Benjamin
Charity

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Log In vs Login vs Sign In

Reading time: 1min

This is a subjective question, but as a team you may need to come to an agreement on what is 'right' for your product. Here are some snippets of information gathered for a team discussion.

An arrow etched into a concrete wall painted white.
An arrow etched into a concrete wall painted white.


Sign In & Sign Out

  • Familiarity: Jakob Nielson (the 'father' of UX) did a study back in the early 2000s and decided to use sign in/out rather than log in/out. While that was quite some time ago, in 2010 Lee Munroe did an informal follow-up and showed that sign in/out was still more commonly used.
  • The only valid argument against this format that I have found is that it can be confusing when used next to 'Sign Up'.

Sign Up vs Register or Create an Account etc.

  • Sign Up can convey a more legal or contractual feel for some users.
  • When using Sign In, Sign Up is too close and becomes harder for users to parse, causing more incorrect clicks.

Login vs Log In

  • Login is the noun/adjective form referring to the form, page or actual credentials.
  • Log In is the verb form referring to the action. i.e., "Use your login credentials to log in via the login page."

Personally, I'm a fan of using Sign In and Create an Account.


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