Self-hosted e-signatures

Every signature
gets a paper trail
that can't lie.

BeardSign signs your documents, then locks each one into a hash-chained record that anyone can independently verify -- with no vendor lock-in, no per-envelope fees, and nothing living on someone else's servers.

$0
Per signature, ever
100%
Self-hosted
1
Human review, always
receipts.beard.energy -- live chain
Verified byte-identical -- no server trust required

From signature to proof.

1
Sign it

Draw or type a signature, drop it anywhere on any PDF, right from your phone or desktop. No account needed for signers.

2
It's hashed

The instant everything's placed, the final document is hashed once -- a fingerprint that changes completely if a single byte is altered afterward.

3
A human reviews it

Before anything is final, an actual person reviews the signed document and independently re-verifies the hash matches -- every time, no exceptions.

4
It's sealed

Once approved, the record is permanently chained. Everyone gets the executed PDF plus a public link anyone can use to verify it, no login required.

What makes this different

Most e-signature tools say "trust us."
This one doesn't ask you to.

DocuSign, HelloSign, and PandaDoc consider a document done the moment it's signed. If someone challenges whether a document is authentic, you're relying on their word and their servers.

BeardSign works differently. Every signed document gets a cryptographic fingerprint, and that fingerprint is locked into a permanent, append-only chain -- where each entry links to the one before it. Altering anything after the fact breaks the chain in a way that's detectable by anyone, without needing access to our servers at all.

A real person also has to review and confirm every single document before it's treated as final -- no document is ever auto-approved, even when the signer and the reviewer are the same person.

1. Document is stamped once, using a single deterministic save -- the SHA-256 hash describes the exact final bytes, nothing computed before or after.

2. That hash is submitted to the ledger as a pending receipt, chained to the hash of the entry before it.

3. A human logs in, independently re-fetches the actual signed PDF, re-hashes it server-side, and confirms it matches before sealing.

4. Once sealed, the receipt is permanent. A public URL lets anyone re-run the same check -- fetch the document, hash it, compare -- with zero trust in our infrastructure required.
Tamper-evident, not tamper-proof-in-theory
If a document is altered after sealing, re-hashing it produces a different fingerprint. There's no ambiguity -- it either matches or it doesn't.
A human always reviews before it's final
No auto-approval, ever -- not even for the person who built the system. Every document waits for an actual person to confirm it.
Verifiable without trusting us
Anyone with the link can independently re-check a sealed document's integrity -- they don't have to take our word for it.
Your data, your server, always
The ledger and every document live on infrastructure you control. Nothing to migrate off of if you ever want to leave.
ESIGN Act
Federally compliant

Follows US ESIGN Act and UETA requirements. Every signer sees and agrees to an electronic consent disclosure before signing.

Hash-chained
Provable, not promised

Every executed document's fingerprint lives in an append-only ledger. Tampering after the fact is detectable, not just discouraged.

Human-gated
No silent auto-approval

A real person reviews and confirms every document before it's sealed -- the system can propose, but only a human approves.


Any document.
One flat rate.

🤝
NDAs

Mutual or one-way, any scope or jurisdiction.

📋
Service agreements

Scope, payment terms, and deliverables.

🏗️
Subcontractor agreements

Licensed trade work, insurance, lien waivers.

🤲
Partnership MOUs

Joint ventures and revenue-share terms.

📄
Licensing agreements

Software, IP, or technology licensing.

💼
Employment letters

Offer letters and contractor arrangements.

🏠
Lease agreements

Commercial or equipment leases.

✍️
Anything else

If it needs a signature, BeardSign can sign it.


Your documents stay on your server.

Most signing platforms store your contracts on their infrastructure, bill you per envelope, and cut off your access the moment you stop paying. BeardSign runs entirely on a server you control.


One price.
Forever yours.

BeardSign
$499
one-time setup fee
Perpetual software license included
  • Full BeardSign deployment on your VPS
  • Hash-chained, human-gated receipt ledger
  • Publicly verifiable signed documents
  • Custom signing stack, no third-party engine
  • Branded email delivery from your domain
  • SSL, nginx reverse proxy, DNS configuration
  • ESIGN Act compliant audit trail
  • Unlimited documents, unlimited signers
  • No monthly fees. No per-envelope charges.
Optional maintenance available at $125/hr -- model upgrades, VPS migrations, additional setup.
Open App
vs. the alternatives -- 5 users
PlatformMonthlyAnnual5-Year Cost
BeardSignself-hosted$0$0$499 total
DocuSign Business Pro$325$3,900$19,500
HelloSign Standard$200$2,400$12,000
PandaDoc Business$325$3,900$19,500
SignNow Business$150$1,800$9,000
Prices shown for 5 users at standard per-user monthly rates. Most platforms also charge per-envelope fees above plan limits. BeardSign has no user limits and no usage limits -- and none of them offer a publicly verifiable receipt chain at any price.
~2 months to break even vs. the cheapest alternative at 5 users

Before you ask.

What happens if I stop paying for maintenance?
Nothing. There's no subscription to cancel -- the software is yours outright after the one-time setup fee. Maintenance is optional, billed hourly only when you use it.
Do signers need to create an account?
No. Signers get a unique link, sign from any device, and never need to log in or install anything.
What does "sealed" actually mean?
It means a real person independently re-verified the signed document's fingerprint matches what was recorded at signing, then confirmed it into a permanent chain. Nothing is sealed automatically -- not even for a document you signed yourself.
Can someone verify a document without a BeardSign account?
Yes. Every sealed document includes a public link -- anyone can open it and see the verification status, no login required.