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