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Authentisign vs DocuSign: Picking the Better eSignature Solution for Real Estate

The passage of the ESIGN act by Congress in 2000 ended up having a significant impact on the real estate industry. It became possible to collect digital signatures on vital documents needed from sellers and buyers. What used to be a ponderous paper process that took days could be reduced to minutes. Both Authentisign and DocuSign for Real Estate built their e-signature solution to help agents, brokers, and others in the industry streamline their document signature process.

Authentisign vs. DocuSign — A Quick Comparison

Integrated Security SSL for web transmissions ISO 27001 and SSAE 16
Custom Signatures
Document Tagging
Secure Backup Tier IV SSAE-16 Type II certified datacenter
Multilanguage Support
Multiple Pricing Tiers
Support Type Email, Live Chat Email, Phone
Contract Required
Integration With Other Business Applications
API Available
Average Review Rating
4.3 4.6

Authentisign vs. DocuSign

E-Signature solutions have become essential to SMB’s looking to cut costs by reducing the amount of paper used in the document signing process. Authentisign and DocuSign are two well-known solutions relied upon by organizations of all sizes. Both offer some excellent features designed to make the process of obtaining digital signatures easier.

In the following roundup, you’ll learn about the differences between Authentisign and DocuSign and ApproveMe as an alternative document signing solution.

What is Authentisign?

AuthentiSign represents another entry into the eSignature solution marketplace. They focus on helping those in the real estate industry collect electronic signatures needed for essential documents. It is part of the product suite offered by Instanet Solutions. They are a division of the Canadian company Lone Wolf Technologies, which specializes in coming up with technology solutions for the real estate industry.

What is DocuSign?

DocuSign for Real Estate is a full-scale application that gives real estate businesses the ability to fully automate the end-to-end collection of digital signatures. It provides transparency to the entire process for everyone involved. DocuSign states that 82 percent of documents sent through their system for signature get completed in one day.  That’s a remarkable improvement over paper transactions that can take days or even weeks to finish.

About Authentisign & Their Features

Authentisign Homepage

Authentisign’s eSignature solutions make it possible for real estate agents, brokers, and others who work in that industry to efficiently and securely send and receive signed electronic documents. The platform is 100 percent browser base, meaning there is no need for users to install an app. It integrates with Dropbox, One Drive, and Google drive.

The solution provides a way for users to create reusable layouts and specify the placement of the signature and initial fields within a form. Authentisign’s drag and drop capability makes it more intuitive for end-users. It also integrates with other Instanet tools like Dropbox, InstanetForms, and TransactionDesk.

Authentisign on its own is not enough to help companies go completely paperless. A business seeking that accomplishment would likely have to invest in the other tools available from Instanet Solutions.  It does not appear that there is an API that can be adapted for automation purposes or to configure to a company’s proprietary business application.

About DocuSign & Their Features

docusign homepage

DocuSign provides mobile apps that allow real estate professionals to send items like quotes and approvals from any device. It helps improve customer relations and eliminates the need to physically chase down arduous paper documents.

Using the mobile applications for Android, Windows and iOS allow users to send information from anywhere, whether they are at home or out in the field showing off a property. They also make it possible to collect e-signatures in person. DocuSign’s secure backend structure makes it possible for them to deliver a 99.9 percent uptime rate. That means real estate professionals won’t have to worry about missing out on a sale because server issues kept them from sending out vital documents.

DocuSign for Real Estate seamlessly integrates with popular business tools like Drive, Box, zipForm, and Dropbox. The platform gives agents and brokers the ability to build customized approvals that follow specific flows. Removing the need for manual intervention reduces errors while allowing real estate professionals to stay compliant with existing regulations. DocuSign for Real Estate makes it possible to review, track, and answer questions related to the details on every electronic document.

Those looking to digitize the entire process can opt to sign up for DocuSign for Real Estate’s eNotary services. Notary republics have the authority to act as a stand-in witness for signatures on electronic documents. DocuSign offers the eNotary service in over a dozen states. Real Estate companies can add the extension to the DocuSign platform without needing extra software or hardware.

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Authentisign vs Docusign Security

Authentisign Security

Instanet Solutions (owner of Authentisign) houses data passed from its applications in a Tier IV SSAE-16 Type II certified datacenter. That protects it from the threat of hurricanes, power outages, and other disasters. They contain redundant connections to the internet and have backup generators to keep them going to prevent interruptions in service. Instanet Solutions also uses backup secondary storage centers to keep information safe from any threat. Connections to Authentisign are made using SSL to protect information sent via the web.

DocuSign Security

DocuSign’s real estate solution adheres to the same security standards as its standard platform. They maintain ISO 27001 and SSAE certification, storing information in data centers with high levels of encryption.  It remains compliant with all aspects of the ESIGN Act.

  • Verifies the identity of the signer using multiple forms of authentication
  • Confirms the intent of a recipient to use an electronic signature
  • Links signatures to signers and documents
  • Records all relevant signature and document actions
  • Provides secure and continuous access to DocuSign documents
  • Uses tamper-seals to protect documents

Real estate companies can be confident in the fact that DocuSign keeps all information around transactions confidential. There is always an audit trail available around each e-signature.

document-security

Authentisign vs Docusign Customer Support

Authentisign users can reach out to Instanet Solutions support via the live chat feature on their website. They can also use the available contact form to email the company about any issues.

DocuSign maintains a Support Center full of answers to common questions about the platform. Users can also join the DocuSign community to gain more insight into the best ways of using the real estate version of the software. Real estate companies can request additional training for agents and brokers who want a deeper understanding of the platform’s capabilities.

Clients can request support by submitting an online request or using the chat feature available on the DocuSign website. The company can also be contacted by phone. Real Estate PLUS customers can direct any issues to their account manager. They coordinate the management of problems they may be having with the DocuSign for Real Estate platform.

compare-pricing

Authentisign Pricing

Authentisign offers a free 30-day trial of their product. The current price listed on the company’s website for a year of service for $129, though it might be possible to catch the product when they are offering a sale. There are no details on any limitations, so it appears that a user will gain access to all of the application’s features.

e-signature-compare

DocuSign for Real Estate Pricing

DocuSign offers clients the choice of two pricing tiers for its real estate solution. Users who purchase an annual subscription receive a discount.

The Real Estate Starter plan costs $10 per month for access to the following features.

  • License for one user
  • Send up to five documents per month for an eSignature
  • Ability to add basic fields to documents like title, name, date, company, and sender email
  • Access to mobile apps to collect electronic signatures
  • Reusable templates
  • Creation of basic automation workflows
  • A real-time audit trail
  • Integration with popular business tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and Microsoft Office™ 365.
  • Ability to send documents in 13 languages and receive signatures in 43
  • Integration with zipForm® Plus.

DocuSign for Realtors includes everything included at the agent tier. It costs $20 per month to open up additional capabilities:

  • Ability to add up to three users
  • Can add comments to documents
  • Users can set up reminders and notifications
  • Users can add collaborative fields to their documents
  • Business can use the Realtor® logo branding
  • Agents and brokers can collect signatures in person
  • Signers can add attachments to documents
  • Users can create customized workflows for different recipients.

The Real Estate PLUS Broker custom tier can be set up by contacting DocuSign at (888) 339-8530. It includes the following features:

  • Ability to add multiple users (pricing is per user)
  • Centralized brokerage management in the cloud
  • An account manager devoted to a company’s personal needs
user-reviews

How do they rate?

Authentisign User Reviews

Authentisign’s company website contains testimonials from C.E.O.s, directors, and other business users of the platform. Most appear to be a general review of the entire Instanet suite of tools. It proved to be more difficult to find recent independent reviews for Authentisign itself. The closest we came to finding objective reviews was the ActiveRain website, a collection of blogs and information related to the real estate community.

The most recent feedback left was in 2017, with the consensus from that community being 4 ½ stars. Other review sites turned up similar results. While most users seemed satisfied at the time with the product, it’s hard to get a real sense of how current users rate the product. Authentisign’s website fails to provide any updates on user counts after 2016. That makes us wonder about the ongoing viability of the product.

Elsewhere, on activerain.com, they're rated 4.3 of 5.

DocuSign User Reviews

DocuSign continues receiving a consistent flow of reviews from new and current users of its real estate solution. There are testimonials on the website from employees and executives of real estate companies. The website G2 shows visitors rating DocuSign for Real Estate at 4 ½ stars from over 100 reviews.

User-friendliness continued to be the most appreciated aspect of the platform. Users consistently gave the application high marks for the ability to go back and retrieve vital documents at any point. They liked how well it integrated with the business tools they used and the way they could see everything happening during the electronic signature process. Some were not satisfied with the level of response from customer support.

Deciding on a Real Estate Electronic Signature Platform

Authentisign seems like a solid contender for real estate companies looking for an e-signature solution. It is clear that Authentisign took the security of their information very seriously. They thought through the process of backing up data and keeping the impacts of natural or human-made disasters away from customers.

DocuSign seemed to do more than merely mimic the functionality of their current eSignature platform. They added features specific to the real estate industry and thought through the flow of documents required by those users. The platform brings a lot of firepower, which can be a little overwhelming for a smaller business that wants something more straightforward.

There is some concern over the fact that Authentisign has not provided recent updates on its platform or the benefits to customers. It is also concerning that customer reviews seemed to slow down around the same time the company seemed to go silent. We always like it when businesses make it clear they are engaged and provide feedback on the results of their effort.

The ability to scale and grow, combined with the ability to automate the document process, is another reason DocuSign rates higher than Authentisign in our evaluation of the two applications. It seems geared to handle the changes in the industry, and the company seems prepared to make necessary adjustments to the platform.

Other real estate document signing platforms to review would be Ziplogix vs Docusign, or Dotloop vs DocuSign.

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