| How the signer signs | With their own wallet key (HSuite Wallet). | By opening a link sent by email; extra checks such as SMS or ID documents are optional, depending on the plan. | With a crypto wallet; social login is also offered. | With an Ethereum wallet (MetaMask, Rabby, Safe), or by email with a one-time code or an embedded wallet. |
| Who holds the proof | A public ledger (Hedera or the XRP Ledger). Each signature is recorded by the signer’s own account. | The provider: its audit trail and certificate of completion, sealed by the provider. | On-chain records (Sign Protocol); the finished document is stored on Arweave. | Depends on the mode: an on-chain registry on Ethereum, Base or Arbitrum, or MetaLeX’s evidence bundle for off-chain signing. |
| Where the document goes | Nowhere. It stays in your browser; only its SHA-256 fingerprint and the signatures go on the ledger. | Uploaded to and stored in the provider’s cloud. | On EthSign’s servers while being signed, then encrypted on Arweave. | Public PDFs are uploaded to IPFS (encrypt sensitive ones first); private requests use MetaLeX’s viewer. |
| Verifying without the provider | Yes. Anyone re-checks every signature against the public ledger; the signed PDF verifies on its own. | Partly. A PDF reader can check the provider’s seal; the full certificate usually comes from the sender’s account. | Yes, according to its documentation. | Yes for on-chain agreements (public registry contract); off-chain signing relies on MetaLeX’s evidence bundle. |
| What a signer needs | HSuite Wallet with an account on the chosen network. | An email address. | A wallet or a social login. | A wallet with ETH for network fees, or only an email address for off-chain signing. |
| Identity of the person | Not checked by the tool. Names and titles are declared in the signed message and bound by the contract clause. | Optional identity checks, depending on the plan. | Not verified for this comparison. | Wallet address by default; names are optional. An optional passport check (zkPassport) for named parties. |
| Cost model | Network fee under US$0.01 per signature; an optional fee paid by the issuer. | Monthly subscription per user. | Not verified for this comparison. | Free apart from network fees; some requests can have their fees sponsored. |
| Templates, workflows, integrations | No. One job: sign and prove. | Yes, extensive. | Not verified for this comparison. | Yes: roles, field templates, delegation and company workflows (cyberCORPs). |
| Legal track record | New. Relies on the parties agreeing, by contract clause, to sign with wallets. | Long market use and court decisions in many countries. | Not verified for this comparison. | New (announced February 2026). Part of MetaLeX’s platform for on-chain companies. |