Best Electronic Signature Software to Streamline your Workflows

You’re probably no stranger to electronic signature software. The lockdown pushed it in our faces and it has come here to stay. We’re no longer required to sign everything in person and long-standing laws make sure the documents we sign over an internet connection are legally binding.

The only question now is what’s the best electronic signature software for you? There are many providers and they all offer something slightly different. This guide will help you get a better idea of the providers out there and what each one brings to the table.

What is electronic signature software?

An electronic signature is a symbol, sound, or even process that is logically attached/associated with a digital contract or agreement and represents the intention of someone to sign electronically. There are multiple types of electronic signatures and requirements depending on the jurisdiction you find yourself in.

With that being said, many governments around the world have approved electronic signatures for use. Most likely, they’re legally binding where you reside and do business.

Best electronic signature software

UsefulPDF

UsefulPDF is an electronic signature software solution that does that brings a lot more to the table. It has the features you’d expect in electronic signature tools like an audit trail, the ability to set signing order, multiple form field types, and automated reminder emails.

It also has advanced features such as redirecting the signatory after signing, custom post-signing messages, advanced fields for signatories to interact with, and more. The signing interface for your signatories is mobile-optimized and comes with guided signing. This ensures that no fields are left unfinished and it’s enjoyable to use.

UsefulPDF excels in electronic signatures but it also does something that few other electronic signature platforms do – automate document generation and document management.

What does that mean?

It means that from beginning to end, you can set up unique document workflows to do everything from creating contracts to storing the completed contract in your CRM.

Create the document once – then generate a unique form for data collection and send a link to the form to your clients, staff, or partners. They fill out the form, a document is generated (which you can control with conditional logic rules so it’s unique to them), and various triggers go out for the next steps.

Those steps vary based on your needs but they could be for signing, they could be to trigger the next stage of the deal in your CRM, to store the document in a different application, notify someone else in your organization, etc. You’re only limited by your imagination.

Everything can be handled in the background so when it’s all said and done, you get a notification.

Features

• Electronic signatures
• Automated reminder email messages
• Redirect after signing
• Custom post-signing messages
• Advanced form fields
• Guided signing for signatories
• Multiple signature styles
• Contact management
• Cancel signing
• One-click template creation
• Template creation from scratch
• Folder organization
• Team management
• Audit trail
• Custom email messages
• Document generation
• Integrations with third-party tools

Cons

• The integrations library is currently small and relies heavily on Zapier

Pricing

Pricing starts at $15/m when paid monthly or $12.50/m when paid yearly and increases based on the number of users tied to your account.

Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign)

A few years ago, Dropbox purchased HelloSign and has finally rebranded it to Dropbox Sign. Over time, the platform has been deeply integrated with the Dropbox product suite.

The Dropbox Sign has been around for a while so it has the core features you’d expect from this type of software such as being able to send sign requests, an audit trail, multiple types of fields that can be added to a document, multiple signature styles, and more.

There’s also support for a main team and sub-teams. Put another way, you can manage multiple teams or organizations from a single dashboard. This may be important if more than one business unit or department needs to use the platform.

Features

• Templates
• Signature requests
• Audit trail
• Automated reminder emails
• Manual reminder emails
• Text message authentication
• Two-factor authentication
• Redirect after completing signing
• Document conditional logic
• Signer attachments
• Bulk send documents
• Customization/branding

Cons

• One of the major cons reported by many of the customers is that the support team either responds very slowly or not at all.
• You have to pay for high-quality fast support

Pricing

Plans start at $20/m when paid monthly or $15/m when paid yearly. Like other electronic signature software tools, the pricing increases based on features available and the number of users on your plan.

YouSign

YouSign may not be as popular as some of the entries on this list but it has developed a solid solution. It’s more popular in Europe and is available in multiple languages.

It has a clear emphasis on serving the small business segment and, as a result, the software is fairly intuitive and you won’t usually have to resort to customer support or their self-help guides.

It comes right out the gate with electronic signatures, audit trails, team management, automated reminder emails, audit trails, and real-time document activity tracking.

You can also create basic approval workflows that documents must pass through before final approval or before they’re even sent out for signing. Funnily enough, it seems to have taken the less is more approach by only focusing on a subset of core features instead of trying to be everything for everyone.

Taken together it’s a solid solution that makes it possible for you and your team to sign documents quickly.

Features

• In-person signing
• Online signing
• Signer attachments
• Automated reminder emails
• Workflows
• Template management
• Bulk signing
• Workspaces
• Customization options

Cons

• You can only have one user on the entry-level plan so if you have plans of using it with two or more people then you must get a higher plan
• Small set of features (this can be considered a good thing or a bad thing depending on your use case).

Pricing  

Pricing starts at €11/m paid monthly but it only supports a single user. For those that need at least two users, pricing starts at €30/m paid monthly.

SignEasy

True to its name, SignEasy makes signing easy for the vast majority of its customers which has earned it a spot as one of the best electronic signature software solutions. Founded in 2010, it has spent the last decade ensuring its electronic signature software allowed businesses to speed up processes.

It accomplished this goal, in part, by providing an intuitive interface and relevant features that its customer base can take advantage of. It has core electronic signature features that are non-negotiable like sending sign requests to multiple people, audit trails, set signing order, etc.

Additionally, it has support for India-specific signatures. India has unique regulations for electronic signing. SignEasy also adds different forms of authentication, password-protected documents, support for a wide range of file formats, and more.

Features

• Support for multiple file formats
• Send multiple documents at once
• Support for dozens of languages
• Approval workflows
• Manage templates
• Set signing order
• Guided signing
• QR code signing
• Audit trail
• Activity reporting
• Team management
• Customize branding
• Contact management
• Signing authentication

Cons

• On the entry-level plan, you’re limited to five signatures a month
• On the entry-level plan, you cannot create your own templates

Pricing

Pricing plans start at $15/m when paid yearly or $10/m when paid annually. The entry-level plan only supports a single user.

EverSign

EverSign was founded back in 2017 and has grown into a popular electronic signature software platform since then. Like the other tools on this list, it has the basics and essentials down pact.

You get access to electronic signatures, an audit trail, a document editor, support for setting the signing order, and team management. The problem is that it doesn’t do much more than that and the user interface can be clunky at times.

Features

• Electronic signatures
• Audit trail
• Template management
• Manage contacts
• In-person signing
• Set up multiple businesses within EverSign

Cons

• The user interface is a bit dated and, by extension, it’s clunky which may result in sign requests taking longer than they should.

Pricing

EverSign paid plans start at $9.99/m and go up depending on the number of users you have on your account.

SignRequest

Since 2014, SignRequest has focused a lot of its energy on making sure the entire signing process is simple and straightforward for its customers. Getting a document uploaded and signed is a breeze for most users. 

If you run into any trouble, you can refer to the knowledgebase articles to get unstuck. With that being said, it still has a responsive support team. At the end of the day, SignRequest is a simple solution that comes with the core features you need to get your documents signed much faster. It doesn’t do much beyond that.

In 2021, it was acquired by Box and is being merged into the application as part of its suite of tools. It’s early to say whether or not Box will allow SignRequest to run as an independent entity over the long term.

Features

• Audit trail
• Attachments
• Team management
• Branding customization
• Verification via text messages
• Set signing order

Cons

• It has a limited feature set that the company doesn’t seem to want to expand on

Pricing

Pricing starts at $9/m per user and goes up depending on how many people are subscribed to the plan.

Conclusion

Electronic signatures are here to stay as staples of document management workflows. The question is no longer what are electronic signatures or whether electronic signatures are legal. The main question is what is the best electronic signature for me and what does it bring to the table?

If you want simple signature and document management process automation then UsefulPDF is a prime choice. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a basic signing solution that does signing well, EverSign or SignRequest are solid choices.

Let me know what you think about our list in the comments and don’t forget to share.