Encryption
Evaluate both in-transit and at-rest encryption standards, key management practices, and whether bring-your-own-key options are available for enterprise plans to meet internal security policies.
Comparing signnow crm pricing vs apptivo for security helps organizations choose a solution that aligns security posture, compliance obligations, and budget constraints while ensuring legally enforceable electronic signatures across U.S. jurisdictions.
An IT Manager evaluates authentication options, SSO integration, API access, and encryption implementations; they focus on deployment, monitoring, and whether administrative controls meet organizational security policies for user provisioning and key management.
A Compliance Officer reviews retention policies, audit trail completeness, legal attestations under ESIGN/UETA, and any HIPAA or FERPA controls; they ensure evidence produced by signing workflows will satisfy audits and preserve chain-of-custody.
Security, legal, and operations teams evaluate feature trade-offs and plan costs when selecting an eSignature or CRM-enabled signing solution.
Decisions typically balance required technical controls against license costs, integration effort, and expected signing volume across departments.
Evaluate both in-transit and at-rest encryption standards, key management practices, and whether bring-your-own-key options are available for enterprise plans to meet internal security policies.
Check availability of multi-factor authentication, SSO via SAML or OIDC, and stronger identity verification such as knowledge-based or certified digital signatures for high-assurance use cases.
Assess the granularity and exportability of audit logs, including time-stamped actions, IP addresses, and signer verification records for legal defensibility and forensic analysis.
Confirm role-based permission capability, administrative segregation, and ability to limit document visibility to specific groups or projects to align with least-privilege principles.
Determine regional storage options, export controls, and whether services support contractual commitments for data location to comply with organizational or customer requirements.
Review API rate limits, supported SDKs, and connector availability for CRM, cloud storage, and document management systems to ensure secure, maintainable integrations.
| Workflow Configuration Setting Name Header | Default configuration or recommended value |
|---|---|
| Reminder Frequency in Days Setting | 48 hours default; editable per user |
| Signature Authentication Level Setting | Email plus optional SMS OTP for higher assurance |
| Document Retention and Export Setting | Automatic archival; export CSV audit on demand |
| Template Access and Team Permissions | Role-based templates with admin-only deletion rights |
| Audit Log Retention Duration Setting | Seven years recommended for regulated industries |
Ensure compatibility with your users’ devices and identity systems before selecting between signnow and Apptivo.
Confirm current browser and OS support matrices, review mobile app security settings, and validate SSO provisioning to avoid deployment delays and reduce help desk overhead when rolling out enterprise controls.
A regional health clinic adopted an eSignature workflow for patient intake forms to reduce paper handling and secure records
Resulting in more secure, retrievable patient consent records and clearer audit evidence for regulators.
A mid-size real estate brokerage centralized lease signing across agents using an integrated CRM approach
Leading to a mixed deployment where additional vendor controls were necessary to meet corporate retention and audit requirements.
| Security and Compliance Criteria Table | signNow (Recommended) | Apptivo | DocuSign |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIPAA and Healthcare Compliance Support | |||
| Audit Trail and Forensic Records | Detailed | Basic | Detailed |
| Encryption in Transit and At Rest | AES-256/TLS | TLS only | AES-256/TLS |
| Two-factor and Advanced Authentication Options | SSO/2FA/SMS | Email/SMS | SSO/2FA/Certificate |
| Plans and Pricing | signNow (Recommended) | Apptivo | DocuSign | PandaDoc | HelloSign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level tier details | Core eSignature, templates included | CRM starter with basic eSign included | Personal eSign plan | Basic eSign features | Starter eSignature tier |
| Team/Business tier details | Team collaboration, SSO add-on, advanced roles | Mid-tier CRM with workflow tools | Business plan with advanced auth options | Team templates and workflows | Business workflows and integrations |
| Enterprise tier security | Enterprise includes SAML SSO, advanced admin, and dedicated support | Enterprise CRM with optional security modules | Enterprise with advanced identity options | Enterprise-grade security add-ons | Enterprise SSO and admin controls |
| Add-ons for compliance | Audit exports and dedicated data region options may be paid add-ons | Some features behind paid modules | Advanced certificates and ID verification add-ons | Security add-ons available | ID verification and advanced logs available |
| Trial and procurement notes | Free trial available; verify SSO and API limits during evaluation | Trial available; confirm eSign limits | Trials and pilot programs common | Free trials with feature limits | Trial available with limited features |