Microsoft eSignature: Does it replace Acrobat & co?

Microsoft quietly introduced native electronic signatures in Microsoft 365, called “Microsoft eSignature”. For many organizations, this raises a simple question:

Can Microsoft eSignature replace Adobe Acrobat or DocuSign – or not?

Summary

Microsoft eSignature supports simple electronic signatures (SES) only
It is not included in Microsoft 365 licenses and is billed pay‑as‑you‑go
Adobe Acrobat and DocuSign remain required for advanced and qualified signatures
All three options can be used side by side and integrated in SharePoint
Microsoft eSignature is about workflow simplicity, instead of legal strength

What Microsoft eSignature does

Microsoft eSignature lets users request, sign, and store documents directly in Microsoft 365, mainly:

PDFs in SharePoint (web)
Documents in Word (web)

Signatures can be:

typed, or
drawn (stylus, touch, mouse – rollout started March 2026)

All documents remain:

in SharePoint,
under Microsoft identity (Microsoft Entra ID),
logged in Microsoft Purview Audit.

Licensing and pricing (important)

Microsoft eSignature is not bundled with any Microsoft 365 plan
It requires:
- Pay‑as‑you‑go billing
- a linked Azure subscription

Price: USD 2 per signature request*
Trial capacity (until June 2026):
- 5 signature requests per tenant per month included

This makes Microsoft eSignature suitable for low to moderate volume, but not for mass signing.

*Prices in this article are for educational purposes only and are non-binding.

With Microsoft eSignature, you are not paying for legal trust, but for:

identity binding (internal users and external guests),
audit logging,
workflow handling,
SharePoint‑native storage,
no separate platform or contracts.

USD 2 per request makes sense when:

you send few signatures
you want zero new tools
the document is low legal risk

Legal validity in the EU

Microsoft eSignature provides simple electronic signatures (SES) under EU eIDAS.

It does not provide:

advanced electronic signatures (AES)
qualified electronic signatures (QES)

Legal suitability depends on the document type and is your responsibility.

Let’s compare these three types of signatures:

Signature type	Simple Electronic Signature (SES)	Advanced Electronic Signature (AES)	Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)
Legal basis (EU eIDAS)	Article 3(10) eIDAS	Article 26 eIDAS	Articles 3(12) and 25 eIDAS
Typical example	Typed or drawn signature in Microsoft 365	Certificate‑based signature via Adobe or DocuSign	Signature issued by a qualified trust service provider; can be used in Adobe or DocuSign
Identity assurance	Low to medium	High	Very high (verified identity)
Integrity protection	Basic	Strong cryptographic protection	Strong cryptographic protection
Audit trail	Yes (platform‑based)	Yes (provider‑verified)	Yes (legally regulated)
Accepted in regulated industries	Rarely	Often	Yes
Typical use cases	Internal approvals, low‑risk documents	Contracts, business agreements	Employment contracts, regulated agreements

Use cases of types of signatures in the EU

When to use which type of signature:

Signature type	Simple Electronic Signature (SES)	Advanced Electronic Signature (AES)	Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)
Internal approvals	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ Overkill
Internal policies confirmation	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ Overkill
Customer signs a quote	⚠️ Risky	✅ Yes	❌ Usually not required
Sales contracts (B2B)	❌ Often not	✅ Yes	❌ Usually not required
Supplier contracts	❌ Often not	✅ Yes	❌ Usually not required
NDAs	❌ Often not	✅ Yes	❌ Usually not required
Employment contracts	❌ No	⚠️ Sometimes	✅ Yes
Documents to authorities	❌ No	❌ Often not	✅ Yes
Documents to banks	❌ No	⚠️ Sometimes	✅ Often required

This makes solutions like Adobe Acrobat Sign or DocuSign still very relevant, especially in regulated environments or industries that require higher signature standards.

Comparison: Microsoft eSignature vs Adobe vs DocuSign

Topic	Microsoft eSignature	Adobe Acrobat Pro	DocuSign Standard
Pricing model	Pay as you go	Subscription per user	Subscription per user
Typical entry price	USD 2 per request	approximately USD 24 per user per month	approximately USD 25 per user per month
What you pay for	Each signature request sent	Named users with signature rights	Named users with signature rights
Volume limits	None inherent, pay per use	Yes, often capped per user	Yes, 100 envelopes per user per year
Signature levels supported	SES only	SES, AES, QES	SES, AES, QES
Default signature strength	SES	SES or AES, configurable	SES or AES, configurable
Upgrade path to QES	Not possible	Possible via qualified trust services	Possible via qualified trust services
Suitable for regulated contracts	No	Yes	Yes
Best fit use case	Low risk, internal, low volume	Regulated documents, higher trust	Regulated documents, large scale workflows

Microsoft eSignature does not replace Adobe or DocuSign. These solutions can, however, be used with Microsoft solutions, such as Microsoft Word, through integrations.

How integration works in practice

From Word for the web:

Open Tab: “Insert”
Click on “eSignature fields”
Follow the instructions

From SharePoint for the web, the user:

Open a PDF
Click on “Request signature”

Follow the instructions

The signed document is written back to SharePoint automatically

FAQ

Why not always use Adobe or DocuSign?

Because for many documents the legal effort is unnecessary and expensive.

Why would an external recipient accept a Microsoft eSignature?

They often do not have to “accept” anything. SES is legally valid – it just has weaker evidentiary value if challenged.

Is drawn signature more valid than typed?

No. It is only a visual difference.

Is Microsoft eSignature a replacement for LuxTrust?

No. LuxTrust provides QES. Microsoft does not.

Why does Microsoft even offer this?

To reduce basic friction inside Microsoft 365 and cover the 60–70 % of signature use cases that are not regulated.

Bottom line

Microsoft eSignature is a baseline tool, but not a universal replacement of Adobe or DocuSign signature solutions
Many organizations already pay for third‑party tools where they are not legally needed
The real value comes from separating simple from regulated use cases

Recommendation

We typically recommend a hybrid approach:

Microsoft eSignature for simple, internal, low‑risk cases
Adobe or DocuSign where legal certainty is required (which is often the case when communicating with external recipients)