Some businesses don’t require access to a broad set of electronic signature tools. Their recurrent document-related tasks mainly consist of sending documents for signing and storing them securely.
If this is true of you and your business, then a free e-signature platform will likely meet all of your needs. Fortunately, many leading brands offer long-term free plans, including DocuSign.
But there’s an essential point to keep in mind. Not all unpaid options offer the same degree of functionality. For example, some providers don’t support client signing. Signing up for the first long-term free subscription you encounter can result in issues further down the line.
In this post, we’ll provide an overview of the best free alternatives to DocuSign. We’ll also evaluate DocuSign’s free plan.
How Do Electronic Signature Platforms Work?
Electronic signature apps have become commonplace over recent years. Many organizations now view their signature app as an essential component of their technology suite.
In a nutshell, electronic signature platforms enable organizations to add signature fields to documents and send them to clients for signing. Paid plans usually include features like document editing, automated workflows, and in-depth tracking.
As a business owner, you have two options when it comes to picking an app. You can opt for a basic electronic signature tool, which enables you to send documents for approval but offers little additional functionality. Alternatively, you can choose a more comprehensive document management solution that provides other features for streamlining your workflow.
What Features Does DocuSign’s Free Plan Include
DocuSign offers a long-term free version. It’s easy to sign up for and doesn’t require you to share your credit card details.
However, the free plan is significantly limited in terms of functionality. It won’t be sufficient if you need software for sending documents to clients for approval.
Features only allow you to sign documents (uploaded from your hard drive or received from others) and store them securely online.
Best Free E-signature Platforms: Our Reviews
Here are five of the top free alternatives to DocuSign:
- PandaDoc – PandaDoc is a comprehensive contract lifecycle management (CLM) and e-signature application. It offers a long-term free plan (no upgrade is required at any point) that allows for unlimited signature requests and document uploads, along with the use of payment integrations. PandaDoc also has a mobile app that users can take advantage of. This level of functionality is rarely found outside of a paid subscription.
- Proposify – Proposify bills itself as “proposal software” and, as you might expect, offers specialized tools for managing proposals. That said, the platform can also be used for other documents like contracts. The free plan allows users to send up to five documents per month and also includes analytics, notifications, and Stripe payments (for integration in documents).
- Adobe Sign – If you sign a large number of documents from organizations that use Adobe Sign, it is worth setting up a free account. This will give you access to all your signed documents. However, you will not be able to send documents for signatures.
- DigiSigner – DigiSigner is one of the lesser-known brands in the electronic signature space. But it’s still worth sampling. It offers a straightforward free plan with a cap of three documents per month. Documents can have multiple signers.
- KONSIGN – KONSIGN is an innovative electronic signature platform designed to streamline document management and signing processes. It offers a secure, paper-free solution, enabling efficient document handling with features like SSL encryption, flexible workflows, cloud integration, and mobile app access. KONSIGN’s user-friendly interface simplifies document creation, sharing, and tracking, catering to various industries. It emphasizes environmental responsibility by reducing paper usage, supporting a sustainable approach to business operations.
