Electronic signatures: a business in need of pricing transparency

electronic signatures

Electronic signatures have been around for over two decades. Today, there are dozens of solutions that provide an almost identical set of features. E-signatures are no longer considered unusual, but essential. And yet, if you look at the pricing plans of any industry-leading e-signature vendor, you’ll be astonished at how ridiculously expensive and “obscure” they are.

 

What’s the price of admission?

electronic signatures

Personal plans aside – above are two plans with $25 and $40 price tags, then a mysterious $135-business premium subscription. Quite a bit of money!

The problem is that public pricing charts may be concealing a nasty surprise if you don’t know what to look out for. In fact, upon reading the fine print, you will find that there is a limit on the number of signature requests: only 100 requests per YEAR. If you are paying $40/month *12 months = 480/year/100, it turns out that each signature request will cost you around $5! And if you’re the confrontational type, be prepared to “talk to a rep” about pricing overages. 

Don’t take our word for it, head over to DocuSign’s plans and pricing page and browse their FAQ. The question of usage limits for the Standard & Business Pro plans clearly reveals the whole deal:

electronic signatures

If you think Adobe is any different, here’s the same fine print for their pricing chart:

electronic signatures

E-signatures are a necessary component of many modern businesses because they underpin some of the most crucial tasks and processes. Our customers deserve pricing transparency. Read the fine print before choosing a vendor, or just pick the one where transparency in pricing is part of the culture of putting customers first.