EchoSign

Online Electronic Signature Service

Published 05/24/2012 and rated 4 out of 5 stars
by Dorothy Distefano

Echosign is an electronic signature application that allows documents to be signed online. This streamlines the process of contract signing and replaces regular mail or faxing. E-signing may be done in any browser, instantly.

Founded in 2005 by Jason Lemkin and Jeff Zwelling, Echosign has been featured in InformationWeek, The New York Times, ZDNet, washingtonpost.com,Silicon Valley Business Journal, The Wall Street Journal, and many more major news outlets both in print and online.

Unique visitors have climbed over the last year from 180,000 to nearly 775,000. Echosign is a division of Adobe and has partnered with Salesforce.com, NetSuite, SAP, WebEx, and Zoho. Linkedin states that the app has over 5 million users worldwide.

Echosign's main competition is Docusign. According to various reviews, Echosign is a more streamlined process, has better pricing plans, and has better control and precision. There are some who object to hidden fees within upgrades. Docusign started sooner, but can it keep up with a company with Adobe backing?

Upon verification, the user is directed to a dashboard containing information and options. From this dashboard, the user may get a document signed, view statistics of agreements signed and average time to sign, document status, account information, add documents to the library, create a widget to be embedded in a signable document, sign something that has been sent to you, or archive a document. Users may also view a quick start guide.

To send a document, it must be uploaded into the document library. Then, through EchoSign, the user enters the email addresses of the recipients. The document name and an automatic message requesting that the recipient review and sign are generated. The document may be password protected. It may be signed with an e-signature or, if preferred, via fax through Echosign. E-signatures may be typed or drawn with a mouse or via touchscreen.

The application is simple and intuitive on either computer or mobile device.

Users may set up a free Echosign account or sign in with Google or Google Apps accounts. To register, users provide an email address, password, first and last name, company name, number of employees, job title, telephone number, and country. A verification email with link is sent within five minutes.

There are 5 levels of accounts for Echosign. The Free account includes 1 user, 5 signatures per month, secure document archive for the last 5 documents, e-signatures, fax signatures, mobile sign, adobe reader integration, biometric handwritten signatures, web identity, and multiple signers per document.

The Pro account starts at $14.95 per month for one user and users must contact the company for the number of signatures per month. The last 500 documents are archived and the rest of the features match the free plan.

The Team plan starts at $0-180 per month and is for 2-9 users. Again, users must contact EchoSign for number of signatures per month. Unlimited secure document archive is provided. In addition to the features in the Pro plan, this plan includes eCollaborate, corporate branding, and a shared document library.

The Enterprise plan starts at $299 per month and is for 10+ users. All features are the same as the Team plan plus Knowledge Based Authentication; alerts; Megasign for 50+ signatures; attached audit trail; Salesforce, NetSuite, SugarCRM, SAP, CLM integrations; reports; custom forms; PDF form support; a widget; and API and Website integration.

The Global plan starts at $399 per month and includes all of the above plus localized sending and signing experience in 20+ languages and a global fax-back network.

The vague "starts at" is undefined. With some research, it appears that this refers to the additional costs incurred in adding users. One user reported that adding one user to his Pro Account increased his fee to $480 per year in advance, non-refundable. This is an increase to $20 per user per month. The increases are higher in the higher level plans with more features. This should be seriously considered prior to choosing this app.

Any company that works with contracts, sales agreements, or other documentation that requires a signature will benefit from the e-signing abilities of EchoSign. Prior to choosing a plan, it is recommended to review the company needs carefully and be aware of potential rate increases attached to adding users.

• Integration with Google Apps/Docs, NetSuite, SAP Sourcing, Oracle CRM On Demand, eFax, Dropbox, Evernote, Box.net, SugarCRM, Xobni, and SpringCM.
• Instant e-signatures
• Track contracts in real time
• Store and manage signed agreements
• Enterprise-grade security
• Versions for any size company

EchoSign video