Free electronic signature: 2026 comparison
Looking to sign documents online without paying? Several solutions offer a free plan, but their limitations vary considerably. This guide compares the options available in 2026 to find the best free electronic signature for your needs.
What is a free electronic signature?
An electronic signature is called "free" when you can use it without paying to sign or have a document signed. Three categories of free plans coexist in 2026, and their legal and operational implications are quite different: (1) time-limited trials (DocuSign 30 days, Yousign 14 days) that force a paid migration afterward; (2) permanent plans but limited to simple signature level SES (PandaDoc, some Dropbox Sign offerings), often legally sufficient but without identity verification; (3) permanent plans with advanced AES eIDAS signature included (Certyneo), which combine free access, enhanced evidential value and EU hosting.
The main legal criterion is not free access itself but compliance with eIDAS regulation (EU) No 910/2014. The three levels defined by eIDAS — simple signature (SES), advanced (AES) and qualified (QES) — are all admissible in court, but their evidential weight differs. A free SES with complete timestamped audit trail has probative value equivalent to that of a handwritten signature for the majority of private contracts (quotes, NDAs, commercial agreements). For HR contracts, real estate mandates or significant invoices, AES is recommended as it adds identity verification (OTP SMS or email).
The second criterion is data sovereignty. American solutions (DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign, PandaDoc, Dropbox Sign) are subject to the Cloud Act, which allows a US jurisdiction to demand access to your contracts even if they are hosted in Europe. European solutions (Certyneo in Germany, Yousign and Universign in France) are outside this scope. For professional use in the EU, the combination "free + AES + EU hosting" offers the best value-legal-protection ratio. This is precisely the Certyneo free plan offering detailed below.
2026 free plan comparison
| The solution | Free plan | eIDAS compliance | Hosting | The Cloud Act | Audit trail | Multi-signatories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certyneo | 5 env./month, no expiry | SES + AES | EU (Germany) | Not exposed | Qualified timestamp, PDF/A | Unlimited, parallel or sequential |
| DocuSign | 30-day trial only | SES + AES | Global / EU option | Exposed | Complete | Unlimited |
| Yousign | 14-day trial only | SES | France (OVH) | Not exposed | Complete | Unlimited |
| PandaDoc | Unlimited but SES only | SES only | US (AWS) | Exposed | Basic | Unlimited |
| Dropbox Sign | 3 signatures/month only | SES only | US (AWS) | Exposed | Standard | Limited to paid plan |
| Adobe Acrobat Sign | 7-day trial only | The SES + AES + QES | US (Adobe Cloud) is a software company. | Exposed | Complete | Unlimited |
| SignNow | 7-day trial only | SES + AES | US (AWS) | Exposed | Standard | Unlimited |
| Eversign | 5 signatures/month, limited | SES only | Austria / US | Partially exposed | Basic | Up to 3 signatories |
Certyneo: the only permanent free eIDAS plan
Certyneo is the only solution to offer a permanent free plan (without expiration), including advanced eIDAS signature (AES) with OTP and a timestamped audit trail — hosted in the EU without exposure to the Cloud Act. Ideal for freelancers, associations and micro-businesses sending fewer than 5 contracts per month.
- 5 envelopes / month
- 1 sender user
- Advanced AES eIDAS signature
- Timestamped audit trail
- 10-year evidence archiving
- No credit card
- No expiry
Which free plan according to your profile?
Free electronic signature does not serve the same needs depending on whether you are a freelancer, association, or SME. Here's how to choose.
Freelancer / independent
You send a few quotes and contracts per month, mainly to recurring clients. Your priorities: signing speed and professional evidence quality, without paying for enterprise features you don't need.
Recommendation : Certyneo free plan (5 envelopes/month, AES included)
Association / cooperative
You sign general assembly minutes, partnership agreements, and prefecture forms. Multiple co-signers (president, treasurer, secretary) often need to sign the same document, and traceability is essential for your auditors.
Recommendation : Certyneo free plan (unlimited co-signers)
SME / small business (< 25 contracts/month)
You manage employment contracts, invoices, and quotes for 1 to 10 employees. Volume remains manageable, but you need AES for HR documents and EU hosting for your customer data.
Recommendation : Free plan + upgrade to Personal plan €9/month above 5
How to sign for free with Certyneo?
- 1
Create your account
Email registration in 30 seconds, no credit card.
- 2
Import your document
PDF, Word or image — drag and drop into the interface.
- 3
Add the signatory
Their email is enough. They will receive a secure link.
- 4
Send and sign
The signatory clicks the link and signs in 30 seconds, without an account.
- 5
Download the signed PDF
Timestamped PDF + signing evidence available immediately.
When the free plan is no longer enough?
The Certyneo free plan covers 5 envelopes/month. If your needs exceed this volume, the Personal plan at €9/month offers 25 envelopes/month. For teams or high volumes, the Standard plan at €19/month includes 100 envelopes/month, a REST API and webhooks.
Questions about free electronic signature
- Is there really a free, permanent electronic signature?
- Yes, Certyneo offers a permanent free plan (no expiry). DocuSign and Yousign only offer temporary trials (30 and 14 days). PandaDoc offers a free plan but without AES or EU hosting.
- Does a freely signed document have legal value?
- Yes, if the solution is eIDAS-compliant. Certyneo generates eIDAS-compliant timestamped signature evidence even on the free plan. The audit trail constitutes evidence admissible in court throughout the EU.
- Can I sign for free without creating an account?
- Signatories never need to create an account. Only the sender needs to create a free account.
- Is data secure on a free plan?
- Yes. At Certyneo, the security level (TLS 1.3, AES-256 encryption, EU hosting) is identical regardless of the pricing plan.
- What is the best free electronic signature in 2026?
- The criterion that best distinguishes offers is not the free volume but the combination "permanent plan + eIDAS AES compliance + EU hosting". On this trio, Certyneo is the only solution to offer it for free in 2026: 5 envelopes/month without expiration, advanced AES signature with OTP, Germany hosting outside Cloud Act. DocuSign and Yousign only offer temporary trials (30 and 14 days), PandaDoc limits to SES level, and Adobe Acrobat Sign starts at 7 days trial. For a volume above 5 contracts/month, the Personal plan at €9/month remains 2 to 4× cheaper than equivalent competitors.
- Does a free electronic signature really have legal value?
- Yes, provided the solution complies with eIDAS regulation (EU) 910/2014. A simple SES signature issued by a qualified provider and accompanied by a complete timestamped audit trail is admissible as evidence in all 27 EU Member States. Its probative force is equivalent to that of a handwritten signature for common private contracts. For HR contracts, real estate mandates, or public procurement, an advanced AES signature (identity verification by OTP) is recommended — included free at Certyneo, on subscription with competitors.
- Can I use a free electronic signature for my professional activity?
- Yes without restriction. The Certyneo free plan does not distinguish between personal and professional use: you can sign client quotes, supplier contracts, mandates, commercial agreements, payslips, and partnership agreements. The only limit is monthly volume (5 envelopes). An envelope can contain one or more documents and be addressed to one or more signers, which covers the majority of freelancers, associations, and SMEs who send fewer than one signature per week.
- What is the difference between free and paid electronic signature?
- The difference lies in 4 areas: (1) monthly volume — free = 5 envelopes, paid = 25 to several hundred; (2) number of sending users — free = 1, paid = multi-user teams; (3) enterprise features — REST API, webhooks, SSO, CRM/HubSpot/Slack/Salesforce integrations are reserved for paid plans; (4) support — standard email on free, priority or dedicated on enterprise plans. Legal value and security level are however identical (TLS 1.3, AES-256, EU hosting) across all Certyneo plans.