An electronic signature is only worth what a court will accept, and in Europe that is decided by eIDAS: simple, advanced or qualified.
This guide ranks on how signers are identified, which of the three levels a product can actually deliver, what the bill looks like per signature rather than per seat, and how the evidence leaves.
AuthorHannah ReiterSenior Analyst, Business Applications
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In short
What electronic signature software does
Electronic signature software collects legally binding signatures on documents, verifies who signed, and stores the evidence of identity, intent and document integrity that a dispute would need.
In this order: setup effort, what it really costs, how your data comes back out, whether
you can leave, and who each electronic signature tool is built for. Why those five, and why there is no
score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
Per user per month, published, with a yearly allowance of advanced and qualified signatures per seat; Starter plan with no monthly fee and pay-per-use signatures
—
Swiss and EU companies that occasionally need a qualified signature
High-volume qualified signing where per-signature charges dominate the bill
Regulated processes that will be audited or challenged years later
Small teams needing signatures without an implementation budget
Country is where the vendor is headquartered or contracts from, which is a
different question from where your data is hosted. Where the two tell different stories, the
entry says so.
Simple, advanced and qualified signatures from one published price list
Ranked #1 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Skribble does one thing and prices it openly: it lets a normal company reach all three eIDAS levels without becoming an identity project. Signers identify themselves once, then sign at simple, advanced or qualified level, with qualified signing carried by Swisscom's trust service.
The economics decide the fit. Each paid seat includes 72 or 120 advanced or qualified signatures a year, so a finance team signing a few qualified contracts a month pays little; a lender signing hundreds pays per signature beyond that, and should be talking to a trust service provider directly.
What stands out
QES available
eIDAS and ZertES
Published pricing
Where it costs you
Qualified signatures beyond the yearly per-seat allowance are charged individually
No repository, negotiation or approval workflow around the signature
Right for
Swiss and EU companies that occasionally need a qualified signature
Wrong for
High-volume qualified signing where per-signature charges dominate the bill
SwitzerlandPer user per month, published, with a yearly allowance of advanced and qualified signatures per seat; Starter plan with no monthly fee and pay-per-use signatures
The widest national eID coverage in the Baltics and Nordics
Ranked #2 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingEurope
Dokobit solves the problem that stops most European signing projects: the counterparty in Estonia signs with Smart-ID, the one in Norway with BankID, the one in Belgium with itsme, and all of them need to land in the same file.
It is a qualified trust service provider for validating signatures and seals, and where no local scheme gives a qualified signature it offers video identification through SignicatID. Pricing is per user with a free plan, so the figure to model is the per-signature charge on qualified signing once volume grows.
What stands out
Qualified trust service
Smart-ID and Mobile-ID
API and portal
Where it costs you
Qualified signatures and SMS are charged per signature on top of the seat
Now one product inside Signicat's larger identity portfolio
Right for
Cross-border European signing where counterparties use their national eID schemes
Wrong for
Teams whose signers have no European eID and only need simple signatures
LithuaniaPer user per month, published, with a free plan for three signatures a month; qualified signatures and SMS charged per signature
Nordic eID signing built for auditors and advisers
Ranked #3 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Penneo grew out of the Danish market for signing engagement letters and running client checks, and it still fits that work best: signatures tied to MitID or BankID, identity data captured alongside, and a case file that stands up to review.
The pricing model assumes predictable volume, so a firm with a busy quarter and three quiet ones pays for capacity it did not use. Outside the Nordics the identity story thins and cheaper products look similar.
What stands out
MitID and BankID
Signature bundles
KYC workflow
Where it costs you
Annual bundles suit steady volume and punish irregular volume
The eID advantage largely disappears outside the Nordic countries
Right for
Nordic accountants, auditors and advisers who collect signed engagement letters
Wrong for
Southern European teams with no national eID to sign with
DenmarkAnnual signature bundles, published; additional signatures charged per signature
Spanish qualified trust service with published entry plans
Ranked #4 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Signaturit is one of the few qualified trust service providers that still sells a small plan online, with qualified signatures bought per signature, which makes it a rare bridge between self-serve signing and regulated signing.
The group grew by acquisition, it now belongs to Namirial, and it shows in the product names and the documentation. The moment your requirements become high-volume or need the API, pricing returns to a conversation.
What stands out
Qualified trust service
Published entry plans
Iberian market
Where it costs you
Qualified signatures cost EUR 10 to 15 each on top of the seat
A group assembled from acquisitions and now being folded into Namirial
Right for
Spanish and Portuguese organisations that need qualified or biometric signing
Wrong for
Northern European teams relying on local eID schemes
SpainPer user per month, published; advanced and qualified signatures charged per signature, published; enterprise quoted
Swedish signing and identity verification in one API
Ranked #5 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Scrive sits closest to the banks and lenders who need to know exactly who signed, and BankID makes that possible in a way email verification never will. Embedding it into an application form or a credit flow is where it earns its price.
Bought as a general document signing tool it disappoints: the API needs a salesperson, eID signing is an add-on on the higher plan, the sending experience is plainer than cheaper products, and outside the Nordics the identity coverage that justifies it is thinner.
What stands out
BankID signing
Identity verification
API first
Where it costs you
eID signing needs the Business plan and is charged on top
The interface clearly came after the API
Right for
Nordic onboarding flows where identity and signature are one step
Wrong for
Small teams wanting a simple document-sending tool without eID signing
SwedenPer user per month, published, billed annually; API and enterprise quoted; 14-day trial
The cheapest credible signing product, especially inside Zoho
Ranked #6 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingAsia-Pacific
Zoho Sign is the value option and does not pretend otherwise: templates, reminders, bulk sending and an audit trail at a price no European vendor here matches. Inside a Zoho estate it is close to free effort, since the CRM and HR modules already know the document.
The limits are legal rather than functional. The default is a simple electronic signature, advanced signing needs configuration, and qualified signing is not something the vendor supplies itself.
What stands out
Low cost
Zoho integration
EU data centre
Where it costs you
Qualified signing depends on partner trust services
Vendor established in India, which procurement will raise
Right for
Cost-sensitive teams, and in particular companies already running Zoho applications
Wrong for
Processes that legally require a qualified electronic signature
IndiaPer user per month, published; free tier for low volume
Low-cost signing and API from a US developer-tools company
Ranked #7 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingNorth America
BoldSign is priced to take customers from DocuSign at the bottom of the market: a free tier, low monthly plans with unlimited requests on Business, templates, bulk sending and branding, and an API that developers can embed without a sales call.
The ceiling is identity: signers prove control of an inbox or a phone, which is a simple signature, and qualified signing arrives as an add-on through partner trust services with video or face-to-face ID checks rather than through BankID, MitID or itsme.
What stands out
Published pricing
Developer API
Free tier
Where it costs you
Qualified signing is an add-on through partner trust services; no national eID schemes
Part of a larger developer-tools company rather than a signing specialist
Right for
Small teams and software developers wanting cheap signing with high request limits
Wrong for
Processes built around national eID schemes such as BankID or MitID
United StatesMonthly plans, published, with a free tier; API plans separate
Cheap signing with unlimited users and an API that does not punish volume
Ranked #8 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
SignNow is priced for volume, which is why it turns up behind onboarding forms and internal approvals rather than in legal departments. Paid plans carry unlimited users, the API charges by signature invite rather than by seat, and bulk send handles the hundred-recipient policy update well.
What it does not do is prove who signed beyond an email address and a phone, so anything a counterparty might later deny needs a product that verifies identity properly.
What stands out
Published pricing
Developer API
Bulk send
Where it costs you
Identity is email and SMS rather than a verified credential
American company and American governing law by default
Right for
High-volume routine paperwork where the signer's identity is never disputed
Wrong for
European contracts requiring advanced or qualified signature levels
United StatesPer plan per month with unlimited users, published; API plans by signature invite volume; 7-day trial
Plain per-sender signing with a free tier and published plans
Ranked #9 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingNorth America
SignWell keeps the job small: a sender uploads a document, drops fields for each signer, and the finished PDF returns with a tamper-evident audit trail.
Pricing is per sender and on the website, and a firm sending a handful of documents a month can stay on the free plan. There is no national eID, no qualified signing and not much in the way of administration, so once legal or compliance becomes involved it is outgrown.
What stands out
Published pricing
Free tier
Small teams
Where it costs you
Simple signatures only, verified by email or SMS
Few controls for regulated or high-volume use
Right for
Small firms sending a steady trickle of routine agreements for signature
Wrong for
Regulated businesses or contracts needing advanced or qualified signatures
United StatesPer month by number of senders, published; free tier for low volume
An Italian trust service that issues its own certificates
Ranked #10 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Namirial is infrastructure first and product second. It issues qualified certificates, timestamps and seals under Italian supervision, and other signing vendors quietly depend on services like it.
If your requirement is thousands of qualified signatures or certificates for named employees, buying from the trust service provider is the cheaper path. If your requirement is sending contracts for signature next week, the catalogue, the partner channel and the split between the enterprise site and the online shop will slow you down.
What stands out
Qualified trust service
Certificate issuance
Reseller channel
Where it costs you
Enterprise pricing is quoted and the sales route is partner-led
A product catalogue split across sites that is genuinely hard to navigate
Right for
Organisations that need qualified certificates and timestamps issued at volume
Wrong for
Small teams wanting one obvious signing product to buy this week
ItalyQuoted for enterprise; eSignAnyWhere per user per month and timestamps published in its online shop
A sales deal room where the signature is the last step
Ranked #11 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
GetAccept treats the signature as the end of a sales conversation rather than a legal act, and for a sales organisation that framing is useful: one link contains the proposal, the pricing, the video and the signing step, and the rep can see what was read.
For any other department it is the wrong purchase, because the seat price reflects sales features nobody else will use, even if qualified signatures and Nordic eID checks are available.
What stands out
Sales focus
Deal rooms
Published pricing
Where it costs you
Priced as sales software, not as a signing utility
eID verification in the Nordics carries an extra charge
Right for
Sales teams who want proposal tracking and the signature in one place
Wrong for
Legal, HR or finance processes needing evidence of identity
SwedenPer user per month, published; entry tier for signing only
The default signature product, and the one counterparties already recognise
Ranked #12 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
DocuSign is the reference everyone else is compared with, and the familiarity is real value: a counterparty who has signed through it before rarely needs help. Where it costs is the pricing structure.
Seats come with envelope allowances, identity checks and higher eIDAS levels are sold separately, and enterprise contracts are quoted and renegotiated. Exporting the evidence works, but a company with years of envelopes should test the bulk export before renewal.
What stands out
Counterparty familiarity
Integrations
Envelope limits
Where it costs you
Envelope allowances per seat make heavy senders expensive
Identity verification and eIDAS levels above simple are paid add-ons
Right for
Organisations whose counterparties expect DocuSign and whose systems already integrate it
Wrong for
Small teams sending high volumes on a tight budget
United StatesPer user per month, published; envelope allowances; enterprise quoted
Signing where the PDFs already are, with Adobe's licensing
Ranked #13 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
Adobe's advantage is placement rather than capability: the document is already a PDF in Acrobat, the approval already lives in Outlook or Teams, and signing becomes another button. Large organisations get genuine value from that and from the administrative controls.
The counterweight is Adobe's commercial model, where the same capability appears in several Acrobat team plans and again in a standalone enterprise product, and working out which one you need is itself a small project.
What stands out
Acrobat integration
Microsoft integration
Enterprise licensing
Where it costs you
Signing is split across Acrobat team plans and a separate enterprise product
Qualified signing in Europe runs through partner trust services
Right for
Organisations that have already standardised on Acrobat and Microsoft 365
Wrong for
Teams not already using Acrobat who only need documents signed
United StatesPer user per month or per transaction, published; enterprise quoted
Simple signing and an embeddable API, formerly HelloSign
Ranked #14 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
Dropbox Sign kept what made HelloSign popular: a signing screen that needs no explanation and an API that product teams can embed in an afternoon. The weaknesses are strategic rather than functional.
It is one product inside a storage company, plans are designed to sell Dropbox alongside it, and advanced or qualified signatures through eID are an extra-cost option priced by sales rather than part of the plans.
What stands out
Developer API
Published pricing
Dropbox integration
Where it costs you
Advanced and qualified signing through eID cost extra and need a sales call
Roadmap and bundling follow Dropbox rather than signing buyers
Right for
Teams already on Dropbox, and software products embedding signing through an API
Wrong for
European processes where qualified signing is routine rather than occasional
United StatesPer user per month, published; API plans by signature request volume
Identity infrastructure for banks, with electronic signing attached
Ranked #15 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Signicat is the layer underneath much of European digital signing, connecting national eID schemes, identity verification and qualified signature validation so that a regulated business can onboard a customer in one flow.
That is a serious problem solved seriously. It is also priced, sold and implemented for that audience, so a marketing team wanting signed contracts will spend weeks on something Skribble or Zoho Sign delivers in a day.
What stands out
Identity platform
Regulated industries
Quote only
Where it costs you
Enterprise sales process and per-transaction pricing
Far heavier than a team sending contracts actually needs
Right for
Banks and insurers combining onboarding, identity checks and document signing
Wrong for
Small teams that only need documents signed and stored
NorwayQuoted per organisation; setup, subscription and per-transaction fees
Signing for regulated processes that get audited afterwards
Ranked #16 of 16 in Best eSignature Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
OneSpan Sign is built for the moment someone disputes a signature years later: a detailed audit trail, the signed document sealed against alteration, and deployment choices that include keeping everything in Europe.
Banks and insurers buy it for exactly that. The cost is in effort and commitment rather than only money, since the value appears once it is embedded in a business process, and that embedding is a project with a timeline and a partner.
What stands out
Regulated industries
Detailed audit trail
EU hosting option
Where it costs you
Implementation is an integration project, not a signup
Quote-only pricing aimed at regulated enterprises
Right for
Regulated processes that will be audited or challenged years later
Wrong for
Small teams needing signatures without an implementation budget
United StatesQuoted per organisation; volume tiers
Electronic signature software collects legally binding signatures on documents, verifies who signed, and stores the evidence of identity, intent and document integrity that a dispute would need. The differences that matter are rarely in the feature list, so this is
the order we would work through them.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
14 of the 16 tools here publish what they cost; the other 2 quote per organisation. The ones you can compare without a sales call: Skribble, Dokobit, Penneo, Signaturit, Scrive, Zoho Sign, BoldSign, SignNow, SignWell, Namirial, GetAccept, DocuSign eSignature, Adobe Acrobat Sign, Dropbox Sign.
02
Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
These 16 vendors are established in 9 countries across 3 regions (Europe 8, North America 7, Asia-Pacific 1). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
Simple, advanced, qualified: the distinction eIDAS actually makes
European law recognises three levels, and they are not marketing tiers. A simple electronic signature is any mark showing intent, such as a typed name behind an email link. An advanced signature must be uniquely linked to the signer, created under their sole control, and detect any later change to the document.
A qualified signature is an advanced one made with a qualified certificate on a qualified device, and it is the only level that the Regulation gives the same legal effect as a handwritten signature across every member state. That matters where national law demands written form: German law allows a qualified signature to replace it, and nothing lower. Skribble, Dokobit, Signaturit and Namirial can deliver qualified signing; Zoho Sign, BoldSign and Adobe reach it only through partner trust services, and SignWell stops at simple.
Ask your lawyer which of your documents have a written-form requirement in law.
Make each vendor state, in writing, which of the three levels their standard flow produces.
Check whether qualified signing is issued by the vendor or bought from someone else.
A signature is only as strong as the identity check behind it
The level argument comes down to one question: how does the product know who signed? Most American vendors answer by default with an email link and an SMS code, which identifies an inbox and a phone, not a person. European products answer with national eID: MitID in Denmark, BankID in Sweden and Norway, Smart-ID and Mobile-ID in the Baltics, itsme in Belgium, iDIN in the Netherlands, SPID and CIE in Italy.
Dokobit accepts the longest list, Penneo and Scrive cover the Nordics, Signicat sits underneath many of the others. If your counterparties are consumers in those countries, eID signing is both stronger evidence and less work for them than printing a document. If they are businesses across twenty countries, ask how the product identifies a signer who has no national scheme at all.
List the countries your signers live in before shortlisting any vendor.
Ask which eID schemes are supported natively and which need a partner.
Test the signing journey yourself on a phone, using a real identity method.
Per seat, per signature or per bundle: three different bills
Pricing models in this category are not comparable without doing arithmetic. Skribble charges a seat price with a yearly allowance of qualified signatures and charges again for each one beyond it. Penneo sells an annual bundle of signatures, so unused capacity is money gone and overage is charged on top. Dokobit charges per user and then per qualified signature.
SignNow prices by plan with unlimited users and Zoho Sign by seat, which is why routine paperwork ends up there. Count the documents you sent last year, split them by how many need qualified signing, and price each shortlisted vendor against that number. Teams almost always overestimate qualified volume and underestimate routine volume, and buy the wrong plan in both directions as a result.
Count last year's signed documents and separate the ones needing a qualified signature.
Ask what an extra signature costs once the included volume is used.
Check whether internal signers and observers consume seats or signatures.
The evidence has to outlive the subscription
A signed document is worth nothing if the proof lives only in the vendor's portal. Ask what you receive when signing completes. The right answer is a PDF with the signature and the certificate embedded, a timestamp, and an audit record inside the file rather than beside it, so validity can be checked years later without the vendor's help.
OneSpan Sign and the qualified trust service providers such as Namirial and Signaturit are strongest here, because their customers get audited. Then ask the exit question: if you stop paying next year, do you keep the archive, and in what format does it leave? A vendor who can only export a list of document names has told you where the evidence actually lives.
Open a completed document in a PDF reader and confirm the signature validates.
Ask whether a qualified timestamp is applied and how long validation remains possible.
Confirm the full archive can be exported, with the audit trails, at no extra charge.
What goes wrong most often when buying electronic signature software
Assuming any electronic signature is enough. Most documents never end up in dispute, but the ones that do are exactly the ones where a typed name behind an email link becomes an argument you lose.
Buying qualified signing for everything. It costs more per signature and it asks every counterparty to identify themselves, which turns a two-minute task into a support queue.
Comparing seat prices across products with different pricing units. A bundle, a per-signature charge and a per-seat plan only become comparable once you put last year's volume through all three.
Leaving the signed archive inside the signing tool. The contract has to be readable and verifiable for as long as it binds you, which is usually longer than you will keep the subscription.
07
Frequently asked questions
6 answers
What is the best electronic signature in 2026?
Skribble leads our ranking of 16. The shortest route from nothing to a qualified signature that holds in both the EU and Switzerland, with prices on the website and qualified signing brokered through Swisscom's trust service.
Paid seats include a yearly allowance of advanced and qualified signatures and charge per signature beyond it, and each signer pays a one-time identification fee, so a high-volume qualified process gets expensive quickly. The product stops at signing: there is no contract repository, no negotiation, no approval workflow worth the name.
Which electronic signature tools publish their pricing?
14 of the 16, with the pricing model each one publishes:
Skribble: Per user per month, published, with a yearly allowance of advanced and qualified signatures per seat; Starter plan with no monthly fee and pay-per-use signatures.
Dokobit: Per user per month, published, with a free plan for three signatures a month; qualified signatures and SMS charged per signature.
Penneo: Annual signature bundles, published; additional signatures charged per signature.
Signaturit: Per user per month, published; advanced and qualified signatures charged per signature, published; enterprise quoted.
Scrive: Per user per month, published, billed annually; API and enterprise quoted; 14-day trial.
Zoho Sign: Per user per month, published; free tier for low volume.
BoldSign: Monthly plans, published, with a free tier; API plans separate.
SignNow: Per plan per month with unlimited users, published; API plans by signature invite volume; 7-day trial.
SignWell: Per month by number of senders, published; free tier for low volume.
Namirial: Quoted for enterprise; eSignAnyWhere per user per month and timestamps published in its online shop.
GetAccept: Per user per month, published; entry tier for signing only.
DocuSign eSignature: Per user per month, published; envelope allowances; enterprise quoted.
Adobe Acrobat Sign: Per user per month or per transaction, published; enterprise quoted.
Dropbox Sign: Per user per month, published; API plans by signature request volume.
The other 2 quote per organisation.
Is there a free electronic signature tool?
Dokobit, Zoho Sign, BoldSign, SignWell offer a free tier or a free self-hosted edition.
Where are these electronic signature vendors established?
In 9 countries across 3 regions: Europe 8, North America 7, Asia-Pacific 1.
Skribble: Switzerland.
Dokobit: Lithuania.
Penneo: Denmark.
Signaturit: Spain.
Scrive: Sweden.
Zoho Sign: India.
BoldSign: United States.
SignNow: United States.
SignWell: United States.
Namirial: Italy.
GetAccept: Sweden.
DocuSign eSignature: United States.
Adobe Acrobat Sign: United States.
Dropbox Sign: United States.
Signicat: Norway.
OneSpan Sign: United States.
What should you use instead of Skribble?
Dokobit and Penneo are the next two on this page. Dokobit is for Cross-border European signing where counterparties use their national eID schemes; Penneo is for Nordic accountants, auditors and advisers who collect signed engagement letters.
Who should not buy Skribble?
High-volume qualified signing where per-signature charges dominate the bill. Qualified signatures beyond the yearly per-seat allowance are charged individually.
If your electronic signature product belongs among these 16, tell us what it does and who it is for. Inclusion is an editorial call; what a listing is and is not is set out under software advice.
