Every day, thousands of documents are drafted, and many are for legal purposes. Not only does this mean that the text has to be watertight, but it should also be signed by the proper parties. In some cases, you’ll need to have it notarized too.
There are many in-person notary services throughout the nation, but using them can be a hassle. In addition to making an appointment, you also have to drive out. You can forget about all this by using an online service instead.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to choose the best online notary service, as we’ve compared the best in the business (although, we’ll be honest, we think that’s us!).
But in view of full transparency, we’ll give you several other options and show you their strengths and weaknesses.
How Does an Online Notary Work?
Does the concept of an online notary sound mindboggling to you? Well, here are the basic steps:
- Create an account with the service
- Make a payment
- Send the document through a portal or platform
- Verify your identity
- Have a video conference to sign and notarize the document
Find out more about this process by checking out our detailed guide on how online notary services work.
Why Use an Online Notary?
We’ve just mentioned that when you use an in-person notary, you’ll have to make an appointment, which means that you’ll most likely have to wait to have your document finished. Plus, you’ll have to drive to and from your appointment, which takes up precious time.
Online notaries are very convenient since you don’t have to go anywhere. Instead, the service comes to you since you can use it at any time and in any location, as long as you have a reliable internet connection.
Not quite sold? Then read more on the benefits of remote online notary (RON) services.
How to Choose Between Remote Online Notary Platforms
There are just as many online notary services as there are brick-and-mortar ones, if not more. So it’s easy to get overwhelmed by your choices.
To help you narrow things down, we’ll give you some top tips below.
Understand Your Needs
First, you should establish what documents you need to notarize, as there are different types. This means that the online notary may or may not meet your requirements.
Some common use cases for notarization include:
- Real estate transactions (mortgage documents, property deeds, closing disclosures, rental agreements)
- Legal documents (wills, trusts, power of attorney, affidavits, prenuptial agreements)
- Business agreements (contracts, partnership agreements, employment documents)
- Government and legal forms (passport applications, adoption papers, financial statements)
- Medical and healthcare forms (advance healthcare directives, insurance claims)
There are online notaries that can do them all, but there are also companies that specialize in certain types of documents. It’s important to double-check this information so you have a smoother process.
Verify State Compliance and Legal Validity
Unfortunately, not all states allow online notarization. So to avoid disappointment, you’ll want to ensure a few things before choosing an online notary.
First, you should confirm that the service operates legally in your state. Your state should allow online notarization and recognize documents notarized via RON.
You should also check the jurisdiction of the notary. Some services use notaries from different states, so make sure that their notarization is accepted where you’ll use the document. Do note that courts, banks, and government agencies may have different policies regarding electronically notarized documents too.
In addition, you should know that many states follow laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN Act). Those who need documents accepted within their state won’t have to worry about these laws. But if you’re sending your papers to another state or country, you’ll want to confirm its validity with the receiving party.
You should also check if the recipient actually accepts electronically notarized documents. You can call and ask, as well as check state and federal regulations for specific document requirements.
Look for Essential Features
Ideally, the online notary service you use will provide all the necessary tools to make your notarization smooth and legally compliant. Obviously, they should have a real-time video call between you and the notary to witness and verify your signing. In addition, they should have a secure e-signing and digital notarization seal for document authenticity.
Also important is multi-layered ID checks to ensure that you’re who you say you are. They should use:
- Knowledge-based authentication (KBA)
- Credential analysis (driver’s license, passport scanning)
- Biometric verification (face recognition, fingerprinting in some cases)
You want your documents to be secure as well, so search for companies that have measures in place. A nice-to-have is cloud storage too, as you’ll be able to easily access your documents.
Check Security and Privacy Measures
On that note, the top concerns you have might be security and privacy. You want to keep your sensitive information safe from prying eyes, so here are the key things to check:
- End-to-end encryption
- SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA compliance (especially crucial for healthcare and finance industries)
- Tamper-proof documents
- Secure document storage and access
Assess Availability and Customer Support
A reliable online service should always be available when you need it, especially for urgent situations. If you run into them often, then you’ll want to opt for a service that’s available 24/7; some are only available during regular business hours.
If flexibility is important to you, then you’ll also want to see if they offer on-demand notarization or require scheduled appointments.
As for customer support, the more channels, the better. For example, companies have real-time help via phone, chat, and/or email. In addition, they may have FAQs, tutorials, or troubleshooting guides so you have more control over how things go.
Compare Costs and Pricing Models
You should expect different pricing structures from the various online notary services available. There are three different types: pay-per-notarization, subscription plans, and bulk pricing. Each will be optimal for a certain type of customer, so it’s up to you to decide which one gives you the most bang for your buck.
Whichever company you go with, always keep a sharp eye out. There may be extra fees, like ones for:
- Additional signers
- Extra authentication steps
- Extended document storage
Make sure to read the fine print carefully so you know exactly what you’re signing up for and how much you’re paying.
Read Customer Reviews and Ratings
An online notary service may seem perfect on paper, but what they do in practice can be a different reality. This makes it essential for you to read prior customer reviews and check ratings. Platforms such as Google Reviews, Trustpilot, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) are great places to start.
You should read both the good and the bad to get a solid sense of how reliable the company is. For instance, is their dashboard easy to use? Are they professional, and do they notarize documents fast?
If there are strings of complaints, then take that as a red flag.
What Is the Best Online Notary Service?
The best online notary service will depend on what your needs are. For example, the cheapest online notary may be the best for one person, while it’s the worst for another.
Here, we’ll give you a comparison of the main companies around so you can make an informed choice.
Business Anywhere
Business Anywhere is the top choice you can go with to notarize documents online. We’ve only been around for a few years, but we’ve taken the world by storm, especially since we’re backed by over 20 years of experience.
Our pricing system is simple: pay just $37 per document you need notarized. There are no hidden fees or charges, so $37 means $37.
Our intuitive platform is online 24/7, so you can upload documents whenever you wish, from whatever device you want. After uploading, it’ll all be in our experienced notary service providers’ hands, who are all licensed and professionally vetted. They’ll contact you on the date and time you pick for your appointment.
You’ll then have to submit your photo ID, and then the notary will confirm your identity during a video conference. After they’ve notarized your document, you can then access it on your personal dashboard. On there, you can also request more notarizations, as well as add more services, or contact our team.
We’re the only platform that offers a dashboard with four business-friendly services, which makes us a well-rounded company. In addition to our online notary service, we also have:
- Company formation
- Registered agent service
- Virtual mailboxes
As you can see, we’re a one-stop shop for all your business management needs. We can give you a free 15-minute consultation and have several avenues where you can reach us with questions and concerns, such as by contact form, email, chatbot, or social media (Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube).
Notarize
Notarize is a widely recognized online notary platform, and is provided by the company Proof. It offers 24/7 services to both individuals and businesses, which is great for people who move between time zones often and have urgent notary needs.
This company charges $25 per notarization for individuals, as well as for the Pro business plan. However, this doesn’t include the $4 identity verification charge (per signer) and $4 signature charge (per transaction), which puts the total at $33 per notarization. Other charges include:
- $10 for each additional seal
- $10 for each on-demand witness
- $5 for each additional signer
- $25 for each trusted referee meeting
The Pro business plan is best for small businesses. The other plans are Premium (best for mid-size businesses) and Enterprise (for large corporations). For pricing on these packages, you’ll have to contact Notarize.
The business has other specific notarization plans for real estate titles and mortgages. Expect these to be significantly more expensive than the individual and Pro business plans.
Their notarization process is similar to Business Anywhere’s. You’ll upload or scan your document, create a Proof account, have your identity verified, have a video conference with an online notary, and then receive your completed document. You’ll be able to either download or send it.
What’s great is that they have forms ready for you to use. By using these templates, you can save some time and energy when preparing your documents.
OneNotary
OneNotary is another 24/7 online notary to consider; its focus is on real estate, so if your notary needs are centralized on this industry, then it may be one to look into. They’ve got over 30,000 virtual notaries available and can get your documents notarized in just a few minutes.
Online notarizations start at $25 for individuals; this goes up to $70 if you want mobile notarizations, where the notary travels to you for an in-person signing. You’ll receive email support and up to seven days of document storage.
Here are the additional costs for online notarizations:
- $10 for every additional seal
- $10 for every additional signer
- $15 for a OneNotary witness
Here are the additional costs for mobile notarizations:
- $0.80 for every additional page
- $5 for every additional seal
- $10-50 for travel to hard-to-access areas
As for businesses, you have two choices: you can either pay as you go or get a subscription. Subscriptions are available on monthly or yearly terms, with discounts for the latter. The Business Professional plan costs $65 per month (or $49 per month on a yearly subscription), and you’ll have to contact them for the Enterprise plan price, as it’s custom-designed for you.
If you’ve got a company that needs frequent notarizations, then the business plans may save you some money.
A special offering that OneNotary has is embedded integration. You can put their eNotary service into your website through their API.
NotaryCam
NotaryCam was founded in 2014, so it’s been around a little longer than the previous three companies. This is another online notary that has a focus on real estate.
For individuals, it costs $25 per notarization, but only if you’re in the US. This jumps to $79 per notarization if you’re outside of the country during the meeting.
For businesses, they’ll get volume discounts if they notarize 10 or more documents a month. Plus, there’s flexibility with payment, as you can choose to pay at the beginning of the month or have your clients pay when they receive the notarized documents. However, the uncertainty of how much of a discount you’ll get can be off-putting.
For real estate specifically, they’ll help with closing with their eClose360 service. This is available between 7:00 am and 12:00 am EST, seven days a week.
Once again, the process is pretty standard. You’ll upload your document, confirm your identity with a notary by video conference, and then electronically sign and get the eNotary seal.
Like OneNotary, NotaryCam also has their own API. This allows partners to integrate online notary services into their websites.
DocVerify
DocVerify is an enterprise-focused platform, making it better suited for larger companies. It’s part of ICE Mortgage Technology, meaning it’s another real estate focused online notary.
This company has a simple pricing system; for Business E-Sign, it costs $24 per license, per month, or $268 annually. Enterprise E-Sign costs $65 per license, per month, or $760 annually. Otherwise, if you want the Enterprise Group deal, you’ll have to contact DocVerify for custom pricing.
Since this service provider is geared toward enterprises, it’s not cost-effective for smaller businesses or individuals, considering that you have to pay per license. But if you have many people who need notarized documents on a frequent basis, then it can really pay off.
The upside is that DocVerify allows you to store and manage your documents on their platform. They also have their own APIs, meaning you can add the e-signature process to your own apps. Lastly, it integrates with their Expedite Close program, which is used for wet-sign, hybrid, and full digital closings.
To use DocVerify, you’ll have to make a free account, and then fill out the notary application form in the Notary Portal. After they verify your identity, you can use their services within 3-5 business days.
BlueNotary
BlueNotary caters to businesses of all types, but also has specializations for law firms, real estate, and finance. They have over 10,000 notaries across 40 states.
There are no contracts with BlueNotary, so you can change your plan from Business Basic to Enterprise or cancel it anytime you’d like. There are no hidden costs either. However, their pricing can get confusing at times, since there are many variables.
For example, you can either buy an annual subscription or pay monthly. In addition, you can choose whether or not you have RON-certified in-house notaries. If so, then you’ll select how many notary seats you have, which will change the costs.
If you have one RON-certified in-house notary, it’ll cost $43 per user, per month, with two free sessions. Additional signers cost $5, and a BlueNotary witness costs $10.
If you don’t have any RON-certified in-house notaries, then the costs are as follows:
- $25 for notarization (first stamp)
- $8 for additional stamps
- $5 for additional signers
- $10 for a BlueNotary witness
This company will store your detailed audit logs and videos for over 10 years. So you’ll have these for reference whenever you want.
Enterprise solutions have custom pricing, which means you’ll have to contact the sales department to get a quote.
Run into problems at any time? Then try live chat, where the average response time is under five minutes.
Comparison Chart of Online Notary Services
For a quick overview of the above services, here’s a handy chart.
| Service | Pricing | Availability | Notable Features |
| Business Anywhere | $37 per document | 24/7 | Secure, international support, exclusive dashboard with three other services, fast process |
| Notarize | Starts at $25 per notarization | 24/7 | Secure, form templates |
| OneNotary | Starts at $25 per notarization; subscriptions available for businesses | 24/7 | Bulk notarization, real estate focus, mobile notarization, API |
| NotaryCam | Starts at $25 per notarization | 24/7; extended business hours for real estate closings | Global support, real estate closing, API |
| DocVerify | Subscription-based | Unknown | Enterprise-focused, real estate, secure storage |
| BlueNotary | Pay-per-use and subscriptions | 24/7 | Flexible pricing, fast process, fast live chat |
The Best Online Notary Service: Business Anywhere
In the end, the winner is Business Anywhere. Our pricing is the most straightforward out of all online notaries: you pay just $37 per document.
When you sign up for a free account, you’ll have access to an easy-to-use dashboard, and our team will be a click away. Whether you’re in the US or across the pond, we can notarize your documents and ensure that they’re recognized anywhere that accepts notarial acts from the US. We’ll be here for you if you run into any issues.
Plus, we have a wide range of other services that benefit small business owners. For instance, we have a free business registration service, where you only pay the state fee. This also comes with a free year’s worth of registered agent services, making our offerings extremely affordable.
Pick the Best Online Notary Service for Your Needs
We’ve gone over the main online notary service providers in this post. Now, it’s up to you to take this information and factor in your specific needs to determine which is the best online notary service for you.
With that said, Business Anywhere stands out against the competition. We’re here to get your documents notarized fast, and you can be literally anywhere in the world when that happens. And with our simple and transparent pricing, you can’t go wrong.
Sign up with Business Anywhere today to start using our online notary service. If you haven’t started an LLC yet, then make sure to utilize our free business registration service too.
