10 Best Online Notary Services 2023

Are you interested in trying an online notary? Then you’ll want to see our top 10 rankings of the best notary platforms available.

With an online notarization platform, you can get documents signed, sealed, and notarized from the comfort of your home or office.

Virtual notarization is the future of trust and estate law, property closings, mortgage signings, and many other business transactions.

With a virtual notary, the entire transaction takes place online. It’s fast and convenient, but are these online notary services legitimate? With dozens of new notarizing services popping up every day, how do you know you’re choosing the right one?

How We Chose the Best Online Notarizing Services

As business partners who include a notary and a lawyer on our team, we’re very aware of the need for easy notarization services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. After all, you may be in lockdown and you may be social distancing, but life’s events don’t slow down. People still have wills to write, businesses to form, powers of attorney to assign, and property to buy and sell. These life activities all require notarization by a licensed notary, and notaries are getting harder to find.

Here’s how we ranked top 10 of the best notary platforms available. Our full reviews follow.

1. OneNotary: Best Overall
2. Notarize: Best for Title Companies
3. DocVerify: Best Value for E-Signatures
4. DocuSign: Best for Larger Businesses
5. SigniX: Best for High-Volume Businesses
6. OnlineNotary: Best for Budget Transactions
7. SignNow: Best for Small Businesses
8. NotaryCam: Best if You’re Overseas
9. SafeDocs: Best if You Also Want In-Person Notarization
10. Nexsys: Best for Real Estate Transactions

How We Made Our Choices

We examined over 30 online notarization services. To check out how well they performed, we talked to people who used them. We also ran our own tests of their service, had them notarize some documents, read customer reviews, and checked out their business reputation.

To make our selection, we ranked each service for:

• Ease of use.
• Compliance with state and federal security protocols.
• Clear guides and instructions.
• Background checking and vetting of notaries.
• Customer service.
• Fast, reliable technology platform.

We selected OneNotary as the best notary available online, but any of the platforms on our list will give you secure, reliable notarization.

Top 10 Online Notary Services

1. OneNotary: Best Overall

This was one of the original online notarization sites, and it is still a pioneer. Advanced security, quality of notaries, and ease of use all put OneNotary in our top slot. The company is very welcoming to users and to would-be virtual notaries, with helpful guides on every conceivable topic. If you want to know how to fill out commonly used legal forms, OneNotary shows you how to do it line by line.

OneNotary pays its notaries better than most other platforms, which means it can get the most experienced notaries. Add outstanding customer service to the mix, and you have our overall number one.

Features:

• Easy sign up process for customers and notaries.
• Offers special pricing packages to attorneys and other businesses who need frequent notarizations.
• Charges $25 for a single document notarization with one certificate. Each additional certificate is $6.
• Attractive, well-designed website is easy to navigate.

Pros:

• Easy to use, even for first-time users.
• Offers a 100% money-back guarantee.
• Uses secure end-to-end data encryption.
• Tons of helpful guides and resources.

Cons:

• Does not offer a bulk pricing or business pricing membership.

2. Notarize: Best for Title Companies

Notarize is a straightforward remote online notarization service. It connects individual consumers with remote online notaries to quickly notarize important documents. Notarize has special pricing packages for title companies, businesses, and individuals. The company can also create a custom package with a price based on the features and frequency you choose.

Features:

• Price for one-time notarization is $25. Additional seals are $10 each.
• Business packages start at $99 a month. You still pay $25 for each notarization.
• Notarize offers a closing or settlement package designed specifically for title companies. It also offers three monthly subscription plans for title companies.

Pros:

• Closing packages are a great value.
• Site is available 24-7.

Cons:

• Does not offer how-to articles or guides.
• Hard to see how notaries can sign up with the service.

3. DocVerify: Best Value for E-Signatures

DocVerify has built a reputation for reliability in the online world. DocVerify allows users to securely sign, store and manage 100% legally binding documents from anywhere in the world. It is available 247. Real estate companies, settlement companies, healthcare companies, and many others use DocVerify to eliminate paper, hassles, and wasted time. DocVerify has recently added notarization to its services.

Features:

• Proprietary system allows users to sign documents without leaving the page they’re viewing.
• Pricing is about 70% less than its competitors’ prices.
• Offers remote and in-person electronic notarization through its electronic notary platform.

Pros:

• Affordable pricing packages start at $25 a month.
• Gives users the flexibility of remote or in-person notarization.
• Excellent record-keeping maintains your documents in the cloud.

Cons:

• Basic pricing package does not include remote notarizations.
• Charges a setup and monthly subscription to notaries who sign up to work for the service.

4. DocuSign: Best for Larger Businesses

This venerable company has been around for a long time. DocuSign predated remote online notarization with its use of paperless notarization. With this service, a Notary Public acts as an in-person witness to the electronic signing of documents. You still need a notary to be physically present, but you can sign and transmit documents electronically.

Features:

• Offers various pricing plans for real estate companies, businesses, and others who frequently need notarizations. Plans start at $50 a month for 40 notarizations and top out at $480 a month for 100-plus notarizations.

Pros:

• Offers various pricing plans suitable for any budget.
• Allows businesses to go paperless when notarizing documents.
• Provides excellent record-keeping of all transactions.

Cons:

• Service is not completely virtual, and you still need to find a notary.
• Pricing plans are more suited to businesses than individuals.

5. SigniX: Best for High-Volume Businesses

This company offers targeted notarization solutions for specific businesses, including title companies, wealth management firms, real estate companies, and healthcare practices. The company has three major products. MyDox is an electronic signature platform, eNotary is a remote notarization service, and Flex API is a digital signing solution.

Features:

• Offers individual, business and enterprise pricing packages.
• Charges $10 for each notarization and $5 for each additional certificate.
• Website doesn’t offer many resources or guides for individual users or notaries.

Pros:

• Offers unlimited copies of notarized documents.
• Uses cloud-based technology so signers and notaries can participate anywhere.
• Uses secure data encryption.

Cons:

• Requires an annual licensing fee of $250 plus a one-time setup fee of $49.
• Not aimed at individual users.
• Website offers confusing array of unrelated services.

6. OnlineNotary: Best for Budget Transactions

If price is your biggest concern, you may like OnlineNotary’s no-frills approach. The site offers two pricing levels and can customize more for high-volume users. Its low price, however, comes with a lack of real support and few services. OnlineNotary welcomes notaries who want a chance to earn some extra money.

Features:

• Offers live chat support during notarizations.
• Charges $19.95 to notarize one document. Business packages start at $49 a month.

Pros:

• Lowest price of any online notarization service.
• Offers money-back guarantee.

Cons:

• Low price comes with a lack of helpful resources and little guidance.
• Not as easy to use as some other sites.
• No customer service is available after hours.

7. SignNow: Best for Small Businesses

SignNow offers document management, workflow automation, payment systems, and other products that help businesses stay organized. This company offers affordable pricing packages for companies that regularly require notarized documents.

Features:

• Affordable pricing packages start at $8 a month, $15 a month or $50 a month for the deluxe AirSlate business cloud system.
• Offers an API key so you can integrate signing technology into your own app.

Pros:

• Service is available 24-7.
• Has a comprehensive, easy-to-use help section.

Cons:

• Does not offer informational or how-to articles.
• Per-user pricing can make the monthly subscription fee double or triple.

8. NotaryCam: Best If You’re Overseas

NotaryCam lets you sign and notarize documents from anywhere in the world using your phone, tablet, or desktop. The company has users in more than 140 countries. The easy-to-use platform offers e-closing to realtors and title companies and document management to all businesses.

Features:

• Charges $25 for notarization if you’re in the US and $79 if you’re overseas during the notarization.
• Offers volume discounts if you need10 notarizations or more each month.

Pros:

• Uses data encryption standards used by banks and credit card companies.
• Experienced at setting up meetings with users in foreign countries.

Cons:

• Limited range of services.
• Does not offer package or subscription models.

9. SafeDocs: Best If You Also Want In-Person Notarization

SafeDocs offers business solutions to companies that deal with high volumes of paperwork. Using SafeDocs is a good way to manage, organize and maintain your paper records in a digital format. Their enterprise management model can handle thousands of signings a day. The focus here is on larger businesses that move huge amounts of paper.

Features:

• Besides online notarization, offers a NotaryGo service for businesses who prefer live notarizations.
• Charges $25 for a single notarization and $75 for an international notarization.
• Also conducts document requests and background checks.

Pros:

• Offers your choice of in-person or remote notarizations.
• Equipped to handle sizeable amounts of transactions daily.

Cons:

• Little help for individual users or small businesses.
• No helpful articles or detailed how-to guides.

10. Nexsys: Best for Real Estate Transactions

Mortgages and real estate documents can be very thick piles of paper. Nexsys specializes in digitally notarizing and organizing those big piles of paper. The company has developed expertise in real estate transactions. Its products focus on each stage of the property transaction.

Features:

• Offers Clear Sign for mortgage documentation, Clear Path for appraisals and mortgages, and Clear HOI to verify homeowners’ insurance.
• Pricing information is not available on the website.

Pros:

• Specialty services cover everything needed by real estate and mortgage professionals.
• Well-designed website is easy to use.

Cons:

• Does not provide remote notarization.
• No services for individual users.
• No helpful articles or detailed how-to guides.

Why You Need an Online Notary Platform

Do you remember the last time you had to get a document notarized? Then you know it’s not easy. You have to find a notary, get your papers, and drive across town. You might get lucky and find a notary who takes walk-in appointments and is available, or you might have to schedule an appointment.

Typically, notaries don’t have storefronts or full-time notary businesses. They usually perform notarizations as a side job. Depending on where you live, you might find a mobile notary who will come to your home.

If you’re a lawyer, we don’t have to tell you how much a convenient notary service would help you out. We know how frequently your clients’ cases slow to a halt because they can’t or won’t get a document notarized. With an online service, there is no excuse.

How Does Online Notarization Work?

Here are the instructions you’ll follow on most notary platforms. Remember to wait until you’re in front of the notary before you sign your documents.

1. Create a free account on the platform. If you have received an email invitation from your notary, the email will include a link to the registration page.
2. Enter your payment information.
3. Upload your documents.
4. Upload a photograph of your driver’s license or another form of identification. You must also submit information about your social security number or other identifying details.
5. Answer a series of knowledge-based authentication (KBA) questions.
6. Once your identity is verified, you can meet your virtual notary. Digitally sign the document in the notary’s presence. The notary then signs it and attaches a digital seal.
7. You’ll get a copy of the document you can download and print. Your session will be recorded and digitally preserved.

How To Choose the Best Online Notarizing Service

Ease of use. If you have to spend hours navigating the website or trying to set up an account, you lose out on the supposed convenience of using an online notary. A remote online notary should be fast and easy to use.

Pricing. Online notarization is affordable. Most of the services on our list offer pricing around $25 to notarize a document. If you process high volumes of paperwork, a monthly subscription package might be a good choice.

Customer service. A good notary platform should offer customer service and help features. Typically, these services are available 24-7. Do they have help features and helpful guides? Do they make it easy to use the service? A notary platform should be easy to navigate.

Security. You are dealing with highly sensitive information. Most documents that require notarization involve your personal financial data, banking information, social security number, and other identifiers. The platform you use must have high-level security.

Vetted notaries. Look for a platform that thoroughly vets and conducts background checks on its notaries. You don’t want notarization from a notary who’s using a fraudulent license or who isn’t in good standing with their state notary board.

FAQ About Remote Online Notarization

Are Remotely Notarized Documents as Valid as Documents with In-Person Notarization?

They are if remote online notarization is legal in that state. These documents have the same legal weight as documents notarized in person.

Is Online Notarization Legal in Every State?

Twenty-nine states have passed laws authorizing RON. They are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Other states are considering RON legislation.

Some states have restrictions on the use of interstate notarization. In Maryland and Utah, for instance, the notary must live in the state where the transaction is taking place. The signer can live in another state. In Arkansas, the notary and the signer must both be in Arkansas.

Do You Need Special Equipment To Use an Online Notarization Platform?

All you need is a computer with audio and video capacity. You’ll also need to know how to upload your documents. The document size should not exceed 25 MB.

Enjoy the Convenience of Online Notarization

Using a remote online notary service is fast, convenient, and secure. If you’ve been putting off notarizing your important paperwork, it’s time to check this task off your list. Whether you have one document or 100, you can get them securely signed and notarized without leaving your home or office.