Published 2026-10-05 · 9 min read

BlueNotary vs Proof (Notarize) 2026: Best Online Notarization for Landlords?

Disclosure: we're a BlueNotary referral partner — links to BlueNotary on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Proof (Notarize) is included as the market reference; we are not making any claim about its current pricing or terms.

This article is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Notarization rules vary by state and change over time — verify current requirements for your situation before relying on any service.

Landlords run into notaries at the worst possible moments. A tenant relocating from another state signs the lease and the document needs a seal before it's court-ready. An eviction filing deadline is 48 hours out and the court wants a sworn, notarized affidavit. A power of attorney from a tenant authorizing a family member to sign on their behalf needs witnessing today. Remote online notarization (RON) turned that errand into a 15-minute video call — and the two services landlords compare most are BlueNotary and Proof (the platform that runs Notarize).

They look similar on the surface: both charge $25 for a standard session, both offer 24/7 on-demand notaries, both cover all 50 states. The differences are in what each one emphasizes — BlueNotary leans into security credentials and real estate tooling, Proof leans into network size and platform maturity. Here's the head-to-head from a landlord's perspective.

Quick Verdict

BlueNotary is our pick for landlords who care about security posture and real estate workflows. Same $25 entry price as Proof, same 24/7 on-demand availability, but with biometric ID verification, SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance credentials, dedicated real estate eClosing tools, and a business API for owners who want to build notarization into their operations. As a BlueNotary referral partner, we checked these claims against Proof's rather than just declaring a winner — and the security and real-estate focus genuinely differentiates it.

Proof (Notarize) is the largest, most established RON network. Five million-plus notarizations, a decade of operating history, fully published line-item pricing ($25 first seal, $15 additional seals), and the deepest bench of on-demand notaries. If your priority is the longest track record and the most transparent price list, Proof is the benchmark BlueNotary is chasing.

For a typical one-off landlord notarization — a lease seal, an affidavit, a POA — either one works. The choice comes down to whether you value BlueNotary's security-first posture or Proof's scale.

How Each Service Works

BlueNotary. Create a free account at BlueNotary's signup page, upload your document, and start a session on demand. Identity verification leans on biometric checks — you photograph an unexpired government ID and complete a live facial-match step — alongside knowledge-based verification questions. A commissioned online notary joins you by two-way video, witnesses the signing, and applies the electronic seal. The completed document is available to download immediately. BlueNotary also offers scheduled sessions for business workflows and an API so property management operations can embed notarization into their own platforms. Availability is 24/7, and the platform supports mobile devices.

Proof (Notarize). Upload your document as a PDF or DOCX (phone-scanning works for paper originals), create a Proof account, and verify your identity with knowledge-based questions plus an ID photograph. You're connected to a commissioned online notary — typically in seconds, per Proof — who witnesses the signing by video call and applies the seal. The finished document is available to download or share immediately. Notaries on the network are commissioned in states including Virginia, Nevada, Florida, and Texas and can notarize for all 50 states, subject to your state's RON rules. Sessions average under 10–15 minutes, and on-demand notaries are genuinely 24/7.

The workflow difference is small: both are upload → verify → video session → sealed document. The practical difference is identity verification style (BlueNotary's biometric-heavy approach vs. Proof's knowledge-based approach) and what happens around the edges — business tooling, API access, and compliance credentials.

Pricing Compared

Pricing was verified from each provider's published materials in 2026; pricing may change, so check current pricing on each provider's site before budgeting.

BlueNotary:

• Standard document session: $25 per document
• Each additional certificate: $8
• No subscription required for individual use; business plans available for volume

Proof (Notarize):

• First notary seal: $25
• Each additional seal: $15
• Each on-demand witness: $15
• Each additional signer: $10
• eSign-only transactions: $4 per transaction (unlimited signers)
• No subscription, no monthly minimum

For the most common landlord scenario — one document, one seal, one signer — both cost exactly $25. The pricing divergence shows up at the margins: BlueNotary's $8 additional certificates are cheaper than Proof's $15 additional seals, while Proof's $4 eSign-only tier gives you a genuinely cheap option for documents that need signatures but not notarization (BlueNotary has no equivalent published eSign-only tier). Neither charges a subscription or monthly minimum for individual use, which is what matters for a landlord who notarizes a handful of documents a year.

Availability and Hours

Both services offer true 24/7 on-demand notary access — this is the feature that makes RON worth using. When a tenant signs a lease at 10 PM and the document needs a seal before tomorrow's court filing or move-in, waiting for business hours isn't an option. Both BlueNotary and Proof connect you to a notary within minutes around the clock, including weekends and holidays. Neither requires scheduling in advance for standard sessions.

This is worth pausing on because it's the single biggest reason landlords adopt RON: the notarization you need is disproportionately likely to be urgent, which is disproportionately likely to be off-hours. Both platforms clear that bar. If 24/7 coverage is your whole decision criterion, the rest of this comparison is about features, not availability.

Security and Compliance

This is where BlueNotary makes its case. BlueNotary advertises biometric ID verification (live facial matching, not just an ID photo), SOC 2 compliance, and HIPAA compliance. For landlords, the HIPAA angle matters less than it sounds — you're not notarizing medical records — but the posture signals a company built for regulated industries, and the biometric verification is meaningfully harder to spoof than knowledge-based questions alone. Some lenders and title companies also respond well to SOC 2 credentials when you're coordinating documents across parties.

Proof's security approach is knowledge-based identity verification (answering questions derived from public records) plus ID credential analysis — the standard RON playbook, and one that has held up across millions of sessions. Its track record is the argument: 5M+ notarizations with no systemic verification failure is evidence that works.

Honest assessment: for a lease or affidavit, both are secure enough. BlueNotary's edge is verifiable security credentials; Proof's edge is verified scale. If you're a landlord who also runs a management company and wants compliance badges to show partners, BlueNotary. If you want the platform with the longest incident-free history, Proof.

Real Estate and Landlord Features

BlueNotary ships dedicated real estate eClosing tools and a business API aimed at transaction-heavy workflows — closings, refinances, and document packages that involve multiple parties. For an individual landlord this is mostly future-proofing, but if you ever scale to managing transactions for investors or run a small management operation, built-in eClosing support saves you from bolting a second tool onto your stack later.

Proof's equivalent strength is its business platform and integrations — quoted business tiers for volume users and the largest raw notary network, which matters when you need three simultaneous sessions or guaranteed capacity at peak times.

For the one-off landlord, both feature sets are overkill in a good way: you get enterprise-grade tooling at a $25 per-document price.

Landlord Use Cases

Where RON actually shows up in rental operations:

Remote lease signings. A tenant relocating from another state signs and notarizes the lease without flying in — and a notarized signature is harder to repudiate later. (A lease doesn't legally require notarization in most states, but notarization adds evidentiary weight.) See our online lease agreements guide and lease agreement templates.

Eviction affidavits and sworn statements. Courts frequently require notarized affidavits — service-of-process declarations, sworn statements of facts, rent ledgers attested under oath. When a filing deadline is 48 hours away, scheduling an in-person notary is the bottleneck you don't need. This pairs with our eviction notice forms coverage.

Property management agreements and POAs. Hiring a manager, granting a family member signing authority, or documenting a tenant's consent for a property change — all occasionally need a seal, and at least one party is usually out of state.

Multi-party closings. If you're buying or refinancing a rental property and the transaction involves remote signers, both platforms handle multi-signer sessions — BlueNotary leans into this with its eClosing tools.

One caution that applies to both services: RON laws vary significantly by state. Some states fully recognize remote notarizations; others have restrictions. Before relying on RON for any document, confirm your state accepts it for that document type — our online notarization roundup covers the landscape, and our Proof/Notarize review goes deeper on that platform.

Pros and Cons

BlueNotary — pros: $25 per document with $8 additional certificates (cheaper than Proof's $15 additional seals); true 24/7 on-demand access; biometric ID verification; SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance credentials; real estate eClosing tools and a business API; mobile-friendly.

BlueNotary — cons: smaller and newer network than Proof; pricing for business tiers is quoted rather than published line-by-line; no published eSign-only tier for documents that don't need notarization.

Proof (Notarize) — pros: largest established RON network (5M+ notarizations); fully published line-item pricing including a $4 eSign-only option; true 24/7 on-demand access; sessions under 15 minutes; mobile-friendly with phone document scanning; business tiers for volume users.

Proof (Notarize) — cons: additional seals cost $15 each (vs. BlueNotary's $8 additional certificates); identity verification relies on knowledge-based questions, which can fail for signers with thin credit files (common with young tenants); no HIPAA compliance badge or biometric verification marketing to speak of.

Getting Started with BlueNotary

The practical setup is straightforward and takes about five minutes before your first session:

1. Create a free account. Head to BlueNotary's registration page and sign up with your email — there's no cost to create the account and no subscription to cancel later. You'll set up a profile with your name and contact details.

2. Prepare your document. Upload the lease, affidavit, POA, or agreement as a PDF. If you're working from a paper original, BlueNotary's mobile flow lets you scan it with your phone camera during setup.

3. Verify your identity. Photograph an unexpired government-issued ID and complete the live facial-match step. This takes a couple of minutes the first time; returning users move through it faster.

4. Start an on-demand session. Join a video call with a commissioned online notary — available 24/7 — sign electronically while the notary witnesses, and receive the sealed document immediately.

A few landlord-specific tips for first-timers: upload documents the day before a deadline so you're not debugging a phone scan at 11 PM; confirm with your tenant that they have an unexpired ID and a device with a working camera before the session (identity-verification failures are the most common reason sessions don't complete); and for court filings, ask the notary to confirm the seal includes your state's required commission details — a quick question that saves a rejected filing.

If you're comparing BlueNotary against other options first, our online notary services roundup puts all three major platforms side by side, and our Notarize vs NotaryCam comparison covers the other half of the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BlueNotary legit for landlord documents?

Yes. BlueNotary is a remote online notarization platform that connects users with commissioned online notaries by video. Like all RON services, its validity depends on your state's RON laws — most states now recognize remote notarizations for documents like leases and affidavits, but confirm your state's position before relying on it for anything court-bound.

How much does BlueNotary cost per document?

$25 for a standard single-document session, with $8 per additional certificate. No subscription is required for individual use. Pricing may change, so check current pricing on BlueNotary's site before budgeting.

How does BlueNotary compare to Proof (Notarize) on price?

For one document and one seal, they're identical at $25. BlueNotary is cheaper on additional certificates ($8 vs. Proof's $15 additional seals). Proof counters with a $4 eSign-only tier for documents that need signatures but not notarization. For a landlord notarizing a few documents a year, the difference is a few dollars either way.

Can I notarize a lease at midnight with BlueNotary?

Yes. BlueNotary offers 24/7 on-demand notary access, so you can start a session at any hour, including weekends and holidays. Proof offers the same — 24/7 availability is table stakes for both platforms and the main reason landlords use RON.

What's the difference between biometric verification and knowledge-based verification?

Biometric verification (BlueNotary's approach) matches your live face to your government ID in real time — hard to fake without being the person on the ID. Knowledge-based verification (Proof's approach) asks questions derived from your public records history (past addresses, accounts) — effective at scale, but it can fail for young signers or recent immigrants with thin credit files. Both are accepted RON verification methods.

Does a lease need to be notarized?

Generally no — in most states a signed lease is enforceable without notarization. Landlords get documents notarized anyway for evidentiary strength (a notarized signature is harder to dispute) or because a specific transaction partner, lender, or court requires it. Our lease agreement templates cover the underlying documents.

Which should a landlord with 2 units pick?

Either, honestly — both cost $25 for a standard session and both answer at 2 AM. Pick BlueNotary if security credentials (biometric ID, SOC 2) and real estate eClosing tools matter to your workflow; pick Proof if you want the largest, longest-established network. Our online notary services roundup puts all three major options side by side. For a set-and-forget default, BlueNotary's security posture plus cheaper $8 additional certificates make it the slightly better one-click bookmark.

Ready when you need it: Start a BlueNotary session — 24/7 on-demand notarization at $25 per document.