E-signature tools, side by side
What it costs to send documents for signature with each tool, what you get for it, and whether the signature boxes are placed for you. Prices are in US dollars, from each company's own pricing page.
| Cheapest way to send, paying monthly | On yearly billing | Documents included | Free option | Fields placed for you | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign PDF | $5 a month (2 documents) or $10 a month (unlimited) | No yearly commitment needed | 2 a month on Light, unlimited on Full | Upload and see your fields placed before signing up | Yes, on every document and every plan, PDF and Word |
| DocuSign | Not listed on the pricing page | Personal, $11 a month on a $132 yearly commitment | 5 envelopes a month | Free to sign; sending needs a trial or a plan | Launched January 2026, rolling out |
| Dropbox Sign | Essentials; month-to-month price not clearly shown | Essentials, $15 a month ($180 a year) | Unlimited signature requests | 3 signature requests a month | Closed beta |
| PandaDoc | Starter, $35 a seat a month | Starter, $19 a seat a month | Unlimited uploads and e-signatures | 5 documents a month | Yes, on every plan |
| signNow | Starter, $20 a month | Starter, $8 a month | 10 invites a month (100 a year on annual) | 7-day trial | Basic name, date and signature detection |
| Zoho Sign | Standard, $12 a user a month | Standard, $10 a user a month | 25 envelopes a user a month | 5 envelopes a month | Yes, from Standard |
| Smallpdf | Pro, $12 a month | Pro, $9 a month ($108 a year) | Unlimited sign requests | 2 documents a month | Not offered |
| pdfFiller | Higher than the annual rate; not published in its pricing guide | Premium, $15 a user a month | Not stated | 30-day trial | Not offered; fields are placed by hand |
| Adobe Acrobat | Acrobat Standard, month to month (price varies by country) | Acrobat Standard, annual billed monthly; a fee applies if you cancel after 14 days | Not confirmed | Trial on Pro and Studio | Not offered |
Where we come out ahead
- The lowest month-to-month price of the tools here, with no yearly commitment.
- Fields placed for you on every plan, for PDF and Word files, plus an assistant you can just tell what to change.
- Certificate of completion, digital seal, audit trail and a public verify page on the $5 plan.
- You see your own document prepared before you sign up.
Where others are the better fit
- Large teams that need SSO, admin controls and formal certifications such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001.
- Bulk sending, payments at signing, web forms and APIs.
- Qualified electronic signatures or ID checks that some regulated work needs.
- A free plan for very occasional sending: Dropbox Sign, PandaDoc, Zoho Sign and Smallpdf all have one.
Checked on 24 October 2026 from each company's pricing and help pages: DocuSign, Dropbox Sign, PandaDoc, signNow, Zoho Sign, Smallpdf, pdfFiller, Adobe Acrobat. Prices change and some vary by country, so check before deciding. Where a company doesn't publish a figure we say so rather than estimate it. All product names are trademarks of their owners; we are not affiliated with any of them.