Secure Your Digital Documents with signNow eSignature Tools

Award-winning eSignature solution

What secure your digital documents means

Secure your digital documents means using an eSignature workflow that protects files, verifies signer identity, and preserves a tamper-evident record of each action. In signNow, a document is uploaded or created, sent to selected signers, and completed with an electronic signature that is tied to an audit trail. The platform records timestamps, signer details, and document history, so teams can track who signed, when they signed, and what changed. This supports secure, legally usable document handling across U.S. business workflows.

Why secure signing matters

It reduces paper handling, speeds approvals, and creates records that can support enforceability under ESIGN and UETA when consent, intent, and attribution are documented.

Why teams look for DocuSign alternatives

Common document security pitfalls

Signer identity can be hard to prove when teams rely on email alone or weak authentication.
Unsigned or incomplete records create delays, especially when approvals move across departments or outside counsel.
Missing audit details can weaken evidence if a signed document is later disputed in court.
Retention gaps can create compliance problems when records must be kept for a fixed period.

Industries

Healthcare, real estate, finance, legal, education, insurance, and construction teams use secure signing for regulated records and approvals.

Documents

Lease agreements, patient forms, tax documents, contracts, permission slips, and claims forms are frequent use cases.

People who benefit most

A director of NetSuite operations at Xerox uses signNow to route the right documents to the right approvers through NetSuite, which helps keep signatures aligned with internal controls and document formats across business units.
A founder at Martin Properties uses signNow to execute lease and property documents online with built-in security and mobile access, which supports faster turnaround for distributed real estate transactions.

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Best ROI. Our customers achieve an average 7x ROI within the first six months.
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Intuitive UI and API. Sign and send documents from your apps in minutes.

eSignature workflow

Create legally binding eSignatures with audit trails, templates, and mobile apps that help teams move documents faster while keeping a clear record of each signing event.

Audit trail

Track every action in a tamper-evident history that records signer identity, timestamps, and document changes for later review or dispute support.

Templates

Use templates to standardize recurring forms, reduce manual setup, and keep approval steps consistent across teams and departments.

Mobile signing

Sign on phones, tablets, and desktops so remote staff and customers can complete documents without printing or scanning.

Routing control

Apply role-based routing to send documents in the right order, which helps control approvals and reduce process errors.

Document control

Collect signatures on a single platform that supports business, compliance, and operational workflows without adding paper handling.

Connected systems for document workflows

Connected systems move documents, signer data, and approvals between business tools so teams can keep work in one flow.

How the signing flow works

The signing process follows a simple sequence from document preparation to completed records and stored evidence.

Prepare: Upload a document or start from a template.
Route: Add signers, fields, and signing order.
Sign: Send the document and collect signatures.
Record: Store the completed file with its audit trail.

Quick setup steps

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

Start:
Upload the file and choose a template.
Set up:
Add recipients and assign fields.
Send:
Send the request for signature.
Finish:
Review the completed record and archive it.

Setting	Recommendation
Authentication method	SMS OTP
Signature type	SES with audit trail
Audit trail	UTC timestamps and IP logs
Document retention	6 years for HIPAA records
Encryption	TLS 1.2/1.3 and AES-256

Platform requirements

signNow works in modern browsers and on major desktop and mobile operating systems, with secure transport required for document access.

Browsers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
Operating systems Windows 10+, macOS, iOS, Android
Mobile devices iPhone, iPad, and Android phones

For regulated workflows, managed devices, current browser versions, and controlled user access help preserve document integrity, authentication quality, and retention practices across teams.

Security and compliance

Encryption:

TLS 1.2/1.3 in transit

Storage protection:

AES-256 at rest

SOC 2 Type II:

SOC 2 Type II available

ISO 27001:

ISO 27001 certified

HIPAA:

HIPAA support with BAA

Legal framework:

ESIGN and UETA compliant

Enterprise operations

Xerox needed flexible routing across systems and document formats.

Kodi-Marie Evans, Director of NetSuite Operations
Integrated signing with NetSuite workflows

The workflow supported right-document, right-format routing and helped keep approvals aligned with internal systems and business process needs.

Real estate

Martin Properties needed online execution for property documents.

Tim Martin, Founder
Completed documents online with mobile access

The process supported faster execution, built-in security, and mobile signing for distributed property transactions without relying on paper handling.

Best practices for secure signing

A few process controls can improve evidence quality, reduce errors, and keep records aligned with U.S. compliance expectations.

Match authentication to risk

Use stronger authentication for sensitive records, such as SMS OTP or ID verification, when signer attribution matters more than speed. Match the method to the document’s legal and operational risk.

Standardize recurring documents

Keep templates for recurring forms so fields, routing, and required disclosures stay consistent across every send. Standardization reduces setup errors and helps teams maintain the same signing process.

Set retention by rule

Retain completed files and audit trails according to the governing rule, such as HIPAA’s 6-year retention period for covered records. Align storage rules with the document type before rollout.

Control access by role

Limit access to completed records by role, and review provisioning when staff change jobs or leave. Controlled access helps preserve confidentiality and supports cleaner audit evidence.

Day 1:

Set up templates, routing, and user access.

Day 2:

Send the first document for signature.

Week 1:

Onboard the full team and review audit trails.

7-day trial:

Free trial lasts 7 days, no credit card required.

HIPAA retention:

Keep covered records for 6 years under 45 CFR §164.530(j)(2).

ESIGN baseline:

Electronic signatures remain valid when intent and consent are captured.

UETA coverage:

UETA supports electronic records in 49 states and D.C.

Enterprise rollout:

Use SSO and API access on Site License plans.

Risks of poor document handling

Weak identity

A court may question attribution.

Missing audit trail

The record may lose evidentiary weight.

Retention gap

HIPAA records may fail retention rules.

Consent not captured

A signed file may be disputed.

Signer authentication:

Verifies the signer before the record is accepted.

Timestamp capture:

Captures UTC timestamps for each action.

Document hashing:

Calculates a hash for the signed file.

Tamper-evident sealing:

Seals the record against later changes.

Audit record:

Stores the event history with the document.

Retrieval and export:

Exports the trail for review or evidence.

signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	Criteria
ESIGN and UETA	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audit trails	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Starting price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo

	Plan / Feature	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc
Starting price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free trial	7 days	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified
Bulk send	Business Premium	Plan dependent	Plan dependent	Plan dependent	Plan dependent
Audit trail	Included	Included	Included	Included	Included
HIPAA compliance	BAA required	BAA available	BAA available	Not verified	Not verified

Troubleshooting and FAQs

These answers focus on plan limits, compliance requirements, and workflow issues that affect secure signing in U.S. business settings.

signNow Business includes legally binding eSignatures, audit trails, templates, and mobile apps. If you need bulk send, the Business Premium plan adds it. For HIPAA workflows, a BAA is required before handling PHI.

signNow supports ESIGN and UETA-compliant electronic signatures when the signer’s intent, consent, and attribution are captured. For higher-assurance workflows, use stronger authentication and keep the completed audit trail with the signed record.

For HIPAA records, keep signed documents for 6 years from the date of creation or last effective date, whichever is later, under 45 CFR §164.530(j)(2). signNow can store completed files and audit history for review.

If a signer cannot complete a request, check the recipient email, signing order, and authentication method. signNow’s templates, reminders, and audit trail help identify where the process stopped and whether the request was delivered.

If you need more controlled access, the Site License plan adds SSO and full API access. That can help larger teams manage user provisioning and document routing across departments or systems.

For FDA-regulated records, 21 CFR Part 11 requires validated systems, secure audit trails, and unique signer identification. signNow can support electronic records workflows, but validation and internal procedures still need to match the regulated process.

28M+Documents signed

13+Years in business

4.6/5Average G2 rating