Best E-signature Services 2026: Independent Ranking by eIDAS QES, Security and Price
We rank electronic signature services for businesses and individuals using only facts from the providers' own sites and the App Store: whether a qualified electronic signature (QES) under the EU eIDAS regulation is available, an audit trail, SOC 2 and ISO 27001, storage of data in Europe, the price of the cheapest paid plan, a free plan and trial, a public API, templates, bulk sending, the iOS app rating and the age of the company. Every fact links to an official page with a check date. We do not use reviews and do not judge legal validity for your particular document, and paid placements never change the Score.
| # | Company | Who it serves | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoho Sign | 96 | Yes | Yes | $10.00 | Yes | QES SOC 2 ISO 27001 Data in Europe Free plan Public API Bulk send |
| 2 | BoldSign | 84 | Yes | Not verified | $5.00 | Yes | QES SOC 2 Data in Europe Free plan Public API Bulk send |
| 3 | Dropbox Sign | 82 | Yes | Yes | $15.00 | Yes | QES SOC 2 ISO 27001 Free plan Public API Bulk send |
| 4 | Docusign eSignature | 81 | Yes | Yes | $11.00 | No | QES SOC 2 ISO 27001 Data in Europe Public API Bulk send |
| 5 | Youtrust (ex-Yousign) | 77 | Yes | Yes | $10.02 | Yes | QES ISO 27001 Data in Europe Free plan Public API |
| 6 | Adobe Acrobat Sign | 67 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | QES SOC 2 ISO 27001 Public API Bulk send |
| 7 | Skribble | 59 | Yes | Yes | $25.60 | No | QES ISO 27001 Data in Europe Public API |
-
- Qualified e-signature (QES, eIDAS)
- Yes
- ISO 27001 stated
- Yes
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $10.00
- Free plan
- Yes
Pros
- Offers a qualified electronic signature (eIDAS)
- Low price of the paid plan
- Provider states SOC 2
- Provider states ISO 27001
Details Visit site ↗ 100% backed by facts
-
- Qualified e-signature (QES, eIDAS)
- Yes
- ISO 27001 stated
- Not verified
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $5.00
- Free plan
- Yes
Pros
- Offers a qualified electronic signature (eIDAS)
- Low price of the paid plan
- Provider states SOC 2
- Permanent free plan for sending documents
Details Visit site ↗ 90% backed by facts
-
- Qualified e-signature (QES, eIDAS)
- Yes
- ISO 27001 stated
- Yes
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $15.00
- Free plan
- Yes
Pros
- Offers a qualified electronic signature (eIDAS)
- Provider states SOC 2
- Provider states ISO 27001
- Permanent free plan for sending documents
Details Visit site ↗ 85% backed by facts
-
- Qualified e-signature (QES, eIDAS)
- Yes
- ISO 27001 stated
- Yes
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $11.00
- Free plan
- No
Pros
- Offers a qualified electronic signature (eIDAS)
- Low price of the paid plan
- Provider states SOC 2
- Provider states ISO 27001
Cons
- No permanent free plan
Details Visit site ↗ 93% backed by facts
-
- Qualified e-signature (QES, eIDAS)
- Yes
- ISO 27001 stated
- Yes
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $10.02
- Free plan
- Yes
Pros
- Offers a qualified electronic signature (eIDAS)
- Low price of the paid plan
- Provider states ISO 27001
- Permanent free plan for sending documents
Details Visit site ↗ 80% backed by facts
-
- Qualified e-signature (QES, eIDAS)
- Yes
- ISO 27001 stated
- Yes
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- Not verified
- Free plan
- Not verified
Pros
- Offers a qualified electronic signature (eIDAS)
- Provider states SOC 2
- Provider states ISO 27001
- Documented public API
Cons
- Low-rated iOS app
Details Visit site ↗ 74% backed by facts
-
- Qualified e-signature (QES, eIDAS)
- Yes
- ISO 27001 stated
- Yes
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $25.60
- Free plan
- No
Pros
- Offers a qualified electronic signature (eIDAS)
- Provider states ISO 27001
- Documented public API
- Audit trail for every signed document
Cons
- No permanent free plan
Details Visit site ↗ 72% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Formstack Sign (42% backed by facts)
- PandaDoc (site closed to automated checks, )
- Sign.com (Smallpdf) (43% backed by facts)
- SignNow (airSlate) (61% backed by facts)
- SignWell (65% backed by facts)
- Signeasy (63% backed by facts)
- Xodo Sign (ex-eversign) (66% backed by facts)
Sites marked as closed refuse automated reading (403 error, captcha or a robots.txt ban). We don't bypass such protection, so we can't verify their facts and they are not ranked. This says nothing about their quality. A company can send links to its official pages to [email protected].
How we calculate the Score
25%
Legal strength
Whether the service offers a qualified electronic signature (QES) under eIDAS on any plan or as a paid add-on, either as a qualified trust service provider itself or through a provider on the EU Trusted List (weight 3), and whether every signed document gets an audit trail or certificate of completion (weight 1). Only a QES has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature across the EU.
25%
Security
Whether the provider states SOC 2 (weight 2) and ISO/IEC 27001 (weight 2) for this service, and whether customer data can be stored in Europe — the EU or Switzerland — on any plan (weight 1). A certificate that covers only the provider's data centre does not count. We record the provider's statement; we do not audit it.
25%
Price
List price of the cheapest paid plan for one user for one month, at the annual billing rate (the month-to-month price is shown next to the fact where the page gives it): $0 scores 100, $60 or more scores 0 (weight 3). Plans sold per account count at their whole monthly price. First-year promotions are ignored; EUR prices are converted at the ECB rate and the original is shown. Also a permanent free plan that lets you send documents for signature (weight 2; the number of documents per month is shown as a separate fact) and a free trial (weight 1).
15%
Features
A documented public API (weight 2), reusable templates (weight 1) and bulk sending of one document to many signers (weight 1) on any plan, including paid add-ons.
10%
Reputation
The rating of the service's own iOS app in the US App Store, adjusted for the number of ratings (weight 2), and the age of the company: 15 years or more scores 100 (weight 1).
How to choose an e-signature service
Pick the signature level first
Most sales contracts and HR documents can be signed with a simple signature. Some documents in the EU, such as certain employment or lending contracts, need a qualified one — check what your law requires before you choose.
Count documents, not just users
Many plans limit envelopes or documents per month or per year. Estimate how many you send, and check the price of extra documents, SMS codes and identity checks.
Check where signed documents are stored
If your clients or regulator expect data to stay in Europe, confirm the data region in writing — on many services it is available only on higher plans.
Keep the evidence
Download the signed document together with its audit trail or certificate of completion and store them yourself, so you can prove who signed and when even if you change providers.
Frequently asked questions
Which e-signature service is best?
The service in first place has the highest Score under our open method, but the Score does not measure whether a signature is valid for your particular document. Decide first which signature level you need, then compare price and features.
What is a qualified electronic signature (QES)?
Under the EU eIDAS regulation there are three levels: simple, advanced and qualified. Only a qualified signature, created with a qualified certificate from a provider on the EU Trusted List, has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature in every EU country. For most contracts a simple or advanced signature is enough.
How do you compare prices?
We take the price of the cheapest paid plan for one user for one month at the annual rate, because that rate is shown by almost every provider. The month-to-month price, where published, is shown under the fact. Plans sold per account count at their full price.
Why do you not use reviews?
Reviews are hard to verify and are not comparable across services. Apart from the App Store rating, this ranking uses only facts readable on providers' sites, so anyone can repeat it.
What does an empty fact mean?
We could not confirm it on an official page, sometimes because the provider's site refused automated access or showed prices only through scripts. An empty fact scores zero and lowers data completeness. A service with too little data is not ranked.