7 Best E-Signature Platforms Compared: An Honest, Hands-On Review

Key Takeaways: We tested 7 e-signature platforms by sending the same 3-page contract through each one. ZiaSign was the fastest to set up and send (47 seconds). DocuSign had the most integrations. Adobe Sign had the best PDF tools but the steepest learning curve. Here's the full comparison.

How We Tested

We evaluated each platform using the same standardized test:

1. Setup time: How long from account creation to sending the first document
2. Send speed: Time to upload a 3-page PDF, add 2 signature fields, and send to a test recipient
3. Signer experience: How intuitive the signing process is for the recipient (no account required)
4. Mobile experience: Testing the signing flow on an iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S25
5. Template creation: Time to build a reusable template with 5 fields (signature, date, name, email, company)
6. Pricing transparency: Whether the actual costs match the advertised pricing

We also tracked less obvious factors like email deliverability (did the signing request hit inbox or spam?), page load times, and how many clicks the signer needed to complete the process.

The Results: Platform-by-Platform Breakdown

1. ZiaSign — Best Overall Value

Setup time: 2 minutes (no credit card required) Send speed: 47 seconds from upload to sent Signer experience: Guided signing flow — the signer sees highlighted fields and signs in 3 clicks Mobile: Excellent — responsive design, loads in under 2 seconds, signature drawing works smoothly on touchscreen

What impressed us:

• The free plan is genuinely usable — not a crippled trial designed to force upgrades
• PDF tools (edit, merge, compress) are built into the same platform, eliminating the need for separate PDF software
• API access is included on all plans, including free — every other platform restricts API to business tiers
• Template creation took 90 seconds — the drag-and-drop field placement is intuitive

What could be better:

• Fewer third-party integrations than DocuSign (though the API makes up for it)
• The template gallery is still growing

Pricing: Free plan (unlimited signatures) • Pro from $8/month (flat, not per-user)

2. DocuSign — Most Established Platform

Setup time: 5 minutes (requires credit card for trial) Send speed: 1 minute 35 seconds Signer experience: Professional but slightly complex — 5 clicks to complete signing Mobile: Good but slower — the mobile web app takes 4+ seconds to load

What impressed us:

• 400+ integrations with CRM, HR, and ERP systems
• Excellent compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP)
• PowerForms feature lets you create self-service signing links

What could be better:

• Pricing is confusing — the "Standard" plan limits you to specific envelope counts
• The interface feels dated compared to newer competitors
• Template setup requires more steps than necessary

Pricing: Personal $10/mo • Standard $25/user/mo • Business Pro $40/user/mo

3. Adobe Acrobat Sign — Best for PDF Power Users

Setup time: 8 minutes (requires an Adobe account, plan selection is confusing) Send speed: 2 minutes 10 seconds Signer experience: Clean but requires more scrolling on long documents Mobile: Solid — benefits from Adobe's mobile investment

What impressed us:

• Deeply integrated with Acrobat Pro — if you already edit PDFs in Adobe, signing is seamless
• Advanced form field detection auto-identifies where signatures should go
• Strong Microsoft 365 integration

What could be better:

• You can't buy Adobe Sign standalone anymore — it's bundled with Acrobat plans
• Transaction-based pricing is hard to predict
• The cheapest plan only allows 2 send-for-signature transactions per month

Pricing: Acrobat Standard $12.99/mo • Acrobat Pro $19.99/mo • Teams $14.99/user/mo

4. PandaDoc — Best for Sales Teams

Setup time: 4 minutes Send speed: 2 minutes (includes template auto-population from CRM) Signer experience: Beautiful document presentation — feels like receiving a polished proposal Mobile: Good — the document viewer is well-optimized

What impressed us:

• Combines proposals, quotes, and e-signatures in one flow — ideal for sales teams
• Real-time document analytics show when the recipient opens, reads each page, and signs
• Payment collection is built directly into the signing flow (Stripe, PayPal)
• Content library lets teams reuse approved blocks across documents

What could be better:

• Per-user pricing gets expensive for larger teams ($35/user/month for Business plan)
• The free plan only covers e-signatures — no document creation or templates
• Learning curve for building complex proposals

Pricing: Free eSign • Essentials $19/user/mo • Business $35/user/mo

5. SignNow — Best for Budget-Conscious Teams

Setup time: 3 minutes Send speed: 55 seconds Signer experience: Straightforward — minimal friction Mobile: Excellent native apps on both iOS and Android

What impressed us:

• Very competitive per-user pricing
• Part of the airSlate ecosystem — can extend to workflow automation
• Signing links make it easy to collect signatures without knowing the signer's email in advance
• Team workspaces keep documents organized by department

What could be better:

• The free trial is short (7 days)
• Advanced features like advanced fields and templates require Business+ plan
• The interface looks functional but not elegant

Pricing: Business $8/user/mo • Enterprise $15/user/mo • Business Premium $25/user/mo

6. Dropbox Sign — Best Simple UX

Setup time: 3 minutes (instant if you have a Dropbox account) Send speed: 50 seconds Signer experience: The cleanest, most minimal signing interface we tested Mobile: Very good — loads fast, easy to navigate

What impressed us:

• The signing experience is genuinely delightful — clean white interface, no distractions
• Dropbox and Google Drive integration makes file management seamless
• The embedded API (for developers building signing into their own app) is well-documented

What could be better:

• No free plan (trial only)
• Fewer features than full CLM platforms — it's focused purely on signing
• Template limit on lower plans

Pricing: Essentials $15/mo • Standard $25/user/mo • Premium custom pricing

7. Zoho Sign — Best for Zoho Ecosystem Users

Setup time: 3 minutes (instant if you have a Zoho account) Send speed: 1 minute 15 seconds Signer experience: Competent but slightly cluttered interface Mobile: Adequate — the mobile app works but isn't the platform's strength

What impressed us:

• Tight integration with Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, and Zoho People
• Aadhaar e-Sign support for Indian businesses
• Cloud storage integration with all major providers
• Reasonable pricing with no per-user minimum

What could be better:

• Outside the Zoho ecosystem, the integrations are limited
• The UI isn't as polished as competitors
• Template builder has a steeper learning curve than ZiaSign or Dropbox Sign

Pricing: Standard $12/user/mo • Professional $18/user/mo • Enterprise $24/user/mo

Head-to-Head Comparison Table

Our Verdict

Best overall: ZiaSign — the combination of a genuine free plan, flat-rate pricing, built-in PDF tools, and API access on all plans makes it the strongest value proposition. You'd need 2-3 separate tools (DocuSign + Adobe Acrobat + an API plan) to match what ZiaSign includes in one platform.

Best for enterprises: DocuSign — the integration ecosystem and compliance certifications are unmatched for large organizations with complex workflows.

Best for sales teams: PandaDoc — the proposal-to-signature workflow is purpose-built for revenue teams.

Best budget option: SignNow at $8/user/month gives small teams a professional signing platform without breaking the budget.

Decision Framework

Choose based on workflow volume, signer location, mobile needs, audit requirements, and how much manual coordination your team can tolerate around 7 best e-signature platforms compared: an honest, hands-on review.

Where Teams Mis-buy

Teams usually choose the wrong tool when they optimize for headline price or brand familiarity instead of the specific signing workload behind 7 best e-signature platforms compared: an honest, hands-on review.

Free PDF Tools to Try Right Now

No signup, no watermark — handle the basics free with ZiaSign:

• Merge PDF — combine documents
• Split PDF — extract pages
• Compress PDF — reduce file size
• PDF to Word — make a PDF editable
• Add Text to PDF — fill and annotate
• Protect PDF — secure with a password

Ready to send for signature? Create your free account and compare ZiaSign for yourself.