File No. 106 against No. 103
Docusign vs PandaDoc: what each costs
Docusign eSignature collects signatures on documents, and PandaDoc builds documents and collects signatures on them. The difference in how they bill: Docusign has three billing options and caps envelopes on every published plan, while PandaDoc has two billing options and a free plan capped at 5 documents a month.
The short answer. Docusign vs PandaDoc pricing: PandaDoc has a free plan for 5 documents a month, and Docusign's cheapest plan is Personal at $10 a month billed annually upfront. For teams, PandaDoc Starter at $19 per seat billed annually is below Docusign Standard at $25 per user. On the upper tier, Docusign Business Pro at $40 is below PandaDoc Business at $49.
What each one costs
Every figure below is read from the two price files at the moment this page loads, so this page cannot drift away from them. Each row links to the vendor page the price came from.
| Plan | Price | Billed | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docusign From $10/mo (billed annually) | ||||
| Personal | $10/mo | billed annually upfront ($120/yr) | Vendor page | |
| Personal | $11/mo | annual commitment, billed monthly ($132/yr) | Vendor page | |
| Personal | $15/mo | billed monthly | Vendor page | |
| Standard | $25/user/mo | billed annually upfront ($300/user/yr) | Vendor page | |
| Standard | $30/user/mo | annual commitment, billed monthly ($360/user/yr) | Vendor page | |
| Standard | $45/user/mo | billed monthly | Vendor page | |
| Business Pro | $40/user/mo | billed annually upfront ($480/user/yr) | Vendor page | |
| Business Pro | $45/user/mo | annual commitment, billed monthly ($540/user/yr) | Vendor page | |
| Business Pro | $65/user/mo | billed monthly | Vendor page | |
| Enhanced plans | not published | quote only | Vendor page | |
| PandaDoc Free, or from $19/seat/mo | ||||
| Free | $0 | no card required | Vendor page | |
| Starter | $19/seat/mo | billed annually | Vendor page | |
| Starter | $35/seat/mo | billed monthly | Vendor page | |
| Business | $49/seat/mo | billed annually | Vendor page | |
| Business | $65/seat/mo | billed monthly | Vendor page | |
| Enterprise | not published | quote only | Vendor page | |
Which one is for you
Pick Docusign if the team needs the upper tier on an annual term, where Business Pro is $40 per user a month paid upfront against $49 per seat for PandaDoc Business, and the envelope limits cover the volume.
Pick PandaDoc if 5 documents a month on the free plan covers the work, or if the team wants the entry paid tier, where Starter is $19 per seat a month billed annually against $25 per user for Docusign Standard.
What Docusign's pricing page does not say
- Annual plans cap envelopes per year, monthly plans per month. Standard and Business Pro on either annual option allow 100 envelopes per user per year; billed monthly they allow 10 per user per month, which is 120 a year.
- The 'Annual | Billed monthly' option is still a 12-month commitment. After the first 30 days, cancelling means paying the remaining balance of the annual subscription, including taxes.
- Add-on prices change with the billing option. On 'Annual | Billed monthly' SMS starts at $0.36 per delivery and identity verification at $2.40 per attempt; on the upfront annual and monthly options they start at $0.40 and $2.50. Add-ons are available only on Standard or Business Pro.
- The default view is 'Annual | Billed monthly', not the cheapest option. Paying the year upfront lowers Standard from $30 to $25 per user per month.
- Collecting payments during signing needs Business Pro or an Enhanced plan. Teams of more than 50 users are directed to sales.
- The page notes that plans, pricing and packaging may be valid for new customers only, and that additional tax may apply to every plan.
What PandaDoc's pricing page does not say
- Prices are per seat, so the figure on the page is for one person. A team of five on Business is $245 a month on annual billing, not $49.
- The headline figures shown by default are the annual billing rates. Paying monthly costs 84% more on Starter, $35 against $19.
- Enterprise has no published price, and the page offers per seat or per document pricing, which are different models for the same tier.
- Several Business features carry an asterisk on the pricing page, which usually marks an add-on or a limit. What those asterisks mean was not confirmed on this check.
Docusign or PandaDoc for one person
One sender with light volume pays nothing on PandaDoc's free plan, which allows 5 documents a month and does not expire. Docusign lists no free plan. Its Personal plan allows 5 envelopes a month and costs $10 a month billed annually upfront, $11 on an annual commitment paid monthly, or $15 month to month.
What a team of 5 or 20 pays
Above one sender, both tools price per person, so the monthly bill is the head count times the rate. Docusign also sells an annual commitment paid monthly: $30 for Standard and $45 for Business Pro.
| Plan and billing | Per person a month | Team of 5 | Team of 20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PandaDoc Starter, annual | $19 | 5 x $19 | 20 x $19 |
| Docusign Standard, annual upfront | $25 | 5 x $25 | 20 x $25 |
| PandaDoc Starter, monthly | $35 | 5 x $35 | 20 x $35 |
| Docusign Standard, monthly | $45 | 5 x $45 | 20 x $45 |
| Docusign Business Pro, annual upfront | $40 | 5 x $40 | 20 x $40 |
| PandaDoc Business, annual | $49 | 5 x $49 | 20 x $49 |
| Docusign Business Pro, monthly | $65 | 5 x $65 | 20 x $65 |
| PandaDoc Business, monthly | $65 | 5 x $65 | 20 x $65 |
Is Docusign cheaper than PandaDoc? On the entry team tier, no: PandaDoc Starter is lower on both annual and monthly billing. On the upper tier, yes on an annual term: Docusign Business Pro is $40 against $49. Month to month, both upper tiers are $65 per person.
Billing differences
- Volume limits. Docusign Standard and Business Pro allow 100 envelopes per user per year on either annual option, or 10 per user per month when billed monthly. PandaDoc's file lists unlimited document uploads and e-signatures on Starter.
- Free tier. PandaDoc's free plan needs no card. Docusign's page allows cancellation within 30 days without penalty, once per customer.
- Top tier. Docusign Enhanced plans and PandaDoc Enterprise are both quote only. Neither publishes a figure.
The full plan tables are in Docusign's price file and PandaDoc's price file. For PandaDoc vs Docusign on proposal work, see also the PandaDoc vs Proposify comparison. Other signing tools are in the contracts and signing drawer.
The evidence
Both vendors' pricing pages, as they looked when the figures were read.
Figures on this page come from the two files named above, each read off the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Prices change without notice; check before buying.