Comparison

Adobe Sign alternative for small operators.

Adobe Acrobat Sign is a great fit if you already live in Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft 365. If you don't — and most landlords + contractors don't — you're paying for an ecosystem you'll never touch.

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An honest split

Adobe Acrobat Sign and handshakesignatures are built for different buyers.

When Adobe Acrobat Sign is the better choice
  • You're already on Adobe Creative Cloud or Acrobat Pro and want signing in the same toolchain.
  • Your team uses Microsoft 365 deeply and wants signing inside Word/Outlook/Teams.
  • You need PDF editing + e-signing in one tool (Acrobat Pro bundles both).
  • Your industry requires advanced authentication: KBA, government ID verification, phone-based identity.
  • You need EU eIDAS Qualified Electronic Signatures (advanced legal weight in EU jurisdictions).
  • Your legal team requires SOC 2 Type II + ISO 27001 documentation before approving a vendor.
When handshakesignatures is the better fit
  • You're a solo landlord, single contractor, or small property manager — not a department.
  • You don't use Adobe Acrobat Pro and don't want to pay for it just to e-sign.
  • Your monthly volume is 1–50 documents, not the 50–500 Adobe pricing optimizes for.
  • You don't need PDF editing — your existing PDFs are already final.
  • You want a clean, focused signing UI for your counterparties (no Adobe branding, no ecosystem upsells).
  • You want a $9/month subscription you can cancel in two clicks, not an annual Creative Cloud commitment.

Pricing

Side by side.

Plan tierAdobe Acrobat Signhandshakesignatures
Standalone e-sign (entry)Acrobat Sign Solo — ~$14.99/monthSolo — $9/month
Bundled with PDF editingAcrobat Pro with Sign — ~$19.99/monthNot bundled (BYO PDF editor)
Team / multi-userAcrobat Sign for SMB — ~$44.99/user/monthTeam plan coming when there's demand (~$12/seat/month)
Annual commitmentRequired on most plans, with cancellation feesSolo Annual — $90/year ($7.50/month), no cancellation fee
Free trial14-day trial, card requiredSample plan — free for 2 documents lifetime, no card

Pricing accurate as of May 2026; verify on each vendor's pricing page before deciding.

Feature comparison

What each tool actually does.

FeatureAdobe Acrobat Signhandshakesignatures
Audit trail (timestamps, IP, user agent)
SHA-256 tamper sealVerified through Adobe's portalHash embedded inside the sealed PDF — verify offline
Drag-and-drop field placement
Reusable templates
Reminders + voiding
PDF editing in same toolBring your own — we only sign
Microsoft 365 / Acrobat / Creative Cloud integration
EU eIDAS Qualified Signatures
KBA / phone authentication
SOC 2 Type II / ISO 27001Not yet — flagged for transparency
Tracking pixels in emailsYes (analytics)None
Phone supportYesEmail only
Open verification (works without vendor)Sealed PDF + hash works even if our servers go offline

FAQ

A few practical questions.

Is a signature collected through handshakesignatures legally equivalent to one collected through Adobe Sign?

Under the U.S. ESIGN Act (2000) and UETA, yes — both vendors capture intent, identity, timestamp, and IP, which is what those laws require. Adobe Sign additionally supports EU eIDAS Qualified Electronic Signatures, which carry stronger legal weight in EU jurisdictions; we don't. If you're operating in the U.S., the practical legal difference is small.

I already pay for Adobe Acrobat Pro. Why would I switch?

If you're using Acrobat Pro daily for PDF editing, probably don't switch — you're getting two tools for the bundle price. Switch if you're paying for Acrobat *just* to e-sign, or if you want a separate signing flow that you can cancel without affecting your PDF editing setup.

Can I use handshakesignatures with PDFs I edited in Acrobat?

Yes — we accept any PDF up to 32 MB. Edit in whatever tool you like, upload here when it's ready to sign.

What about Microsoft 365 / Outlook integration?

We don't integrate with M365. You'd attach the sealed PDF to an email by hand, same as you would with any other contract. If that step is a dealbreaker, Adobe Sign is the better tool.

What happens if I outgrow handshakesignatures?

At some volume — typically when you need eIDAS, KBA, or deep Microsoft 365 hooks — Adobe Sign or DocuSign becomes the right call. Your existing sealed PDFs stay valid (they verify by hash, not by vendor). We'd rather see you graduate than retain you with features that don't fit.

Ready to try?

Sample plan covers 2 documents lifetime — enough to see how the full flow works. No card required.

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