eSignatures.io 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 2.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
OpenSign grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
eSignatures.io
Pay-per-contract e-signatures with an API and no monthly fee
OpenSign
Open-source PDF signing with unlimited free signatures
Which one is for you
Pick eSignatures.io if
- Fits if you send contracts in bursts and would rather pay per contract than per seat
- Works for developers who want signing in an app through the API
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need advanced or qualified eIDAS signatures, as only simple ones are offered
- Watch out: live photo ID checks ($2.99) and SMS delivery ($0.09 a message) are billed on top
- Watch out: signed contracts are kept for a mandatory three years, according to the site
- Tight if you want a trial first: its length and limits aren't stated
- Pricey if you send a lot, with the cost falling to $0.20 only at the $100,000 top-up
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
| 2.0GPAeSignatures.ioFair | 2.6GPAOpenSignGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$0.49 a contract from a $50 top-up, with credits that don't expire. The category's figures can't price this, and what you pay depends on how many you send: 100 contracts is $49, and ID checks ($2.99) and SMS ($0.09) are extra. | 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 | DThe pages describe a free trial but give no length or limits, and there is no free plan. | 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 | CFlat fee per contract, mobile-first contracts, API, Zapier and Make, signer checks, links, kiosk mode and bulk send. Gap: only simple electronic signatures, with no advanced or qualified eIDAS signatures. | 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. You connect it through its API, Zapier or Make, or send from the dashboard, so there's setup first. | 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, Google Drive, WordPress, HubSpot, Salesforce, Claude and ChatGPT connections and an API. | 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 | a pay-per-contract signing API | 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: eSignatures.io and OpenSign. How we grade
Where they differ
- OpenSign is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- eSignatures.io also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| eSignatures.io | OpenSign | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $0.49 per contract, prepaid in credits from $50 | $9.99 per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | OpenSign Free (cloud): unlimited signatures and templates, signing order, completion certificates, Dropbox import and email notifications. |
| Free trial | Free trial offered; its length and limits are not stated on the pages read | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | eSignatures.com | OpenSignLabs |
| Price read from | esignatures.com | opensignlabs.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
eSignatures.io
- Only simple electronic signatures are offered; advanced and qualified signatures under eIDAS are not.
- Live photo ID checks ($2.99) and SMS delivery ($0.09 per message) are billed on top of the $0.49 contract fee.
- The pages read describe a free trial but do not state its length or limits.
- Signed contracts are kept for a mandatory three years, according to the site.
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
eSignatures.io
- Flat fee per contract
- A contract costs the same whether it has one signer or fifteen, two pages or twenty. There are no seat fees and no envelope caps.
- Mobile-first contracts
- Contracts are responsive text instead of PDFs, so signers on a phone do not have to pinch and zoom. The signed result is delivered as a PDF.
- API, Zapier and Make
- A single API request sends a contract, and the service also connects to Zapier and Make. Contracts can be drafted and sent from Claude or ChatGPT.
- Signer checks
- Signers can be asked for a one-time code by email or SMS, or for a live photo ID check. Photo ID checks cost $2.99 each and SMS delivery $0.09 per message.
- Links, kiosk mode and bulk send
- A contract link lets anyone sign, can be embedded on a site or shared as a QR code, and kiosk mode lets people sign one after another on a shared tablet.
- Data location and branding
- Contracts can be stored in the US, Frankfurt, London, Sydney or Canada. Your logo, company name, fonts and email domain can be used in the signing flow.
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
eSignatures.io
Credits$50
one-time top-up, used as you go
About 100 contracts at $0.49 each. Larger top-ups add bonus credits, down to $0.20 a contract at $100,000. Credits do not expire.
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
eSignatures.io
- Nonprofit
40% discount for non-profits
The pricing page states a 40% discount for non-profit organizations. How to claim it is not described on the page.
- Other savings
Bonus credits on larger top-ups
Credit purchases from $500 add 5% to 150% extra credits, lowering the effective fee from $0.47 to $0.20 per contract.
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, eSignatures.io or OpenSign?
As of Nov 12, 2026, eSignatures.io starts at $0.49 per contract, prepaid in credits from $50, and OpenSign starts at $9.99 per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, eSignatures.io or OpenSign?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only OpenSign has a free plan. eSignatures.io does not, though it has a free trial.
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.