Autentique is one of Brazil's most established e-signature platforms — solid legal validity under MP 2.200-2/2001 and Lei 14.063/2020, native ICP-Brasil certificate support, and a free plan with unlimited signers and users, which not every competitor offers for free. This post isn't an argument that Autentique is bad. It's a map of where it stops.
Teams looking for an Autentique alternative usually aren't unhappy with the signing itself — they're running into what comes after it: the signed contract becomes a static PDF, with no analysis, no expiration tracking, and no AI to answer questions about what was actually signed.
When Autentique Stops Being Enough
Four practical situations that push teams to look further:
The signed document gets filed, not analyzed. Autentique confirms everyone signed. It doesn't read the contract's content to flag risky clauses, termination deadlines, or obligations — that's entirely up to whoever opens the PDF manually.
There's no expiration or renewal tracking. Once signed, the contract sits in the archive. If it has an auto-renewal clause six months out, nobody gets notified — unless someone tracked it separately in a calendar.
WhatsApp is a verification channel, not a place to sign. Autentique lists WhatsApp among its verification methods (alongside SMS and email), but that means receiving a code or link — not completing the signature inside the conversation itself.
There's no lifecycle management. The product is focused on creating, sending, and signing. Internal approval chains, a reusable clause library, and an obligation-tracking dashboard aren't part of the scope.
Autentique vs. DottSign: Feature Comparison
The Pricing and Structure Difference
Autentique follows a monthly-plan model: the free tier covers a limited number of documents per month (with unlimited signers and users, which is genuinely generous), and the paid plan removes that document cap for a flat monthly fee — unlimited documents for a fixed price, not metered by usage. For current numbers, check Autentique's pricing page.
DottSign charges per document, not a flat subscription with a cap. For teams with variable volume — closing few contracts some months and many in others — paying for what you actually use tends to be more efficient than a fixed subscription sized for your peak month.
Free plan, no credit card, no expiration date. Try DottSign now →
Where Autentique Has the Edge
Genuine points worth naming.
Free plan with unlimited users and signers: even on the free tier, Autentique doesn't cap how many people use the account or sign documents — only the number of documents per month. That's unusual and worth acknowledging. Native ICP-Brasil certification: for teams that specifically need qualified signatures with an ICP-Brasil certificate (A1, A3, or cloud-based), Autentique supports that directly. Documented API: Autentique publishes its own API documentation, useful for technical teams integrating signing into an internal system. Focus and simplicity: as a specialized signing tool, the adoption curve is short, with no extra modules to learn.
If all your team needs is to sign, without analyzing what was signed, tracking expirations, or AI, Autentique covers that well.
Where DottSign Goes Further
Signing inside WhatsApp, not a code sent via WhatsApp
Autentique uses WhatsApp as a verification channel, sending a code or link. DottSign has native signing inside WhatsApp itself: the signer receives the message, reviews the PDF, and signs without leaving the conversation, opening a browser, or creating an account. For a signer on their phone, that difference changes completion rates.
AI that analyzes what was signed, not just confirms it
Autentique confirms the signature. DottSign reads the entire contract and answers questions like "what's the notice period to terminate?" citing the exact clause, automatically flags risky clauses, and extracts obligations and dates into a shared calendar. None of that exists in Autentique today.
Full lifecycle management
Autentique's job ends at signature. DottSign tracks expirations, fires renewal reminders automatically, and keeps a searchable archive by party, date, and clause, without a parallel spreadsheet to know what's coming due.
Self-hosting for regulated industries
For healthcare, legal, and fintech companies with data-residency requirements, DottSign can be deployed on the company's own infrastructure. That option doesn't exist in Autentique.
Per-document pricing, no flat subscription
While Autentique charges a flat monthly fee for unlimited documents, DottSign charges for what's actually used, without paying for idle capacity in low-volume months.
Who Should Consider Switching to DottSign
- Teams that receive contracts from third parties and need AI to understand what came in before signing.
- Teams that already missed a renewal due to lack of automated expiration tracking.
- Companies whose signers live on WhatsApp and want to remove the friction of opening a link in another app.
- Regulated industries that need control over where documents are stored.
Who Autentique Still Works Well For
- Small teams with stable volume that just need to sign, without post-signature analysis or tracking.
- Anyone requiring a qualified ICP-Brasil certificate as the default on every document, not an option.
- Technical teams who already have Autentique's API integrated into a working internal flow.
How to Try DottSign
The free plan requires no credit card.
- Create your account at dottsign.com
- Send a contract and sign it via WhatsApp to see the difference firsthand
- Upload an existing contract and ask the AI about a specific clause
Autentique handles e-signature solidly, and the free plan with unlimited users is a real strength. But signing is the start of a contract's lifecycle, not the end of it. When the question shifts from "how do I sign this" to "what does this contract say, when does it expire, and who do I need to warn" — Autentique doesn't follow, and the tool needs to change with it.