eSignatures.io vs SignWell (2026): which should you pick?

Pick eSignatures.io if

• Fits if you send contracts in bursts and would rather pay per contract than per seat
• Works for developers who want signing in an app through the API

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you need advanced or qualified eIDAS signatures, as only simple ones are offered
• Watch out: live photo ID checks ($2.99) and SMS delivery ($0.09 a message) are billed on top
• Watch out: signed contracts are kept for a mandatory three years, according to the site
• Tight if you want a trial first: its length and limits aren't stated
• Pricey if you send a lot, with the cost falling to $0.20 only at the $100,000 top-up

Pick SignWell if

• Fits if three of you send lots of contracts and want one $30 monthly bill, billed yearly
• Works for developers, as every plan includes an API with 25 documents a month before per-document charges

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you sign on your phone a lot, as it's web only with no app
• Tight if you're staying free, at one sender, one template and 3 documents a month, and there's no trial of paid plans
• Watch out: Light caps you at 5 templates per sender and leaves out branding, conditional fields and in-person signing
• Pricey if the team grows, as each sender past three on Business adds $12 a month billed yearly ($15 monthly)
• Not for you if you want direct CRM links, as only Close, QuickBooks Online and Xero are named and the rest go through Zapier

eSignatures.io

• Only simple electronic signatures are offered; advanced and qualified signatures under eIDAS are not.
• Live photo ID checks ($2.99) and SMS delivery ($0.09 per message) are billed on top of the $0.49 contract fee.
• The pages read describe a free trial but do not state its length or limits.
• Signed contracts are kept for a mandatory three years, according to the site.

SignWell

• Light keeps you to 5 templates per sender and leaves out branding, conditional fields and in-person signing, which start at Business.
• Extra senders cost $12 a month each on Business billed yearly ($15 monthly), and $10 ($12) on Light.
• API documents beyond 25 a month are charged per document.

eSignatures.io

Flat fee per contract

A contract costs the same whether it has one signer or fifteen, two pages or twenty. There are no seat fees and no envelope caps.

Mobile-first contracts

Contracts are responsive text instead of PDFs, so signers on a phone do not have to pinch and zoom. The signed result is delivered as a PDF.

API, Zapier and Make

A single API request sends a contract, and the service also connects to Zapier and Make. Contracts can be drafted and sent from Claude or ChatGPT.

Signer checks

Signers can be asked for a one-time code by email or SMS, or for a live photo ID check. Photo ID checks cost $2.99 each and SMS delivery $0.09 per message.

Links, kiosk mode and bulk send

A contract link lets anyone sign, can be embedded on a site or shared as a QR code, and kiosk mode lets people sign one after another on a shared tablet.

Data location and branding

Contracts can be stored in the US, Frankfurt, London, Sydney or Canada. Your logo, company name, fonts and email domain can be used in the signing flow.

SignWell

Unlimited documents

Paid plans charge by sender, not by envelope or signer, so there is no cap on the number of signing requests.

Templates, links and bulk send

Save documents as templates, share a template as a public link, and bulk send one document to many recipients from Light up.

Smart fields

Business adds conditional field rules, group checkbox rules, data validation and requests for attachments from signers.

API on every plan

Each plan includes 25 API documents a month, then charges per document, with embedded signing, webhooks, SDKs and an MCP server.

Audit trail and compliance

Tamper-evident documents and audit trails on all plans; paid plans add a SOC 2 Type II report and HIPAA support.

Integrations

Native integrations with Close, QuickBooks Online and Xero, plus thousands of other apps through Zapier, and DocuSign import.

eSignatures.io

• Credits$50

  one-time top-up, used as you go

  About 100 contracts at $0.49 each. Larger top-ups add bonus credits, down to $0.20 a contract at $100,000. Credits do not expire.

SignWell

• Free$0

  One sender, one template and 3 documents a month, with the API, audit trail and tamper-proof documents.

• Light$10

  per sender / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)

  Unlimited documents, 5 templates per sender, template links, bulk send, and SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance.

• Business$30

  per month for up to 3 senders, billed yearly ($36 monthly)

  Unlimited templates, branding, conditional fields, data validation, attachments, in-person signing, 50 SMS credits a month.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Sold through sales for teams of 50 or more, high volumes or extra compliance, with onboarding and API setup help.

eSignatures.io

• Nonprofit

  40% discount for non-profits

  The pricing page states a 40% discount for non-profit organizations. How to claim it is not described on the page.

• Other savings

  Bonus credits on larger top-ups

  Credit purchases from $500 add 5% to 150% extra credits, lowering the effective fee from $0.47 to $0.20 per contract.

SignWell

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with yearly billing

  SignWell's pricing page gives a 20% discount for paying yearly: Light is $10 a month billed yearly against $12 monthly.

• Startups

  Up to $500 in credits for startups

  Technology startups at Series A or below with under $5M raised, not already paying, can apply for up to $500 in SignWell credits.