What is the difference between a digital signature and an electronic signature?

An electronic signature is the legal act: any symbol or process showing intent to sign, from a typed name to a click. A digital signature is a technology: cryptographic math that binds a signature to a document so any later change is detectable.

So they are different layers, not competitors. DocuSign and similar tools produce electronic signatures legally, and many seal them with digital-signature cryptography underneath. A signed PDF works the same way: the visible mark is electronic, the certificate behind it is digital.

Which is better is really which is needed. For everyday contracts, a recorded electronic signature is plenty. Regulated filings and some government work require certificate-based digital signatures specifically. For client work, choose a signing flow with an audit trail and the terminology stops mattering.

Contract creator software with signing built in gives you both layers without thinking about either.