Why we counted
We make a signing app, so we wanted to know what goes wrong for people before we built more features. Opinions are cheap. Counts are better.
So we pulled the most recent US App Store reviews of 10 apps and sorted every 1 to 3 star review by its main complaint. This page shows the counts, how we got them, and where the method is weak.
What the low ratings were about
1 to 3 star reviews since October 1, 2024 (n = 1,038). One review can count in more than one group.
| Complaint | Reviews | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Price, subscription, trial, canceling | 320 | 31% |
| Crashes and bugs | 103 | 10% |
| Account, login, verification | 99 | 10% |
| Getting the PDF into the app (email, sharing) | 68 | about 7% |
| Filling fields and forms | 55 | 5% |
| Uploading and privacy | 46 | 4% |
| Signature or text missing after finishing | 36 | 3% |
| Signing in person broke | 23 | 2% |
| Doesn't work offline | 3 | under 1% |
Apps: DocuSign, SignNow, Signeasy, PDF Expert, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Xodo, Signature Maker (SignHub), a Fill & Sign scanner app, Joist, Billdu.
Three apps up close
Counts from the most recent US reviews of each app.
| App | Reviews read | Rated 1 to 3 stars | About money |
|---|---|---|---|
| SignNow | 500 (since Oct 2024) | 167 | about 62 |
| PDF Expert | 416 (since Oct 2024) | 288 | about 112 |
| Signeasy | 500 (2018 to 2026) | 211 | 64 |
All three apps are still well rated overall. Low ratings are a small share of their users.
In their words
A PDF Expert reviewer asked, "Why no one time purchase?" A DocuSign reviewer wrote, "I just want to sign a document." A SignNow reviewer said the app was "great for in person signing" until an update made it unusable for them.
Signeasy reviewers had a clear request too. Several long-time users said they miss buying documents in small packs instead of a monthly plan. We cover that in our Signeasy alternative page.
What to check before you pay for a signing app
The counts point to a short checklist.
- ✓Read the price line on the subscribe screen. Look for the price after the trial and whether it renews weekly, monthly or yearly.
- ✓Look for a one-time option if you only sign a few times a year. See PDF signing apps without a subscription.
- ✓Check if you need an account to sign one PDF.
- ✓Check that the app flattens the export, so your signature shows on Windows and Android.
- ✓Know how to cancel before you start a trial: cancel a PDF app subscription on iPhone.
Method and limits
We pulled up to 500 of the most recent US reviews per app from Apple's public review feed. We did this on October 14 and 15, 2026. That gave 3,917 reviews, 2,665 from October 2024 on. We sorted complaints by keywords, then read samples by hand. Keyword counts are close, not exact; for example, "email" also matches login problems. People who leave reviews are more often unhappy, so these numbers describe complaints, not all users.
Our own bias, stated
We make eSign PDF, so read this with that in mind. eSign PDF has a one-time lifetime purchase ($59.99 one-time (US)), and it also sells yearly and weekly plans. These counts shape what we build next, starting with opening PDFs straight from Mail. For a side-by-side of the apps, see the best app to sign a PDF on iPhone.
FAQ
What do people complain about most in signing apps?+
Money. In our count of 1,038 low-rated reviews, 31% were about price, subscriptions, trials or canceling.
How many reviews did you read?+
3,917 recent US App Store reviews of 10 apps, pulled in October 2026. We counted 2,665 from October 2024 on.
Can I use these numbers?+
Yes. Please link to this page as the source and keep the method note with the numbers.
Are these apps bad?+
No. Most are well rated overall. Low ratings show what goes wrong for some users, not what most users feel.