Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Sign: electronic signature without an Acrobat subscription
Adobe Acrobat Sign is primarily a module of the Acrobat suite: signature is sold with the PDF editor, billed per user and in dollars, and the API as well as qualified signature go through the Acrobat Sign Solutions offer, on quote. If you're looking only to have documents signed, without paying for the suite or negotiating an enterprise contract, Certyneo is a French alternative compliant with eIDAS, with a permanent free plan and an API included from the Standard plan onwards.
Pricing and features of Adobe Acrobat Sign collected from its public website on 1 April 2026. Grids evolve: re-verify before committing. View source
Why look for an alternative to Adobe Acrobat Sign?
Signature is tied to the Acrobat suite
The Acrobat Standard and Pro for teams packages sell the PDF editor and signature together, at $14.99 then $23.99 USD per user per month. A team that only needs to sign pays for the PDF editor with it.
API and qualified signature reserved for the quote-based offer
The REST API and qualified signature (QES) are available only in Acrobat Sign Solutions, whose pricing is not public. At Certyneo, the API is included from the Standard plan onwards and QES is charged per act, without commercial contact.
No permanent free plan
Adobe offers a 7-day trial of Acrobat Pro, then a subscription. Certyneo offers 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/month permanently, without a credit card.
An American publisher, subject to the Cloud Act
Adobe Inc. is domiciled in the United States: the European hosting option exists on request, but it does not change the law applicable to the company. Certyneo is a French entity hosted in the European Union.
Certyneo against Adobe Acrobat Sign: six criteria that decide
| Criterion | Certyneo | Adobe Acrobat Sign |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/month, without a credit card | None — 7-day trial of Acrobat Pro |
| Paid entry price | €9/month for 25 envelopes | $14.99 USD per user per month (Acrobat Standard for teams) |
| REST API and webhooks | Included from the Standard plan at €19/month | Acrobat Sign Solutions only, on quote |
| Qualified signature (QES) | Per act on all plans: €14.90 without a subscription, €9.90 with one | Via Acrobat Sign Solutions, by quote |
| Hosting and jurisdiction | European Union, French entity, outside Cloud Act | Global regions; European option on request; American entity |
| Billing model | Per envelope, 10 users included from Standard plan onwards | Per user and per month, Acrobat suite included |
Prices excluding taxes, collected from the public pricing pages of both editors on the date indicated above. The brands mentioned belong to their respective owners.
What you find at Certyneo
The expected features of electronic signature software, without changing your signers' habits.
Envelope sending and tracking
Multiple signers in sequence or in parallel, automatic reminders, real-time tracking and timestamped audit trail.
Reusable templates and fields
Templates with signature, date, text and checkbox fields; company stamp applied automatically from the Standard plan onwards.
Three eIDAS levels
Simple signature, advanced with SMS authentication, and qualified by act, recognized throughout the European Union.
API, webhooks and integrations
Documented REST API and webhooks included from the Standard plan onwards, self-service integration catalogue.
When to stay with Adobe Acrobat Sign
Adobe Acrobat Sign remains the right choice if your organization already lives in Creative Cloud or Document Cloud and signature is only a complement to PDF editing, if your workflows require Acrobat's advanced PDF manipulation (complex forms, print preparation), or if a negotiated Adobe framework agreement makes migration unprofitable. In these three cases, the subscription is justified by something other than signature.
Migrate from Adobe Acrobat Sign to Certyneo
Three steps, without interruption to your ongoing signatures.
- 1. Export
Download your signed PDFs and their audit certificates from Adobe Acrobat Sign: they remain valid indefinitely and do not need to be re-signed.
- 2. Reconstruct the templates
Import your template documents into the Certyneo editor and reposition the fields. This step is up to you: the migration offer brings over your signed contracts, not your templates.
- 3. Switch new submissions
Create your first envelopes from the free plan, connect the API or your integrations, then cancel Adobe Acrobat Sign at the expiry date.
Frequently asked questions about the alternative to Adobe Acrobat Sign
- Does Certyneo replace Adobe Acrobat Sign?
- For electronic signature, yes: sending envelopes, multiple signatories in sequence or in parallel, reusable templates, automatic reminders, audit trail and advanced or qualified eIDAS signature. Certyneo does not replace the Acrobat PDF editor: if you need to retouch PDFs beyond field placement, keep Acrobat for that.
- Does Adobe Acrobat Sign offer a free plan?
- No. Adobe offers a 7-day trial of Acrobat Pro, then Acrobat Standard and Pro for teams plans, billed per user and per month. Certyneo offers a permanent free plan: 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/month, without a credit card.
- Do you need a quote to access Adobe Acrobat Sign's API?
- Yes: Acrobat Sign's REST API is part of the Acrobat Sign Solutions offering, whose pricing is not published. At Certyneo, the REST API and webhooks are included from the Standard plan at €19/month, with public documentation.
- Is Adobe subject to the American Cloud Act?
- Yes. Adobe Inc. is an American company, so it is subject to the Cloud Act, regardless of the hosting region chosen. The "Acrobat Sign for European Customers" option places data in Europe but does not change the editor's jurisdiction. Certyneo is a French entity hosted in the European Union.
- Do documents signed with Adobe Sign remain valid after migration?
- Yes, indefinitely. An eIDAS-compliant electronic signature retains its probative value through the certificate and audit report produced at the time of signature. Export your signed PDFs and their reports before canceling, then archive them: Certyneo does not modify them and can keep them in its digital safe.
- How much does qualified signature cost with Adobe Sign and with Certyneo?
- With Adobe, eIDAS qualified signature is reserved for Acrobat Sign Solutions, by quote. With Certyneo, it is billed per act from any plan, including the free plan: €14.90 per signature without a subscription, €9.90 with one.
The other alternatives in this comparison
Each page follows the same layout: why leave, what Certyneo offers instead, when to stay.