They do not solve the same thing. A signature is about who agreed; ProofReg is about which version existed and when. Often you use them side by side.
Identity and consent — versus existence and timestamp.
ProofReg records that a file existed at a timestamp; a digital signature records who agreed to a document.
A digital signature ties a person to a document: it is about identity and consent. But 'digital signature' is a broad term — from a scribble drawn in your browser, tied to no verified person, to a verified signature backed by identity checks. ProofReg does something different: it records the fingerprint of a file on the public XRP Ledger, with an independent timestamp.
Against a drawn scribble, ProofReg records verifiably more: which version existed, when, and that the file has not been changed undetectably since. And because the certificate is sent to an email address, it shows that the registrant had access to that mailbox at or before the moment of registration — a verifiable who-signal, even though it is not an identity check.
ProofReg and a digital signature differ mainly in what they prove, how verifiable that is, and what it costs.
Signature: that someone agreed. ProofReg: which version existed, and when — publicly verifiable.
A signature drawn in your browser is tied to no verified person. ProofReg records version and timestamp that anyone can check.
The certificate is sent to an email address; whoever holds it had access to that mailbox at or before registration. Not an identity check, but a binding.
ProofReg starts at €1 per registration; verifying is free.
ProofReg complements a signature: the signature for consent, ProofReg for the verifiable version and timestamp.
If you sign an agreement digitally, the signature records the consent. Record the same version with ProofReg as well, and you also have an independent, publicly verifiable timestamp of exactly that version — plus the binding to the email address the certificate was received at.
With ProofReg Duo both parties can moreover independently record the same version, so it does not become word against word over the content. ProofReg does not replace a signature; it records which version existed and when — not who signed.
ProofReg automatically creates a certificate with every registration and anchors that certificate itself on the XRP Ledger too, at no extra cost.
You receive the certificate by email. The certificate can carry the email address it was sent to; because it is delivered by email, whoever holds it had access to that mailbox at that moment — so the proof is tied to an email address, not to a verified identity.
Because the certificate itself is on the ledger, no one can undetectably alter or backdate it afterwards — not even us. So even your proof has a proof, which anyone can verify without ProofReg.
ProofReg records that this exact SHA-256 fingerprint, with the label and registrant you entered, existed on the XRP Ledger before the recorded ledger timestamp. That is independent and publicly verifiable, without sharing the document.
No. Your browser calculates the SHA-256 fingerprint locally. Only those 64 characters, plus an optional label or registrant you choose, are recorded. The file never leaves your computer.
ProofReg Duo lets two parties each record the same document independently. Only when both fingerprints match exactly does the mutual registration complete. It proves you both held the same version, not that you agreed.
A registration costs from €1, paid with credits. Verifying a certificate is always free and account-free.
Yes. A ProofReg certificate states the fixed anchoring account, the certificate id and the issue date. With those, it can be verified in a few steps on any public XRP Ledger explorer, without ProofReg.
No. ProofReg records no identity or consent; it records that a version existed at a timestamp. For consent you keep using a signature; you use ProofReg alongside it for the version and the moment.
Yes. You record the fingerprint of the signed file, so it is later verifiable that exactly that signed version existed at that moment.
A drawn scribble is not tied to a verified identity and says nothing about when, or whether the file changed later. ProofReg does record that version and timestamp verifiably, and binds the registration to the email address the certificate was received at — a demonstrable access to that mailbox, not an identity check.
Record an agreement · ProofReg vs emailing yourself · What it proves
Updated July 2026