Electronic vs digital signatures: what's the difference?

An electronic signature is any electronic sign that you agree to something: a picture of your handwritten signature, your typed name or a ticked box. On a PDF it's usually an image on the page. It's quick and shows in every PDF reader, but on its own it doesn't prove who added it, and the file can be changed later without any warning.

A digital signature is a kind of electronic signature backed by a certificate that a certificate authority issues to the signer. Signing stores a cryptographic fingerprint of the document in the PDF. Readers that check signatures, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, show who signed and warn if the document was changed afterwards.

• What you see: an electronic signature is part of the page. A digital signature may also show a signature on the page, plus a signature panel in the PDF reader.
• Proves who signed: electronic, no; digital, yes, through the certificate.
• Shows later changes: electronic, no; digital, yes.
• What you need: electronic, just the PDF; digital, a certificate and software or a service that signs with it.

Follow what the person or organisation asking for your signature says. Everyday documents such as forms, consent slips, quotes and simple agreements often accept an electronic signature. Some official filings need a certificate: in India, for example, certificate-based signatures use a Digital Signature Certificate from a licensed Certifying Authority, and some government filings accept only those. If you're not sure, ask before you sign.

Open it in a PDF reader that checks signatures. A digital signature appears in a signature panel or banner, with the signer's name and whether the document has changed. An electronic signature is just part of the page, so nothing like that appears.

An electronic signature can't stop later edits. Keep your own copy of exactly what you signed, and if you send it on, Protect PDF can require a password to open it and block changes in PDF apps that respect those settings.