Quick answer: For Indian businesses that need legally recognised signatures, pick a tool that integrates Aadhaar eSign, not just a drawn-signature widget. Zoho Sign publishes rupee prices (₹650 per user a month on Standard, billed annually) and integrates Aadhaar eSign and e-stamping. Leegality and Digio are Indian platforms built for lenders and high-volume flows, with prices on request. SignEasy charges $10 to $30 per seat. Facts checked October 2026.
How we researched this: We read the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) eSign pages and its list of empanelled eSign service providers, the text of the Information Technology Act, 2000 hosted by the CCA, and the pricing and product pages of Zoho Sign, Zoho Contracts, SignEasy, Leegality and Digio. Facts are as checked in October 2026. DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat Sign prices are not quoted here, so check their pages directly.
What Aadhaar eSign is, according to the government
The CCA, which sits under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, describes eSign as "an online electronic signature service which can be integrated with service delivery applications via an API to facilitate an eSign user to digitally sign a document". The signer is authenticated through e-KYC, with "Biometric or OTP based authentication", and the page lists "Mandatory e-KYC id" among its features. That is the difference from a scribbled signature: the signer's identity is verified against Aadhaar, and a short-lived digital signature certificate is issued for that signing.
The CCA page also explains the plumbing, which helps you judge vendor claims:
- The signature is created on a back-end server of the eSign provider, and the signer's private key is created on a Hardware Security Module and "destroyed immediately after one time use".
- Only the thumbprint (hash) of the document is submitted for signature, "instead of the whole document", which the CCA says protects privacy.
- The process includes signer consent, a certificate issuance request, signature creation and certificate acceptance "in accordance with provisions of Information Technology Act", with a digital audit trail preserved.
- eSign services are provided by trusted third parties, currently Certifying Authorities licensed under the IT Act.
The CCA's list of "External Empanelled eSign Service Providers" names organisations including eMudhra, Protean (NSDL e-Gov), CDSL Ventures, C-DAC, (n)Code Solutions, Capricorn Identity Services, Safescrypt and XtraTrust. App Advisor lists eSign by NSDL and eMudhra emSigner. Software vendors such as Zoho or Leegality typically integrate with one or more of these providers, so ask which one signs your documents.
What cannot be e-signed
Section 1(4) of the IT Act, 2000 as published on the CCA site says "Nothing in this Act shall apply to" a negotiable instrument as defined in the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881; a power-of-attorney; a trust; a will "including any other testamentary disposition"; and a contract for the sale or conveyance of immovable property or any interest in such property. That is the text of the Act as originally published. The Act has been amended since, so confirm the current list with your counsel before sending a rental or sale agreement for e-signature. Our guide to the legal validity of e-signature software in India goes deeper. Zoho Sign's own FAQ is cautious on the same point: it says digitally signed documents are valid for most business documents, but "there are some exceptions in some countries".
What the platforms cost
Zoho Sign's pricing page lets you switch the display currency to INR. Its price data lists these figures per user per month, billed annually or monthly, and the page says that yearly billing saves 20%.
| Plan | Zoho Sign yearly (INR) | Zoho Sign monthly (INR) | What the page lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ₹0 | ₹0 | Single user, 5 envelopes a month, audit trail |
| Standard | ₹650 | ₹800 | 25 envelopes per user a month, SMS delivery, WhatsApp Business integration, stamp duty payment |
| Professional | ₹1,000 | ₹1,200 | Unlimited envelopes, unlimited templates, branding, multi-language support |
| Enterprise | ₹1,300 | ₹1,600 | Bulk send and bulk sign, in-person signing, APIs and webhooks, payment collection |
Several features on those plans "consume Zoho Sign credits", including SMS delivery, advanced electronic signatures, stamp duty payment and the WhatsApp integration. The Enterprise column lists "Complimentary credits: 50 credits per user per month capped at 2500 per organization". Ask Zoho how many credits one Aadhaar eSign or one e-stamp uses before you size a plan, because that number decides your real monthly cost.
SignEasy's pricing page is in US dollars: Personal $10 per seat a month ($120 billed yearly) with 5 contracts sent for signature monthly, Business $20 ($240 yearly) with unlimited sending, and Business Pro $30 ($360 yearly) with roles, permissions and approval workflows, plus a "100-day money-back guarantee". The page does not mention Aadhaar eSign, so confirm whether you can sign with Aadhaar before you choose it for an Indian compliance flow.
Leegality lists Aadhaar eSign among its products and publishes an "Aadhaar eSign Status" page that tracks uptime in real time, but it shows no plan prices on its pricing page, so you request a quote. Digio's product range covers digital signing (DigiSign) and KYC, again on request. Compare those with other e-signature tools in the e-signature software category and on DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign and BoldSign pages.
Setting up a first signing workflow
Zoho Sign's plan lists show what a basic setup involves, and the steps are similar on other platforms.
- Upload the document (a PDF or a template). Zoho Sign lists "text tags and automatic field detection", so the signature, date and initials boxes can be placed by AI-based detection or by tags typed into the document.
- Add recipients and a signing order. The plan list includes signature workflows, reminders and notifications. For an offer letter, the candidate signs first and the HR head countersigns.
- Choose how the recipient proves identity. Options listed include OTP, government ID, knowledge-based authentication and trust service providers, and Standard also lists a WhatsApp Business integration for delivery and authentication, which consumes credits.
- Use your own certificate if you have one. Standard lists signing with a non-Zoho DSC, meaning your own digital signature certificate from a USB token or PFX file. That matters for directors and authorised signatories who already hold a DSC.
- Send, track and download. The completed document carries an audit trail and certificate of completion, and the plan lists a "print, sign, and upload" route for the signer who insists on paper.
Keep one template per document type (offer letter, NDA, vendor agreement) and name the signer roles instead of typing names each time. That is the point at which an e-signature tool starts saving hours rather than minutes.
Contract lifecycle management: when a signature tool is not enough
An e-signature tool answers "who signed, when". A contract lifecycle management (CLM) system answers "which contracts renew next month, who approved the changes, and where is the final copy". Zoho Contracts advertises that it is "Inclusive of Zoho Sign at no extra cost", with a 15-day free trial and a title that says it is free for 3 users. Its price data shows these rupee figures per user per month: Standard ₹1,500 yearly (₹1,800 monthly), Professional ₹2,400 (₹2,880), and Premium ₹3,000 (₹3,600), with optional "Lite User" licences from ₹300 for people who only approve, collaborate or e-sign. Standard allows 25 contracts per user a month and 500 counterparties; the upper plans list unlimited. All three list 14 built-in contract templates, approval workflows and a clause library.
Other CLM options on App Advisor include SpotDraft, DocuSign CLM and Zoho Contracts. We have not read the prices of the first two. Our document management and workflow software guide explains where a document system ends and CLM begins.
Three Indian cases, with the arithmetic
These use Zoho Sign's published rupee prices and are illustrations, not quotes.
A 15-person Pune staffing firm onboarding about 40 hires a month. Each hire needs an offer letter and an NDA, about 80 envelopes a month. Zoho Sign Standard allows 25 envelopes per user a month, so four HR users cover 100. Four users at ₹650 are ₹2,600 a month on annual billing, plus any credits for Aadhaar eSign. Our checklist on employee onboarding you can automate shows where else the signature step fits.
A 5-person Mumbai chartered accountancy practice sending engagement letters. Professional at 5 x ₹1,000 = ₹5,000 a month gives unlimited envelopes and branding with the firm's logo. If only 2 of the 5 send letters, buy 2 Professional seats (₹2,000) and let others sign as recipients. See our guide on CRM for CA firms and professional services.
A 60-person NBFC branch network onboarding borrowers. At this scale you need APIs, audit trails and Aadhaar-based signing integrated into a loan origination system. Zoho Sign Enterprise (₹1,300 per user a month annually) lists APIs and webhooks, bulk send and SignForms, while Leegality and Digio are built around lending flows. See our overviews of NBFC loan management software and PAN and Aadhaar verification APIs. A regulated lender must also keep its own compliance team involved, since we cannot say which signing method a given regulator accepts.
A selection checklist and a short pilot
Ask each vendor five questions: which empanelled eSign service provider does it use for Aadhaar eSign; what is the cost per Aadhaar eSign and per e-stamp; where are documents stored (Zoho Sign says it has data centres in India); can the audit trail and certificate of completion be exported; and what happens to your documents if you leave. Then run a pilot: sign 10 real documents (an offer letter, a vendor NDA, a customer contract), measure the time from sending to completion, and ask the signers whether the OTP step caused trouble. Confirm that signers on basic phones can complete it.
Handle personal data carefully: avoid storing Aadhaar numbers in your own systems unless your counsel says you must, and our DPDP Act compliance guide covers consent and retention. Add the subscription to your SaaS spend tracking, and see how rupee-priced tools compare in our SaaS priced in rupees guide.
Skip the whole exercise if you sign fewer than five documents a month and your counterparties prefer paper; a free plan or a plain PDF with a scanned signature may do for non-critical papers, though it will not carry the same legal assurance.
FAQs
Is Aadhaar eSign legally valid in India?
The CCA describes eSign as an electronic signature service that is "legally recognized" and provided through licensed Certifying Authorities under the IT Act. Some documents, such as wills and powers of attorney, are outside the Act, so check the current exclusions.
How much does Zoho Sign cost in India?
On its pricing page, with the currency set to INR, Zoho Sign Standard is ₹650 per user a month billed annually (₹800 monthly), Professional ₹1,000 (₹1,200) and Enterprise ₹1,300 (₹1,600). A Free plan allows 5 envelopes a month for a single user.
Which is the best e-signature software with a free trial in India?
Zoho Sign offers a free 14-day trial with no credit card required plus a Free plan. SignEasy lists a free trial on its paid plans, and Leegality lets you try a flow in about two minutes. Test Aadhaar eSign specifically, since not every tool supports it.
Do I need Aadhaar eSign for every contract?
No. A drawn or typed signature with an audit trail can be enough for many commercial papers, but Aadhaar eSign adds verified identity through e-KYC, which a plain image signature does not. Ask your lawyer or compliance team which one applies to each document type.
What is a CLM tool and do I need one?
CLM means contract lifecycle management: authoring, approvals, signature, renewals and obligations in one system. You need it if you manage dozens of live contracts with renewal dates; for a few per month, an e-signature tool is enough.
Next step: get a free matched shortlist, or compare more in e-signature software.
