E-signature: European providers compared

Electronic signatures under eIDAS – from simple (SES) and advanced (AES) to the qualified signature (QES) that is legally equivalent to a handwritten one. European alternatives to DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat Sign.

Recommendations

Yousign

France

Confidence: high

French eIDAS QTSP for electronic signatures – qualified signature (QES) directly from the provider, data in France on SecNumCloud.

Namirial

Italy

Confidence: high

Large Italian eIDAS QTSP for qualified signatures and seals – pan-European (IT/FR/ES), a leader in eIDAS 2 / EUDI Wallet.

Scrive

Sweden

Confidence: high

Swedish eIDAS QTSP for e-signature and eID – QES from the EU, with a variant running exclusively on European infrastructure.

Comparison table

Providers	Score	Headquarters	Pricing
Yousign	90	France	Subscription per user/month (QES partly per signature)
Namirial	86	Italy	Enterprise/custom (on request)
Scrive	84	Sweden	Subscription per user/month (QES partly per signature)
Skribble	80	Switzerland	Subscription per user/month (QES per signature)

Selection criteria

The key questions are which signature level you need (SES/AES/QES) and whether the provider is itself a qualified trust service provider (QTSP) on the EU Trusted List or partners with one. Also check the server location and data residency (ideally the EU or Switzerland), certifications (ISO/IEC 27001, and SecNumCloud in France), integrations/API and the pricing model – QES is often billed per signature or as a quota.

Data protection & compliance

The legal basis is the eIDAS Regulation (EU) 910/2014. Only the qualified electronic signature (QES) is legally equivalent to a handwritten signature; SES/AES are valid but carry less evidentiary weight. US providers such as DocuSign or Adobe Sign can be subject to the US CLOUD Act – for sensitive contracts, an EU QTSP and EU/Swiss data residency are preferable. This is editorial guidance, not legal advice.

The Sovereignty Score is an editorial orientation aid, not legal advice.

Typical use cases

Sign contracts, quotes and orders with legal certainty
HR & onboarding (employment contracts, documents)
Banks, insurers and public administration (QES)
Automated signing workflows via API

Pricing guidance

Usually a subscription per user/month, often with signature quotas; qualified signatures (QES) and identity checks are frequently billed additionally per transaction.

Providers in this category

4 results

Yousign

France

Confidence: high

French eIDAS QTSP for electronic signatures – qualified signature (QES) directly from the provider, data in France on SecNumCloud.

Namirial

Italy

Confidence: high

Large Italian eIDAS QTSP for qualified signatures and seals – pan-European (IT/FR/ES), a leader in eIDAS 2 / EUDI Wallet.

Scrive

Sweden

Confidence: high

Swedish eIDAS QTSP for e-signature and eID – QES from the EU, with a variant running exclusively on European infrastructure.

Skribble

Switzerland

Confidence: high

Swiss e-signature for all levels under eIDAS and ZertES – QES via Swisscom/A-Trust, data in Switzerland to banking standards.

EFTA

Related alternative pages

DocuSign Alternative

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between SES, AES and QES?

SES (simple) is the lowest level, AES (advanced) uniquely links the signature to a person, and QES (qualified) is based on a qualified certificate and is legally equivalent to a handwritten signature. AES is enough for most everyday contracts; QES is required for formally strict cases.

Why choose a European alternative to DocuSign?

US providers can be subject to the CLOUD Act, meaning US authorities could in theory demand access to data. European QTSPs such as Yousign, Skribble, Scrive or Namirial offer eIDAS-compliant signatures with data residency in the EU or Switzerland – legally equivalent, but more sovereign.

The Sovereignty Score is an editorial orientation aid, not legal advice. How we rate.