# SignNow — E-Signature

SignNow by SignNow (airSlate) holds a panel rating of 2.5/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2.5/5), as of 2026-11-03. Provenance: provenance unknown; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: SignNow (airSlate) (https://www.signnow.com)
- Category: [E-Signature](https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): provenance unknown
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/signnow
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/signnow/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/signnow/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-11-04 · evaluated 2026-11-03 · oldest source captured 2026-11-03

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: SignNow (airSlate)
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026

## The panel's verdict

SignNow, an e-signature product from airSlate, earns its highest marks on integration and API, where scores sit at 7: a documented REST API with webhooks, SDKs and embedded sending, plus native connectors for Microsoft 365, Salesforce, NetSuite, SharePoint and Dynamics. Signing workflow, at 6 to 7, and evidence and retention, at 6 to 7, cover templates with conditional fields, sequential signing order, bulk sending from CSV, offline mobile signing with no signer account, a court-admissible audit trail and seven-year default retention. Sovereignty is weakest at 0 to 2: no public information appears on the contracting entity's jurisdiction, storage locations, a data processing agreement or a subprocessor list; the pages name airSlate Inc. as copyright holder and carry a GDPR compliance claim. Signature levels, 4 to 5, and identity verification, 4, are marked down: qualified signing is 'Available via integration' with no trust service provider named on the EU Trust List and no countries or accepted ID documents stated. Pricing transparency scores 3 to 4 on one published figure: '$8/user/month billed annually', and no criterion spans more than two points.

**Speaks for it:**
- Documented REST API with webhooks, SDKs, embedded sending and white-labelling, plus native connectors for Microsoft 365, Salesforce, NetSuite, SharePoint and Dynamics.
- Reusable templates with conditional fields and role assignments, sequential signing order, and bulk sending from CSV with batch status tracking.
- Embedded, court-admissible audit trail with seven-year default retention and export as PDF with JSON metadata carrying cryptographic signature evidence.
- Published starting price of '$8/user/month billed annually', a free 7-day trial with no credit card required, and a stated policy of no overages or hidden fees at renewal.
- Signers need no account and can sign offline on iOS and Android apps.

**Held against it:**
- Qualified signing appears only as 'Available via integration', with no qualified trust service provider or EU Trust List entry named.
- No public information on the contracting entity's jurisdiction, where documents and identity data are stored, a data processing agreement or a subprocessor list.
- Only a starting price is published — no per-plan prices, envelope limits or per-signature costs for advanced and qualified signing, and IdenTrust certificates are listed as add-on fees without amounts.
- Identity verification methods are listed by name, but no countries, accepted ID documents or identification provider are stated.
- No public information on long-term validation, a named qualified timestamp provider or a validation report for stored signatures.

**Best for:**
- You are embedding signing into your own portal or CRM through a documented REST API with webhooks, SDKs and embedded signing.
- Your team works inside Salesforce, NetSuite, SharePoint, Dynamics or Microsoft 365 and wants signing triggered from records in those systems.
- You run recurring high-volume sends — bulk sending from CSV with batch status tracking and reusable templates fits contract runs at scale.
- You want simple and PAdES advanced signatures at a published starting price, with signers who need no account and can sign offline on mobile.

**Avoid if:**
- You need qualified e-signatures operated directly by the vendor with a named EU trust service provider — the pages list qualified signing only as 'Available via integration'.
- Your procurement requires published commitments on data residency, a data processing agreement or subprocessors — ask the vendor: the public pages we read do not show it
- You must compute total cost for your signature volume from public pages — only a starting price is published, without envelope limits or per-signature costs.
- Your agreements may face disputes years after signing — the pages give no public information on long-term validation or a named qualified timestamp provider.

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v2). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price, or the judge found no public information on that criterion.

| Criterion | The Legal Counsel | The HR Operations Lead | The Revenue Operations Lead | The Integration Engineer | The Data Protection Officer | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| eIDAS levels & trust services | 2.5/5 | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 |
| Signer identification | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Signing workflow & signer experience | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Evidence, validation & retention | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Integrations & API | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
| European sovereignty | n/r | n/r | n/r | 1/5 | n/r | n/r |
| Pricing transparency | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1.5/5 |
| **Weighted verdict** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | **3/5** | **3/5** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The Legal Counsel** (v1.0): Decides which contracts may be signed electronically and at which level. Wants SES, AdES and QES named per plan and country, the qualified trust service provider linked to the EU Trust List, and an audit trail with timestamps that still validates when the contract is disputed in eight years.
- **The HR Operations Lead** (v1.0): Sends two hundred employment contracts a year, many of them fixed-term and so under written form. Wants QES that a new hire can complete on a phone in ten minutes, identification that accepts the IDs applicants actually hold, bulk sending from templates, and a price per qualified signature known before the contract is signed.
- **The Revenue Operations Lead** (v1.0): Measures how long a quote takes to come back signed and where it stalls. Wants signing from inside the CRM, templates sales cannot break, reminders and signing order that run themselves, and a signer experience that needs no account, no app and no explanation.
- **The Integration Engineer** (v1.0): Embeds signing into the company's own portal and archives the result in the DMS. Wants a versioned API with webhooks and a sandbox, every signature level reachable through the API rather than only in the web app, and signed documents exported with their evidence intact.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Knows every signer who holds an ID card up to a camera hands biometric and identity data to a provider they never chose. Asks who performs the identification, where documents and ID data are stored, how long the audit trail keeps IP addresses, and who the subprocessors in the trust service chain are.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Knows "legally binding" usually means a simple signature. Reads for the level the default plan actually signs at, the QTSP the provider does not operate itself, the per-QES and ident fees on top of the plan, the envelope limit, and "eIDAS-compliant" from a provider that names no trust service at all.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Hosting location | Not determined | — | — |
| Hosting options | Not determined | — | — |
| Open source | Not determined | — | — |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined | — | — |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- Access control: Role-based permissions [S7]
- Access controls: yes [S6]
- Audit logging: yes [S6]
- Audit logging: yes [S7]
- Backup snapshots: yes [S7]
- CCPA: yes [S1]
- Encryption: yes · yes [S6]
- Encryption at rest: AES-256 [S4]
- Encryption at rest: AES-256 [S7]
- Encryption in transit: TLS 1.2+ [S4]
- Fda 21 cfr part11: yes [S1]
- Free trial legally binding: yes [S8]
- GDPR: yes [S1]
- HIPAA: yes [S1]
- HIPAA options: yes [S3]
- Integrity checks: Signature hashes stored [S7]
- MFA: OTP · SSO [S4]
- MFA: yes [S6]
- Pci dss: yes [S1]
- SOC 2: yes [S1]
- Tamper evident: yes [S6]
- Transport security: 1.2 [S7]
- US esign ueta: yes · yes · ESIGN · UETA [S4]

**Integrations**
- AI connectors: yes [S9]
- API availability: yes [S4]
- API base URL: https://api.signnow.com [S9]
- API dashboard: yes [S9]
- API plans: yes [S1]
- Apps: yes [S5]
- Auth method: Bearer token [S9]
- Available: yes [S6]
- Cloud storage: Dropbox · Box · yes [S4]
- Copy for llm: yes [S9]
- CRM: Salesforce · yes [S4]
- CRM systems: yes [S7]
- Dropbox cloud storage: yes [S7]
- Embedded features: embedded sending · embedded editor · embedded signing [S9]
- Google workspace: Google Drive · Google Docs · yes [S4]
- Google workspace: yes [S7]
- Mcp helper: yes [S9]
- Native list: NetSuite · SharePoint · Dynamics · Salesforce · Microsoft 365 [S1]
- Netsuite: NetSuite [S8]
- Notarize endpoint: /v2/notarize · POST · yes [S9]
- Notarize integration: documents sent to Notarize service for notarization [S9]
- Platform API: REST · JSON metadata · signed manifests [S7]
- Sample apps: yes [S9]
- Sdks: yes [S9]
- SSO: yes [S4]
- Webhooks: yes [S9]
- White labeling: yes [S9]
- Wordpress signing: yes [S9]

**Legal**
- Company: airSlate Inc · 2026 [S5]
- Copyright: airSlate Inc. [S7]
- Copyright holder: 2026 · airSlate Inc. [S4]
- Framework definition: eIDAS · qualified certificate from accredited trust service provider [S3]

**Pricing**
- API access: yes [S3]
- Competitors starting: enterprise pricing only · 10-15 USD/user/month entry · 15 USD/user/month typical · 9.99+ USD/user/month entry [S5]
- Free trial: yes · no [S2]
- Free trial: yes · no [S3]
- Free trial: yes · no [S8]
- No hidden fees: yes [S6]
- No hidden fees: no [S7]
- Plans exist: yes [S8]
- Signnow API: in plans or add-on [S5]
- Signnow certificate cost: add-on fees [S5]
- Signnow enterprise discounts: Volume discounts and custom quotes [S5]
- Signnow free tier: yes [S5]
- Signnow starting: 8 [S5]
- Signnow starting price: signNow listed as $8/user/mo (est); competitors: DocuSign $10, Adobe Sign $13, PandaDoc $19, Dropbox Sign $15 · USD · yes · 8 [S4]

**Product**
- Access controls: Role-based [S7]
- Altaflow automation: yes [S1]
- API: yes [S1]
- API bulk operations: yes [S6]
- API webhooks: yes · yes [S4]
- Archive retrieval: returns finalized document, cryptographic signature evidence, timestamps, signer identities, and audit trail entry [S7]
- Archive trigger: On completion [S7]
- Audit access logs: yes [S6]
- Audit export: PDF · CSV [S4]
- Audit export: CSV · PDF [S6]
- Audit trail: no [S3]
- Audit trail: yes · yes [S4]
- Audit trail: yes [S7]
- Audit trail: yes [S5]
- Audit trail: yes [S8]
- Audit trail court admissible: yes [S3]
- Audit trail retention: 7 [S6]
- Authentication options: yes · yes [S3]
- Automation triggers: document type · signer role · transaction value [S4]
- Batch tracking: Aggregated bulk send status reporting with per-envelope audit trail links [S6]
- Browsers: Chrome · Edge [S7]
- Bug bounty: yes [S1]
- Bulk send: yes [S1]
- Bulk send CSV import: yes [S6]
- Certificate backed signing: yes [S3]
- Collection claim: 24x · 30 · 40h [S5]
- Competitor comparison qes: Available via integration · Limited via EU modules [S3]
- Conditional workflows: yes [S1]
- Configurable assurance levels: yes [S4]
- Cost claims: 24x faster · 30 · 40 [S6]
- Custom branding: yes [S1]
- Data privacy controls: yes · yes · yes [S4]
- Default authentication level: Two-factor plus identity document check [S3]
- Default reminder frequency: 48 hours then daily until completion [S3]
- Default signing order: yes [S6]
- Demo request: listed as FAQ topic · yes [S1]
- Digital certificate management: yes [S3]
- Dual factor authentication: Dual-factor authentication options; recipients can be asked to prove identity before opening a contract [S2]
- Dual factor authentication: yes · yes [S8]
- Encrypted storage: yes [S6]
- Esign ueta relevance: ESIGN and UETA compliance discussed as evaluation criteria [S5]
- Esignature types: type · draw · upload_image [S1]
- Expiration date config: yes [S3]
- Export format: PDF + JSON metadata [S7]
- Fillable forms: Fillable fields with required/optional settings, conditional appearance, and role assignment [S2]
- Fillable forms: yes · yes · yes · yes [S8]
- Free trial: yes · no [S1]
- Free trial: 7 · no [S5]
- Free trial cta: no [S5]
- Identity verification: yes · yes [S3]
- Identity verification methods: document-based ID verification · knowledge-based questions · government ID checks · SMS/phone OTPs · third-party identity providers [S4]
- Integration APIs: yes [S3]
- Integrations: yes [S2]
- Integrations: Integrations with business apps available [S8]
- Kba authentication: yes · not marked on page [S5]
- Legal entity: 2026 · airSlate Inc. [S1]
- Liveness detection: yes [S4]
- Mobile apps: yes · yes · yes [S2]
- Mobile apps: yes [S3]
- Mobile apps: yes · yes [S1]
- Mobile apps: iOS · Android [S7]
- Mobile apps: iOS · Android [S5]
- Mobile offline: yes · yes · yes [S8]
- Multi signer: yes [S8]
- No hidden fees: no [S5]
- Ocsp check: Validate OCSP at signing time [S3]
- Pades support: PAdES PDF advanced e-signatures supported [S8]
- Payment collection: Charge request field to collect payments during contract signing [S2]
- Payment collection: yes [S8]
- Performance claims: 24x · 40 · 30 [S3]
- Pki signatures: yes [S5]
- Platforms: iOS · Android · Chrome · Edge · PDF and common document types [S6]
- Platforms: web UI · mobile apps · REST API [S7]
- Private key protection: yes · yes [S3]
- Qes support: Available via integration [S3]
- Reminder expiration defaults: 30 · 72 [S6]
- Retention period default: 7 [S7]
- Retention policy: yes · 7 [S3]
- Reusable templates: yes [S1]
- Reusable templates: yes [S8]
- Revocation checks: yes · yes [S3]
- Security controls: yes · yes · yes · yes · yes · yes [S5]
- Sequential routing: yes [S6]
- Signature types: handwritten · typed · scanned [S7]
- Signature types: handwritten · typed · scanned [S5]
- Signer account not required: no [S5]
- Signer registration: no [S7]
- Signer registration not required: no [S3]
- Signing channels: web · mobile · API · in-person [S4]
- Signing order: yes · yes [S1]
- Sms signing: competitor cost shown as + $.40 per send · yes [S1]
- Supported platforms: iOS · Android · camera · Chrome · Edge · Safari [S4]
- Supported platforms: iOS · Android · API gateway integration · Chrome · Edge [S5]
- Template bulk mapping: yes [S6]
- Template variables: yes [S6]
- Templates: yes [S2]
- Templates bulk sending: yes [S3]
- Timestamping: yes [S3]
- Trial sample document: Sample documents available to try online, including checkboxes/radio buttons, attachment request, and data validation samples [S2]
- Trust center: yes [S1]
- Vendor comparison API: REST API · REST API · REST API [S7]
- Vendor comparison audit trail: Complete · Complete · Complete [S7]
- Vendor comparison retention: Configurable · Configurable · Limited [S7]
- Workflow defaults: Enabled · Email and SMS · Sequential · Qualified or standard · 7 years · 48 hours [S5]
- Workflow settings: 30 · sequential · 48 hours · enabled · ID Check [S4]

**Support**
- Enterprise SLA: yes [S3]
- Live chat 247: listed as available on all paid plans vs extra cost at competitors · 24/7 · yes [S1]
- Paid plans 24x7: yes [S2]
- Paid plans 24x7: all paid plans · 24/7 [S8]

## Questions

### Is SignNow European?

Not determined: the vendor’s pages as captured do not say where SignNow is based.

### Where does SignNow store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026.

### Does SignNow have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to SignNow?

As of 3 Nov 2026, the panel rates [sproof sign (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/sproof-sign), [MOXIS (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/moxis) and [Signicat Sign (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/signicat-sign) highest among the other 22 E-Signature products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [sproof sign](https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/sproof-sign) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [SignNow alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/signnow/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 24 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 3 pricing facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 2 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 integrations fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor page: https://www.signnow.com (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S2] EIDAS levels & trust services — found from sitemap: https://www.signnow.com/features/advanced-qualified-electronic-signature (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S3] EIDAS levels & trust services — found from sitemap: https://www.signnow.com/features/qualified-electronic-signature (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S4] Signer identification — found from sitemap: https://www.signnow.com/features/verify-identity-to-e-sign (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S5] Signer identification — found from sitemap: https://www.signnow.com/features/identrust-trust-sign-cost (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S6] Signing workflow & signer experience — found from sitemap: https://www.signnow.com/features/bulk-send-documents-set-signing-order-and-sign (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S7] Evidence, validation & retention — found from sitemap: https://www.signnow.com/features/signoff-archiving-get (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S8] Evidence, validation & retention — found from sitemap: https://www.signnow.com/features/pades-pdf-advanced-e-signatures (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S9] Integrations & API — found from sitemap: https://docs.signnow.com/docs/api (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S10] Integrations & API — found from sitemap: https://www.signnow.com/features/signnow-integrations-and-api (checked 2026-11-03)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "SignNow — E-Signature", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-11-04. https://whats-best.ai/software/e-signature/signnow

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/1416?target=page