Comparison
Sign PDF vs Zoho Sign
Short answer
Zoho Sign has a free plan with 5 envelopes a month, and its Standard plan costs $12 a user a month, or $10 on annual billing, with 25 envelopes a user a month. Sign PDF costs $10 a month month to month for unlimited documents. Zoho Sign suits businesses already on Zoho CRM or Zoho One and anyone who needs an API.
Updated 25 October 2026
| Sign PDF | Zoho Sign | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None | 5 envelopes a month |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5 a month for 2 documents, or $10 unlimited | Standard, $12 a user a month, or $10 on annual billing |
| Documents included | Unlimited on Full | 25 envelopes per user per month on Standard; unlimited from Professional |
| Automatic field placement | Every plan | From Standard |
| Unlimited templates | Full plan | Professional and above |
| SMS, bulk send, API | Not offered | Available, using Zoho Sign credits |
| Trial | See fields placed before signing up | 14-day free trial, no card |
| Signers need an account | No | No |
Why people switch to Sign PDF
- Unlimited documents at $10 a month instead of 25 envelopes a user
- Unlimited templates without moving up to Professional
- No credit packs to track
- One price however many signers a document has
- A sealed PDF anyone can check without an account
When Zoho Sign is the better choice
- Five envelopes a month on the free plan is enough
- You already run Zoho CRM, Zoho Books or Zoho One and want signing inside them
- You need an e-signature API with pay-per-envelope pricing
- You need SMS delivery or bulk sending
- You want monthly pricing in your local currency
Zoho Sign's plans in brief
Zoho Sign has Free, Standard, Professional and Enterprise plans, plus pay-per-envelope API pricing. Free allows 5 envelopes a month. Standard allows 25 envelopes per user per month. Professional and Enterprise have unlimited envelopes.
Standard is $12 a user a month on monthly billing and $10 on annual billing. Zoho's page shows prices in the visitor's local currency, so check the figure for your own country before buying. Annual billing is advertised as a 20% saving.
There is a 14-day free trial and no card is needed to start it.
What are Zoho Sign credits?
Several features use Zoho Sign credits, sold in packs of 500 on top of the subscription. According to the pricing page, credits are used for sending by SMS, for automation through third-party apps, and on Enterprise for bulk sending, sign forms and the API.
Enterprise includes 50 complimentary credits per user per month, capped at 2,500 for the organisation. Envelopes sent through the API or third-party apps always use credits, whatever the plan.
We have none of those features, so there is nothing extra to buy. The trade-off is plain: if you need SMS or an API, we cannot help.
Templates and field detection
Unlimited templates arrive on Professional. Automatic field detection is included from Standard, so Zoho Sign and Sign PDF both place fields for you on the cheaper paid plans.
Our detection also works out who each box belongs to from the labels beside it, and takes plain-English edits such as "add a date under each signature". Templates are unlimited on our $10 Full plan.
Signers and what they receive
Zoho Sign's FAQ confirms signers do not need an account. They get an email with a signing link. Ours is the same, with one extra step: signers confirm a six-digit code sent to their email before the document opens, and the time they did so goes on the certificate.
When everyone has signed, we seal the PDF with a digital signature and a DigiCert timestamp. A QR code on the certificate links to signpdf.ai/verify.
Zoho Sign details come from Zoho Sign pricing and plan comparison, checked on 25 October 2026. Prices change, so check before deciding. Zoho Sign is a trademark of its owner. We are not affiliated with it.
Questions people ask
Is Zoho Sign free?
Zoho Sign has a free plan with 5 envelopes a month. Paid plans start with Standard at 25 envelopes per user per month.
What is an envelope in Zoho Sign?
An envelope is one sending of one or more documents to one or more recipients. Envelopes sent through the API or third-party apps use Zoho Sign credits.
Does Zoho Sign place fields automatically?
Its pricing page lists automatic field detection from the Standard plan. Sign PDF places fields on every plan and assigns each to a signer from the surrounding wording.
Can I use Sign PDF with Zoho CRM?
No. We have no integrations. You would download the document from Zoho and upload it to us, which is why Zoho Sign is the better choice for heavy Zoho users.
Which is cheaper for a sole trader, Zoho Sign or Sign PDF?
If you send 5 or fewer envelopes a month, Zoho Sign's free plan costs nothing. Above that, Zoho Sign Standard is $10 a user a month on annual billing with 25 envelopes, while Sign PDF Full is $10 a month month to month with no document limit.
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