Free electronic signature: 2026 comparison
In short
Yes, you can have a document signed online for free, with legal value across the European Union. Certyneo's free plan, with no credit card and no time limit, includes 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/month, with a simple electronic signature compliant with the eIDAS regulation: one document and up to 2 signers per envelope, with a time-stamped audit trail. The qualified signature, which has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature, remains available per act for €14.90. Documents are hosted in the European Union.
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 offers coexist in 2026, and their implications are completely different: (1) time-limited trials (7 days at signNow, 14 days at Signaturit), which require a subscription afterwards; (2) permanent free plans limited in volume, from 2 to 5 sends per month (Certyneo, Youtrust, Dropbox Sign, Zoho Sign), most often at the simple signature level; (3) offers that give higher signature levels free of charge to certain audiences, such as Goodflag Community for individuals, freelancers and associations, via FranceConnect and France Identité.
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. US vendors (DocuSign, Adobe, PandaDoc, Dropbox) fall under the CLOUD Act, which allows a US court to demand access to data even when it is hosted in Europe. European vendors (Certyneo, Youtrust, Goodflag, Universign) are outside that scope. For professional use in the EU, European hosting simplifies GDPR compliance: that is the choice made by the Certyneo free plan, detailed below.
2026 free plan comparison
| The solution | Free plan | eIDAS compliance | Hosting | The Cloud Act | Audit trail | Multi-signatories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certyneo | 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/month, unlimited over time | SES (QES pay-per-signature) | EU | Not exposed | RFC 3161 timestamp, PDF/A | 2 recipients per envelope |
| DocuSign | Free signer account; 3 send requests via the app | SES (AES on quote, QES as a paid option) | Not specified | Exposed | Not specified | Depends on the plan |
| Yousign | 2 signature invitations/month, unlimited self-signing | SES (AES and QES on paid plans) | Europe-based | Not exposed | Complete | Up to 100 per invitation |
| PandaDoc | 60 documents per year | Not specified | Not specified | Exposed | Not specified | 2 recipients per document |
| Dropbox Sign | 3 documents to sign per month | SES (AES and QES as a paid option, on quote) | Not specified | Exposed | Not specified | Not specified |
| Adobe Acrobat Sign | PDF signing; 2 signature requests every 30 days | Not specified for the free offer | Not specified | Exposed | Not specified | Not specified |
| SignNow | 7-day trial only | SES; QES via partner providers | Not specified | Exposed | Not specified | Unlimited during the trial |
| Eversign | 5 documents per month (Xodo Sign) | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
Certyneo: a permanent free plan, hosted in the EU
The Certyneo free plan never expires: 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/mo, with an eIDAS-compliant simple signature and a timestamped audit trail. A French vendor, with data hosted in the European Union, outside the scope of the CLOUD Act. Qualified signature remains available pay-per-signature, with no subscription, and advanced signature via SMS is included from the Personal plan. Ideal for freelancers and very small businesses that have one or two documents signed per month.
- 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/mo
- 1 sender user
- eIDAS simple signature (SES)
- Timestamped audit trail
- Qualified signature pay-per-signature, no subscription
- 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 for 14 days, then 2/month)
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 Personal plan at €9/month (up to 5 signers per envelope)
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 : Personal plan at €9/month: 25 envelopes, advanced signature via SMS
Send a document to sign online for free
Sending costs envelopes, signing doesn't cost any. It's the only rule to know: your recipient pays nothing, doesn't create an account and doesn't install anything. Here's what exactly the free plan covers on the sender's side.
It's the sender who pays, never the signer
The quota is deducted from the account that sends. Your customers, your candidates or your suppliers receive a secure link by email and sign from their browser, on mobile as on desktop, without registration.
What the free plan allows you to send
5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/mo, with an eIDAS-compliant simple signature (SES) and no credit card. Each envelope contains one document and up to two recipients: a contract between you and your client uses only one envelope.
Follow up and remind without paying extra
Each send displays its status in real time — received, opened, signed — and you can remind a signer who is dragging their feet. The signed document and its timestamped proof file are downloadable from the last signature.
When free is not enough
Beyond the quota, as soon as you need more than two signers or several documents per send, SMS authentication (AES), automatic reminders or several templates, the first paid plan starts at €9/month for 25 envelopes. Nothing is lost between the two: the same account, the same documents.
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 for 14 days, then 2/mo, with one document and up to 2 signers per envelope. If your needs exceed this volume or format, the Personal plan at €9/month offers 25 envelopes/month and up to 3 documents and 5 signers per envelope. 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 that never expires, as do Youtrust (formerly Yousign), Dropbox Sign, Zoho Sign and Xodo Sign, with 2 to 5 sends per month depending on the vendor. DocuSign, for its part, only lets you sign and send up to 3 requests via its app for free; signNow and Signaturit only offer 7-day and 14-day trials.
- Does a freely signed document have legal value?
- Yes, if the solution is eIDAS-compliant. Certyneo generates eIDAS-compliant timestamped signature proofs even on the free plan. The audit trail constitutes admissible evidence 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?
- It depends on your use. To have a few documents signed each month with EU hosting and qualified signature available pay-per-signature, the Certyneo free plan; for a document signed by many people, the Youtrust Free plan (up to 100 signers per invitation); for an individual or an association that needs an advanced signature, Goodflag Community. Beyond 2 sends per month, the Personal plan at €9/month gives you 25 envelopes and advanced signature via SMS.
- Does a free electronic signature really have legal value?
- Yes, provided the solution complies with the eIDAS Regulation (EU) 910/2014. A simple signature accompanied by a complete timestamped audit trail is admissible as evidence in all 27 EU Member States, and is sufficient for most everyday private contracts. For HR contracts, real estate mandates or public procurement, an advanced signature with identity verification by SMS code is recommended: at Certyneo, it is included from the Personal plan.
- Can I use a free electronic signature for my professional activity?
- Yes, with no restriction on use. 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 free plan's limits cover volume (5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/mo) and format: each envelope holds one document and up to 2 signers. That is enough for a quote or a contract between you and your client, which covers most freelancers and small businesses that have fewer than one document signed per week; as soon as you need several documents or more than two signers per send, the Personal plan takes over.
- What is the difference between free and paid electronic signature?
- The difference lies in 4 areas: (1) volume and format — free = 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/mo, each with one document and up to 2 signers, 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.
- Does the recipient need to create an account to sign my document?
- No. They receive a secure link by email, open the document in their browser and sign — without registration, without installing an application and without paying anything. Only the sender needs a Certyneo account.
- How many documents can I send to sign for free?
- 5 envelopes for 14 days, then 2/mo with the free plan. Each envelope contains one document and up to two recipients: a contract between you and your client uses only one envelope.