What is eSignature vs Digital Signature?

eSignature is the broad legal category; digital signature is a specific cryptographic technique within it.

Every digital signature is an electronic signature, but not every electronic signature is a digital signature. An electronic signature is any electronic mark indicating intent (a click, a drawn line, a typed name). A digital signature is a specific cryptographic operation using a private key to produce a verifiable, tamper-evident signature backed by a Certificate Authority. The terms get used interchangeably in marketing, but they have distinct legal and technical meanings.

Use cases that need each

Simple eSignature is enough for most commercial contracts under ESIGN, UETA, and eIDAS SES. Digital signature (AdES or QES under eIDAS) is required when the law mandates written form, for high-value EU/UK transactions, or when non-repudiation is critical (the signer can't later claim it wasn't them).

How PDF Verified combines both

PDF Verified captures an eSignature (canvas drawing, typed name, or uploaded image) and pairs it with a SHA-256 document hash + audit trail + timestamp. On Business Plus, we additionally bind the signature to a TSP-issued certificate for AdES — giving you a true digital signature on top of the captured eSignature.

Which to pick

For SMB contracts, sales, HR, freelance work: eSignature. For EU/UK regulated transactions, financial-services onboarding, real-estate: AdES (digital signature). For QES-mandated transactions (rare): QES via TSP.