Requiring an explicit signature reduces incomplete transactions and provides a clear point of consent for contractual and regulatory needs.
An HR Manager uses required signature settings to collect employee acceptance of offer letters, policy acknowledgments, and onboarding forms. They need templates, sequential signing, and audit trails to document consent across hires and to comply with internal retention policies and regulatory review.
An Accounts Payable Lead routes invoices and payment authorizations to approvers, requiring signatures at defined checkpoints. This user relies on strict signer order, reminders, and verification options to reduce payment errors and to provide evidence for audits.
Companies with compliance obligations and service providers often enable required signatures to ensure transactions meet legal and internal policy standards.
Required-signature settings are also common in HR, finance, and real estate, where finality and auditability are essential for operations and recordkeeping.
Define a fixed signing order so designated required signers receive and complete signatures in a controlled sequence, preventing later signers from signing before prior approvals are in place and ensuring proper authorization flows.
Apply email verification, access codes, or multi-factor authentication to confirm signer identity before allowing a required signature, which strengthens non-repudiation and supports regulatory or internal compliance requirements.
Mark signature, initial, and data fields as mandatory to prevent submission until required signers complete all necessary inputs, ensuring documents are fully executed and data is captured consistently.
Maintain a time-stamped audit log recording each signer event, IP address, and authentication method to provide admissible evidence of execution and to support internal and external audits.
| Setting Name | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Signature Authentication Level | Email or Access Code |
| Signing Order Enforcement | Sequential Required |
| Reminder Frequency | 48 hours |
| Expiration Period | 30 days |
| Audit Trail Retention | 7 years |
Required-signature functionality is available on modern desktop browsers, mobile browsers, and native apps, but compatibility and feature parity may vary by platform.
Confirm that signers use supported browser versions and that corporate firewalls allow access to the eSignature service; for sensitive transactions, recommend using the vendor's native app where additional verification controls may be available.
Patient consent forms must be signed before procedures
Resulting in auditable clinical records that meet HIPAA expectations
Accounts payable requires a signed authorization before payment release
Leading to clearer audit trails and reduced financial risk for the organization
| Feature or Technical Comparison Criteria | signNow (Recommended) | DocuSign |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential signing order | ||
| Access code authentication | ||
| MFA for signers | Optional | Optional |
| Audit trail detail | Comprehensive | Comprehensive |
| Plan and Monthly Pricing | signNow (Featured) | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | Dropbox Sign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting monthly price | $8 per user | $10 per user | $14.99 per user | $19 per user | $15 per user |
| Free or trial tier | Limited trial available | Free trial only | Free trial only | Free trial only | Limited free tier |
| Bulk send capability | Available on mid plans | Available on higher plans | Available on higher plans | Available on higher plans | Available on business plans |
| API access availability | Available on business plans | Available on business plans | Available on enterprise plans | Available on business plans | Available via paid plans |
| Document storage | Cloud storage included | Cloud storage included | Cloud storage included | Cloud storage included | Cloud storage included |
Create, execute, and manage workflows of any complexity, electronically from virtually anywhere. Scalable eSignature capabilities allow you to share documents with the right people in the correct order and define roles for each recipient. Execute document workflows faster and easier than ever before.
Optimize complex signing processes with airSlate SignNow’s powerful features to enhance your business. Control your automated eSignature workflows to ensure they're running at peak performance with instant notifications and reminders.
Bring teams together in a secure, shared environment. Manage documents, use form templates and notifications to create more efficient cross-organization collaboration. Free your employees from having to spend time on repetitive activities so that they can focus on valuable, business-critical tasks.
Run your projects with industry-leading integration. Collect Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint all in one business flow. Connect your software to a single system for endless possibilities and more productiveness.
Feel safe knowing that your information is protected by the newest in encryption security. airSlate SignNow is GDPR and eIDAS certified and offers you visibility into your eSigning procedure with court-admissible audit trails. Set up user access permissions and roles to manage who has access to what.
