DocuSeal vs OpenSign (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick OpenSign: it is third in our ranking of e-signature and proposal tools, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
DocuSeal grades higher on features. OpenSign grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
DocuSeal
Open-source document signing, in the cloud or on your servers
OpenSign
Open-source PDF signing with unlimited free signatures
Which one is for you
Pick DocuSeal if
- Fits if you have a developer and want to embed signing in your own product
- Works for teams willing to host their own signing server to keep documents in-house
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on the free cloud plan: 10 request emails a month and 20 SMS
- Pricey if you need reminders, your own logo or SSO, as those are Pro at $20 a seat
- Watch out: embedding and the signing API are billed at $0.20 per completion
- Watch out: collecting payments while signing carries a 4% fee on Basic
- Skip it if you want no servers to look after, as the free open-source route needs your own hosting
Pick OpenSign if
- Fits if you want unlimited e-signatures without paying
- Works for developers who want an API and webhooks for $9.99 a month billed yearly
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want your own logo or domain on documents, as branding needs Enterprise, priced on request
- Skip it if you sign on your phone, as the mobile app is still coming
- Pricey if three of you want shared templates, at about $60 a month on Teams
- Tight if you send through the API or in bulk, as those spend premium credits, 240 a year on Professional yearly
- Watch out: free users get support only through GitHub issues and Discord, and payment requests are still coming soon
How we grade them
| 2.4GPADocuSealFair | 2.6GPAOpenSignGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $20 a user a month, between the category's middle of $15 and its dearer quarter at $29. The free open-source version needs your own server, so it counts as C, not A. | CTeams is $19.99 a user a month billed yearly ($39.99 monthly), so about $60 a month for three. That's the dearer end of this category, for shared templates and your own storage. The free cloud plan has no cap on signatures, so it covers 20 documents a month if you skip sharing; self-hosting doesn't count. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free cloud plan allows 10 signature request emails a month and 20 SMS requests. That's a cap you'll hit once you send regularly. | AThe free cloud plan has unlimited signatures and templates, 14 field types, signing order and completion certificates, with no cap a normal person would reach. Automatic reminders and the API are the paid bits. |
| Features | BTemplates, 10 field types, multiple signers, API and embedding, payments during signing and verification add-ons. Reminders, a logo, SSO and bulk send beyond 50 a month are Pro, which are limits rather than missing basics. | CTemplates, signing order, expiry dates, decline, sealed completion certificates, plus API, webhooks, Zapier and embedded signing on paid plans. The gaps: custom branding needs Enterprise, there's no mobile app, and payment requests are still listed as coming soon. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The cloud plan is a web app where you build templates, and the open-source route means running it on your own servers. | CNo store rating on record. The cloud version is a web app with templates to set up; hosting it yourself means following the self-host guide and running a server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Zapier, Make, n8n and GitHub connections and a signing API. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb only, with Zapier, Dropbox and Gmail, and an API, webhooks and embedded signing on paid plans. No phone app yet, so it's web with integrations. |
| Best for | open-source e-signatures you can host yourself | unlimited free e-signatures |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: DocuSeal and OpenSign. How we grade
Price against what you get
DocuSeal starts at $20 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. OpenSign starts at $9.99 a month and scores 2.3.
DocuSeal scores higher, and starts $10.01 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other e-signature and proposal tools on the chart, 4 score higher than DocuSeal for less, and 2 score higher than OpenSign for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- DocuSeal also covers forms.
At a glance
| DocuSeal | OpenSign | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per user / month | $9.99 per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Basic cloud plan: legally binding signatures, multiple signers, 10 field types and 10 signature request emails a month. | OpenSign Free (cloud): unlimited signatures and templates, signing order, completion certificates, Dropbox import and email notifications. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DocuSeal | OpenSignLabs |
| Price read from | docuseal.com | opensignlabs.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
DocuSeal
- The free cloud plan allows 10 signature request emails a month and 20 SMS requests.
- Automated reminders, logo, own email address, SSO and bulk send beyond 50 a month need Pro at $20 per user a month.
- Embedding and the signing API are billed at $0.20 per completion, per the page's usage list.
- Collecting payments during signing carries a 4% processing fee on the Basic plan, and none on Pro.
OpenSign
- API sends, public links and bulk sending use premium credits: 240 a year on Professional yearly, 100 a month on the monthly plan.
- SSO, custom branding, a custom domain and an uptime SLA come only with Enterprise, priced on request.
- Support for free users is through GitHub issues and Discord; official support comes with the cloud plans.
- Payment requests and a mobile app are listed as coming soon on the Teams plan.
Key features
DocuSeal
- Open-source core
- The code is on GitHub under AGPL-3.0, so the same signing tool can be deployed on your own servers.
- Templates and field types
- Documents are turned into templates with 10 field types. Pro adds auto-detected, conditional and formula fields and an import from DocuSign.
- Signing options
- Shared links, in-person signing, witnesses, attachments and multiple signers are listed, with an audit log and bulk send from a spreadsheet.
- API and embedding
- A signing API, embedded signing and a React component let developers add signing to a product, with webhooks and a test sandbox.
- Payments during signing
- Pro can collect payments when a document is signed. The cloud charges a 4% processing fee on the Basic plan and 0% on Pro.
- Verification add-ons
- ID card verification and knowledge-based authentication cost $2 each, and EU qualified signatures $2 to $4 each.
OpenSign
- Unlimited free signatures
- Both the free cloud plan and the self-hosted version allow unlimited signatures, requests to others and templates.
- Open source and self-hostable
- The code is on GitHub under the AGPL-3 license and can be installed on your own servers by following the self-host guide.
- Completion certificates
- Signed files are sealed with a certificate, so any later change breaks the signature, and come with a log of access and timestamps.
- Templates and signing order
- Reusable templates, 14 field types, signing order, document expiry and an option for signers to decline.
- API, webhooks and Zapier
- Paid plans add API access, webhooks, a Zapier integration, embedded signing and your own Gmail or SMTP account for emails.
- Premium credits
- Paid plans include credits used for API sends, public signing links, bulk sends and kiosk-mode signing in person.
Plans
DocuSeal
Basic$0
Cloud plan with indefinite retention, user management and 10 request emails a month. Email support.
Pro$20
per user / month ($200 per year if billed yearly)
Cloud plan with unlimited requests, logo, own email address, reminders, payments, SSO, SMS verification and API.
Open Source$0
Free to deploy on your own servers, with your own SMTP, 10 field types and community support through GitHub.
On-premises Pro$20
per user / month, license for self-hosting
Self-hosted license that adds white-label logo, full control of data, roles and teams, SSO, payments and an account manager.
OpenSign
OpenSign Free$0
Hosted: unlimited digital signatures and templates, 14 field types, signing order, completion certificates and public profiles.
OpenSign Professional$9.99
per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly)
Field validations, webhooks, Zapier, API access, auto reminders, embedded signing and 240 premium credits a year.
OpenSign Teams$19.99
per user / month, billed yearly ($39.99 billed monthly)
Adds teams and organizations, shared templates, your own cloud storage and 500 premium credits a year.
OpenSign EnterpriseCustom
Price on request: custom domain, custom branding, an uptime SLA, SSO and priority support.
OpenSign Self-Hosted$0
The open-source version you host yourself from GitHub, with unlimited signatures and templates.
Teams (self-hosted)$720
per year for up to 3 users, self-hosted
Paid self-hosted license with 1,500 premium credits, API access, embedded signing, public links, kiosk mode and analytics.
Ways to pay less
DocuSeal
- Annual discount
Pro is $200 a year when billed yearly
The pricing page offers Pro for $20 a month or $200 a year.
OpenSign
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
Professional is $9.99 a month billed yearly against $29.99 monthly, and Teams $19.99 per user a month yearly against $39.99 monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DocuSeal or OpenSign?
As of Nov 12, 2026, DocuSeal starts at $20 per user / month, and OpenSign starts at $9.99 per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, DocuSeal or OpenSign?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both DocuSeal and OpenSign have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.