An electronic signature can complete a contract quickly, but a secure process involves more than the final click.
Teams also need to consider signer identity, access, document integrity, and the records available afterward.
This guide compares eight tools across that workflow questions, including DiliTrust Sign, which DiliTrust describes as a native option in its legal workspace at dilitrust.
Security checks for an e-signature workflow
Compare each platform against the risks in your contract process. NIST’s digital identity guidance separates identity proofing from authentication and recommends choosing assurance based on risk.
It was written for digital identity systems used with government services, so treat it as a reference for questions to ask—not a certification of e-signature products.
An organization’s account-level MFA policy can inform broader access standards, but signer verification is a separate question.
Cybersecurity News’ MFA solutions guide reviews general MFA options; test each e-signature provider’s recipient authentication separately and document the results.
| Check | Question to ask |
| Signer identity | How does the workflow establish who is signing, and can the authentication method match the agreement’s risk? |
| Access and permissions | Can roles limit who drafts, approves, sends, views, or exports a contract? |
| Document integrity | How can the team verify that the signed copy matches the approved version and identify later changes? |
| Audit and retention | Which signing events are recorded, and can the team retrieve the record and signed file later? |
Eight platforms in the shortlist
These platforms range from standalone e-signature services to document workflows and contract management tools with built-in signing.
The profiles below draw on vendor materials rather than independent security assessments.
| Platform | How it fits the shortlist |
| Adobe Acrobat Sign | Standalone e-signature solution with configurable signer authentication |
| DiliTrust Sign | Native signing in DiliTrust’s legal platform; its materials say it supports SES natively and connects to providers for AES or QES |
| DocuSign eSignature | E-signature platform with product-specific security documentation |
| Dropbox Sign | E-signature service with a dedicated trust center |
| OneSpan Sign | E-signature platform with security and compliance resources |
| PandaDoc | Document workflow platform with e-signature and security resources |
| SignNow | E-signature service with a security and compliance trust center |
| Zoho Sign | Digital-signature app with detailed product security documentation |
1. OneSpan Sign: A detailed record of each signing
OneSpan Sign suits teams that need evidence of how an agreement was signed. OneSpan describes authentication options, including SMS one-time codes, single sign-on, FIDO passkeys, and digital certificates.
Its product page also says each agreement receives a tamper-evident audit trail with time-stamped signer activity and identity-verification events.
The company says its digital signatures can show whether a signed document has been changed.
These vendor-described controls make OneSpan worth evaluating for sensitive agreements where teams may need to reconstruct the signing process.
Before choosing a plan, confirm which authentication methods and evidence records are available for your deployment, and request current independent security reports with their scope.
2. DiliTrust: Sign contracts within the legal platform
DiliTrust’s contract management platform, presented on www.dilitrust.com, now offers DiliTrust Sign as a native option in its legal workspace.
The company says the native tool supports simple electronic signatures (SES); workflows requiring advanced or qualified electronic signatures (AES or QES) use connected providers.
DiliTrust Sign is being made available across the suite module by module, so teams should confirm availability for their setup.
DiliTrust says senders can set the signing order and choose email-link or SMS one-time-code authentication. After signing, the platform stores the document and a Certificate of Completion.
These are vendor-described features; confirm the signature level, authentication options, and rollout available for your contract types.
3. Adobe Acrobat Sign: Set authentication rules by workflow
Adobe Acrobat Sign may suit teams that need different signer checks for different agreements.
Adobe’s documentation describes options ranging from single-factor verification to two-factor authentication using government-issued documents.
Administrators can set permitted methods and defaults at the account or group level, including different settings for internal and external recipients.
Adobe also documents an option to require authentication before someone can view a completed agreement. That can help teams control access both during and after signing.
Confirm which methods your plan and account configuration support, and test how the added checks affect both internal and external signers.
4. DocuSign eSignature: Configurable access and document protection
DocuSign eSignature may fit teams that want configurable security controls around signing. DocuSign says it encrypts documents using AES-256 or FIPS-approved methods and offers customer-configurable multi-factor authentication and role-based authorization.
Its security page also says signed documents receive a Certificate of Completion.
These are vendor statements; confirm which options are available in the plan and account setup you are evaluating.
During a demo, check how roles limit access to agreements and how the completion certificate can be retrieved with the signed file.
For a security review, ask Docusign for current independent reports and verify their scope for your intended service and region.
5. Dropbox Sign: Preserve a traceable signing history
Dropbox Sign may suit teams that want a record of signing activity alongside completed agreements.
Its help documentation says the audit trail timestamps transaction details, including IP addresses, and uses hashing to make changes to the log detectable.
Dropbox also says each trail includes a PDF hash that you can compare with another copy to check whether the document was modified.
Senders can require a unique access code for a signer and share it outside Dropbox Sign. Confirm which authentication and record-retention options are available for your plan. Dropbox notes that self-signed documents do not include an audit trail.
6. PandaDoc: Match signer verification to the document
PandaDoc’s help center documentation lists passcodes, SMS codes, and knowledge-based authentication (KBA) as signer-verification options.
These can be configured per document or at the workspace level, according to the company. Confirm which methods are available for your plan and region before standardizing a workflow.
PandaDoc says completed documents include a Certificate of Completion with signer details, verified email addresses, IP addresses, locations, and timestamps for key events.
Teams can review this record alongside the signed PDF when they need to trace a transaction.
7. SignNow: Keep signing history with the archived document
SignNow may suit teams that want the signing record attached to an archived agreement. Its Help Center says each signed document has a chronological history that includes timestamps, signer details, IP addresses, and actions.
Users can download the signed document with its history attached. SignNow also lets users enable a Signature ID stamp on completed PDFs and cross-check it against the document history.
For signer access, SignNow says senders can require password, text-message, or phone-call authentication.
Check which options your plan supports and whether the exported record captures the events your retention process requires.
8. Zoho Sign: Adapt signer checks to the recipient
Zoho Sign may suit distributed teams that need different verification methods for different recipients or agreement types.
Its documentation describes email authentication codes and SMS one-time passwords, as well as EU eID verification.
For qualified electronic signature workflows, Zoho says identity verification through a trust service provider is involved. Confirm support for your region and signature type before choosing a workflow.
For document integrity, Zoho describes a public-key signing process that compares a cryptographic hash attached to the document with a newly generated hash.
The company says matching hashes indicate the document has not changed. Zoho also lists audit trails and a Certificate of Completion; check how those records fit your retention process.
Test the full signing path before rollout
For U.S. agreements, also check the electronic-record retention conditions set by the E-SIGN Act when assessing how signed files and records can be retrieved.
Use the same sample contract to test each finalist’s workflow:
- Send it to internal and external signers. Check which identity-verification options are available and what each recipient must do.
- Review who can open, edit, and sign the document at each step.
- Download the completed agreement and its audit record. Confirm your legal or security team can retrieve and retain both.
- Where the product supports signature validation, compare the signed original with a modified copy to see how the change is flagged.
Ask each vendor to confirm which options apply to your plan, region, and document workflow. This hands-on check shows how the controls work together as a contract moves between people.
Choose the platform around the evidence you need
Before choosing, decide what your team may need to verify later: who received and signed the agreement, what identity check was used, whether the completed file changed, and whether the signing history stays with the contract.
Then test those steps with your own signer roles and retention process. A feature list alone will not show how controls behave across a real handoff.
DiliTrust merits consideration for legal teams looking to keep signing in their legal workspace: the company describes native support for simple electronic signatures and connections to other providers for advanced or qualified signatures.
Confirm which options are available for your setup. For every finalist, review current security documentation and ask for independent reports covering the service and region you plan to use.
