After reading the reviews, I decided to go with Easy Release. The apps range in price from $2.99 to $9.99, except mRelease which is free and charges $0.99 per contract generated.
Referring specifically to Easy Release, the process is easy to use and takes just a couple of minutes to enter the model's name, details, shooting location, and date of birth. If the model is younger than 18 years of age, the app automatically requires parental consent. The photographer is able to configure the app in the "settings" section, with name, company info, and email address. Once the contract is complete, Easy Release will email a .pdf version of the contract to the photographer's email address. Additional extras include the ability to include your company's logo, and a snapshot of the model which are included in the contract. Signing is as easy as using your finger to compose your signature.
While the apps offer a great deal of convenience, and seem to mitigate the need to carry around paper contracts, digital signatures can be an issue. For commercial photographers seeking to keep a model release on hand for routine assignments, this should not be an issue, but complications may arise when using stock companies to sell the work. Getty, for example, currently does not accept digital signatures, though we're told their lawyers are working on it. For more on this, read Jim Goldstein's thorough research in his weblog post.
All things considered, these apps offer a great deal of convenience, and I'm certain as the digital age progresses that digital signatures will be accepted widely. As a landscape and nature photographer, I generally don't use model releases on a routine basis, but do carry a stack in my gear bag for the times I am out performing street photography. I don't always have my bag with me, but I usually have my iPhone, and in that circumstance these apps will be very helpful.
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