How to choose the best e-signature software for your business: questions to ask vendors

In this guide, a vendor is a company that sells e-signature software. An audit trail is the record of who opened and signed a document, and when.

Why a sales demo is not enough

An e-signature demo shows a document signed in seconds. The problems show up later, for example:

• some documents in your country need a stronger type of signature, or can't be signed electronically at all,
• the plan limits how many documents you can send each month,
• signed documents are hard to download in bulk if you leave.

So ask about these in writing, and ask every vendor exactly the same questions. Then you can compare their answers directly.

Before you contact any vendor

Write down your answers to these four points. They decide which questions in the checklist matter most to you.

• What you sign. Sales contracts, employment contracts, forms, property or legal documents, and roughly how many a month.
• Where the signers are. Your country and theirs. Rules on electronic signatures differ by country and by type of document.
• Who sends documents. Just you, or several people in your business.
• What it must connect to. Your file storage, CRM (the tool where you keep customer details) or the tool you write documents in.

The checklist

The questions are in three groups. Must have means a problem here can make a signature less reliable as evidence, or make it costly to leave. Nice to have means it makes a real difference for many people. Optional means it only matters to some people. When you open the checklist in NeutralPick, you can move any question to a different group to match your answers above.

• Must have
• The signature types your documents needOften required by lawWhich signature types do you offer, and do they meet the rules in my country and my signers' countries for the documents I send?Most documents can use a simple e-signature. Some need a stronger type (in the EU and UK: advanced or qualified, AES/QES), a witness, or ink. Ask a lawyer if unsure.
• A clear audit trailDoes every signed document come with an audit trail showing who opened and signed it, when, how they were identified, and that it wasn't changed after?If a signature is ever questioned, the audit trail is a key part of your evidence.
• Easy for the people signingCan signers sign on a phone or computer without creating an account or paying, in their own language?If signing is hard, documents come back late or not at all.
• You can keep your signed documentsCan I download all signed documents and their audit trails in bulk, with their digital seals intact, at any time and after I cancel?You may need signed contracts for many years.
• Enough documents on your planHow many documents can I send per month on the plan I'd buy, and what does each extra one cost?Some plans limit documents per month, or count each signer separately.
• Nice to have
• Templates for documents you send oftenCan I save templates with signature fields already placed, and fill in names and details automatically?Saves preparing the same document again and again.
• Reminders and statusDoes it remind signers automatically and show me who has signed and who hasn't?Saves chasing people by email.
• Several signers in orderCan several people sign in the order I choose, and can someone receive a copy without signing?Useful for contracts that need approval before the other side signs.
• Connects to your toolsCan I send documents from, and save signed copies to, the tools I use, such as file storage or a CRM?Saves downloading and uploading files by hand.
• Account security and data locationCan senders use two-step login, and can you tell me where documents are stored?Contracts are sensitive. Two-step login protects your sending account.
• Optional
• Collect a payment when signingCan signers pay a deposit or fee when they sign?Only matters for some businesses.
• Public signing linksCan I create a link anyone can use to fill in and sign a form, such as a waiver?Useful for forms you send to many people.

Answers to look at carefully

Vendors often answer the points below in vague terms. When you get a vague answer, ask the follow-up question shown here. A vague answer often means the honest answer is "no" or "only partly".

• "Legally binding". Ask: binding for which documents, in which countries, with which signature type?
• "Unlimited signatures". Ask: are documents, senders or signers limited, and is there a hidden limit, sometimes called fair use?
• "Bank-level security". Ask: two-step login, where documents are stored, and who at your company can see them?
• Leaving later. Ask: can we download every signed document and audit trail in bulk, and for how long after cancelling?

What to do with the answers

1. Put all the vendors' answers side by side.
2. Look at the Must have questions first. If a vendor answers No to something you marked as a must-have, remove that vendor.
3. If a vendor answered "Partial" to a must-have, ask them exactly what is missing.
4. Send yourself and a colleague a real document from each one left, signing on a phone, and check the audit trail.

NeutralPick doesn't give legal advice. For important or unusual documents, check with a lawyer which signature type you need.

Why use NeutralPick to compare e-signature software vendors

• Every vendor answers the same questions. Each vendor gets its own private link to your checklist and answers in writing, so you can compare their answers question by question.
• All the answers in one table. You see every vendor's answer to every question side by side, instead of searching through emails and call notes.
• No vendor can pay to influence it. There are no adverts, no paid placements and no "featured" vendors. No vendor can pay to be shown to you or placed higher.
• Free, with no account. You don't need to sign up or pay anything.

Start with this checklist See an example comparison