ESignature Gartner Quadrant for signNow Compliance

Award-winning eSignature solution

What the eSignature Gartner quadrant means

The eSignature Gartner quadrant is a market comparison framework that helps buyers evaluate electronic signature vendors by how they perform and how complete their product vision is. In practice, it is used to compare capabilities such as signing workflows, audit trails, authentication, integrations, and compliance support. For U.S. organizations, it is a useful way to review how a platform like signNow fits legal, operational, and security requirements before standardizing document signing across teams, departments, or regulated workflows.

Why the quadrant matters

It helps teams compare vendors on measurable features and legal readiness, which can reduce implementation risk and speed document turnaround. Under ESIGN and UETA, properly executed electronic signatures can be enforceable, so the main value is operational efficiency with legally recognized signing.

Why teams look for DocuSign alternatives

Frequent evaluation pitfalls

Vendor comparisons can overemphasize marketing claims and understate limits on workflow depth, compliance controls, or integration scope.
Teams may confuse basic e-signing with higher-assurance digital signature or identity verification requirements for regulated documents.
Poor audit trail design can leave gaps in signer identity, timestamps, or document history during disputes or reviews.
Organizations often miss plan limits, add-on costs, or compliance prerequisites such as BAA, SSO, or retention settings.

Industry teams

Real estate, healthcare, finance, legal, education, insurance, and construction teams use eSignature workflows for contracts, forms, and approvals.

Document use cases

They apply it to leases, patient forms, loan packets, permission slips, policy acknowledgments, and internal approvals that need traceable consent.

Real users and buyer personas

Operations leaders at multi-location real estate firms use signNow to route leases, renewals, and disclosures without in-person meetings. They value simple signing on mobile devices, clear audit trails, and faster turnaround for tenants, agents, and property managers across distributed offices and field teams.
NetSuite and ERP administrators at enterprise distributors and manufacturers use signNow to connect approvals with back-office systems. Xerox and Tech Data customer stories fit this pattern: they need flexible routing, reliable integrations, and controlled document handling for internal approvals and customer-facing transactions.

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Best ROI. Our customers achieve an average 7x ROI within the first six months.
Scales with your use cases. From SMBs to mid-market, airSlate SignNow delivers results for businesses of all sizes.
Intuitive UI and API. Sign and send documents from your apps in minutes.

Core signing

Create legally binding signatures with audit trails, templates, and mobile access that fit routine business approvals and regulated document flows.

Audit visibility

Track every action with timestamps, signer details, and document history that support review, dispute handling, and internal controls.

Flexible routing

Route documents in order or in parallel so approvals match legal, HR, finance, and operations workflows.

Template control

Reuse approved forms and templates to reduce manual setup, keep language consistent, and speed repeat transactions.

Mobile signing

Collect signatures on phones and tablets so field staff, customers, and remote teams can sign without delays.

Compliance support

Support compliance-oriented deployments with BAA options, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and HIPAA-ready workflows.

Integrations that connect signing to systems

Connected workflows move signed documents into CRM, ERP, storage, and collaboration tools so teams avoid duplicate entry and manual file handling.

How the signing flow works

The signing process follows a simple sequence from document preparation to completed record retention.

Prepare file: Upload the document and choose the signing order.
Set workflow: Add recipients, fields, and signing roles.
Distribute: Send the request and track progress.
Complete record: Store the completed record with its audit trail.

Quick setup steps

Use a short setup sequence to prepare, send, and store documents with less manual handling.

Upload:
Upload a PDF or form to signNow.
Add fields:
Place signature, date, and text fields.
Assign signers:
Enter recipients and set the order.
Send:
Send the document for electronic signature.
Save:
Download or archive the completed file.

Setting	Recommendation
Authentication method	SMS OTP with ID verification
Signature type	SES for routine agreements
Audit trail	Enable full event logging
Document retention	6 years for HIPAA records
Encryption	TLS 1.2/1.3 and AES-256

Platform and device support

signNow works across major desktop browsers and mobile operating systems, with secure transport and mobile app support for on-the-go signing.

Desktop browsers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
Operating systems Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
Mobile access signNow mobile apps on iOS and Android

For regulated deployments, confirm browser policies, device management, and identity controls before rollout. Teams using SSO, API access, or compliance-sensitive workflows should test Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android environments, then verify retention, authentication, and encryption settings against internal policy.

Security and compliance controls

Encryption:

TLS 1.2/1.3 in transit

Data protection:

AES-256 at rest

Audit assurance:

SOC 2 Type II available

Security management:

ISO 27001 certified

Healthcare compliance:

HIPAA support with BAA

Regulated records:

21 CFR Part 11 support

Real estate

A real estate operator needed faster lease execution across mobile teams and tenants.

Tim Martin, Founder at Martin Properties, said he could process documents online with 100% compliance and built-in security.

The workflow supported remote signing, mobile use, and controlled record handling for property documents without paper delays.

Enterprise operations

An ERP operations leader needed flexible routing for the right signatures in the right formats.

Kodi-Marie Evans, Director of NetSuite Operations at Xerox, cited flexibility through the NetSuite integration.

The integration helped route documents correctly across systems, which reduced manual handling and kept approvals aligned with business rules.

Practical ways to use it well

Good setup choices improve consistency, reduce review time, and make the record easier to defend later.

Set role-based routing

Use role-based routing so each signer receives the document in the correct order, with only the fields they need to complete. This reduces confusion, prevents premature signing, and keeps approval chains aligned with internal controls.

Match authentication to risk

Require stronger authentication for sensitive agreements, such as finance, healthcare, or government forms. Pair SMS OTP, ID verification, or other higher-assurance methods with clear signer intent and a complete audit trail.

Align retention to law

Keep retention rules aligned with the document type and governing framework. For HIPAA-related records, retain signed documents for 6 years under 45 CFR 164.530(j)(2), and preserve audit evidence with the completed file.

Standardize repeat documents

Standardize templates for recurring forms, then lock down field placement and required data. This keeps language consistent, shortens setup time, and reduces errors in leases, consent forms, and approval packets.

FAQ and troubleshooting

These answers focus on plan limits, compliance requirements, and recordkeeping issues that matter during evaluation and rollout.

signNow Business starts at $8/user/mo billed annually, and paid plans include unlimited users. If you need bulk send, the Business Premium plan adds it, while Enterprise adds advanced signer authentication and integrations.

For HIPAA workflows, signNow supports HIPAA compliance with a BAA requirement. Signed records containing PHI should be retained for 6 years under 45 CFR 164.530(j)(2), and access controls should stay enabled throughout the record lifecycle.

If a document must support FDA-regulated records, use 21 CFR Part 11 controls such as secure audit trails, unique user identification, and time-stamped history. signNow’s audit trail and access controls help support that workflow, but validation remains the customer’s responsibility.

signNow, DocuSign, Adobe Sign, PandaDoc, and Dropbox Sign all support ESIGN and UETA use in the U.S. The main differences are pricing, limits, and advanced features, so compare plan details before standardizing a workflow.

If a signer cannot complete a document on mobile, confirm browser support and app access on iOS or Android. signNow supports desktop browsers, plus mobile apps, and mobile-created eSignatures remain valid under ESIGN and UETA when intent is clear.

If you need a stronger evidentiary record, export the completed file with its audit trail and keep the timestamped history. signNow records signer actions, document events, and completion data that help support authenticity under FRE Rule 901.

signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc
ESIGN and UETA	Yes	Yes	Yes
Starting price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo
Free trial	7-day trial	Not verified	Not verified
Audit trail	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA support	BAA available	BAA available	Not verified
Envelope cap	No cap	100/year	Not verified

Day 1:

Set up the account and confirm browser, device, and access policies.

Day 2:

Send the first document and verify the audit trail output.

Week 1:

Onboard the team and assign role-based permissions.

7-day trial:

signNow offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required.

HIPAA retention:

Keep signed PHI records for 6 years under 45 CFR 164.530(j)(2).

Part 11 records:

Preserve secure audit trails and validation evidence for FDA-regulated use.

UETA baseline:

49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted UETA.

Annual review:

Review retention, authentication, and integration settings once per year.

Risks of poor implementation

Weak audit trail

Document may be harder to defend in court.

Retention gap

HIPAA records may fail retention rules.

Part 11 failure

FDA records may be rejected.

Attribution risk

Signer identity may be disputed.

Authenticate signer:

Verify the signer with the selected authentication method.

Capture timestamps:

Record the exact UTC time of each event.

Create hashes:

Hash the document before and after signing.

Seal record:

Apply a tamper-evident seal to the file.

Track events:

Log views, clicks, declines, and completions.

Retrieve evidence:

Export the audit trail with the completed PDF.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free trial	7-day trial	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified
Bulk send	Yes, Business Premium	Yes, plan-based	Yes, plan-based	Yes, plan-based	Yes, plan-based
Audit trail	Included	Included	Included	Included	Included
HIPAA compliance	BAA available	BAA available	BAA available	Not verified	Not verified

28M+Documents signed

13+Years in business

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