Does BlockchainSign provide a qualified eIDAS timestamp?

No. We are not a qualified trust service provider. Our certificates are Ethereum transactions that anyone can verify independently, which is a different kind of assurance — objectively checkable, but without the formal legal presumption that a qualified timestamp carries in the EU. If you need a qualified timestamp, Bernstein or a qualified TSA is the right choice.

How much does Bernstein cost compared to BlockchainSign?

Bernstein's published plans start at €39 per month for one registration a month, with pay-as-you-go at €49 per registration. Our certificates are $9.99 for one, or $3.00 each in the 100-pack, bought once with no subscription. Bernstein includes qualified timestamping and portfolio tooling that we do not.

Is Bitcoin or Ethereum better for timestamping?

For evidentiary purposes the choice matters less than people assume — what matters is that the chain is public, immutable and likely to persist, and both qualify. We use Ethereum because writing the payload hash directly into a transaction lets anyone read it on Etherscan with no proof file and no client software.

Do I need legal-grade evidence, or is a timestamp enough?

It depends on what is at stake and who is asking. For a design record, an internal priority date or a delivered pitch, an independently verifiable timestamp is usually proportionate. If you are preparing for a specific dispute, or operating under a regulatory requirement, take advice — and expect the answer to involve more than any timestamping product alone.

Bernstein Alternative

What Bernstein offers

Bernstein encrypts files client-side, produces a cryptographic fingerprint, anchors it to Bitcoin, and issues a certificate. The distinguishing feature is the second layer: qualified timestamps from EU and China government-recognised timestamping authorities, alongside the blockchain record.

That combination is deliberate. A blockchain record is objectively verifiable but has no formal legal status in most jurisdictions. A qualified electronic timestamp under eIDAS does have formal status in the EU — it carries a presumption of accuracy of the date and integrity of the data. Bernstein gives you both, and sells the result as legal-grade evidence.

They also build the surrounding workflow: portfolios, sharing, IP management for teams, and a product shaped for law firms rather than individuals.

Where they are stronger, plainly

We do not offer a qualified eIDAS timestamp. We are not a qualified trust service provider and we do not partner with one. If your requirement is a qualified timestamp — because counsel asked for it, because you are in an EU regulatory context, or because you want the legal presumption that comes with it — Bernstein has something we do not, and no amount of comparison-table framing changes that.

They also have the law-firm relationships, the portfolio tooling, and years of positioning in front of IP professionals.

Where the difference is price and shape

	Bernstein	BlockchainSign
Pricing	Subscription from €39/month, or €49 per registration	$9.99 for one certificate, $3.00 each at 100
Commitment	Monthly plan, with per-month registration limits	One-time purchase, no plan
Chain	Bitcoin	Ethereum mainnet
Qualified eIDAS timestamp	Yes	No
Your file	Encrypted client-side	Hashed in your browser; only the hash is sent
Certificate verification	Through their platform and certificate	Directly on Etherscan, no vendor needed
Built for	IP portfolios, law firms, enterprises	One document, by the person who owns it

At €49 per single registration, or €39 a month for one registration a month, Bernstein is roughly five times our single-certificate price and considerably more than that against our volume packs. That is a reasonable price for what they include. It is a lot for someone who wants a dated record of one design file.

The honest positioning

Bernstein sells legal defensibility. We sell an independently verifiable fact, cheaply, without ever receiving your file, and we are careful about what we claim it proves.

Both of us should be saying the same thing about the underlying limit: a timestamp proves a file existed and has not changed. It does not prove authorship, and it does not create any right — see proof of existence vs proof of authorship. A qualified timestamp strengthens the evidentiary weight of the date. It does not change what the date means.

For where blockchain timestamps actually stand in court today, including the eIDAS position and the recent European decisions, see is a blockchain timestamp valid in court.

Choose Bernstein if

You need a qualified eIDAS timestamp, or your counsel has asked for one.
You are managing an IP portfolio rather than a document.
You are a law firm or enterprise and the workflow tooling matters.
The budget is a legal budget, and defensibility outranks cost.

Choose us if

You want a dated, independently verifiable record for a specific file, cheaply.
You do not want a subscription running between the times you need it.
You want the proof to verify on a public block explorer with no vendor involved.
Nobody has asked you for a qualified timestamp, and you would rather not pay for one.

An alternative to Bernstein