--- title: "Attest vs Dropbox Sign · Attest" description: "Attest vs Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign) on encryption, signer experience, independent proof and paid plans, with Dropbox Sign's prices as published." url: https://attest.datahubz.com/compare/attest-vs-dropbox-sign updated: 2026-10-12 --- [Attest](https://attest.datahubz.com/)/[Compare](https://attest.datahubz.com/compare) # Attest vs Dropbox Sign Attest is built for privacy and proof: every document is end-to-end encrypted so Attest can't read it, every signer approves with a passkey only they control, and every signed copy verifies even without Attest. Its paid plan also costs less: $5 a month for 20 documents, where Dropbox Sign Essentials is $20 a month, or $15 a month billed yearly, as published on October 11, 2026. By DataHubz · Updated October 12, 2026 · 7 min read ## Attest and Dropbox Sign at a glance Dropbox Sign, formerly HelloSign, is the e-signature service of Dropbox, with plans from a free tier to custom-quoted Premium, and a separate API. Attest is built around a different promise: proof anyone can check, on documents only the parties can read. Dropbox Sign's details below are as published on its own pages on October 11, 2026. | | Attest | Dropbox Sign (as published October 11, 2026) | | --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Who can read your documents | Only you and the people you send them to. Every document is end-to-end encrypted in your browser | Dropbox Sign: "All documents are stored and encrypted at rest using AES 256-bit encryption" | | How a signer signs | Approves with a passkey only they control (Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello or the device PIN), with no account or password | Opens an emailed link, with no account. A signer access code and SMS authentication are on Standard and Premium | | What proves the document wasn't changed | Each signer's own signature over the document's fingerprint, and a public blockchain anchor | A digital tamper-proof seal, plus records Dropbox Sign keeps: it "can provide you with the two unique document records" | | Checking a signed document | Anyone, free, with no account. The open-source verifier is inside every signed copy and checks it against a public blockchain | The audit trail carries an ID "that can be used to look up a record in our database" | | When you stop paying | The signed copy still verifies on its own, even if Attest is gone | The account drops to Free, and "You can still log in to access your signed documents" | | Prove a fact without the document | Yes: share a zero-knowledge proof that you signed, and the date it was completed | Not offered | | Entry paid plan | $5 a month for 20 documents | Essentials: $20 a month, or $180 a year ($15 a month) | ## Privacy: who can read your contracts Dropbox Sign describes "256-bit AES and TLS encryption", and its legal page says it encrypts "all of your statically-stored files and signature information in Amazon's S3 servers". Encryption at rest protects stored files, and Dropbox Sign describes no end-to-end encryption or customer-held keys, so its service can decrypt documents to process them. That is how most e-signature services work. In 2024, unauthorized access to the Dropbox Sign production environment exposed account details and the names and email addresses of people who had only received or signed a document, according to Dropbox, which reported no evidence that customers' documents or agreements were accessed ([what an e-signature breach exposes](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/e-signature-breach-what-is-exposed)). Attest stores names and email addresses too, because it needs them to deliver documents. What end-to-end encryption changes is the content. Attest encrypts every document in your browser before upload, with AES-256-GCM, and locks the key separately for each person you send it to. Attest stores your document only as ciphertext it can't read, so a breach of Attest's servers would expose ciphertext, not what your contracts say. Of the 21 e-signature services we compared in October 2026, Attest and 20 others, [Attest was the only one](https://attest.datahubz.com/compare/which-e-signature-services-can-read-your-documents) that end-to-end encrypts every document, for every signer, by default. ## How people sign On Dropbox Sign, a signer opens the emailed link, with no account, and "it doesn't cost them anything to sign a document". On Standard and Premium, the sender can add a signer access code (a password the sender shares) or SMS authentication. On Attest, each signer brings their own key. They open their link and approve with a passkey, a cryptographic key only the signer controls, unlocked with Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello or the device PIN. What the passkey signs is a statement naming the exact document, by its fingerprint, and everything the signer entered, so the signature can't be moved to another signer or another document. There is still no account, no password and nothing to pay. ## Proof that doesn't depend on the vendor Dropbox Sign attaches an audit trail to each signature request, with timestamps, IP addresses and browser details (the user agent), and can apply a digital tamper-proof seal to completed documents. To prove a document wasn't changed, its legal and compliance page says, "Dropbox Sign can provide you with the two unique document records", the fingerprints it took before and after signing. A cancelled account drops to the Free plan, and its owner can still log in to access signed documents. An Attest signed copy needs no records requested from anyone. The sealed PDF every party receives holds the signed pages, with a "Signed with Attest" stamp on each signature and a seal line at the foot of every page, a certificate of completion, the audit trail up to completion and a "Verify it yourself, without us" page, and carries three files inside it: the original document, the evidence and a standalone open-source verifier. Every completed agreement is anchored on the Horizen public blockchain, so the proof sits in the file and on a public ledger, not in a vendor's database. Drop the PDF on that verifier in any browser, with no account, even if Attest no longer exists. It checks the original document inside the signed copy against what every signer signed, each signer's passkey signature and entries, Attest's anchored record of the agreement on Horizen, and that nothing was added to the PDF after it was sealed. It also re-makes every page you see from what was signed and compares the result with the copy byte for byte, so pages drawn with anything else fail. It pins its trust root (the chain, Attest's registry and the keys it checks against are built into the verifier, never read from the file being checked) and accepts only anchors from Attest's registered wallets. A film shows it on a real agreement: Attest was blocked, the verifier inside the signed copy confirmed the agreement reading only a public blockchain node, and changing the pages made it fail. Watch it on the [signing page](https://attest.datahubz.com/sign). ## Proving an agreement without sharing it Share proof answers a narrower question than the signed copy: did this agreement happen? It creates a zero-knowledge proof that you, or you and a named co-signer, signed an agreement completed on a given date, which you can hand to a bank, a landlord or a business partner. They see the email addresses involved, the completion date, and that the proof is valid and where its record is anchored, never the document, its title or its terms. Each proof is verified on zkVerify, and anyone can check it free. Dropbox Sign does not offer this. ## Price at small volume | What you send | Attest | Dropbox Sign (as published October 11, 2026) | | --------------------------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | Up to 20 documents a month | $5 a month | Essentials (1 user): $20 a month, or $180 a year ($15 a month) | | Per document, at 20 a month | 25 cents | 75 cents on Essentials billed yearly, $1 billed monthly | On both services, the people who sign pay nothing. ## Who should choose Attest - **Professionals and small businesses** whose contracts, quotes and offer letters should stay readable only by the parties: every Attest document is end-to-end encrypted in the browser. - **Freelancers and consultants** who want a signed record that settles scope and payment questions years later. - **Anyone who would rather hold their proof than request it**: the signed copy checks itself. - **People who receive signed documents** and want to check them independently, for free. ## Switching from Dropbox Sign Start with your next document; there is nothing to import. Sign in to Attest with your email and set up your signing key with a passkey and a recovery phrase. Upload the PDF you would have sent with Dropbox Sign (up to 8 MB), add your signers and place their fields: signature, initials, date signed, full name or text. Your first 2 documents are free, in total, so you can try it on a real agreement before you pay anything. ## Questions people ask Can Dropbox Sign read my documents? Dropbox Sign describes AES 256-bit encryption at rest and TLS in transit, and does not describe end-to-end encryption (as published on October 11, 2026), so its service can decrypt documents. Attest encrypts every document in your browser and stores it only as ciphertext it can't read. Do my signers need an account? Not on either service (Dropbox Sign, as published on October 11, 2026). On Attest, a signer opens their link, sets up a passkey in one step and approves with it, using Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello or the device PIN. They create no password, and they never pay. How do I prove an Attest document wasn't changed after signing? Drop the signed PDF on the verifier attached inside it: it checks the original document against what every signer signed, each passkey signature, and the pages you see against what was signed and anchored on Horizen. Or drop it on attest.datahubz.com/verify, which fingerprints it in your browser and confirms it is the exact file that was recorded and anchored. If one word changed, neither check passes. What happens to my signed documents if I stop paying for Attest? Your signed copies stay provable. The original document, the evidence and an open-source verifier travel inside each one, and the verifier checks them against a public blockchain, so nothing depends on your subscription. Is Attest cheaper than Dropbox Sign? On paid plans at small volume, yes. Attest is $5 a month for 20 documents. Dropbox Sign Essentials is $20 a month, or $180 a year, as published on October 11, 2026. Is Attest legally binding? Electronic signatures are recognized for most agreements in the United States (the ESIGN Act and UETA) and the European Union (eIDAS). Some documents, such as wills or certain notarized deeds, have special rules in many places: check yours. Attest signatures are electronic signatures, and each one carries evidence anyone can check: a passkey signature only the signer could make, an audit trail inside the sealed copy and a public blockchain anchor. ## Sources 1. [Dropbox Sign pricing](https://sign.dropbox.com/products/dropbox-sign/pricing), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 2. [Dropbox Sign features](https://sign.dropbox.com/features), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 3. [Dropbox Sign legal and compliance](https://www.dropboxsign.com/about/legal), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 4. [Dropbox Sign audit trail overview](https://help.dropbox.com/security/dropbox-sign-audit-trail-overview), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 5. [Dropbox Sign signer authentication](https://help.dropbox.com/security/dropbox-sign-signer-authentication), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 6. [Dropbox Sign profile settings (tamper-proof seal)](https://help.dropbox.com/account-settings/dropbox-sign-profile-settings), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 7. [What happens when I downgrade my Dropbox Sign account](https://help.dropbox.com/plans/what-happens-when-i-downgrade-my-dropbox-sign-account), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 8. [Cancel or delete a Dropbox Sign account](https://help.dropbox.com/plans/cancel-or-delete-dropbox-sign-account), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 9. [A recent security incident involving Dropbox Sign](https://sign.dropbox.com/blog/a-recent-security-incident-involving-dropbox-sign), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026 10. [Dropbox, Inc. Form 8-K (filed May 1, 2024)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1467623/000146762324000024/dbx-20240429.htm), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, read October 11, 2026 11. [15 U.S.C. Chapter 96, Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (United States Code, 2023 edition)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title15/html/USCODE-2023-title15-chap96.htm), U.S. Government Publishing Office, read October 11, 2026 12. [Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (1999), final text with comments](https://www.uniformlaws.org/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=1b1ffc6b-9b6a-35a4-2a83-7b4d5c0f77a7&forceDialog=0), Uniform Law Commission, read October 11, 2026 13. [Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), consolidated text](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02014R0910-20241018), EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union, read October 11, 2026 ## Read next - [Can your e-signature company read your contracts?](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/can-e-signature-company-read-your-contracts) Most e-signature services can decrypt the documents they store. Attest encrypts every document in your browser before upload, so it can't read them. - [How to tell if a document was changed after signing](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/document-changed-after-signing) Fingerprints (hashes) explained simply: why one changed word shows, how Attest's verifier catches a change after signing, and what to do if a check fails. - [The best DocuSign alternatives in 2026](https://attest.datahubz.com/compare/best-docusign-alternatives) DocuSign alternatives compared on privacy, proof without the vendor and entry price: Attest, Adobe, Dropbox Sign, PandaDoc, Zoho Sign, SignNow and open source. - [Document signing](https://attest.datahubz.com/sign) Electronic signatures with a passkey: no account or password for signers, documents encrypted in the browser, and a signed copy anyone can verify. --- Source: https://attest.datahubz.com/compare/attest-vs-dropbox-sign