"Just sign it and send it back" used to mean printing, signing, scanning, and hoping the scan was legible. Today it can mean a few clicks in a browser, and the result is usually just as valid in front of a judge, a landlord, or a closing table.
The important thing is to pick the right tool for the document. A consent form you're signing yourself is a different job than a lease you need a client to sign — and a closing where a witness must watch the signature happen is yet another. Here's how each one works with EZ PDF Editor.
What "signing online" actually means
There are two ideas that often get blurred, and the distinction matters:
| Type | What it is | When it's enough |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic signature | Any mark showing intent to agree — a typed name, a drawn signature, a checkbox | Most everyday documents: leases, offers, consent forms, invoices, employment papers |
| Digital signature | A cryptographic signature tied to a certificate (like a smart-card or eID) | Some regulated filings, certain government or court submissions that demand certificate-level proof |
For the vast majority of documents you'll ever sign or ask someone else to sign, a plain electronic signature is legally valid. The laws that back this up are mature and widespread: the U.S. ESIGN Act and UETA, the EU's eIDAS, and Canada's PIPEDA all give e-signatures standing equivalent to ink.
The three ways to get a document signed
1. Sign it yourself
If only you need to sign, use the sign tool — draw, type, or upload a signature and drop it onto the document. It runs entirely in your browser, free, with nothing uploaded. Our guide to signing a PDF for free walks through it step by step.
2. Request signatures from other people
When you need one or more other people to sign, send the PDF out for e-signature. They get an email with a secure link, open it, sign, and you see it come back. With EZ PDF Editor the free tier covers a limited number of requests per month; Pro unlocks unlimited requests and multiple signers on the same document.
3. Sign together, live
For high-stakes documents — a real estate offer, a purchase agreement, anything a witness has to observe — schedule a Video Signing Room. It's a Pro feature that puts the document on one side of the screen and live video on the other, so the host, signers and witnesses see each other and the same form. The host can record the session and share their screen, which is exactly the evidence remote witnessing needs.
Remote witnessing & commissioning, explained
Some documents don't just need a signature — they need someone to confirm the signature happened in front of them. A notary, commissioner, or witness. The traditional version of that is meeting in person. The modern version is remote witnessing: the witness watches over live video as the signer signs, confirms identity and intent, and often certifies it.
That's where a video signing room shines. Instead of stitching together a screen-share, a PDF tool and a separate recorder, the whole event happens in one place:
- The witness sees the signer — identity and intent are visible on camera.
- The witness sees the document — the host can share their screen so everyone is looking at the same page.
- The moment is recorded — the host keeps a recording as evidence of what happened.
Rules on remote witnessing vary by state and province, and some documents still require an in-person or certificate-based signature. The pattern to remember: the more evidence you can capture about who signed and why, the safer the document stands.
Doing it right: a quick checklist
- Know the document. Confirm whether it needs a witness, a notary, or just an ordinary signature.
- Check the local rule. Remote witnessing isn't legal everywhere — verify your state or province.
- Prepare the PDF. Fill any fields first so nothing is left ambiguous at signing time.
- Choose the flow. Self-sign for your own documents, request signatures for remote signers, or schedule a live video session when witnessing or proof matters.
- Keep the evidence. Save the signed PDF and, if you used a live session, the recording alongside it.
Sign your documents online today
Self-sign free in your browser, request signatures from others, or go live with the Video Signing Room — Pro unlocks unlimited requests, multiple signers and recorded video sessions.
Open the editor & go Pro →Signing online vs. services like DocuSign
| EZ PDF Editor | Dedicated e-sign platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign a document yourself | Free, in-browser, nothing uploaded | Free tier usually limited |
| Request signatures from others | Free tier (limited) · unlimited on Pro | Paid plans |
| Multiple signers on one document | Pro | Paid plans |
| Live video signing + recording | Pro (Video Signing Room) | Not typically included |
| Where your file lives | On your device for in-browser tools | Their cloud |
Rule of thumb: sign it yourself when you can, request signatures when you must, and pull in live video when the document is important enough to prove.
The short version
Getting documents signed online is straightforward: self-sign for your own paperwork, send e-signature requests when others need to sign, and use a live video signing room when witnessing, proof, or a high-stakes document demands it. Start free in the editor, and if you regularly handle multiple signers or witnessed documents, the Video Signing Room on Pro turns a routine request into an evidence-grade event.