Which e-signature tool should I use to sign PDFs and contracts, free or paid?
Adobe's free online tool to sign a PDF yourself, and Zoho Sign to send contracts for others to sign. Electronic signatures are valid in India under the IT Act for most contracts, but not for a negotiable instrument other than a cheque, a power of attorney, a trust deed, a will, or a contract to sell or convey immovable property. Adobe's sign-PDF tool is free with no trial and no expiry; asking others to sign needs a paid plan. Zoho Sign's free plan sends 5 envelopes a month for one user, Standard is ₹650 a user a month billed yearly (₹800 monthly), and it supports Aadhaar eSign. Leegality charges per signatory with no seat fee, ₹25 for Aadhaar eSign and ₹15 without, and stamps agreements digitally at ₹45 a stamp paper plus the duty and ₹500 an order. Dropbox Sign Essentials is $15 a month billed yearly for clients abroad. The rule: free Adobe for your own signature, Zoho Sign for routine contracts, Leegality's Aadhaar eSign when an Indian signer's identity and stamp duty must hold up.
Docusign's summary of how the Information Technology Act 2000, the Indian Contract Act and the stamp acts treat electronic signatures, including the First Schedule list of documents that cannot be signed electronically.
Under the IT Act's First Schedule, a negotiable instrument other than a cheque, a power of attorney, a trust deed, a will, and a contract for the sale or conveyance of immovable property cannot be signed electronically.
A recognised electronic signature uses a method in the Second Schedule, such as Aadhaar e-KYC eSign or a digital signature certificate.
Stamp duty still has to be paid on instruments that need it, at or before signing.
The government's own page on eSign, the online electronic signature service run by licensed Certifying Authorities, where a signer authenticates with e-KYC by OTP or biometric and the signature is legally recognised under the IT Act.
Zoho's own pricing for Zoho Sign, shown in rupees for India: a free plan for one user with 5 envelopes a month, Standard at ₹650 a user a month billed yearly (₹800 monthly) with 25 envelopes per user, and Professional at ₹1,000 billed yearly; it supports Aadhaar eSign.
Leegality's own pricing for its Indian document-signing platform: on the Basic plan, Aadhaar eSign costs ₹25 per signatory, non-Aadhaar eSign ₹15 per signatory, and digital stamping ₹45 per stamp paper plus the stamp duty.
Adobe's free browser tool for adding your own signature to a PDF: no trial and no expiry, though requesting signatures from others and audit trails need a paid Acrobat plan.
Dropbox's pricing for Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign): Essentials for one person is $15 a month billed yearly ($180 a year), with Standard and Premium for teams and unlimited signature requests.
