DocuSign pricing vs. competitors: Are there less costly alternatives?

If you are on the lookout for an eSignature solution, you have probably considered using DocuSign, and assessed DocuSign pricing vs its competitors. As the market leader, DocuSign has been pioneering the electronic signature industry for a couple of decades. Known for its reliability and powerful functionality, DocuSign has become a household name, however its price tag may scare off potential customers.

Meanwhile, there hasn’t been a shortage of other prominent names on the eSignature software market. You can take a closer look at our list of the top 20 DocuSign alternatives we’ve recently updated. eSignature solutions like Adobe Sign, PandaDoc, and others typically offer similar features with different pricing options and policies that might actually suit you better than DocuSign.

To help you figure out whether DocuSign is the right choice for you, we are going to answer the following questions:

• How much is DocuSign? 
• What does DocuSign offer for the price? 
• What are the main DocuSign alternatives in terms of price/features?
• How does the DocuSign price stack up against the competition?

Also, feel free to explore our signNow vs DocuSign comparison to learn about the benefits and drawbacks of each eSignature app.

How much does DocuSign cost?

DocuSign charges its users on a monthly basis with an option for an annual commitment. Choosing the annual subscription allows you to cut costs in the long term. However, you are required to commit to paying for all twelve months of using DocuSign. If you are not satisfied, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

There are three essential DocuSign pricing plans:

• Personal: An entry-level plan for individual users, freelancers, and small business owners with minimal usage requirements and simple signature workflows.
• Standard: A medium-tier plan intended for small businesses that use eSignatures on a moderate scale.
• Business Pro: An advanced plan that is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses interested in complex eSignature workflows and custom branding.

A plan with customizable features and usage limits is also available upon request. To find out the price of DocuSign’s “Enhanced plans,” which are targeted at larger enterprises, users have to contact DocuSign directly to calculate the offering based on their needs.

DocuSign plans start at $10 per month. The medium-tier plan will cost you $25. To access top-tier features, you’ll have to pay $40 each month. Keep in mind that these prices only apply to annual subscriptions. If billed monthly, your costs will scale up exponentially, ranging from $15 to $65 per month.

Last but not least, DocuSign does offer a free plan (although it is not explicitly featured on the DocuSign pricing page, it is mentioned in the FAQ section). Though it only allows you to send up to three signature requests, you can use the DocuSign free plan without limits to eSign documents sent to you.

What about DocuSign usage limits?

With the DocuSign entry-level subscription (Personal), users can send up to five signature requests per month, which should be enough for individuals or small businesses that only occasionally need a few documents signed.

But if collecting signatures is an inherent part of your job, you’ll want to go with a higher-tier plan. The Standard and Business Pro plans have a usage limit of one hundred document sends per year. This value was calculated based on an average customer usage rate with regard to the Fair Use Policy. The majority of eSignature vendors apply the same or similar usage limits.

Important to know: One signature request – called “an envelope” by DocuSign – is not equal to one document sent for eSignature. A single envelope can contain one or multiple documents that you can send to sign. Regardless of the number of included documents, signature fields, and recipients, an envelope counts as one eSignature request the moment you send it out.

What does this mean for you as a user? The bottom line is that you are eligible to send only a limited number of eSignature requests over a specific period, based on the pricing plan that is associated with your DocuSign account. Once you reach the limit, you’ll have to pay extra for each signature request above your subscription package.

To raise your usage limits, you can either upgrade to a more expensive plan or buy up to five additional user seats. The latter option is only available to Standard and Business Pro subscribers.

DocuSign pricing comparison

Now that you know how much DocuSign costs, let’s see if there are worthwhile alternatives on the market that offer a similar set of features at the same or lower price. We will compare each of the DocuSign pricing plans with their counterparts from other popular eSignature vendors such as signNow, PandaDoc, Adobe Acrobat Sign, Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign), and Signeasy.

Please note that we do not account for such factors as the ease of use of a platform, their user reviews, and quality of support. We are focusing exclusively on the pricing policies and features of specific eSignature products available at each subscription tier.

The DocuSign free plan

eSignature solution	Free plan available
DocuSign
signNow
PandaDoc
Adobe Acrobat Sign
Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign)
Signeasy

Free eSignature plans are perfect for those who occasionally need to send a document or two for signing at no cost at all. However, most eSignature users will find those plans lacking and restrictive due to minimal usage limits and very basic features.

As of 2023, only PandaDoc indicates that it has a free plan, other popular eSignature solutions offer a free trial period between 14 to 30 days.

Important: Please note the difference between a free plan and a free trial. The latter only works for a limited time. As opposed to a free plan, a free trial is offered by almost every eSignature provider.

Although free eSignature solutions are scarce, you might still want to consider options other than DocuSign. For example, PandaDoc does a great job of offering free eSignature functionality along with the payment collection feature. PandaDoc claims to set no limits on document uploads and sends. On top of that, you can collect payments from signers upon document submission, which is a nice bonus for small businesses and freelancers.

Entry-level plan (Personal)

Starting at $10 per month (or $15 if billed monthly), the Personal plan is a basic subscription that grants you access to DocuSign’s essential features, including role-based signing, basic fillable fields, reusable templates, audit trails, and integration with cloud storage services.

If you are looking for a robust eSignature tool for simple document workflows (or just figuring out how to use DocuSign), you’ll probably find this plan sufficient. But its major drawback is the usage cap of only five eSignature requests per month, meaning your capacity to close deals electronically will be limited.

Luckily, there are several alternatives on the market with much softer caps or no usage limits whatsoever – at a better price:

• signNow charges only $8 per user per month for its annual entry-level Business plan. In addition to standard eSignature features, the offering includes one hundred eSignature invites per year and a few useful bonuses such as in-person signing on mobile devices and the ability to create and manage a team of several signNow users.
• Signeasy offers the same price as signNow for its Essential plan ($10 per month) but caps the usage at five sends per month (same as DocuSign). Thus, you get a similar package at a slightly lower price.
• The other two entry-level plans that participated in this comparison, including those of PandaDoc and Dropbox Sign start at $19 and $15 per user per month, respectively. But despite the higher prices, both solutions offer unlimited document sends. In addition, PandaDoc throws in its drag-and-drop document creator, which explains the price.

All things considered, we believe signNow offers the best value for the money in this price range, especially if you don’t want to pay extra for unlimited eSignature requests and additional tools like PandaDoc’s document creator. But if you are a power user who doesn’t mind spending more on eSignatures, Dropbox Sign might as well be a more cost-effective option than DocuSign, despite the overall higher price.

Details	DocuSign Personal	signNow Business	Signeasy Essential	Dropbox Sign Essentials	PandaDoc Essentials
Annual subscription	$10 per month	$8 per user per month	$10 per user per month	$15 per user per month	$19 per user per month
Monthly subscription	$15 per month	$20 per user per month	$15 per user per month	$20 per user per month	$29 per user per month
eSign documents
Send documents for eSignature	5 eSignature requests per month	100 eSignature requests per year	5 eSignature requests per month	Unlimited eSignature requests	Unlimited eSignature requests
Track signatures
Basic fields
Add multiple signers
Set a signing order
Reminders & notifications
Audit Trail
Reusable templates				5 templates
Cloud storage integrations
Signing links
Create & manage a team
In-person signing
Mobile apps for iOS & Android

Medium-tier plan (Standard)

The Standard plan stands out as the best-value proposition on the DocuSign pricing page. It costs $25 per month for annual subscribers and $45 for monthly subscribers. Indeed, this pricing plan is a significant improvement from the Personal plan as it is primarily tailored for small businesses.

When you purchase this package, you get one hundred eSignature requests per year and a set of collaboration features such as team reports, shared documents and templates, comments, etc. But most importantly, you get to apply your own branding to your eSignature notifications and workflows.

Though it’s a solid proposition overall, there are still more cost-effective options available:

• signNow’s Business Premium plan is only $15 per user per month (or $30 if billed monthly). It includes the same functionality as DocuSign’s Standard plan and also includes the Bulk Send feature. It allows you to import a list of signers and send a personal document copy for signature to multiple recipients at once. You also get to send document bundles with the Document Groups feature.

• Adobe Sign – which comes with the Acrobat Standard DC package – is $12.99 per month annually and $22.99 monthly. Although collaboration features only become available with a special subscription plan for teams, which costs $14.99 per month (annual license only), Adobe Sign presents itself as another great alternative to DocuSign. Besides, the subscription grants you access to Adobe’s famous PDF editing tools.

• Dropbox Sign offers the same price for its Standard plan as DocuSign – $25 per month annually – though the monthly subscription is more affordable at $30 per month. The price includes all the standard eSignature features, plus Bulk Send and integration with Salesforce, Microsoft, and SharePoint for teams.

Adobe Sign and signNow appear to be the best-priced options in the medium-tier range, offering every feature a small business or team needs to collect signatures while keeping their branding at the forefront.

Details	DocuSign Standard	signNow Business Premium	Adobe Acrobat Sign (Standard DC for teams)	Dropbox Sign Standard
Annual subscription	$25 per month	$15 per user per month	$14.99 per user per month	$25 per user per month
Monthly subscription	$45 per month	$30 per user per month	Annual license only	$30 per user per month
eSign documents
Send documents for eSignature	100 eSignature requests per year	100 eSignature requests per year	150 eSignature requests per year	Unlimited eSignature requests
Track signatures
Basic fields
Add multiple signers
Set a signing order
Reminders & notifications
Audit Trail
Reusable templates				15 templates
Cloud storage integrations
Teams and collaboration
Custom branding
In-person signing
Signing links
Bulk send
Document groups
Basic PDF editing
Mobile apps for iOS & Android

Advanced plan (Business Pro)

At 40$ per month (annual subscription), you get the ultimate DocuSign experience that includes the entire set of features to manage complex eSignature workflows. And though the usage limit of 100 envelopes does not increase with the Business Pro subscription, the variety of tools you get to speed up and simplify your business processes is a great bonus.

First of all, DocuSign adds more types of fillable fields you can use to build professional and automated forms (e.g., calculated, collaborative, conditional fields). Business Pro also allows you to collect payments upon document completion, which is good news for both businesses and freelancers. Another highlight of this pricing plan is Power Forms which allows you to publish fillable forms on your website or via a link and collect filled-out copies without hassle. And though Bulk Send finally makes it in the Business Pro subscription, it’s a pity that DocuSign only includes it with its most expensive plan.

Although advanced eSignature plans deliver tons of value, they can quickly drive your expenses up. This is mainly because they are intended for larger businesses and are usually purchased for entire groups of employees. Let’s see if you can save money with less expensive solutions than DocuSign:

• signNow charges $30 per user per month for essentially the same set of features offered by DocuSign. You can create multi-functional fillable forms with advanced fields, use Smart Fields to automatically fill out forms in bulk with data from spreadsheets, configure document routing, request payments, and signer attachments – all while protecting your documents with two-factor authentication.
  Take note: The signNow Site License package is a usage-based pricing option for large businesses and enterprises sending over 1,000 signature invites per year. signNow charges $1.50 per invite with volume discounts available over 3,000 invites.

• Signeasy is even more affordable with a price tag of $30 per month for its Business plan. It includes various features for team management and collaboration, enables contactless signing with QR and public links, and provides custom branding capabilities. In addition, it offers powerful integrations with Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Teams. 

Details	DocuSign Business Pro	signNow Enterprise	Signeasy Business
Annual subscription	$40 per month	$30 per user per month	$30 per user per month
Monthly subscription	$65 per month	$50 per user per month	$40 per user per month
eSign documents
Send documents for eSignature	100 eSignature requests per year	100 eSignature requests per year	Fair Usage Policy
Track signatures
Basic fields
Advanced fields
Collaborative fields
Drawing fields
Add multiple signers
Set a signing order
Reminders & notifications
Audit Trail
Reusable templates
Cloud storage integrations
Teams and collaboration
Custom branding
In-person signing
Signing links	(Power Forms)
Bulk send
Document groups
Smart Fields
Two-factor authentication
Request payments
Mobile apps for iOS & Android
Salesforce integration	$	$	$
Integrations with Google Workspace
Integrations with Microsoft Teams & Outlook

Enterprise-grade plans (Enhanced plans)

For large teams of heavy eSignature users, DocuSign offers custom plans with greater allowances for signature requests and additional tools capable of streamlining team management and complex business workflows. Depending on your needs, these plans can include:

• Various integrations with CRMs and productivity applications
• APIs
• Advanced branding
• Single-sign on (SSO)
• Organization administration dashboard
• AI-driven software for contract management
• Enhanced support, etc.

DocuSign calculates the cost of their Enhanced plans upon request. The final price depends on your personal business needs, the number of users, and the size of the requested package. Same as DocuSign, most eSignature companies do not disclose the price of their enterprise offerings, rendering a head-to-head comparison between them impossible.

However, you may consider airSlate Business Cloud as an alternative to other vendors’ enterprise solutions. It includes all the tools businesses need for paperless document management and process automation – at $50 per user per month.

The bundle features four products:

• signNow: An easy-to-use eSignature solution
• pdfFiller: Powerful PDF editing and management software
• airSlate: A no-code business process automation solution
• US Legal Forms: An expansive online library of legal and business forms

In addition, you get a wide variety of enterprise-grade features:

• Phone support
• Organizational dashboard
• HIPAA compliance
• 21 CFR Part 11 compliance
• Single-sign on (SSO)
• CRM/ERP integrations
• Personal integration support
• Advanced threat protection

Is DocuSign pricing right for you?

Now that you know how much DocuSign and its competitors charge, it is up to you to decide which product best fits your needs. Although DocuSign is the undisputed market leader with millions of satisfied customers worldwide, its pricing policy may not be suitable for everyone, especially for small businesses on a tight budget.

Thankfully, there are solutions like signNow capable of satisfying your needs for electronic signing at a more attractive price. To learn how signNow stacks up against DocuSign, consider reading our in-depth eSignature app comparison review.

Meanwhile, try a hands-on experience with signNow risk-free by starting your free 7-day trial.

FAQ

Originally published in March 2022 and updated for comprehensiveness in March 2023