Scarlet iOS vs ESign: Detailed Comparison

ESign (also written as esign or e-sign) is a Chinese-developed on-device IPA signing tool that built a large following in the iOS sideloading community. It takes a different approach to certificates than Scarlet iOS, so comparing the two shows the main tradeoffs in on-device sideloading. This guide covers every meaningful difference, what has changed with ESign by 2026, and what former ESign users switch to. Last checked: October 27, 2026.

Short Answer

Scarlet iOS is the better choice for most people: it provides the certificate for you, is maintained, and is confirmed to work on iOS 14 through iOS 26. ESign needs you to bring your own certificate, and the developers behind its best-known successor describe ESign itself as end of service. If you liked ESign’s style of signing your own apps with your own certificate, look at KSign or Feather instead (see below).

What Is ESign?

ESign is an on-device IPA manager and signer. You import a certificate (a .p12 file and its .mobileprovision profile), then use it to sign IPA files and install them directly on your iPhone, with no computer. It can also inject tweaks (dylib files) into an app before signing, and it has an app source system similar to Scarlet’s repos.

ESign became popular in Chinese iOS communities as an alternative to Cydia Impactor that did not need a computer, and its interface and documentation reflect that origin. It is closed source and has no official download site: copies of the IPA circulate on third-party sites and GitHub pages run by other people.

ESign in 2026: End of Service

KSign, an open-source signer built to recreate ESign, states in its own project description that “Esign is end of service” and that users have been moving to other signing apps. That matches what ESign users report: no maintained official build and no official support for new iOS versions. In practice this means:

• No trusted source for the app: every ESign IPA you find is a re-upload. You cannot check whether it was modified, and a signing tool sees every app and certificate you give it.
• No fixes for new iOS releases: if a future iOS update breaks it, nobody is expected to fix it.
• The certificate problem stays: ESign never supplied certificates, so you still need one from somewhere (see the next section).

Certificate Management

This is the most fundamental difference between the two tools:

• Scarlet iOS: provides the certificate for you. You install Scarlet, trust its developer profile once in Settings, and it signs apps without you needing to know about certificate types or provisioning profiles. The tradeoff: Apple can revoke the certificate, and then Scarlet and its apps stop opening until they are signed again. Our guide on what to do when the Scarlet certificate is revoked covers the fix.
• ESign: you bring the certificate. If you have your own (from a paid Apple Developer account), this gives you full control and revokes only happen if your own account gets flagged. Without one, people use certificates shared in Telegram groups or bots.

Be careful with free shared certificates. A shared .p12 is someone else’s certificate used by thousands of people, so Apple usually revokes it quickly, and every app signed with it stops opening. Some guides then suggest DNS-blocking tricks to keep revoked apps running. Those break as soon as the DNS setting fails, and they block the certificate checks iOS uses to protect you, so we do not recommend them.

If you would rather not manage certificates at all, you can get Scarlet from our Scarlet iOS install page.

App Sources and Repos

• Scarlet iOS: a built-in library plus any repo you add by URL. The large English-language repos, such as AppTesters, publish in a format Scarlet reads directly.
• ESign: its own source system, with sources that were mostly Chinese-language and strong in Chinese-market apps and games. Many of those sources are no longer updated.

Whichever tool you use, the source matters more than the signer: a modified IPA is just as risky in Scarlet as in ESign. Our list of the best IPA libraries and repositories for 2026 has a safety note for every source.

User Interface

• Scarlet iOS: an English-first interface with category browsing, search, app pages and a one-tap install flow, built for non-technical users.
• ESign: a more technical interface with direct access to certificates, the signing queue, provisioning profiles and tweak injection. Good for people who want to see every step of signing, confusing for casual users.

iOS Compatibility

Scarlet iOS is confirmed to work on iOS 14 through iOS 26; iOS 27 support has been reported by third parties but is not officially confirmed. After a major iOS update, update Scarlet too. ESign has no maintained official build, so there is no supported version for new iOS releases; whether an old copy still runs depends on your iOS version and the certificate you use.

Comparison Table

Feature	Scarlet iOS	ESign
Certificate	Provided by Scarlet	Bring your own (.p12)
Computer needed	No	No
Tweak injection	Yes	Yes (dylib)
Repos / sources	Built-in library + repos	Own source system
Status in 2026	Maintained, iOS 14 to 26	End of service
Official download	Yes	No, re-uploads only
Revoke risk	Yes (shared certificate)	Depends on your certificate

Former ESign Users: KSign and Feather

If you used ESign because you sign apps with your own certificate, two maintained, open-source signers do the same job:

• KSign: built on Feather to look and work as close to ESign as possible, so the switch is easy. Open source (GPL-3.0) on GitHub, actively updated in October 2026. See our KSign guide for setup and risks.
• Feather: a free on-device app manager and installer that uses certificates from the Apple Developer Program. Open source (GPL-3.0) on GitHub, with about 4,900 stars in October 2026. Our Feather vs Scarlet iOS comparison covers it in detail.

Both need a certificate, like ESign. Their advantage over ESign is that the code is public, they have an official download (GitHub releases) and they are still updated. Download them only from their own GitHub pages, not from re-upload sites.

When to Use Which

Choose Scarlet iOS if:

• you do not have your own certificate and do not want to manage one
• you want the simplest experience, with a built-in library and one-tap installs
• you want an English-language app, guides and community
• you are new to sideloading

Choose KSign or Feather (rather than ESign) if:

• you have your own paid developer certificate and want apps signed with it
• you want to see and control every step of signing, including tweak injection
• you need to sign a specific IPA that is not in any Scarlet repo

Many sideloaders use both kinds: Scarlet for discovering and installing apps, and a bring-your-own-certificate signer for the few apps where they want their own certificate. For the technical background, see on-device vs computer signing.

FAQ

Is ESign still updated in 2026?

No official updates. The KSign project, which was made to replace it, describes ESign as end of service, and the copies that circulate are re-uploads.

Is ESign safe?

The app itself has no official source you can verify, and it handles your certificate and every app you sign. That makes a re-uploaded copy a real risk. If you want this kind of tool, KSign or Feather from their own GitHub pages are the safer options.

Can I use free ESign certificates from Telegram?

You can, but shared certificates are usually revoked quickly, and then every app signed with them stops opening. A certificate shared by strangers also means trusting whoever controls it.

Do I need a certificate for Scarlet iOS?

No. Scarlet provides the certificate; you only trust its developer profile once in Settings. If Apple revokes it, follow our certificate revoked guide.

Can I use ESign sources in Scarlet?

Only if the source also publishes in a format Scarlet reads. Check the repo’s own page; the large English repos usually say which signers they support.

The Verdict

For most users, Scarlet iOS is the better choice: it is maintained, it handles certificates for you, and it works on current iOS versions. ESign was a capable tool for people who bring their own certificate, but it is now end of service, so if that is what you need, use KSign or Feather instead. To understand the risks of any of these tools, read is iOS sideloading safe.