Electronic Signature Services
It used to be when you had a complex document that needed to be signed, everyone had to gather in the same room and it was a big hassle for everyone involved. Today we have digital services that make getting your documents and signatures a snap! We have put together a list of the five most popular online signature gathering services for you:
PandaDoc
The simple CMS system makes this a breeze to use. You can create “content blocks” which are text, videos etc and then REUSE them in later documents which is a big time saver. There are two plan packages, the “Business Plan” which is $49 per month and is designed for small teams and the Enterprise version of PandaDoc which is more suited for larger teams. The Enterprise package also has advanced reporting if you want to dig more into your data. PandaDoc can merge with your existing CMS software. PandaDoc is a good solution for people looking for a painless, drag and drop interface that won’t put you in over your head.
OneSpan
This is one of the larger e-signing services, boasting clients like the US Army, BMW and Wells Fargo. OneSpan encrypts both the signature fields AND the documents themselves so you can rest easy knowing your documents are secure. Their intro package is the “Professional Plan” which is just $20 per month, gives you all the normal features you would expect. OneSpan’s ‘visual’ audit trail reproduces all web screens, legal disclosures and documents that were presented, and how long people took at each step. Everything within OneSpan is documented and stored automatically so you never have to worry about saving or backing up.
DocuSign
A San Francisco based company that does simple document signing services. You can check the “status” of a document and quickly and easily see who has signed, and who hasn’t. Docusign is one of the cheaper options, with basic plans starting at $10 per month going up to $25 for the “standard plan” and $40 for the “Business Pro Plan” which allows you to collect payments, has advanced fields, signer attachments etc. DocuSign has standards “templates” for everything from non disclosure agreements to board minutes.
SignNow
This company has some interesting features like the requirement of documents to submit, notifications at anyone signing the document and document expiration dates if the item is time sensitive. The site also has automated reminders if a document or a signature is still needed. This is one of the cheapest sites I have reviewed so far with a basic plan starting at a surprising $5 a month jumping up to $15 for Business which has all those bells and whistles a regular user might not miss like custom branding and link protection.
Hellosign
This company boasts a lot of big names in various industries including Lyft, Samsung and Twitter. The website integrates with Google Drive. You can request people sign documents or request signatures from up to twenty individual people in any order, or all at the same time. When the document is complete, everyone gets a copy delivered to their email inbox. You can try Hellosign for free to see if you like the interface, and the PRO version is only $13 a month and lets you set up unlimited documents. If you want to use your own branding and get other useful features their BUSINESS plan is $40 a month. All of these different versions can be tried for free with a 30 day trial.
