Is Certifaction suitable as an alternative to DocuSign?

The short answer: yes! If you..

...want full focus on electronic signatures instead of contract management
...do not want your eSigning provider to have access to your sensitive documents
...build on Swiss quality with personalised technical advice from Zurich

A direct comparison of Certifaction as a DocuSign alternative

Both Certifaction and DocuSign are premium providers in the field of eSignatures – but with different approaches. While DocuSign primarily offers tools for contract management, Certifaction is fully specialised in digital signatures.

A side‑by‑side feature comparison table of Apfelr (a German eSignature solution) and DocuSign, highlighting differences in signature types, compliance, user experience, integrations, data residency, pricing, and support. Signature types: Apfelr supports simple electronic signatures and full qualified eSignatures (QES); DocuSign supports basic eSignatures but qualified signatures require an add‑on or external provider. Applicable regulations: Apfelr is compliant with EU eIDAS standards; DocuSign provides eIDAS functionality, but qualified signature requires extra setup. User interface: Apfelr offers a modern, intuitive UI tailored to German/EU users; DocuSign has a global interface that some users find complex. Document workflows: Apfelr includes streamlined templates and in‑platform workflows for German business use cases; DocuSign provides customizable workflows for enterprises with broader document management. Integration capabilities: Apfelr features simple API access and connectors (e.g., to German systems); DocuSign supports extensive integrations (Salesforce, Microsoft, SAP). Data hosting: Apfelr hosts data and keys on servers within the EU/Germany; DocuSign hosts in multiple global regions, including the US. Pricing model: Apfelr uses transparent, transaction‑based pricing without envelope limits; DocuSign uses tiered envelope‑ or user‑based pricing, which can be restrictive. Support & certification: Apfelr offers local (German) support and EU‑focused certifications; DocuSign provides global enterprise support but may require additional fees for premium service.
	Certifaction	DocuSign
eSignatures
Kernfokus auf eSignaturen	Yes	No
Worldwide legal validity
Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)	Integrated	Separate contract required
Additional signature page (in addition to freely placeable signatures)
Intuitive QES user guidance
Contract management features
Digital Twin for verifying printed documents
Customised branding
Privacy, data protection & security
Data residency	Switzerland/EU	Distributed worldwide
Subject to the US Cloud Act	No	Yes
Local data processing
Zero Document Knowledge
End-to-end encryption of documents
Integration & Service
Agile, customer-driven innovation
Technical support	Responsive and personalised	Comprehensive and centralised
Simplicity of the API connection
Made in
Prices
Price basis	Flexible thanks to credits (usage-based)	Rigid by price per envelope or user

What particularly distinguishes us as an alternative to DocuSign is the different data protection philosophy: With DocuSign, the content of uploaded documents is routinely analysed by the provider, e.g. as part of an AI analysis. In addition, DocuSign can be obliged to hand over all stored data to the US government under the CLOUD Act.

Certifaction, on the other hand, is a privacy-first solution based on the zero-knowledge approach: your data is processed locally and transferred to our servers in encrypted form so that we cannot read it.

All data is also stored on ISO 27001-certified servers in Switzerland – the digital equivalent of a Swiss bank vault.

What’s more, our software is designed to be streamlined, intuitive for every user and very easy to integrate into your software environment via our API. If you have any questions or problems, our technical support team based in Zurich will be happy to help you at any time.

FAQs

Our answers to the most frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Certifaction and DocuSign approaches?

DocuSign is one of the global leaders in the field of digital document and contract management. Although the company also offers electronic signatures, these are only one part of a much larger suite of features that enable the complete organisation of documents and contracts in companies.

Certifaction, on the other hand, focuses exclusively on eSignatures and goes into great depth in this aspect. The Certifaction app is lean and easy to integrate – data protection and user-friendliness are our top priorities and are an integral part of our corporate philosophy. In addition, our solutions for identifying signatories are firmly integrated into our product as standard.

What exactly are the differences in terms of data security?

Certifaction is the only “privacy-first” solution for eSignatures that relies on complete end-to-end encryption (E2EE). This means that, unlike many other providers, Certifaction has no access to documents and therefore cannot read or analyse them, as DocuSign, for example, even sells as a strength as part of its AI solutions.

With the CLI integration tool, Certifaction also offers the option of operating an on-premise solution that can process documents locally with little effort.

What are the differences in the pricing model?

DocuSign charges according to the so-called “envelopes” or according to the number of signed documents and in other cases according to the number of users. Certifaction, on the other hand, calculates the number of signatures, whereby the cost of a signature depends on the choice of signature standard.

The more signatures you require, the lower the price per signature we can set for you. The number of users or documents does not matter. Certifaction also makes its API available to customers free of charge and helps with integration into existing systems.

Global group vs. local contact?

As a globally active group, DocuSign endeavours to address companies of all kinds across all national borders.

Certifaction is based in the heart of Europe and focusses on companies with the highest demands in the areas of ease of use, data security and user identification for eSignatures.

Do you have any further questions?