Is there a free Docusign plan?

No — there is a trial. The entry plan, Personal, is £8 a month or £96 billed annually and allows five envelopes a month.

When should I use Docusign instead?

When someone else has to sign, or when you need evidence of who signed and when. PDFpad produces a signed document, not an audit trail.

PDFpad vs Docusign eSignature

Prices and features checked 20 September 2026

Docusign is the name people reach for when something has to be signed properly. Every envelope carries an audit trail and a certificate of completion, which PDFpad does not offer at all. For a contract that may be disputed, that matters.

For filling in a form that was sent to you, it is heavy and there is no free plan: Personal is £8 a month or £96 a year and caps you at five envelopes a month.

PDFpad and Docusign eSignature, feature by feature
Feature	PDFpad	Docusign eSignature
Type on a flat (non-form) PDF	Yes	Partly
Fill existing form fields	Yes	Partly
Typed signature	Yes	Yes
Drawn signature (touch/mouse)	Yes	Yes
Upload signature image	Yes	Yes
Save and reuse signature	Yes	Yes
Date and tick fields	Yes	Yes
Flatten so fills can't be moved	Yes	Yes
Save as PDF	Yes	Yes
Save as Word (DOCX)	Paid only	No
Reorder / delete / merge pages	No	No
Works on a phone browser	Yes	Yes
File never uploaded	Yes	No
No watermark on free tier	No	No
No account needed to start	Yes	No

Pricing, as published by each vendor
Tool	Free tier	Paid	Billing
PDFpadChecked 20 Sept 2026	Unlimited filling and signing; 3 PDF exports per 30 days, each with a small footer line	£6 a month, £39 a year, or £2 to unlock one document for 24 hours	Monthly or annualOne click from the account page, any time
Docusign eSignatureChecked 20 Sept 2026	No free plan — a trial only	Personal "£8/month" or "£96 billed annually" with "Send 5 envelopes for signature each month"; Standard "£20/month per user"; Business Pro "£33/month per user"	Monthly or annualAnnual plans bought direct carry a 30-day money-back guarantee

Choose Docusign eSignature if…

Someone else has to sign, and you need proof of who signed and when
The document is a contract where an audit trail matters

Choose PDFpad if…

You are signing something for yourself rather than collecting signatures from others
You want to fill in the form as well as sign it
You do not want a subscription for one document

What each vendor says

Docusign eSignature

Docusign is built for getting other people to sign, with an audit trail and certificate of completion behind every envelope — something PDFpad does not do at all. [source]
The Personal plan is capped at five envelopes a month, and there is no free tier — only a trial. [source]

Questions

Is there a free Docusign plan?: No — there is a trial. The entry plan, Personal, is £8 a month or £96 billed annually and allows five envelopes a month.
When should I use Docusign instead?: When someone else has to sign, or when you need evidence of who signed and when. PDFpad produces a signed document, not an audit trail.

Try it on your PDF

Open your document, fill it in, sign it and save. Nothing is uploaded, and you don’t need an account to start.

or drop a file here · nothing is uploaded

Docusign alternatives

Competitor names are used descriptively to identify their products. Every price and feature above was read from the vendor's own page on the date shown and is re-checked quarterly. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.