Home / Categories / E-Signature Software
Live report
E-signature software — full comparison
Click any column header to re-sort. All four are shown on their cheapest paid tier at the same three seat counts — 1 / 5 / 20 users — where that tier actually scales that far. Two tools (DocuSign Personal, Dropbox Sign Essentials) are individual-only plans that don't scale to teams at all — marked N/A rather than forced into a number, with each vendor's real first team-capable plan noted instead.
DocuSign vs. PandaDoc pricing look close at the headline ($10 vs. $19/month), but DocuSign's $10 Personal plan is a 1-user product that doesn't scale to teams — its real team tier, Standard, starts at $25/user/month, while PandaDoc's $19 Starter plan scales to unlimited documents and eSignatures per seat from day one. Looking for a free e-signature tool: PandaDoc's free plan is the most usable ongoing option (unlimited seats, 60 documents/year), though DocuSign and Dropbox Sign also offer genuine (if narrower) free tiers. The cheapest e-signature software for a small business tends to be SignNow, at $8/month annual for 1 user — just confirm its envelope-cap policy directly with SignNow first, since the vendor's own pages currently disagree on whether one exists.
| Tool | Free plan | Paid-tier capacity constraint | 1 user | 5 users | 20 users | Aggregated sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DocuSign | Yes — ongoing1-user Personal plan only, not a team plan. Free-tier send limit isn't exposed as one clean vendor figure; a third-party cross-check reports 3 sends/month (36/year) | Personal: 5 envelopes/month. Standard/Business Pro: 100 envelopes/user/year.Hitting the allowance doesn't make sending unlimited — it requires a higher plan or purchased capacity | $10/moPersonal · $120 billed annually, same $10/mo whether annual or monthly | N/A — Personal is 1-user only.First team-capable tier: Standard, $25/user/mo annual | N/A — Personal is 1-user only.First team-capable tier: Standard, $25/user/mo annual. At 20 users: ~$500/mo annual | Catch: cost rises quickly once envelope allowances and higher-end agreement features become relevant — advanced workflow/AI sits in pricier IAM plans, not Personal. Praised for an easy, familiar signing flow and getting documents signed quickly from anywhere. IAM Starter (a separate product line, not an add-on to Personal) runs $45/user/mo annual and includes AI search/analysis; IAM Standard $50, IAM Professional $80. Capterra currently lists noticeably higher core figures ($15/$45/$65) than the vendor's own primary page or G2 — flagged in the footnote, not resolved. |
| PandaDoc | Yes — genuinely ongoingUnlimited seats. Vendor-confirmed: 60 documents/year, 2 recipients/document — sending blocks until the next annual cycle unless upgraded. Missing: drag-and-drop editor and unlimited eSignatures | Starter: unlimited documents/eSignatures.No monthly send cap on Starter — the Free plan's 60/year cap doesn't carry over once you're paid. API/automation workflows draw from Usage Credits instead of the document cap | $19/mo annualStarter · $35/mo billed monthly | $95/mo annualStarter · $175/mo billed monthly | $380/mo annualStarter · $700/mo billed monthly | Catch: advanced workflow/integration capability can become a paid extension — External Automations is a $39/month/account add-on on Business (included on Enterprise, not available at all on Starter). Praised for ease of use, intuitive document creation, templates, and fast signature workflows. AI Renewals (automatic contract-renewal detection) is a separate $20/seat/month add-on on Business; Enterprise includes it. |
| Dropbox Sign | Yes — genuinely ongoingUser cap not publicly specified. Vendor-confirmed: 3 signature requests/month (self-signing unlimited), up to 3 signers per request. Missing: templates, all team features | Essentials: unlimited signature requests.Essentials includes 5 templates, Standard 15, Premium unlimited | $10.05/mo annual-equivalentEssentials · $120.60 billed annually, $15/mo billed monthly — a current public promotion offers 15% off the first 3 months (monthly) or 30% off the first year (annual) on top of these list prices | N/A — Essentials is 1-user only.First team-capable tier: Standard, 2-user minimum, $17.50/user/mo annual | N/A — Essentials is 1-user only.First team-capable tier: Standard, 2-user minimum, $17.50/user/mo annual. At 20 users: ~$350/mo annual | Catch: advanced team/document-management features are gated — teams, branding, in-person signing, and bulk sending all require Standard or Premium; API access can get costly for smaller organizations. Praised for a clean, intuitive signing experience for both senders and recipients. No separately priced AI add-on found for the web signing plans. Capterra currently lists higher figures ($20/$30 monthly) than the vendor's own page or G2 ($15/$25, matching this report) — flagged, not resolved. |
| SignNow | No — 7-day free trial onlyNo permanent free sending tier | Unresolved source conflict: flagged, not silently resolved.SignNow's own pricing/Help pages say 100 envelopes/user/year, and its March 2026 refund policy references overage charges past that limit — but other current SignNow resource pages advertise "no envelope cap." Treat as needing confirmation from SignNow directly before treating either claim as settled | $8/mo annualBusiness · $20/mo billed monthly | $40/mo annualBusiness · $100/mo billed monthly | $160/mo annualBusiness · $400/mo billed monthly | Catch: the unresolved 100-invite question is the real cost trap here — one set of vendor pages caps you, another says unlimited, and only SignNow support can settle which applies to you. Praised for ease of use, intuitive signing, templates, and time savings. No separately priced AI add-on found for Business. G2 matches the annual figures used here; Capterra matches the monthly figures and the $1.50/invite Site License rate. |
Figures are aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party pricing research as of October 2026, and reflect published list prices at three fixed seat counts (1 / 5 / 20 users) on each vendor's cheapest paid tier — actual cost depends on add-ons and negotiated terms. DocuSign's pricing pages currently show two different schedules: the main U.S. eSignature page lists $10/$25/$40, while an e-commerce pricing variant lists $11/$30/$45 for an annual commitment billed monthly — this report uses the $10/$25/$40 primary figures; Capterra currently shows higher figures still ($15/$45/$65) while G2 matches the figures used here. PandaDoc's Business plan carries a separate $20/seat/month AI Renewals add-on (included on Enterprise) and a $39/month/account External Automations add-on; API/automation workflows beyond normal document sending draw from Usage Credits, which can add further cost. Dropbox Sign currently runs a public promotion (15% off the first 3 months on monthly plans, 30% off the first year on annual plans) layered on top of the list prices shown here; Capterra's listed figures ($20/$30 monthly) are higher than the vendor's own page or G2 ($15/$25, used here) and are flagged rather than resolved. SignNow's envelope-cap policy is a genuine, unresolved conflict between the vendor's own pages, not a gap in our research — confirm directly with SignNow before relying on either version. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product.
Cheapest at each size: Among the entry tiers that actually scale to each seat count, SignNow is cheapest at all three breakpoints ($8/mo at 1 user, $40 at 5, $160 at 20, annual billing) — but its unresolved envelope-cap conflict makes it the riskiest pick to commit to without confirming directly with SignNow first. Among tools with a genuinely unlimited-scaling team tier, PandaDoc is the clear second at $19/$95/$380. DocuSign and Dropbox Sign's headline prices ($10 and $10.05) are individual-only and can't be compared directly against the other two past 1 seat — their real team pricing (DocuSign Standard ~$25/user, Dropbox Standard ~$17.50/user) runs meaningfully higher than either SignNow or PandaDoc at scale.
Named tiers: Entry/Mid/Top-tier names — DocuSign: Personal / Standard / Business Pro / Enhanced Plans — Contact Sales. PandaDoc: Starter / Business / Enterprise (Contact Us; per-seat or per-document pricing). Dropbox Sign: Essentials / Standard / Premium (Contact us / custom quote). SignNow: Business / Business Premium ($30/user/mo annual, $50/mo monthly) / Enterprise (Site License available separately at $1.50/invite, usage-based).
Sources checked
FAQ
Common questions
Which e-signature tool is cheapest for a team of 5?
Among tools whose entry tier actually scales to a 5-person team, SignNow is cheapest at $40/month (annual billing). PandaDoc follows at $95/month. DocuSign and Dropbox Sign's lowest headline prices ($10 and $10.05) are individual-only plans that don't scale to teams — their real team pricing starts around $25/user and $17.50/user respectively.
Does PandaDoc have a genuinely free plan?
Yes — PandaDoc's free plan is ongoing with unlimited seats, but it's capped at 60 documents per year and 2 recipients per document, and sending blocks until the next annual cycle unless you upgrade. It's missing the drag-and-drop editor and unlimited eSignatures, both of which require a paid plan.
Does SignNow have an envelope sending limit?
This is genuinely unresolved from SignNow's own public pages. SignNow's pricing and Help pages state 100 envelopes/user/year with overage charges past that, while other current SignNow resource pages advertise "no envelope cap." Confirm directly with SignNow support before relying on either version.
Are DocuSign's and PandaDoc's AI features included in the base price?
No, both are paid add-ons. DocuSign's AI search/analysis lives in its separate IAM product line, starting at $45/user/month (IAM Starter) — not an add-on to the Personal plan. PandaDoc's AI Renewals (automatic contract-renewal detection) is a $20/seat/month add-on on the Business tier, included only on Enterprise.
Other categories