Why “no account” matters
Every extra step between your email and a signature is a place where people stop. A recipient who is asked to register, verify an email address, pick a password and install an app before they can sign will often put it off — and a contract that is “I’ll do it later” on Friday is still unsigned on Wednesday.
SignPe removes all of that. Your recipient does not need to know what SignPe is. They need an email address and a browser, and that is all. It matters most when you are sending to people outside your organisation: clients, tenants, candidates, suppliers, patients — anyone who signs your documents once or twice a year and has no reason to keep an account.
What your recipient sees, step by step
An email with one clear button
When you send the document, each signer receives an email from SignPe with a Review & Sign Document button. There is no attachment to download and no link to copy.
A short consent screen
The signing page opens in their browser. Before signing as a guest, the recipient accepts a consent to use electronic records — the step that confirms they agree to do business electronically.
Their fields, clearly marked
The document opens with the recipient’s own fields ready to complete: a signature, initials, a date, their name or a checkbox — whatever you placed and assigned to them.
Sign the way they like
They can type their name in a script font, draw with a finger or mouse, or upload an image of their signature. On a phone, drawing responds to finger speed like a pen.
Done — and a copy for their records
When they finish, both they and you are emailed. When every signer has signed, everyone receives the completed, signed copy.
Works on any device, in any modern browser
The signing page is built to work wherever the email is opened. Most people read email on their phone, so that is where most guest signatures happen — and there is nothing to install there either.
- Phones — sign with a fingertip, zoom into a clause, and finish without leaving the mail app’s browser.
- Tablets — handy for longer documents with initials on every page.
- Laptops and desktops — type or draw with a mouse or trackpad, or upload a saved signature image.
Recipients who already have a SignPe account sign in first, so the document appears alongside the rest of their documents. Anyone else simply signs as a guest. If they later decide they want the app, it is on iOS, Android, Windows and the web — see iOS, Android and web.
You stay in control while they sign
Making signing easy for the recipient does not mean you lose visibility. Every step a guest takes is recorded with its date and time and shows up in the document’s status:
| What the recipient does | What you see |
|---|---|
| Receives the email | Sent, then Received |
| Opens the signing page | Opened |
| Saves progress | Saved |
| Signs | Signed — and you get an email |
| Declines | Declined — and you are notified |
If someone has not got to it yet, the Remind button emails every signer who has not signed with a gentle reminder, and in ordered signing the next person is emailed automatically when it is their turn. See document status tracking and signing reminders.
Recipients can decline, too
A fair signing process lets people say no. If a recipient disagrees with the document, they can choose to decline; SignPe asks them to confirm with Decline to sign? and you are notified straight away, so you can talk it through, fix the document and send a new version rather than waiting on a signature that is never coming.
Only participants can open a document
Guest signing is easy, not open. A document opens only for the people on it, every connection uses HTTPS, and documents are kept in encrypted cloud storage. For India, Aadhaar eSign adds OTP verification for signers. More in e-signature security.
Who it helps most
- Landlords and letting agents sending a lease to a tenant who will sign it once. See real estate.
- HR teams sending offer letters to candidates who are not employees yet. See human resources.
- Insurers and brokers collecting signatures on proposal forms from customers on their phones. See insurance.
- Freelancers and agencies getting a client to sign a proposal the same day it is sent.
- Clinics collecting consent forms from patients before an appointment.
In each case the person signing has no reason to sign up for anything. Letting them sign as a guest is the difference between a same-day signature and a week of follow-ups.
Compared with emailing a PDF
The familiar alternative is to email a PDF and ask for it back signed. That puts the work on your recipient — print it or find a PDF editor, sign, scan or save, reattach and reply — and leaves you with no idea whether they have even opened it.
| Emailed PDF | SignPe guest signing | |
|---|---|---|
| What the recipient needs | A printer and scanner, or PDF software | A browser |
| Knowing it was opened | No | Opened status with date and time |
| Signing the right places | Up to them to find | Only their assigned fields |
| Returning it | Reply with an attachment | Automatic — you are emailed when they sign |
| Final copy for everyone | You send it round | Emailed to everyone when complete |
A few habits keep guest signing quick: double-check each email address before you send, since the signing link goes only to that inbox; assign every field to the right signer so nobody is asked to fill in someone else’s details; and tell the recipient in advance that an email from SignPe is on its way, so it is opened rather than overlooked.
How to send a document recipients can sign without an account
Upload your document
Add a PDF, Word document or images in the web app or the mobile app.
Add your recipients
Choose Set signer order on the web, or Request Signatures on mobile, and add each signer’s name and email address. They do not need a SignPe account.
Place and assign fields
Drag Signature, Date, Name and other fields onto the pages and assign each field to the signer who should complete it.
Send
Each signer receives an email with a Review & Sign Document button that opens the signing page in their browser.
Follow progress
Watch each signer move from Sent to Opened to Signed. When everyone has signed, all parties receive the completed copy.
