Not only is the iPad a great tool for reading and managing documents, but it also makes it easy to add an electronic signature to pretty much anything, from lease agreements to permission slips. There are several apps that let you sign documents and send them on their way, and below, we've collected the best out there.
PDF Expert
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PDF Expert by Readdle is an excellent app not only for reading and managing your PDFs, but also for marking up and signing them. In any document, just tap on the pen button and select an available signature. If you don't have one, you can create one by signing your name in the app. The signature you create will be saved for future use, and will also be synced to PDF Expert on your iPhone and Mac. PDF Expert works with several different document types and allows you to import from cloud services like Dropbox, iCloud Drive, and Google Drive.
- $9.99 - Download Now
SignNow
Geared towards business customers, SignNow lets you import, sign, and store your important documents both securely and conveniently. You can bring in documents attached to an email, a photo, cloud services, and more, and sign it right there. You can also mark exactly where on the document needs to be signed, and send it to others via email right in the app so that they can sign it, too. Need proof that someone signed the document, take a photo of their ID. All of your documents are stored in SignNow's own cloud service.
SignNow is free to download and use with five documents per month, though you'll need a $6.99 per month Business or $19.99 per month Business Premium subscription to continue using the app after that.
- Free - Download Now
SignEasy
SignEasy accepts a variety of document types and makes them all easy to both sign and fill out. You can import PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Pages documents, and more, then fill them out, sign them, and send them on their way. SignEasy also offers a couple of ways to work with multiple documents, letting you sign them either one at a time with Sequential Workflow or all at once with Parallel Workflow.
The app also offers additional tools. These include things like Custom Fields, which you can create to save time when entering frequently used information, as well as the ability to track a document's status and get notified when someone you've sent your document to has signed it.
SignEasy is free to download and use with your first three documents, though you'll need a Standard or Plus subscription for $9.99 and $14.99 per month respectively.
- Free - Download Now
DocuSign
You know the drill. DocuSign makes it easy to sign documents from non-disclosure agreements to permission slips. You can work with different document types, create a signature, and link the app to cloud storage accounts. DocuSign features a dashboard that lets you know how many documents you have waiting to be signed, as well as how many that you've sent off are waiting for signatures from others. Your signed documents are kept encrypted for extra security, and the app provides a complete audit timeline to see who has signed a document and where they did so.
You can sign an unlimited document for free with DocuSign, but you'll need a subscription to send documents and access advanced features. Plans start at $14.99 per month.
- Free - Download Now
Adobe Fill & Sign
Compared to others on this list, Adobe's Fill & Sign app is fairly simple. It doesn't offer much in the way of signing features, but sometimes, you just need to sign a document and move on. Just like the others, you can import files from Dropbox or another cloud storage service, but you can also use your iPad's camera to scan physical documents, which you can then fill out and sign on your device.
Fill & Sign also offers automatic suggestions for forms that you need to fill out, with fields like name, street, and email address ready to go for regular use.
- Free - Download Now
Notes (iOS 11)
When iOS 11 comes around, Notes will get some upgrades to its capabilities. In the new operating system, Notes will let you scan physical documents with your device's camera, either adding that document to an existing note or creating a new one around it. The scanned item can then be marked up, signed, and shared.
As usual, these new features will be part of the free iOS 11 update that will arrive for most users later this year.
You favorites?
What are your favorite apps for signing documents? Let us know in the comments.
