Sign a PDF online from your phone: Best mobile apps for e-signatures

Many business-related and academic documents require signing at work or in an educational institution. Luckily, several PDF management applications are available today that have completely evolved the document signing process by letting you sign a PDF online directly.

This has made it quite easy for people to get signatures from their colleagues or team members located in different regions. It speeds up the entire process tremendously.

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Along with different web solutions, there are also various mobile applications available that let you sign documents directly from your mobile or tablet. Having a PDF signing app is useful when you are travelling as it allows you to sign documents from anywhere. Thus, in this article, we will discuss some top mobile applications for e-signatures.

Significance of using e-signature software

Here are some key benefits of choosing an e-signature application:

1.   Improved security

One of the key benefits of e-signature software is that it provides security. In cases of disputes with a client or business partner, you can use a digital copy of your document to prove your claim and the validity of the agreement in court.

2.   Compatible with distributed teams

As the working style has changed to remote work, it is not possible to print and share hard copies of documents with colleagues or friends. By using an e-signature mobile app, you can easily send the contract to anyone in the world and have a legally binding digital signature on your document.

3.   Fast and easy

The process of getting electronic signatures on PDF is quite simple and fast. You can easily share the file online with colleagues and have them sign the same document parallelly. This is something which is not possible with traditionally signed documents.

4.   Reduced contract costs

These benefits not only help you save time but also save a lot of the cost you spend on ink, papers, and printers

Selecting the best mobile app for e-signature

With different options available, it is quite overwhelming to choose the right one. Thus, we have listed some broad factors based on which you can select the best mobile app for digital signatures:

● User-friendliness

Although different applications provide the facility to sign documents, what makes the difference is how simple and easy it is to do that, what kind of documents and devices are supported and what tools can be integrated into it.

● Security

If you are dealing with any sensitive documents that contain personal information, then along with usability, it is important to ensure the application has the best security measures like document encryption, comprehensive audit trials, and multifactor authentication.

In addition to this, you should make sure that the application is compliant with all legal standards, which adds an extra layer of assurance.

● Integration

If you want to get signatures from distributed team members then it is necessary to choose a tool that provides integration with email and cloud storage tools like Google Drive, and Dropbox and productivity suites like Google Workspace and Microsoft Office. This will enhance and streamline all your business processes.

● Pricing

Lastly, based on your requirements, look out for an application that suits your budget. Applications with different subscription plans have transparent pricing tiers with a list of features provided in each.

Additionally, you can consider going for a free trial to test capabilities before going out with the paid plan. Lastly, a few applications like Adobe Acrobat Pro have a monthly billing system where you need to pay a fixed amount monthly.

Top 4 mobile apps for e-signatures

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe is the one-stop solution for your PDF document management. The sub-product Adobe Sign lets you sign a PDF online through a mobile application. If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can sign the document by choosing the “Fill and Sign” option at the top right corner.

You can create an e-signature from their user interface by typing or uploading it. It is a suitable option for people with a limited number of documents to sign. However, if you have more frequent usage and a lot more documents to sign, then Adobe Sign or a paid version of Adobe Acrobat Reader can be the better option.

DocuSign

DocuSign is a popular e-signature application available. It is quite easy to use and provides all the primary features and functionalities needed in the e-signature mobile app. It encrypts the data during transmission and at rest making it the quite secure option in the market. A few of the key services that it provides include signing a PDF online, Web forms, ClickWraps, Identity verification, Contract cycle management and Electronic notarization.

PandaDoc

This is another comprehensive e-signature mobile app solution that complies with UETA and ESIGN standards, ensuring its legal validity is the same as traditionally signed documents. PandaDoc allows you to type, draw or upload signatures and customize them. Its paid version provides you access to advanced features. The free version allows you to upload PDFs, sign them and share them with your team.

DropBox

Dropbox is one of the well-known file-sharing solutions that also provide top-notch e-signature solutions for its users. Initially, it was called Hello Sign, but now the name has been changed to Dropbox Sign. Further, this is compatible with Google Drive, Microsoft Word documents, and PDFs.

The free version allows users to digitally sign documents, while the paid version provides a few additional features like templates, advanced team management and custom branding.

Final Verdict

Selecting one of the tools among them is quite a crucial task as all the tools fulfil the fundamental criteria which are to provide a legally binding signature to the document. However, every mobile application has its unique features and functionalities.

If you are looking for a tool that not only lets you sign but also gives you the ability to modify PDF documents, then you can choose Adobe Acrobat, while if you just want to sign and share documents, then DocUsign can also be a fair better choice.