Comparison · Approval Flow
Approval Flow compared with Sign for Jira and eSign
Approval Flow for Jira 3.0.0 is the production version (30 October 2026). Last updated 1 November 2026. On the Atlassian Marketplace.
We make Approval Flow for Jira. This page is neutral by rule: we take no commission from any app we compare, every statement about the other app comes from its own Marketplace listing or documentation with the date and link, and where we could not check something we say so.
Sign for Jira and eSign Signatures for Jira are built around electronic signatures for regulated work. Approval Flow is built around required sign-offs that gate a workflow transition, with signature controls added. They overlap, and on several points they lead. This page says where.
All statements about the two other apps are quotes or numbers from their own Marketplace listings, read from the Marketplace REST on 30 October 2026. We did not install or test either. Statements about Approval Flow come from our documentation, a live Jira Cloud test site, or the released code.
The apps, in numbers
#| Sign for Jira | eSign Signatures for Jira | Approval Flow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor | MyStatement | Digital Rose | Stanki Guild |
| Installs on the Marketplace | 3 | 686 | 1 |
| Marketplace reviews | 0 | 10 (average 5.0 stars) | 0 |
| Latest version | 5.0.0 (2026-10-19) | 3.4.0 (2026-09-14) | 3.0.0 (2026-10-30) |
| List price per year, 10 users | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| List price per year, 50 users | $400 | $650 | $450 |
| List price per year, 100 users | $800 | $1,300 | $900 |
Installs, ratings, versions and prices are read by the script facts.py from the Marketplace REST; prices are the first-year annual user-tier prices. Approval Flow's own figures come from the same source, so they match what the Marketplace shows.
What their listings say
#| Topic | Sign for Jira | eSign |
|---|---|---|
| Signing | "Electronic signatures confirmed with a personal Signing PIN on top of the Atlassian login." | "One-Time or Persistent Signing PIN" and "Bulk Signature Operations: Invite, execute and verify" |
| Meaning of a signature | "Signature meanings and an optional consent message, set per space." | "signature manifestations" |
| Change after signing | "The signed fields are hashed: a signature shows Invalid when they change." | "Signature Verification & Certification: Detect changes to signed issues" |
| Archive | "Audit logs of signatures, PIN events and settings changes; export to CSV, JSON or print." | "PDF Archival snapshot report" |
| Regulatory wording | "Sign provides technical controls for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU GMP Annex 11." | "Be US FDA 21 CFR Part 11 Compliant*" |
| Data | "Runs entirely on Atlassian Forge; no data leaves Atlassian." | "EU or US Data Residency (Processing)" |
| Workflow | "Workflow conditions and validators, a Jira Automation action, JQL fields and a read-only REST API." | "Jira Workflow Integration & Automation and an eSign API" |
One more fact, read from the Marketplace REST and labelled as a hint, not a finding: eSign's latest version declares the Forge scopes read:app-system-token and read:app-user-token; Sign for Jira's does not. Scopes of that kind are what an app asks for when it connects to something outside Atlassian, but neither listing text says what eSign does with them, so we draw no conclusion. If data location matters to you, ask the vendor.
What can be checked about Approval Flow
#| Topic | Approval Flow | How we know |
|---|---|---|
| Signing | Personal PIN to approve or reject (paid), locked for 15 minutes after 5 wrong attempts; one PIN entry for a bulk run in My approvals | Documentation. PIN and bulk run shown live. Authenticator code: not shown live |
| Meaning of a signature | Approved, Reviewed or Responsible per requirement, copied onto each sign-off when it is given | Documentation. Not shown live |
| What was signed | Each sign-off records a SHA-256 hash of the work item key, the requirement's text and settings and who had to sign. The work item's other fields are not part of it | Documentation |
| Change after signing | You can list fields to watch; when one changes, the requirement's sign-offs are cleared so it must be approved again, and the audit trail records it. A signature is cleared, it does not show as "Invalid" | Documentation. Not shown live |
| Archive | A PDF approval certificate with the requirements and the decisions, and CSV and JSON exports of the audit trail | Documentation. Not shown live |
| Consent message | None in the released version (we searched the released code for it) | Code search |
| Regulatory wording | No Part 11 or Annex 11 claim and no validation package | Documentation |
| Data | No external network declaration in the manifest; see Trust | Manifest, read by script |
| Workflow | A validator that blocks the transition; JQL status; Automation actions | Documentation. Block shown live |
Where they lead
#- Meaning and consent text. Sign for Jira offers an optional consent message per space next to the meaning. Approval Flow has the meaning only.
- Detecting changes. Both of their listings describe detecting a change after signing, and Sign for Jira says the signature shows as invalid. Approval Flow's approach is different: it clears sign-offs when watched fields change, and the hash covers the requirement, not the work item's fields.
- PDF archive. eSign's listing names a PDF archival snapshot report. Approval Flow's certificate is a PDF of requirements and decisions, which is not the same thing.
- Regulated-industry positioning. Both state Part 11 wording in their listings. We do not, on purpose. If your quality system needs a vendor that states it, these are the apps to look at, and the validation is still your responsibility, as Sign for Jira's own listing says: "Validating it for your intended use, and the procedures around it, stay your responsibility."
- Track record. eSign has 686 installs and 10 reviews. Approval Flow is new.
Where Approval Flow differs
#- It is a sign-off list that gates a workflow transition, with quorum, stages, separation of duties, a substitute and reminders, rather than a signature on a document-like record.
- Its audit trail is hash-chained and exportable with the raw entries and the recipe, so it can be recomputed without our code.
- It is free up to 10 users with every feature.
How to choose
#If your auditor expects signature manifestations, a consent text or an archival PDF of the signed work item, start with the two apps above and check their current documentation. If you need several people to sign off before a transition, with separation of duties and a trail you can verify, Approval Flow is built for that. They can also be used for different transitions in the same project; we have not tested them together.
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