Is a Cachety signature legally valid?

It is what is commonly called a simple electronic signature: an image of your signature on the page. It counts if nobody disputes it, and it is usually accepted for everyday documents. If it is disputed, it carries little weight on its own. When a contract really matters, or the other party asks for it, use a service that offers advanced or qualified signatures, such as Adobe Acrobat Sign. This is not legal advice.

Do I need an account?

Not with Cachety. Adobe's online Sign PDF page says you must be signed in to complete the fillable form.

Can I send the document to someone else to sign?

Not through Cachety. It has one signer: you. You download the signed PDF and send it yourself. To send a document to several signers with an audit trail, Adobe Acrobat Sign is the right tool.

Does Adobe keep my file?

Adobe's online tool says the file is handled by its servers and deleted unless you sign in to save it. The page does not say how long it stays there. With Cachety, the file never leaves your device.

Cachety vs Adobe Acrobat: which should you use to sign a PDF?

Updated 17 October 2026

Adobe offers two ways to sign a PDF: a free online Sign PDF tool (and, on the iPhone, the Adobe Fill & Sign app), and Acrobat Sign, its e-signature service for businesses. Cachety is closer to the first: it lets you sign a document yourself. The difference is that Cachety does it in your browser, without uploading the file.

In short

To send a document to several signers, keep an audit trail or use advanced or qualified signatures, Adobe Acrobat Sign is the better choice, and Cachety does none of that. To sign a PDF yourself, both work. Adobe's online tool handles the file on its servers, and its page says you must be signed in to complete a fillable form. Cachety needs no account and never uploads the document.

Side by side

Criterion	Cachety	Adobe Acrobat
Where the document is processed	CachetyIn your browser, on your own device. Nothing is uploaded.Advantage Cachety	Adobe AcrobatOn Adobe's servers. The file is deleted unless you sign in to save it. The page does not state a retention period or a country.
Account	CachetyNone.Advantage Cachety	Adobe AcrobatThe online tool's page says you must be signed in to complete the fillable form.
Signature styles	CachetyDraw, type or upload a photo of your signature. Date, place and a note underneath, initials on every page, all optional.	Adobe AcrobatType, draw or upload an image of your signature. Initials, text, checkmarks and lines.
Signature level	CachetyWhat is commonly called a simple electronic signature: an image of your signature placed on the page.	Adobe AcrobatWith Acrobat Sign, any mix of simple, advanced or qualified electronic signatures, through more than 200 trust service providers.Advantage Adobe Acrobat
Audit trail	CachetyNone: no certificate, no audit trail, no timestamp.	Adobe AcrobatOffered with Acrobat Sign. The online tool says requesting signatures and accessing audit trails may require a paid Acrobat plan.Advantage Adobe Acrobat
Sending to other signers	CachetyNo. One signer: you. You send the signed file yourself.	Adobe AcrobatYes, with Acrobat Sign: several signers, templates, and signing inside Microsoft Word, Teams, Salesforce and Workday.Advantage Adobe Acrobat
Phones	CachetyWorks in a phone browser. Nothing to install.	Adobe AcrobatThe Acrobat Reader app for iOS and Android includes signing. The Adobe Fill & Sign app for iPhone can sign a photo of a paper form.
Who handles your data	CachetyNobody else: there is no server that receives your documents. No ads and no trackers.	Adobe AcrobatFor users in the EU, Adobe Systems Software Ireland Limited.

The online tool and Acrobat Sign are not the same thing

Adobe's free online Sign PDF tool is for signing a document yourself. You open the page, add your PDF, then type, draw or upload an image of your signature, and add initials, text or checkmarks. Adobe says the file is handled by its servers and deleted unless you sign in to save it. On the iPhone, the Adobe Fill & Sign app can also sign a photo of a paper form.

Acrobat Sign is Adobe's e-signature service for businesses. It sends documents to several signers, uses templates, keeps audit trails and works inside tools such as Microsoft Word, Teams, Salesforce and Workday. For Europe, Adobe says it can deploy advanced or qualified signatures through more than 200 trust service providers.

Cachety only does the first job, signing yourself, but it does it in your browser. There is no upload and no Adobe account, or any other account.

What Adobe says about legal value

Adobe says signatures made with its online tool are legally sufficient under the ESIGN Act and UETA, two US laws, and that its certificate-based digital signatures meet eIDAS qualified and other international standards. These are Adobe's own claims. A certificate-based signature is a different thing from an image of a signature.

A signature you draw, type or upload and place on the page is what is commonly called a simple electronic signature. It counts if nobody disputes it, and it is usually accepted for everyday documents. But an image of a signature, like a scanned one, is easy to dispute, and then it carries little weight on its own: whoever relies on the document must prove who signed it. Only a qualified signature, made with a certificate from a qualified provider, is presumed reliable. This is not legal advice.

Cachety is not the right tool when an advanced or qualified signature is required, when you need an audit trail or several signers, for a will or a deed, or when the other party insists on a specific signing platform. In those cases, use what they ask for.

Where Adobe is better

Sending a document to several signers, with templates and audit trails.
Advanced and qualified signatures for contracts that must hold up if challenged.
Signing inside the business software you already use.
Apps for iPhone and Android, if you prefer an app to a web page.

Where Cachety is better

Your document is never uploaded. It still works in aeroplane mode once the page has loaded.
No account to create or sign in to.
The signed PDF is flattened, and hidden text, metadata and attachments are removed.
Free and open source, with no ads and no trackers.

How to sign a document with Cachety

1Open cachety.com/en/sign in your browser, on a computer or a phone. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
2Add your PDF, or a photo of a paper document (JPG, PNG or HEIC). A photo becomes a page that fits an A4 sheet. You can add several documents at once.
3Draw your signature with a finger or the mouse, type your name, or upload a photo of your signature on white paper. Add the date, the place or a short note underneath if you wish.
4Drag the signature onto the line and resize it. Tick ‘Also initial every page’ if you are asked to.
5Check the preview and download the signed PDF. Keep the fingerprint shown after the download with your records.

When Adobe Acrobat is the better choice

You need several people to sign the same document, with an audit trail.
You need an advanced or qualified signature.
Your business already uses Microsoft Word, Teams, Salesforce or Workday and wants signing built in.
You already have an Adobe account and are happy for the file to go to Adobe's servers.

When Cachety is the better choice

You only need to sign a PDF yourself and send it back.
You do not want to sign in to anything, or upload the document.
You want hidden data removed from the signed copy.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Cachety signature legally valid?: It is what is commonly called a simple electronic signature: an image of your signature on the page. It counts if nobody disputes it, and it is usually accepted for everyday documents. If it is disputed, it carries little weight on its own. When a contract really matters, or the other party asks for it, use a service that offers advanced or qualified signatures, such as Adobe Acrobat Sign. This is not legal advice.
Do I need an account?: Not with Cachety. Adobe's online Sign PDF page says you must be signed in to complete the fillable form.
Can I send the document to someone else to sign?: Not through Cachety. It has one signer: you. You download the signed PDF and send it yourself. To send a document to several signers with an audit trail, Adobe Acrobat Sign is the right tool.
Does Adobe keep my file?: Adobe's online tool says the file is handled by its servers and deleted unless you sign in to save it. The page does not say how long it stays there. With Cachety, the file never leaves your device.

Sources

Facts checked on 17 October 2026 on each publisher's public pages. Services change: if something here is out of date, tell us on GitHub and we will fix it.

Written by the author of Cachety. We aim to be factual and fair: every claim about another tool links to its source.