Top 4 DocuSign Alternatives

E-Signature tools allow companies to make the contract and negotiations process faster and more accessible. DocuSign has become a common choice for many, yet it is not the only choice. Different electronic signature platforms will be suitable for different use-cases. 

This piece will explore Docusign, as well as:

• Adobe eSign
• Pandadoc 
• HelloSign
• SignNow

The Pros & Cons of DocuSign

E-signature software allow users to take advantage of digital signatures. For a quick lesson on why these are so useful check out the video below

DocuSign is an E-signature tool with a massive chunk of the market share in its category. According to DocuSign reviews on TrustRadius, some of the product’s benefits include:

• Reduced cycle time for contracts, particularly when multiple parties are involved
• Mobile functionality for signing documents on the go
• Multi-language support
• Dropbox integration (and other third-party integrations)
• Easy to use UI
• Support for multiple document formats and technologies
• Authentication, auditing, encryption and other security features

On the negative side, no software will be the perfect solution for everyone. According to DocuSign users, the platform has a few potential drawbacks as well:

• The API leaves room for improvement
• Implementation in a live environment is different than in the sandbox environment
• There is a limitation in the subscription model. Some users would prefer a one-time licensing fee. Subscription model, some prefer a one time fee
• Functionality is limited for creating copies, editing documents, etc.

Common Themes of Reviewers

Overall, you’ll see a range of feedback, the good and the bad, from authenticated DocuSign users on TrustRadius. Some reviewers focus on the usefulness of eSignature software in general, and others focus on how DocuSign addresses their specific needs.

One user makes a clear case for integrating electronic signatures into your business process:

“DocuSign is a great product! It enables our company to facilitate new sales without having to actually go to the customers’ homes. We can also have customers correct documents easily. DocuSign makes transactions convenient for both our company and our customers.”

Tammy Gutierrez | Project Coordinator | US Alert SecuritySecurity & Investigations, 11-50 employees

One reviewer outlined their opinion on who DocuSign is right for, size wise:

“DocuSign is very well suited for large organizations that work in very transactional spaces. Being able to easily put together contracts safely and securely really helps in getting signatures back from clients faster. The ease of use for our clients is huge and also helps with obtaining signatures on contracts. DocuSign can really be used at any company, but I would say 200+ employee companies is what it makes the most sense for.”

Christopher Interisano | Commercial Sales | Top HatComputer Software, 201-500 employees

You can view the rest of TrustRadius reviews on DocuSign to get an idea of how the platform works and where its strengths and limitations lie.

Here are the four alternatives to DocuSign, based on reviews on TrustRadius.

#1: Adobe Sign

For those looking for a reliable E-Signature tool from a reputable, larger vendor, it doesn’t get much bigger than Adobe Sign. This tool offers strong quality-of-life and organization features at a competitive price point.

Adobe Sign Details and Use-Case

Adobe offers E-signature notification and reminder tools directly in the tool. The export features are strong as a result of Adobe being an industry-leader in pdf documents and management. This includes support for exporting all documents as Microsoft Office files in the base plan. Adobe Sign users also consistently praise the support and help staff of the company. 

A benefit that may go overlooked by just looking at a features list is the reputation of the Adobe name. In customer-facing roles, an extremely well-known brand name can be important for building trust. This may or may not have an impact on your use-case, but it is important to mention.

The biggest pros for this software are how easily it scales  and its pricing options. There are both individual and multi-user plans available. The pricing and features will vary hugely by your budget and number of users.

Adobe Sign offers intuitive editing and branding tools, with features varying by pricing. These will work with a whole host of software. Users can add signature fields to Google Doc, Microsoft Word page, and store directly in Dropbox.

As an alternative to DocuSign, Adobe is the more advanced version for those who need it. Its enterprise-grade integrations are unparalleled. Adobe Sign has Microsoft Preferred Partner status and works with many advanced tools. The full integration list is extensive and can be found here.

More advanced plans include the ability to post signable forms directly on your website.

Compared to some other DocuSign Alternatives, some users report needing an initial training for their teams. Once trained, the ease-of-use is praised. This may be an important consideration if you have team members with very limited technical skills.

Some of the key features of Adobe Sign include:

• Incredible integration options
• E-signatures on PDFs and documents
• Reminder and notification tools
• Strong security and data compliance
• Great scalability 

The single-user pricing ranges from $9.99/mo to $19.99/mo. Multi-user plans start at US$16.99/mo/license, with enterprise pricing available on request. 

Bottom Line:

Adobe Sign is an ideal DocuSign alternative for companies looking for a highly scalable and reputable e-signature solution

Adobe Sign Pricing

Reviewer Feedback for Adobe Sign

Users praise the ease of use, brand name, and support that comes with an Adobe product.

“We use Adobe Sign on the regular. It’s super easy to implement and use. Even when we bring on a new hire or contractor, Adobe Sign is right there to sign the paperwork. As an Admin, I have on occasion had to reach out to the Customer Service for support. I have been blown away by how helpful and knowledgeable their team is.”

Shawn DeLauney | Operations Security Engineer |  MediaPROInformation Technology & Services, 51-200 employees

Reviewers often praise the ease of use for their customers. This can help reduce back-and-forth and improve customer experiences and satisfaction.

“Usability is great in the sense that the user-end is able to be accessed from any operating system including the mobile devices. This allowed us not to have to install or change formats. The management console is great and allows for very detailed business settings to make sure we are compliant with HIPAA laws.”

Brian Randall  | EMR Liaison Coordinator | Gold Cross Ambulance, Hospital & Health Care, 51-200 employees

 #2: PandaDoc

In addition to being an electronic signature tool, PandaDoc also includes features for creating proposals and contracts.  Teams can use the SaaS platform to create and send proposals and contracts to their clients electronically. PandaDoc is a Top Rated award winner for the E-Signature category.

PandaDoc Details and Use-Case

PandaDoc is a fantastic tool for many, because of their unbeatable lowest price: free. The free version allows users unlimited, legally binding digital signatures. This tool also allows for payment collection right in the software. In terms of value for the price, the benefits become rather self-evident. If you are looking for unlimited, free signatures and payment acceptance, this will probably be the choice for you. PandaDocu is great E-Signature solution for a small business owner with a large quantity of signatures needed

Pandadoc is more than an E-Signature tool, it is a contract management software. This is well suited to those in legal, healthcare, or other contract-heavy industries. The payment feature would also work well for contractors doing construction or other service jobs.

Users can simply drag and drop a signature box to an existing PDF or similar document. As far as electronic signature solutions go, Pandadoc is a free option that will work well for many. 

The paid tiers include content libraries, approval workflows, and other more advanced contract management tools. 

PandaDoc Pricing

Bottom Line

PandaDoc is the best choice for businesses looking for a robust free e-signature solution.

Reviewer Feedback for PandaDoc

Users highlight the ability of PandaDoc to manage the proposal and contract creation and collect signatures in a centralized place. They also praise the ease of use and design tools. 

“Very easy to set up and fill contract templates with the dynamic fields. Easy to manage from a legal or business controller standpoint, and easy to use for the sales/legal/HR teams. The built-in theme editor makes it possible to design great templates by our design team. All in all a great solution for us. We’re currently considering to move to the Enterprise offering to get more workspaces and then onboard our HR department.”

Carl Thaisen  | Founder | Help House.io, Computer Software, 11-50 employees

Other Users praise the professional quality, security, and efficiency improvements. Ultimately, the free price point makes it a competitive choice for many businesses.

“We have used various other products before we decided PandaDoc will be our preferred service provider. We used DocuSign and HelloSign previously but find them way too expensive with limited functionality. We also used Proposify for sending proposals. We decided to sign up with PandaDoc because of their superior functionality and price point.”

Verified User | Professional | Professional Services, Banking Company, 1-10 employees

 #3: HelloSign

For businesses of all sizes, HelloSign is a highly customizable  E-Signature software. HelloSign offers security features and a robust UI for internal and external document signing. 

HelloSign Details and Use-Case

A free tier is offered by HelloSign for up to 3 documents each month. From there, pricing goes from $15/mo/user to $25/mo/user. Enterprise pricing is available on request.

HelloSign is another Top-Rated award winner on this list in the E-Signature category.

For most users looking for a free option, Pandadoc will serve them better. HelloSign’s best tier for a DocuSign alternative is the $25/mo/user standard plan for teams. This offers Salesforce integration as an add-on, something not offered in anything below enterprise pricing for the other tools on this list. HelloSign promises shorter integration between itself and Salesforce. For many use-cases, this will be a crucial feature.

Bulk sending is included in the standard price point, something not offered in comparable tiers of other software. This will help those needing to send many documents at once to many addresses. HelloSign is great for small-to-mid sized companies that do not have the resources or time to spend on individual distribution.

The 15 reusable templates at this tier are popular and will cut down on creation time. These can also be shared directly to a website or other url-based service. Branding and signer attachments are other quality features at this level. 

HelloSign is also quite mobile-friendly. Auto-population adds to the consumer convenience of this option. The vendor offers android, iOS, and Microsoft Mobile mobile applications. The user-friendly interface allows for quick, effective signature gathering. The software is also praised for its fantastic language support. 

In summary, HelloSign is likely the right choice for you if you’ll be sending contracts in bulk and need to integrate with Salesforce. However, it does not offer payment processing, which will limit its use for some customers. HelloSign is great for companies who do not need CRM or contract management features.

HelloSign Pricing

Bottom Line:

HelloSign is the choice for easy-to-use templates and bulk-send functionality. This tool is great for small-to-mid-sized users of Salesforce. 

Reviewer Feedback for HelloSign 

In their reviews, users describe HelloSign as a simplified solution to electronic signatures for small and medium-sized companies.

“From my personal experience, it is easy to use and our customers have rarely had any reservations about using HelloSign to sign documents. It has a mobile application, which makes it convenient to share digital contractual documents, likewise it works very well on mobile web browser and computer web browser. It has overall sped up the process of signing contracts between my organisation and our customers.”

Abimbola Kolor | Customer Service Analyst | IROKO Partners LimitedEntertainment, 51-200 employees

Another cited its appeal for small buisnesses who want integrate with Salesforce

“It’s great for small businesses that don’t require a sophisticated contract builder and want to get documents out fast for signature and back quickly. It’s a stand-alone solution with the option to integrate with Salesforce if you purchase the highest-end custom solution.”

Yvette Montague | CEO | MMODERN MARKETING LTD, Professional Training & Coaching, 11-50 employees

#4: SignNow

This tool has earned an impressive 9/10 trScore, and is a Top-Rated Award winner. SignNow is a cost-effective option for those with significant security and compliance needs, as well as strict deadlines

SignNow Details and Use-Case

This software comes into its own for teams that need document signatures with strong data-security features. The tool offers Advanced Threat Protection at its $15/mo/user business premium plan. For other products, ATP is often included only in enterprise-level software. 

The security-focus means users can get a higher level of protection at a lower cost than alternatives like Adobe Sign. 

Affordability is a big pro of this tool. The $8/mo/user plan is cheaper than all but the free alternatives on this list. The software also allows for electronic signing without an internet connection.

Personalized branding is included in the business premium plan. This feature is available at a cheaper price than in PandaDoc or HelloSign. The lower tier also includes reminders and notifications. This plan includes an audit trail and edit history. 

In summary, SignNow is a security-driven budget option. If price and security are your biggest concerns, this will likely be a good choice for you. It has fewer integrations than some of the other E-Signatures solutions on this list. SignNow only has payment options at higher price points.

SignNow Pricing

Bottom Line:

SignNow is the E-signature tool for budget-conscious users with strict security requirements.

Reviewer Feedback for SignNow

Users highlight data-compliance and cost effectiveness for this software.

“We use SignNow to collect consent documents for surgical patients. It creates a HIPAA compliant way to be paperless in this day and age. We switched from printing paper consents to this method about 1 year ago and will never go back. It enables us to upload their consent forms directly into their medical chart and it allows them to receive a signed copy as well that can be viewed on their phone, tablet, or computer.”

Olivia Capizzi | Office Manager | Capizzi MDHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 11-50 employees

Others cite further examples of security compliance and convenience.

“Quotes and any other legal agreements are perfect for SignNow. I’ve used it to get 1099 contractors to electronically sign NDA’s and work for hire agreements so it’s very handy to have this ability and lets me do business virtually much quicker than having to deal with a fax machine.”

Robert Brown | Designer|  Lennis Design, LLCDesign, 1-10 employees

E-Signatures Tools for Your Use-Case

If these user reviews highlight anything, it’s that you need a product to meet your specific needs. One E-signature tool that works great for a small business may not be sufficient for enterprise-level operations. Many enterprises will need features that simply aren’t necessary (or within budget) for a smaller startup.

If you are in the market for an alternative to DocuSign, browse the authenticated reviews on TrustRadius. These reviews will help highlight some of the pros and cons of each electronic signature tool. They will also give you valuable insight into how DocuSign and alternative eSignature solutions meet the use case of end-users and their company. Pricing, integrations, user experience, scalability, and support are all important factors in determining how well the product will work for you.