Adobe Sign vs. DocuSign vs. signNow: Side-by-Side Comparison

E-signature solutions like Adobe Sign, DocuSign and signNow have revolutionized how businesses operate.

Adobe Sign, an integral part of Adobe Document Cloud, offers a streamlined signing process, enhancing efficiency in document signing. DocuSign, on the other hand, offers a comprehensive suite of applications designed to automate and connect entire agreement processes for businesses. Meanwhile, signNow, under the umbrella of airSlate Business Cloud, offers a user-friendly platform for signing, sending and optimizing workflow among teams.

Each tool brings unique strengths to the table, and determining which is best largely depends on your business’s specific needs and goals.

Adobe Sign vs. DocuSign vs. signNow: Comparison table

Adobe Sign vs. DocuSign vs. signNow pricing

Adobe Sign

Adobe Sign offers several pricing tiers under the Individual and Business plans.

Individual plans are priced as such:

• Acrobat Standard: $12.99 per month when billed annually, $155.88 per year when prepaid or $22.99 when billed monthly.
• Acrobat Pro: $19.99 per month when billed annually, $239.88 per year when prepaid or $29.99 when billed monthly. A 7-day free trial is available.

Business plans are priced as such:

• Acrobat Standard for teams: $14.99 per license per month when billed annually or $179.88 per license per year when prepaid.
• Acrobat Pro for teams: $23.99 per license per month when billed annually or $287.88 per license per year when prepaid.
• Acrobat Sign Solutions: Pricing is available upon request. A 30-day free trial is available.

DocuSign

DocuSign provides multiple pricing options as well as a 30-day free trial for its eSignature platform:

• Personal: $10 per month when billed annually, or $15 when billed monthly.
• Standard: $25 per user per month when billed annually or $45 per user when billed monthly.
• Business Pro: $40 per user per month when billed annually or $65 per user when billed monthly.

signNow

signNow’s pricing structure is as follows:

• Business: $8 per user per month when billed annually or $20 per user when billed monthly.
• Business Premium: $15 per user per month when billed annually or $30 per user when billed monthly.
• Enterprise: $30 per user per month when billed annually or $50 per user when billed monthly.
• Site License: $1.50 per signature invite.

signNow offers a 7-day free trial for its services.

Feature comparison: Adobe Sign vs. DocuSign vs. signNow

Integrations

All three digital signature tools offer a good list of integrations with powerful companies, making it easy to use other business-related software within their tools. For instance, Adobe Sign has seamless integration with Microsoft and other customer relationship management and human resources software. However, gaining access to these powerful integrations will require businesses to subscribe to the Adobe Sign Enterprise pricing option.

PREMIUM: CRM software and services may prove to be useful integrations.

DocuSign offers more lists of integrations with native software tools, including Microsoft, Zoom, Oracle, Google, Apple, Workday and Stripe — a comparatively higher number of integrations than Adobe Sign and signNow. This means businesses are more likely to find their preferred native integration solution through DocuSign. What’s more, some of these integrations can even be accessed at a lower cost than Adobe Sign.

signNow, like its counterparts, is compatible with several commonly used business applications, such as Microsoft Teams, Dynamics 365, Gmail, Salesforce, Box and BIM 360 (Figure A). The solution also uses Box to simplify cloud document storage and management within and across teams.

Figure A

Customization and branding options

While Adobe Sign, DocuSign and signNow offer customization and branding features, they differ in their approach and extent of customization. Adobe Sign, for instance, provides a comprehensive customization experience, allowing users to personalize the entire signing process, including emails and confirmation pages. It offers full HTML control for creating unique signature requests and confirmation emails.

Meanwhile, DocuSign offers Signing Brand and Sending Brand customization features. The Signing Brand feature allows users to style the signing view and email notifications, whereas the Sending Brand feature customizes the look of the organization’s DocuSign accounts (Figure B).

Figure B

Compared to Adobe Sign and DocuSign, signNow stands out for its Custom Branding feature. signNow’s Custom Branding enables businesses to apply their logo to e-signature workflows. It also offers the ability to send conditional documents and create unlimited templates.

Document security

Adobe Sign uses AES 256-bit encryption to protect both data at rest and in transit. It offers real-time alerts and reminders, which are instrumental in efficient document tracking and management. The solution even archives all signed documents and maintains a comprehensive audit trail of transactions. It employs various authentication methods, such as single-factor email verification and two-factor authentication to verify the identity of signers (Figure C).

Figure C

On the other hand, DocuSign emphasizes security with features such as two-factor authentication and network protection. It encrypts all documents using AES 256-bit encryption or the latest FIPS-approved methods. It also adheres to various industry-recognized standards in its billing practices, ensuring the security of customers’ credit card data.

Like DocuSign and Adobe Sign, signNow complies with a range of industry standards like GDPR, HIPAA, FERPA and SOC 2 to ensure a high level of security and global acceptance of digital signatures. It provides two-factor authentication, network protection, and digital certificate technology. All data is encrypted with a 256-bit encryption algorithm, both at rest and during transfer.

Document tracking

Adobe Sign uses a document tracking system that keeps users updated with real-time notifications whenever a document is accessed or signed. It also offers a view of each document’s status and history, ensuring awareness of where documents are in the signing process. Additionally, Adobe Sign sends automatic email reminders to help meet deadlines and provides a comprehensive history of each document once the process is completed.

SEE: Businesses may want to explore some of the best document management software.

Similarly, DocuSign brings a feature-rich document tracking system. It maintains a history of documents and folders over a specified period, supporting audit trails and compliance reporting. Users can easily check the status of documents, whether they’ve been signed or are still pending. DocuSign even allows users to see when an e-signature invite was sent and to whom and provides a detailed log of all actions and changes made to a document.

signNow also allows users to add signers and track the signing of documents electronically (Figure D). Like its counterparts, it provides notifications and real-time access to documents, and signNow allows users to monitor the progress of their documents through reports and dashboards.

Figure D

Adobe Sign pros and cons

Adobe Sign Pros

• Offers a wide range of features.
• Complies with regulations across various sectors.
• Provides high levels of customization.
• Integrates with BOX.
• Integrates with Microsoft’s Power Automate which enhances the digital environment.

Adobe Sign Cons

• Adobe Sign lacks a free version.
• Users can’t brand documents on the Standard Plan.
• Some users report that email sometimes goes to Spam.

DocuSign pros and cons

DocuSign Pros

• Provides a broad set of features.
• Offers a user-friendly interface.
• Supports numerous third-party integrations.
• Facilitates quick signing of crucial documents.
• Uses encryption and authentication for document safety.

DocuSign Cons

• Phone support comes at an extra cost.
• Free plan is somewhat limited.
• DocuSign is pricier than other options in the market.

signNow pros and cons

signNow Pros

• Budget-friendly, with plans starting at $8 per month.
• Excellent mobile apps for Android and iOS.
• Unlimited templates and signatures in the Basic tier.
• Supports effective team collaboration.
• Kiosk mode for in-person signatures.

signNow Cons

• File search functionality could be better.
• signNow lacks text formatting options.

Choosing between Adobe Sign, DocuSign and signNow

When selecting an e-signature solution, Adobe Sign, DocuSign and signNow offer unique advantages. For example, Adobe Sign is ideal for small and big businesses, as its business plans offer key e-signature features for small and large teams.

DocuSign, on the other hand, is designed to cater to larger organizations that frequently require digital signatures. It offers robust analytics, which is crucial for tracking the progress of documents in real-time at enterprise-level businesses. DocuSign’s compatibility with various software tools also makes it a versatile choice for businesses with diverse software ecosystems.

By comparison, signNow offers a balance of affordability and functionality, which makes it a viable choice for individuals and small businesses. It emphasizes online collaboration and, hence, is ideal for small teams to work together on documents.

That said, choosing between Adobe Sign, DocuSign and signNow should be guided by the specific requirements and the scale of an organization.

Review methodology

To review these e-signature tools, I utilized free accounts to gain hands-on experience with Adobe Sign, DocuSign and signNow. This allowed me to explore some of the features embedded in each tool. Key factors I considered in the evaluation included ease of use, integration capabilities, notification speed and tracking features.

In addition to hands-on testing, I analyzed external reviews from review sites to gain insights into user experiences. I also consulted each product’s website to better understand their pricing structure.