SES
Simple electronic signature
One click and it is signed. For most everyday business.
- Quotes and cost estimates
- Non-disclosure agreements (NDA)
- Orders and order confirmations
- Internal approvals and minutes
From Free
The e-signature platform from Germany
Get documents signed digitally.
Send signature requests in minutes, from the simple to the qualified electronic signature (QES). Legally binding, GDPR compliant and hosted in Germany.
No payment details required. 5 signature requests per month, permanently free.
- Hosted in Germany
- GDPR compliant
- eIDAS compliant
- ISO 27001
How it works
Three steps to a legally valid signature
No printing, no scanning, no chasing. A signature request with SmartDocs takes minutes, not days.
01
Upload a document
Upload a PDF or open a template, then place signature and text fields by drag and drop.
02
Choose recipients
Set the signers and their order, and choose the signature level per request: SES, AES or QES.
03
Sign with legal validity
Everyone signs in the browser, no account needed. SmartDocs seals the result with an audit trail and certificate.
For signers
What your customers see
The most common worry before the first digital signature is not the technology but the question: can the other party handle it? That is why we show you the view your customers actually get to see.
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No account, no installation
Open the link from the email, sign, done. Your customers do not register anywhere and do not download anything.
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Guided, no searching
SmartDocs shows which fields are still missing and jumps from one to the next, on a phone just as on a desktop. Submitting only works once everything is complete.
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Draw or type
Draw with a finger, mouse or stylus, or simply type your name. Both make a valid signature.
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Confirmed and complete
With the advanced signature, an SMS code confirms the identity. Then a confirmation appears that the document was signed successfully.
Online forms
No PDF? Then simply design the document yourself.
Not every deal starts with a finished file. With online forms, you assemble the document from blocks, and your customers fill it out and sign on one page.
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Built from blocks, not from a file
Combine text, answer fields, dropdowns and a signature by drag and drop.
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Everything on one page
Your customers read, choose options and sign right below, without an account.
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Still a signed PDF
A sealed PDF with audit trail and completion certificate, just like every request.
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No folder full of drafts
Anyone who does not sign leaves no file behind.
Signature levels
One platform, all three signature levels
eIDAS defines three levels of electronic signature. SmartDocs covers them all, from everyday approvals to the statutory written form.
AES
Advanced electronic signature
Uniquely linked to the signer and tamper-evident after signing.
- Permanent employment contracts
- Leases (no form requirement)
- Insurance applications
- Framework and service agreements
From Pro
QES
Qualified electronic signature
Legally equivalent to a handwritten signature.
- Fixed-term employment contracts (§ 14 (4) TzBfG)
- Real estate consumer credit agreements
- Fixed-term residential leases over one year (§ 550 BGB)
- Documents subject to statutory written form
On request
Features
Everything you need for legally binding signatures
SmartDocs focuses on one thing and does it completely: the signature request, from the template to the evidence document.
Signing order
Everyone signs when it is their turn.
Set the order once and SmartDocs handles the rest: each step is triggered automatically, reminders go out on their own, and you see live where the request stands.
Templates
One contract becomes a hundred.
Set up the contracts you need again and again as a template, once: from a PDF, as an HTML template or as an online form. Place the fields, publish, done. From then on, every new request starts with two clicks.
Tamper-evident audit trail
Evidence that will not bend.
Every event is recorded with a timestamp and cryptographically chained to its predecessor. Change even a single byte and the chain visibly breaks.
Completion certificate
The deal, in black and white.
After the last signature, SmartDocs automatically creates a PDF certificate with all evidence data: for the file, the audit, or the day it really matters.
Teams and roles
Decide once who can do what.
Invite your team by email and give each person a role: Owner, Admin or Member. That settles who starts requests, who edits templates and who can access the settings. On the Enterprise plan, you build custom roles from individual permissions, for example designing templates without publishing them.
For multiple companies or clients, you create additional organizations, each with its own templates, requests and members, and switch between them in the top bar.
REST API
For everything else, there is the API.
Start signature requests directly from your CRM, ERP or in-house software: included from the Pro plan, with no separate API plan.
More about the APIFor freelancers and small businesses
The signing link that makes orders binding
Quote sent, and the customer signs on her phone in two minutes: SmartDocs replaces printing, scanning and following up. The entry plan is permanently free.
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Event services and creatives
The booking contract goes out that same evening and is signed before the competition has written a quote.
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Trade businesses
Have quotes confirmed by link and get acceptance reports signed right on the job site.
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Agencies and service providers
Get quotes approved during the meeting, follow-up orders from a template in seconds.
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Consulting and coaching
Have fee agreements confirmed digitally, even when the first meeting was on video.
For mid-sized businesses
Made for departments, locations and compliance
Roles and permissions, separate organizations per team or location and a complete chain of evidence: SmartDocs starts as a pilot in one department and rolls out across the whole company without an IT project.
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Law firms and tax advisors
Collect engagement agreements and powers of attorney in a legally binding way, with QES where needed.
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Property management
Leases go digital, handover reports are signed on a tablet right on site.
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Real estate agents
Brokerage and commission agreements by signing link, signed during the first meeting.
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HR and people teams
Employment contracts in hours instead of weeks, fixed-term contracts with QES.
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Car dealerships and branches
Customer signatures in person: kiosk mode turns your tablet into a signing station.
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Hotels and event venues
Guests sign on a tablet at reception, banquet contracts go out as a signing link.
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Medical practices and healthcare
Consent forms and medical history forms at reception, straight into the patient record.
Only at SmartDocs
In-person signatures: on a tablet, with verified identity
At the car dealership, in the medical practice, at an apartment handover: with kiosk mode, your customers sign directly on your device. Your team confirms the verified identity, and SmartDocs records it in the audit trail in an audit-proof way.
- Runs in the Kiosk App on iPad and Android tablets
- Identity verification by your staff, documented in the audit trail
- Also for signers without an email address
Kiosk App for your tablet:
Security and data protection
German data centers. A complete chain of evidence.
Your contracts never leave Germany. Every step of a signature request is cryptographically chained and can be proven at any time.
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Hosted exclusively in Germany
Data center in Nuremberg. No transfer to third countries, no standard contractual clauses needed.
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Encrypted throughout
TLS in transit, AES-256 at rest. Access only through role-based permissions.
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Cryptographic hash chain
Every event references the hash of its predecessor. Tampering after the fact is mathematically ruled out.
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GDPR package included
We provide the data processing agreement, documentation of technical and organizational measures (TOMs) and a deletion policy.
Pricing
Transparent. Cancel monthly. From €0.
No hidden tiers, no pricing on request: you see everything we charge right here.
Free
For freelancers and anyone who wants to sign digitally.
€0 per month
Pro
For teams that regularly collect legally binding signatures.
€25 per seat per month
Enterprise
For companies with approval workflows, custom roles, high volume and their own brand.
€40 per seat per month
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions we hear most often. You will find more details on the topic pages.
Yes. The eIDAS Regulation applies directly throughout the EU and makes clear that electronic signatures may not be denied legal effect. For most contracts in everyday business, a simple or advanced signature is enough. Where the law requires the statutory written form, the qualified electronic signature (QES) meets that requirement under § 126a BGB (German Civil Code).
Exclusively in a German data center in Nuremberg. There are no transfers to third countries. That means you comply with the GDPR without extra review steps such as standard contractual clauses or transfer impact assessments.
The Free plan stays free and includes 5 signature requests per month. Pro costs €25 per seat per month with unlimited requests, Enterprise €40 per seat per month. All prices plus VAT. The qualified signature (QES) is available as an add-on on request.
No. Signers receive a personal link by email and sign directly in the browser, including on a smartphone. No registration or installation is required.
All three levels of the eIDAS Regulation: the simple electronic signature (SES) for everyday business, the advanced signature (AES) with SMS code for sensitive contracts and the qualified signature (QES) for documents subject to the statutory written form.
Every signature request generates a tamper-evident audit trail with timestamps, IP addresses and a cryptographic hash chain, plus a completion certificate as PDF. You can download both at any time and present them as evidence in a dispute.
Yes, the Free plan stays free and requires no payment details. You can collect real, legally valid signatures right away and upgrade at any time later.
Yes. With in-person signing (kiosk mode), customers sign directly on your tablet. Your staff first verify their identity, for example by looking at their ID card, and every step is documented in the audit trail.
Ready for your first legally binding signature?
Start for free with 5 signature requests per month. No payment details, no minimum term.