Digital Signatures vs. E-Signatures for PDFs: What’s the Difference?

As businesses and professionals move toward fully digital workflows, signing PDF documents is standard practice. But not all signatures are created equal. In 2025, understanding the difference between digital signatures and electronic signatures (e-signatures) is vital for document security, legal compliance, and business trust. Here’s what you need to know—and how Tungsten Power PDF makes both easy and secure.

What Is an E-Signature?

An electronic signature (e-signature) is any electronic mark indicating agreement—such as typing your name, drawing a signature with your finger, or pasting an image of your signature. E-signatures are legally binding in most countries and are ideal for:

Routine contracts and forms
Internal approvals
Remote onboarding

With Power PDF, you can quickly add e-signatures to any PDF—no printing or scanning required.

What Is a Digital Signature?

A digital signature is a cryptographic method that:

Authenticates the signer’s identity with a digital certificate
Locks the document to prevent tampering—any change invalidates the signature
Provides a timestamp and audit trail

Digital signatures are required for high-security documents, cross-border transactions, and regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and government.

How to Sign PDFs with Power PDF

Open your PDF in Power PDF.
Choose Sign or Fill & Sign.
Select to draw, type, or upload a signature for e-signing.
For digital signatures, connect your digital certificate or use an integrated platform like DocuSign or Tungsten SignDoc.
Place the signature and save. Power PDF will record the signature’s validity and details.

All signatures in Power PDF are fully compliant and trusted by courts and regulators worldwide.

Legal Validity and Global Compliance

Both e-signatures and digital signatures are legally recognized in the US (ESIGN Act), EU (eIDAS), Canada (PIPEDA), Australia, and most developed countries. For maximum compliance:

Use digital signatures for contracts with regulatory or international requirements
Keep an audit trail—Power PDF provides this automatically
Check local regulations for document types requiring stricter authentication

When to Use E-Signature vs. Digital Signature?

E-signature: Fast, simple agreements, day-to-day approvals, low-risk transactions
Digital signature: High-value contracts, compliance-driven documents, cross-border deals, HR and legal records

Power PDF allows both — choose what fits your workflow and risk profile.

FAQs About PDF Signing

Are digital signatures more secure than e-signatures?

Yes — digital signatures use encryption and certificates, making them tamper-evident and stronger for compliance.

Can I use mobile devices to sign with Power PDF?

Absolutely — Power PDF supports touch and stylus signatures and works with secure digital signature integrations.

Will my signed PDFs be recognized in court?

Yes - Power PDF signatures are compliant with global standards and legally recognized in most jurisdictions.

Does Power PDF keep an audit trail?

Yes — every signature and edit is logged for legal and business records.

Streamline PDF Signing Today

Try Power PDF free for 15 days and see how easy, secure, and legally compliant digital document signing can be.