the EU. Neither can be rejected simply because it is electronic rather than handwritten. The law treats them as valid ways to sign for the vast majority of documents.

The difference is not whether they are legal, it is how easy they are to challenge. A typed name can be disputed because anyone could have typed it. A digital signature is much harder to dispute because it is automatically tied to a verified identity and shows if the document has been changed.

Which one should I use?

For most everyday documents, such as employment contracts, supplier agreements, approvals, and non-disclosure agreements, a standard electronic signature is fine. You do not need anything more.

Choose a digital signature when:

• The contract is high value and a dispute would be costly
• You need to prove exactly who signed, not just that a name appears on a document
• The document involves property, a regulated transaction, or a government body
• The other party or your organisation requires a higher level of assurance

If you are unsure, a digital signature is never the wrong choice. It provides everything an electronic signature does, plus more.

Can I use them on the same document?

In most cases, yes. Different parties can sign the same document in different ways, and each signature is valid for that person regardless of how others signed.

The main exception is property deeds submitted to HM Land Registry. For those, the signatory and their witness must both use the same method through the same platform. Mixing methods on a deed is not accepted.

Is one more expensive than the other?

A basic electronic signature costs nothing. Typing your name or clicking a button requires no software or subscription. A digital signature requires a platform or service, which typically charges a subscription or a per-document fee.

In the EU, a change coming into effect by end of 2026 will make qualified digital signatures available free of charge to individual citizens for personal use through a new EU Digital Identity Wallet. This does not apply to the UK.

Going Deeper

What makes a digital signature more secure?

When you apply a digital signature, the software takes a snapshot of the document at that exact moment. It's a unique fingerprint. That fingerprint is locked to your verified identity. Anyone who opens the document later can check that the fingerprint still matches. If the document has been changed in any way, the fingerprint no longer matches and the signature shows as invalid.

An ordinary electronic signature does not do this. A typed name or a drawn squiggle confirms that someone intended to sign, but it does not prove who they were, and it does not detect changes. The document could be altered after signing with no visible sign that anything happened.

What is a qualified electronic signature and where does it fit?

A qualified electronic signature is the highest legal tier of digital signature. It is backed by a certificate from a government-approved authority, and in law it carries exactly the same weight as a handwritten signature. It cannot be rejected simply because it is electronic.

Getting a qualified certificate requires verified identity checks, the kind you go through when opening a bank account. This is what makes it the most trustworthy option. Most people do not need a qualified signature for everyday documents. It is typically used for high-value or regulated transactions, or where the law specifically requires it.

Below that sits an advanced electronic signature. It is still a digital signature, still tied to your identity and tamper-evident, but backed by a less stringent certificate. Most reputable e-signature platforms issue advanced signatures. These are sufficient for the vast majority of business contracts.

What about property documents?

Property deeds are treated differently from most documents. In England and Wales, a deed must be signed in the physical presence of a witness. This applies whether you sign electronically or in ink.

HM Land Registry accepts two methods for electronically processed deeds (set out in Practice Guide 82, updated 7 July 2025). A Mercury signature is where you sign a printed page in wet ink in front of a witness, then scan it. A Conveyancer-Certified Electronic Signature (CCES) is where you sign through a platform, again in the physical presence of a witness. Your conveyancer manages either process.

HMLR is also piloting a scheme accepting qualified digital signatures for certain transactions. In all cases, the applications must be submitted electronically.

Does it matter which I use in Scotland?

For most commercial contracts in Scotland, no. Both work fine. The difference becomes significant for formal documents.

In Scotland, a document that carries a qualified digital signature is ‘self-proving’. A court presumes it is valid without needing further evidence. A document with a standard advanced digital signature does not have this status, though it still satisfies the formal signing requirement. A simple electronic signature such as a typed name does not satisfy formal requirements at all for documents that must be executed under Scottish law.

How do I check whether a digital signature is genuine?

You usually do not need to do anything. Most PDF readers, including Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free, check digital signatures automatically when you open the document. They display whether the signature is valid, when it was applied, and whether the document has been changed since signing.

A simple electronic signature gives you none of this. If someone disputes a typed name, you are relying on emails, timestamps, and context rather than an automatic verification built into the document itself. That is the practical difference in the event of a dispute.

What is the position in the US?

Both types are legally valid across the US under federal law (the ESIGN Act 2000) and under state-level laws adopted by 49 states. Neither can be rejected solely because it is electronic.

The US does not use the EU’s three-tier system of simple, advanced, and qualified signatures. Instead, US law focuses on intent and the reliability of the signing method. In practice, a digital signature from a reputable platform provides the strongest evidentiary position. For documents with specific state-law requirements, it is worth checking the rules for that state.

Legislative references

Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the following primary sources.

UK

Electronic Communications Act 2000 (c. 7), s. 7 - makes electronic signatures admissible as evidence in UK proceedings. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/7

Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/696) - brings the eIDAS framework into UK law. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/696

Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995; Electronic Documents (Scotland) Regulations 2014 (SSI 2014/83) - authentication and self-proving requirements in Scotland. legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2014/83

Law Commission, Electronic Execution of Documents, Law Com No 386 (2019) - confirms all electronic signature types can satisfy statutory signing requirements. lawcom.gov.uk — Electronic Execution of Documents

HM Land Registry, Practice Guide 82 (updated 7 July 2025) - Mercury signatures and CCES; physical witness required; electronic submission required; QES pilot. gov.uk — Practice Guide 82

Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (c. 18), Part 2 - Digital Verification Services (DVS) framework; OfDIA. In force 1 December 2025. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/18/part/2

EU

eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 - defines the three tiers of electronic signature; Article 25(2): qualified signature has same legal effect as a handwritten signature. eur-lex.europa.eu — CELEX:32014R0910

eIDAS 2.0 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, in force 20 May 2024) - mandates EU Digital Identity Wallet by end of 2026. Does not apply to the UK.

US

ESIGN Act 2000, 15 U.S.C. §§ 7001–7031 - electronic and digital signatures legally equivalent to handwritten signatures in interstate and foreign commerce. law.cornell.edu — 15 U.S.C. § 7001

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) - adopted by 49 states and the District of Columbia. uniformlaws.org — UETA adoption table

All information on this page was accurate as of May 2026. Produced by Signatures.com, an independent editorial authority. Not legal advice.

When you apply a digital signature, the signing software creates a unique fingerprint of the document at that exact moment. That fingerprint is locked to your identity using a private code that only you hold. Anyone who later opens the document can check that the fingerprint still matches and if the document has been changed even slightly since you signed, the check fails and the signature shows as invalid.

This makes a digital signature fundamentally different from other types of electronic signature. A typed name or a drawn squiggle confirms intent, but it does not prove identity and it does not detect tampering. A digital signature does both, automatically.

Digital signatures are legally recognised in the UK, the EU, and the US. At the highest level, they carry exactly the same legal weight as a handwritten signature. They are most commonly used for high-value contracts, property transactions, regulated documents, and any situation where it matters beyond doubt that the right person signed and the document has not been touched since.

Basic Questions

Is a digital signature the same as an electronic signature?

No, though the two terms are often confused. An electronic signature is the broad term. It covers any electronic method of signing a document, from a typed name to a tick-box to a drawn squiggle. A digital signature is one specific, more secure type of electronic signature.

Think of it this way: all digital signatures are electronic signatures, but most electronic signatures are not digital signatures. The key difference is what a digital signature adds: proof of identity and automatic detection of any changes to the document after signing. For a full side-by-side comparison, see Electronic signature vs digital signature: what is the difference?.

Is a digital signature legally valid?

Yes, in the UK, EU, and US. Digital signatures are recognised in law and carry the same legal weight as a handwritten signature when they meet the relevant standard. In the UK, they are covered by the Electronic Communications Act 2000. In the EU, the eIDAS Regulation gives a qualified digital signature identical legal standing to a handwritten signature. In the US, the ESIGN Act 2000 applies.

As with all electronic signatures, a small number of document types are excluded. Wills in England and Wales, for example, still require a wet-ink signature. For everything else, a digital signature is fully valid.

How is it different from just typing my name?

A typed name is an electronic signature, and is legally valid for most documents, but it provides minimal protection if someone challenges it. Anyone can type your name. There is no automatic record proving that you, specifically, signed at a particular time, or that the document has not been altered since.

A digital signature solves both problems. It is tied to a verified identity, not just a name. And it creates an automatic record that makes any change to the document visible after the fact. If the document is altered even slightly after you sign it, the signature shows as invalid the next time anyone opens it. A typed name cannot do either of these things.

Do I need to understand how it works to use one?

No. The technology behind a digital signature (the cryptography, the keys, the certificates) is handled entirely by the platform or software you use. As a signer, the experience is usually straightforward: you receive a link, open the document, and sign. The platform does everything else.

Where it helps to understand the basics is when you are choosing whether you need a digital signature at all, or which type. The rest of this page covers those questions in plain English.

Do I need special software?

To create a digital signature, yes. You need a platform or service that can manage the certificate and apply the signing process. In most cases this is an e-signature platform, which is a web-based service. The person signing usually does not need to install anything or create an account. They follow a link, sign, and the platform handles the rest.

To check whether a digital signature is valid, most people already have what they need. Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free, verifies digital signatures automatically when you open a signed PDF. It shows whether the signature is valid, when it was applied, and whether the document has been changed since signing.

Going Deeper

What is a digital certificate and why does it matter?

A digital certificate is what connects your digital signature to your verified identity. It is issued by a Certificate Authority. This is an organisation that has checked who you are before issuing the certificate, in the same way a bank checks your identity before issuing a card.

Without a certificate, a digital signature is just a mathematical mark with no verified owner. With a certificate, anyone who receives your signed document can confirm that the signature belongs to you specifically, not just to someone who typed your name.

In the UK, certificate authorities must be listed on a government-maintained trusted list overseen by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is being renamed the Information Commission in 2026. In the EU, each member state maintains its own trusted list. Only certificates from listed authorities qualify for the highest legal tier of digital signature.

Are there different levels of digital signature?

Yes. The law recognises three tiers, and the level you need depends on what you are signing.

A simple electronic signature is any electronic indication of intent to sign, such as a typed name and a tick-box. It is not a digital signature.

An advanced electronic signature is the standard offered by most reputable signing platforms. It is linked to your identity, and any change to the document after signing is automatically detectable. This is a digital signature.

A qualified electronic signature is the highest tier. It is backed by a certificate from a government-approved authority and, in law, carries the same weight as a handwritten signature. It cannot be rejected solely because it is electronic. Getting a qualified certificate requires verified identity checks, typically a government-issued ID check.

For everyday commercial contracts, an advanced digital signature is sufficient. A qualified signature is used for high-value or regulated transactions, or where the law specifically requires it.

Can a digital signature be faked or forged?

In practice, no - provided the signing system is properly set up. The security of a digital signature depends on your private key remaining secret. If it does, no one else can reproduce your signature. The mathematical systems used are designed so that even with substantial computing power, deriving a private key from the public information is not feasible.

The real risk is not mathematical - it is practical. A private key that is stolen, shared, or stored carelessly can be misused. This is why the highest-tier digital signatures are created using certified hardware that generates and stores the private key in a way that prevents it being extracted at all.

If a document is altered after signing, the signature automatically shows as invalid. You do not need to spot the change yourself - the software does it.

Where are digital signatures commonly used?

Digital signatures are used wherever the identity of the signer and the integrity of the document need to be provable. Common uses include:

• High-value commercial contracts where a dispute would be costly
• Property transactions. HM Land Registry accepts digitally signed deeds through specific processes set out in Practice Guide 82 (updated 7 July 2025)
• Financial services agreements and regulated documents
• Cross-border transactions within the EU, where a qualified digital signature has a specific legal guarantee
• Government filings and tax returns. HMRC accepts digital signatures on a range of forms

They are also used in software and technology to sign code, proving that software has not been altered since it was released, though that is outside the scope of this guide.

What is the position for property transactions?

HM Land Registry accepts two methods for electronically processed property deeds, both set out in Practice Guide 82 (updated 7 July 2025).

A Mercury signature involves signing a printed page in wet ink in front of a witness, then scanning it. This counts as an electronic signature under the eIDAS definition but uses a traditional physical signature at its core.

A Conveyancer-Certified Electronic Signature (CCES) is a fully platform-based process where you sign electronically, still in the physical presence of a witness. The conveyancer certifies that the correct steps were followed.

HM Land Registry is also running a pilot scheme accepting qualified digital signatures for a limited range of transactions. In both cases, the physical presence of a witness remains required for deeds. Remote or video witnessing is not accepted. Applications must be submitted to HMLR electronically.

Does it work differently in Scotland?

The technology is the same but the legal consequences differ for formal documents. In Scotland, a document that carries a qualified digital signature is ‘self-proving’ meaning a court presumes it is valid without needing additional evidence. A document with an advanced digital signature does not have that status, though it does satisfy the authentication requirement for formal documents.

For everyday commercial contracts that do not require formal writing, any level of digital signature works in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK.

The Scottish rules are set out in the Electronic Documents (Scotland) Regulations 2014.

What is the position in the EU after eIDAS 2.0?

The EU updated its electronic signature rules in 2024 with a new regulation known as eIDAS 2.0. The core rules about digital signatures remain the same. What eIDAS 2.0 adds is a mandatory EU Digital Identity Wallet, which every EU member state must make available to citizens by the end of 2026. This wallet will allow citizens to use a qualified digital signature free of charge for personal use.

This does not apply to the UK. The UK has its own framework, based on the original eIDAS rules as they were written into UK law after Brexit. UK-issued digital signature certificates are not automatically recognised within the EU’s mutual recognition system, which is a practical consideration for organisations operating across both jurisdictions.

Legislative references

Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the following primary sources.

UK

Electronic Communications Act 2000 (c. 7), s. 7 - makes electronic and digital signatures admissible as evidence in UK proceedings. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/7

Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/696) - brings the eIDAS framework into UK law; ICO designated as supervisory authority. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/696

Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995; Electronic Documents (Scotland) Regulations 2014 (SSI 2014/83) - Regulation 2: advanced signature for authentication; Regulation 3: qualified signature for self-proving status. legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2014/83

Law Commission, Electronic Execution of Documents, Law Com No 386 (2019) - confirms digital signatures valid for deeds; physical witness presence required. lawcom.gov.uk — Electronic Execution of Documents

HM Land Registry, Practice Guide 82 (updated 7 July 2025) - Mercury signatures and CCES; QES pilot; physical witness required; electronic submission required. gov.uk — Practice Guide 82

Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (c. 18), Part 2 - Digital Verification Services (DVS) framework; OfDIA. In force 1 December 2025. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/18/part/2

EU

eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 - defines advanced and qualified electronic signatures; Article 25(2): qualified signature has same legal effect as handwritten signature. eur-lex.europa.eu — CELEX:32014R0910

eIDAS 2.0 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, in force 20 May 2024) - mandates EU Digital Identity Wallet by end of 2026; qualified signatures free of charge to individuals for non-professional use. Does not apply to the UK.

US

ESIGN Act 2000, 15 U.S.C. §§ 7001–7031 - electronic and digital signatures legally equivalent to handwritten signatures in interstate and foreign commerce. uscode.house.gov — 15 U.S.C. Chapter 96

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) - adopted by 49 states and the District of Columbia. uniformlaws.org — UETA adoption table

All information on this page was accurate as of May 2026. Produced by Signatures.com, an independent editorial authority. Not legal advice.

Founded in 2003 and first listed on the Nasdaq in 2018, Docusign now commands an estimated 67% share of the global e-signature market. To maintain this position Docusign has developed strategic collaborations with leading software providers including Salesforce, Microsoft Teams (with over 300 million users), and integrated WhatsApp delivery with Meta.

In 2020, Docusign’s usage was accelerated by the Covid pandemic, where e-signatures became a vital component in business practices, which had previously relied on face-to-face meetings, and the exchange of "wet ink" signatures. Today e-signatures can be used for the majority of commercial and private agreements (such as employment contracts or NDAs), with the ⁠Law Commission confirming that they are now legally binding documents in the UK.

As well as the significant shift triggered by the pandemic, the use of e-signatures has also been increased by new eIDAS Regulation, that came into full effect across all EU member states in 2016, and which established a single, legally binding framework across the EU. (Although “wet signatures” are still required in some instances, most notably around land registry and exchange.)

 As you’d expect from a market-leading product, Docusign has a frictionless sign-up, with the ability to set up and share simple documents for signing in 5-10 minutes. However, with functionality such as template creation and workflow configuration, it may take a day or so to get fully up to speed. And Docusign’s pricing can be confusing in places, with certain functionality only being available in Enhanced packages, which require direct contact with the Docusign sales team (such as Salesforce integration, conditional routing, and HIPAA support).

Plans and pricing

Source: Docusign US eSignature pricing and Docusign UK eSignature pricing (checked July 2026).

Does Business Pro include a larger sending allowance than Standard?

No. Standard and Business Pro both carry an allowance of up to 100 envelopes per user per year on an annual contract. Upgrading from Standard to Business Pro adds bulk send, PowerForms, and payment collection. It does not increase the envelope limit.

What do Docusign's eSignature add-ons cost?

Docusign sells three add-ons for Standard and Business Pro subscribers: EU QES, SMS delivery, and identity verification. All three require an existing Standard or Business Pro subscription. None are available on the Personal plan.

Does Docusign offer a free plan?

No. Docusign offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, running on Business Pro features. A separate free signing account exists for receiving and signing documents sent by others. This is not a plan for sending documents.

Getting started

Once you have visited the Docusign homepage and selected the ‘Try for free’ button you are taken to a sign-up screen. Here you add your name and email address, which is all you’ll need to get started (No credit card information is required at any stage.)

What then follows are a series of verification steps, where you need to verify your email address and phone number. Once these are completed, you will be asked to select the industry you work in, as well as how you plan to use the app, after which you can add up to four people to your account. It’s a simple process that takes no more than a minute or two.

Next, the app will prompt you to create your first envelope. A Docusign envelope can contain up to 130 documents, which can be emailed to a recipient for signing. The Docusign service is designed around the concept of these envelopes, with the platform’s entire ⁠eSignature REST API being built using the Envelope object.

The envelope holds data on the documents to be signed, signers and recipients, and the places where documents will be signed. These envelopes have statuses, such as ‘sent’, ‘delivered’, ‘completed’, and ‘voided’, and also contain information about the sender, as well as timestamps that indicate the progress of the delivery procedure. And no matter how many documents, fields, or signers a given envelope contains, it still counts as one of your eSignature plan’s envelope allowances.

Sending your first document

To test the platform, we created a seven-clause Freelance Services Agreement with the fictitious Acme Corporation Ltd. It's a realistic test document, and includes two full signature blocks, with name and date fields for both parties. (However, if you require more complicated signing options, such as the electronic witnessing of signatures from within Docusign, a Business Pro or corporate plan is required, as this functionality is not supported by lower tiers.)

Once you’ve uploaded one or more documents for signing, you then add the recipients that need to receive and/or sign them (making sure you include yourself, if necessary); at this point you also need to select which recipient will need to sign. Here you also have the opportunity to add another layer of security, by including an access code, which can be shared separately.

On the next screen, information such as signature, date, email, and company can be added. You can either drag and drop these elements into the correct place in your document (our preferred option) or use the AutoPlace features, which uses keywords and tags to place elements in the correct section within your document. Finally, once you’re happy with the placement, hit ‘Send’.

At this point recipients are sent an email. And within three clicks they are able to add their signature to selected documents, which can be done in the following ways; first, they can sign via ‘Select style’ (which automatically generates a signature for you); alternatively, they can select ‘Draw’ (where you can add your own signature); with the last option being  ‘Upload’ (where you can use an existing image of your signature).

Once a Docusign envelope is completed, and all the signatures are added, the app automatically generates a ‘Certificate of Completion’, which details the full audit history of the transaction. And once signing is completed by all parties, documents are made available via the ‘Completed’ section, where you can access the fully-signed document, as well as information such as when and where the document was signed.

Features

Document preparation

Docusign accepts a wide range of file types, including .doc, .docx, .pdf, .xls, .xlsx, .txt, .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png, .tif, .rtf, .wpd, .htm and more. However, in practice, most documents arrive as PDFs.

Template creation uses a drag-and-drop interface that saves field placement, signing roles, and routing logic for reuse. A Template Gallery of more than 40 pre-built agreements, including residential leases, NDAs, purchase orders, offer letters, and scope-of-work documents (there is no per-plan template count limit on Standard or Business Pro; templates are effectively unlimited on paid plans).

The AutoPlace feature can be useful, as it detects anchor tags (PDF form field names or text strings), and then positions signature and data fields automatically. If you’re building complex documents or templates, and are used to precise tag naming, this can save a lot of time. But for the majority of people, drag and drop will suffice, and it’s worth noting that any minor inconsistencies in tag formatting will cause fields added using AutoPlace to misalign.

And the selection of available field types is comprehensive, including signature, initials, name, title, company, date, text, checkbox, radio, dropdown, note, attachment, calculated fields, locked fields, linked fields, drawing fields, and conditional display (on Enhanced plans).

Signing experience

Signers receive a branded email with a secure link, with no account being required to sign. The browser-based signing interface highlights each required field in sequence, making it difficult to miss a step. Signature options include typed, drawn with a finger or stylus, or uploaded image.

Docusign has both a browser-based mobile experience and native iOS and Android apps. And the Responsive Signing feature adapts document layout for mobile, which is the platform we used in our testing; it was easy to navigate documents and add signatures, although we did have to turn off the mobile view to see the correct signature placement.

SMS delivery of signing links is also available, but only as a paid add-on at £0.35 per delivery. For some, where email deliverability is unreliable or where signers prefer SMS confirmation, this may be a significant drawback.

Workflow and automation

Docusign supports any number of recipients, using sequential, parallel, or mixed routing. Attributable roles include signer, approver (review without signing), CC (copy only), and editor (modify fields before the envelope reaches subsequent signers). Elsewhere, timing delays between steps can be configured, and signing can be delegated by recipients.

Bulk Send (Business Pro and above) uses a CSV or Excel import to send personalised copies of the same document to multiple recipients simultaneously. Each recipient receives a unique envelope, so audit trails are individual.

However, conditional routing, where the signing path changes based on prior responses, will require an Enhanced plan. PowerForms are another useful tool (available in Business Pro and above), which enable you to generate standalone, signing links from a template, allowing recipients to self-initiate the signing process. Each PowerForm send will count towards the annual envelope cap.

Audit trail and evidence

Every completed envelope generates a Certificate of Completion, a PDF attachment containing each signer's email address, the timestamp of every action (sent, viewed, signed), and the IP address associated with each action. This is described by Docusign as “court admissible", and can be accessed by clicking on a completed envelope. Here you will see a ‘Download’ button; click on it, and you’ll get the option to download your signed file, as well as the Certificate of Completion.

Any modification to a completed document after signing is detectable and will invalidate the certificate. And the Certificate of Completion includes information such as the type of signature (e.g. Drawn on Device), the user’s IP Address, the platform it was signed on (e.g. Mobile), as well as the times the document was sent, viewed, and signed.

Integrations

Docusign connects natively to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Box for document retrieval. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 productivity integrations are listed across all plans, and can be done via Drive retrieval, Word and Outlook add-ins, and OneDrive access.

Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom workplace integrations are also available from the Standard plan upwards. With Microsoft Teams integration enabling envelope notifications and status tracking within the platform.

Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and NetSuite integrations are available via the Enhanced (Enterprise) plan only. And this may be a  significant integration limitation for sales-led teams evaluating Docusign at Standard or Business Pro.

For API access, a separate developer account structure (approximately £500/year at entry level) is required, and is not included in standard eSignature plan pricing.

Security and compliance

Docusign holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, ISO 27017, and ISO 27018 certification. All Docusign data at rest is encrypted with AES-256; and data in transit uses TLS 1.2.

 On the UK pricing page, all self-serve plans (Personal, Standard, Business Pro) are classed as Simple Electronic Signature (SeS). And if you require Advanced Electronic Signature (AES) and Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), these are available via Enhanced plans. QES is also listed as a paid add-on at £9 per recipient on Personal, Standard, and Business Pro. But it is not a built-in feature on any self-serve plans.

HIPAA BAA and data residency options also require an Enhanced plan, which aligns with similar products from Adobe and PandaDoc.

Identity verification options include email access codes (all plans), SMS authentication (metered add-on), knowledge-based authentication (Enhanced only), and ID verification (£2 per attempt; Standard and Business Pro include a one-time five-attempt bonus).

Support

Free account holders are limited to the self-service Support Centre (knowledge base, help guides, and community forums) with no live chat, no email case management, and no phone access. To access these features, you will require a paid plan.

All paid plans include Standard Support: Support Centre plus live chat and online case management, with a target initial response time of under 24 hours. And Docusign University provides video tutorials and structured learning paths, with active community forums (moderated by Docusign employees) also providing a useful source of verified information for edge cases.