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How to Compare PDF Versions of a Contract or CV
A new version of a contract or CV arrived as a PDF. How to see every word that changed, what a comparison can miss, and what to do before you sign.
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Signing a PDF usually means one of two things. Most everyday paperwork, such as a rental agreement, a job offer or a school form, asks for a visual signature: a picture of your signature placed on the page, drawn with a finger, typed in a handwriting-style font or taken from a photo. Some institutions ask instead for a certificate-based digital signature, which proves who signed and shows whether the file changed afterwards.
The guides below cover both sides of signing: how to sign a PDF on an iPhone or Android phone without printing anything, how to tell a visual signature from a digital one and what to ask the person receiving your file, and how to compare a new version of a contract with the old one, so you know exactly what changed before you sign it.
Each guide points to the free tools that help, such as Sign PDF, Compare two PDFs and Annotate PDF. They work in your browser, so your documents never leave your device.
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Visual Signature vs Digital Signature: What a Signed PDF Can and Can't Prove
A drawn signature and a certificate-based digital signature look alike in a PDF but work differently: what each proves, and how to tell them apart.
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How to Sign a PDF on Your Phone: iPhone and Android, Step by Step
Sign a PDF on your iPhone or Android phone in a few minutes, with no app and no account: open the file, draw your signature with a finger, place it, save.