Compare · RakeSign
Free RakeSign alternative — no upload, no account.
RakeSign is a free, account-free way to send a document for signature: per its home page (checked 16 October 2026) it is free and unlimited, with no account required, one document at a time. The difference is architectural: with RakeSign you upload the document to its service and your signers get email links. FreeSign is a browser ceremony that outputs a PAdES-B-T seal with zero document upload, no account, and no document cap.
The structural difference
RakeSign is a hosted send-for-signature flow. On its home page you upload a document, add one to ten signers (plus optional CC recipients), choose whether signatures go on a certificate page or on placeholder tags in the document, and send. Each signer receives an email with a personal signing link and verifies their email with a one-time code. RakeSign states that its signatures are backed by AATL certificates and that an audit trail is kept. Because it handles routing, the service necessarily processes the document you upload; its privacy policy lists documents you upload for signing among the information it collects.
FreeSign is a cryptographic signing primitive with a thin ceremony shell. The PDF is hashed locally in your browser. A per-user X.509 leaf certificate is issued for that one ceremony from an HSM-backed CA. The CMS PKCS#7 seal is appended to the PDF as an incremental update, and the signed-region hash receives an independent OpenTimestamps proof. FreeSign’s Worker sees the OTP-verified email, your typed name, the OTP challenge, the SHA-256 hash, the public half of your browser ceremony key, the audit hash chain, and a standard request fingerprint — not the PDF.
Side-by-side
| Capability | FreeSign | RakeSign |
|---|---|---|
| Document is uploaded to the vendor | No — only a SHA-256 hash | Yes — you upload the document to send it for signature |
| Price | Free — no document cap, no seats | Free and unlimited per its home pageChecked 16 Oct 2026 on rakesign.com. |
| Account required | No — email + 6-digit OTP only | No account required (per its home page) |
| Signer identity check | Email one-time code, or a passkey for returning signers | Email one-time code before signing (per its home page) |
| Sending to other signers | No hosted routing — you sign the PDF yourself | Yes — 1 to 10 signers, each gets an email link; one document at a time |
| Signature placement | Seal is added to the PDF; no hosted field editor | Certificate page, or placeholder tags such as “[Signature 1]” in the document |
| Standards / crypto output | PAdES-B-T (CMS PKCS#7, RFC 3161 timestamp) | States AATL-backed signatures and tamper-evident seals; format not specified on the cited page |
| Independent OpenTimestamps proof | Yes — embedded + downloadable .ots | Not documented on the cited pages |
| AATL-listed CA (Adobe green check) | No — FreeSign CAFAQ on the yellow warning. | States its signatures are backed by AATL certificates; confirm on a sample PDF |
| Embed signing in your own app without giving FreeSign the PDF | Yes — /embed + freesign-embed.jsIntegration guide | Not documented on the cited pages |
| Self-hostable | No — hosted signing service (only the verifier is open source) | Not documented on the cited pages |
For a wider free-tier roundup (DocuSign signing-only, Dropbox Sign, SignWell, DocuSeal vs FreeSign), see free e-signature plans compared. Also see FreeSign vs SignWell. Enterprise FreeSign options (SSO, SMS/KBA, AATL CA) are on request — pricing.
Privacy: who can see the PDF?
RakeSign. To send a document you upload it, so the service handles the file while signers sign it. RakeSign states that documents are protected with 256-bit AES encryption in transit and at rest. The trust model is: you accept that RakeSign handles the file, and you rely on its security and retention controls.
FreeSign. FreeSign cannot read your PDF because we don’t have it. The Worker receives a SHA-256 of the document and a digest of the signature ByteRange. The MCP discovery contract (documentUpload: false) is enforced by a public-contract test. After you download the sealed PDF you can store it wherever you already trust.
Pricing: what “free” means on each side
Both are free to use today. FreeSign is free for unlimited ceremonies, with no account and no card. Enterprise options (AATL green check, SSO, SMS/KBA verification) are available on request — see pricing; the free product will not be retroactively gated. RakeSign’s home page (checked 16 October 2026) describes its signing as free and unlimited with no account required. Always re-check before relying on either.
When RakeSign is the right choice
- You want a hosted flow that emails a signing link to one to ten other people.
- You want signatures placed on a certificate page added to the end of the document, or on placeholder tags you put in the document yourself.
- You are comfortable with a vendor handling the uploaded document.
When FreeSign is the right choice
- The document is confidential and you do not want RakeSign (or any e-sign vendor) to hold it.
- You want signing inside your web app (iframe embed) while keeping PDF bytes off FreeSign servers.
- You want an independent OpenTimestamps proof on top of an RFC 3161 timestamp.
- You are fine preparing the PDF elsewhere and only need a verifiable seal.
How to sign a one-off NDA with FreeSign
- Open the NDA PDF on your machine. Drop it into free-sign.com. The SHA-256 is computed in your browser.
- Enter your email and full legal name, tick consent. Receive a 6-digit OTP. Type it in.
- Download the signed PDF — evidence JSON is embedded in the signature’s CMS, so there is one file to keep.
- Open the signed PDF in Adobe Reader. A yellow ⚠️ trust warning is expected (AATL membership), not a broken signature. Check Signature Panel: document not modified, signed by your name.
- Optional: verify outside Adobe with
openssl cms -verify,pyhanko sign validate, andots verify.
FAQ for switchers
Is RakeSign free?
RakeSign's home page describes its signing as free and unlimited, with no account required and one document at a time, for 1 to 10 signers per document (checked 16 October 2026 on rakesign.com). FreeSign is also free with no account and no document cap, and the PDF is never uploaded.
Is FreeSign a free RakeSign alternative?
Yes, if you want to sign a finished PDF without uploading it. RakeSign is a hosted service: you upload the document, add signers and each signer receives an email with a personal signing link. FreeSign is a free, account-free signing primitive that produces a real PAdES-B-T signature while never receiving the PDF bytes. It does not send documents to other signers for you.
Does RakeSign upload my PDF?
Yes. RakeSign's send flow starts with uploading your document, and its privacy policy lists documents you upload for signing among the information it collects. FreeSign never receives the PDF, only a SHA-256 hash, so we never store the PDF.
How do RakeSign and FreeSign verify the signer?
RakeSign says signers verify their email with a one-time code before they can sign. FreeSign uses an emailed 6-digit one-time code, or a passkey for returning signers.
If Adobe Reader shows yellow on a FreeSign PDF, is the signature broken?
No. The yellow icon means Adobe's curated AATL trust list does not include FreeSign's CA — it is not a document-integrity failure. The cryptographic checks show the document has not changed, the evidence links it to the signing ceremony, and the timestamp proof shows when that evidence existed.
Try FreeSign when the file must not leave your device
One PDF, no account, no upload, under a minute.
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