Is Certifaction a viable alternative to Adobe Sign?

The short answer: yes! If you...

...are looking for a one-stop store for all common eSignature standards including QES
...value maximum data security thanks to zero document knowledge
...want to benefit from simple integration into your IT environment, including individual consulting and service

Certifaction vs. Adobe Acrobat Sign at a glance

With its eSignature solution Adobe Acrobat Sign, the software company Adobe pursues a different philosophy than Certifaction:

A side-by-side comparison table of Certifaction and Adobe Sign features, highlighting differences in eSignature focus, legal compliance, user experience, data security, integration, and pricing. eSignatures: Certifaction is solely focused on eSigning, while Adobe Sign includes it as part of a broader document management suite. Qualified Electronic Signature (QES): Certifaction offers integrated QES, whereas Adobe Sign requires a separate contract with an external provider. User Experience: Certifaction provides an intuitive user interface; Adobe Sign's interface is part of its larger suite. Contract Management Features: Adobe Sign includes contract management features; Certifaction does not. Digital Twin: Certifaction offers a Digital Twin feature to verify printed documents; Adobe Sign lacks this feature. Custom Branding: Certifaction supports custom branding; Adobe Sign's branding options are limited. Data Protection & Security: Certifaction emphasizes data security with local processing and storage in Switzerland; Adobe Sign's data residency is distributed and unclear. Integration & Service: Certifaction provides individual consulting, technical support, and easy API integration; Adobe Sign offers standard support with less customization. Pricing: Certifaction uses a flexible, usage-based credit system; Adobe Sign has rigid pricing based on envelopes or users.
	Certifaction	Adobe Sign
eSignatures
Core focus on eSigning	Yes	No
Global validity of eSignatures
Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)	Integrated	Separate contract with third-party provider required
Separate signature page (in addition to freely positionable signatures)
Intuitive QES user guidance
Contract management features
Digital Twin for verifying printed documents
Privacy & Security
Data residency	Switzerland/EU	Distributed/unclear
Local data processing
Zero Document Knowledge
Suitable for sensitive data
Integration & Service
Agile, customer-driven innovation
Technical support
Simplicity of the API connection
Prices
Price basis	Flexible thanks to credits (usage-based)	Rigid by price per envelope or user

At Adobe, signatures are part of a broader package that also includes document management and PDF editing. Certifaction, on the other hand, is a specialist focused exclusively on digital signatures and allows you to easily and individually embed electronic signatures into your existing IT environment. Certifaction also takes a unique approach to data protection: we adhere to the principle of zero document knowledge, which means that we as a provider have no access whatsoever to your transmitted data. Everything you send us is stored in encrypted form on ISO 27001-certified servers in Switzerland – the Swiss bank vaults of the digital world.

FAQs

Our answers to frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Certifaction and AdobeSign approaches?

At Adobe, the Acrobat Sign eSignature solution is part of the Acrobat package, which includes additional document management features.

Certifaction, on the other hand, offers electronic signatures exclusively. Our solution can be customised to integrate seamlessly into your existing IT systems. We also place the highest priority on data protection and security with our zero-document-knowledge approach.

What are the biggest differences in terms of features?

Certifaction is a one-stop shop for all relevant eSignature standards, which you can easily select yourself depending on your intended use. Our solution already includes all the features you need for the unambiguous identification of signatories and gives you the option of using qualified electronic signatures (QES) out of the box. These are equivalent to handwritten signatures and are required by law for contracts with formal requirements.

In addition, Certifaction offers the digital twin as a bridge between the analogue and digital worlds: it enables you to print digitally signed documents in such a way that they remain verifiable at all times.

How does Certifaction go one step further in data protection?

Certifaction operates according to the principle of zero document knowledge. Documents that you sign via our app are processed locally and transmitted to us in encrypted form.

This means we cannot read your data. Unlike us, other providers routinely do this.

Your data is stored on ISO 27001-certified servers in Switzerland that meet the highest security requirements. With other providers such as Adobe, on the other hand, your data is usually distributed across a network of different server locations.

For which scenarios is Certifaction optimised?

Certifaction is the ideal alternative to Adobe Sign if you…:

Don’t want your eSignature provider to be able to read your documents
Want to use all relevant standards such as QES out-of-the-box
Want to know exactly where and how your data is stored
Want to identify signers beyond doubt
Want the simplest and most individual integration into your IT environment
Want to have our individual and personal technical service from the heart of Zurich as a partner at your side
Need a solution where digitally signed documents can be printed out
Don’t need any additional contract management features

Do you have any further questions?