Comparison Categories:
Reviews
Unlimited Signature Requests
Conditional Fields
Integrations
Custom Branding
Pricing
Templates
API
Security
Analytics and Reporting
Additional Use Cases
Dropbox Sign (formerly Hellosign) vs DocuSign
Let’s compare Dropbox Sign with DocuSign.
We’ve outlined the details of each company’s offerings and selected a winner for each category to help you quickly see which platform best caters to your priorities.
Reviews
When choosing an esignature solution, you’ll want to know what other customers think. Good news, both have great reviews.
Dropbox Sign:
Dropbox Sign has 4.7 stars on G2 and 4.7 stars on Capterra.
DocuSign:
DocuSign has 4.5 stars on G2 and 4.7 stars on Capterra.
Who wins this category?
Both platforms offer trusted features and customer support. Dropbox Sign does have a more consistent rating average, but the race is very close!
Unlimited Signature Requests
Want to send dozens of documents each month? You’ll want unlimited access.
Dropbox Sign:
Dropbox Sign offers unlimited signature requests on all plans, meaning it costs as little as $15 per month when paid annually to access this feature.
DocuSign:
To access unlimited signature requests, you’ll need to choose DocuSign’s second-tier plan, which costs $25 per month when paid annually.
Who wins this category?
Dropbox Sign gives you unlimited signature requests for less money.
Conditional Fields
Conditional fields can be used to request information based on a signer’s responses. This can be useful when collecting information from a new client.
Dropbox Sign:
The only way to access this feature with Dropbox Sign is to pay for a custom enterprise plan.
DocuSign:
DocuSign offers conditional fields on their Business Pro plan, which costs $40 per user per month.
Who wins this category?
DocuSign offers more affordable access to conditional fields.
Integrations
By connecting your electronic signature software to your other tools, you can streamline your workflows.
Dropbox Sign:
Dropbox Sign offers integrations with Dropbox, HubSpot, Microsoft Word, and Google Drive on their lower priced plans. However, if you want access to enterprise-grade integrations like Salesforce, Microsoft SharePoint, and Oracle, you’ll need to opt for their Standard Plan ($25 per user per month when paid annually) or a custom enterprise plan.
DocuSign:
With DocuSign, you’ll get access to basic integrations on all plans (Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and Microsoft 365). If you want to integrate your account with your CRM (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft SharePoint, Net Suite Sugar CRM, etc.), then you need to purchase a custom enterprise plan.
Who wins this category?
DocuSign integrates with more CRMs than Dropbox Sign, but you have to pay a higher amount to access those integrations. If you use a popular CRM like Salesforce, Microsoft SharePoint, HubSpot, or Oracle, you’ll get more bang for your buck by choosing Dropbox Sign’s Standard Plan.
Custom Branding
Custom branding gives your digital signatures an on-brand feel.
Dropbox Sign:
With Dropbox Sign, you can add your company’s logo, colors, and custom messaging to signature requests and signing pages.
To get access to the custom branding features, you’ll need to choose the Standard Plan, which costs $25 per user per month when paid annually.
DocuSign:
You can customize the notification emails and web pages seen by your clients. Update your logo and color themes to make the singing experience match your brand.
To get access to the custom branding features, you’ll need the Business Pro plan, which costs $40 per user per month when paid annually.
Who wins this category?
Dropbox Sign lets you customize the branding of your e-signatures and requests on a lower-price plan, so if branding is your top-choice feature, you’ll get more for less with Dropbox Sign.
Pricing
Because both platforms offer similar features, your decision might come down to price.
Dropbox Sign:
The Essentials Plan is $15 per month when paid annually. You get unlimited signing for one user.
The Dropbox + eSign Plan is $24.99 per month for up to one user (when paid annually). You not only get unlimited signing, but also Dropbox features such as 3TB of encrypted storage and 100GB of file transfers.
The Standard Plan costs $25 per user per month when paid annually. With this plan, you don’t get the Dropbox storage features, but you do get advanced e-signature features like in-person signing functionality, customized branding, SMS authentications, reporting, and bulk sending.
DocuSign:
The Personal Plan is $10 per month when paid annually. With this plan, you can have up to one user and sign 5 documents per month.
The Standard Plan is $25 per user per month when paid annually. You can pay for up to 50 users in your account and you can send unlimited documents for signature. You also get templates, team reports, and customized branding.
The Business Pro Plan is $40 per user per month when paid annually. You get everything in the Standard Plan, plus signer attachments, SMS authentications, collaborative fields, and payment collection.
Who wins this category?
If you need to sign fewer than 5 documents per month, DocuSign’s Personal Plan will be your cheapest option. But if you want unlimited documents, then you should opt for Dropbox Sign’s Essentials Plan.
If you want advanced features like customized branding, reporting, and SMS authentications, then you’ll get the most bang for your buck with Dropbox Sign’s Standard plan.
All things considered, Dropbox Sign offers more features for a lower price.
Templates
Templates are great for saving time. If you send the same types of documents again and again, you need this feature.
Dropbox Sign:
Dropbox Sign allows you to use templates to save time on new document creation. The Essentials Plan and the Dropbox + eSign Plan both offer up to 5 templates.
To get up to 15 templates (and the ability to share templates internally with your team), you’ll need the Standard Plan for $25 per user per month when paid annually. To get unlimited templates, you’ll need to opt for a custom enterprise plan.
DocuSign:
With DocuSign, you get access to unlimited templates on all plans. Your templates can include defined recipient roles, signature fields, and information fields.
However, if you want to share those templates internally with other members of your company, you’ll need to sign up for the Standard Plan, which costs $25 per user per month when paid annually.
Who wins this category?
DocuSign offers unlimited templates on all plans. If that’s an important feature for you, you’ll be better off choosing any of DocuSign’s plans over a Dropbox Sign subscription.
API
An API is essential for adding e-signature functionality to your own app.
Dropbox Sign:
Dropbox Sign has repeatedly won G2’s award for being the easiest e-signature API to implement.
Their API product starts at $75 per month for up to 50 signature requests, or $250 per month for 100 signature requests plus advanced signer fields. Custom pricing is also available for bulk needs.
DocuSign:
DocuSign offers REST and SOAP APIs so developers can deploy it in their own solutions.
DocuSign’s API pricing starts at $50 per month for up to 40 signature requests, or $300 per month for up to 100 signature requests and personalized branding.
Who wins this category?
Dropbox Sign’s API is better rated, but DocuSign offers a lower-cost option, so if your needs are low, you might want to choose DocuSign to save money. Their higher-tier plans are comparable, so there’s no harm in starting small with DocuSign.
Security
Most modern e-signature platforms are secure, but they might offer different advanced features.
Dropbox Sign:
With Dropbox Sign, you can use SMS authentication so you know that your intended recipient is truly the signer. This feature is available on their Standard Plan and above ($25 per user per month when paid annually).
Enterprises can also opt for QES2, the most secure e-signatures in the world under eIDAS, which is an EU regulation seeking to set the standard for cross-border transactions. This feature is only available on the Premium Plan (custom pricing only).
Audit trails (activity tracking and time stamps) are available on all plans.
DocuSign:
DocuSign also offers SMS authentication, but only on the Business Pro plan, which costs $40 per user per month when paid annually.
And, like Dropbox Sign, DocuSign also offers QES2 on their custom enterprise plans.
Audit trails are available on all plans.
Who wins this category?
If you need SMS authentication, Dropbox Sign’s Standard Plan is a cheaper alternative to DocuSign’s Business Pro Plan.
If you’re looking for QES2, you should get a custom quote from both companies and see which one covers all of your needs for a lower cost.
Keep in mind that the majority of businesses don’t need to adhere to this protocol, as it’s only necessary for enterprises in the EU. Most businesses can get by with AES 256-bit encryption, which both companies offer on all plans.
Analytics and Reporting
Keep track of your success rate and get advanced insights.
Dropbox Sign:
Dropbox Sign offers basic reporting on all plans. This includes usage statistics, such as how many requests have been sent and signed.
Their advanced reporting features are only available on custom enterprise plans and they offer insights into document turnaround times and status, so you can not only analyze your closing rate but also your sales cycle.
DocuSign:
DocuSign also offers basic reporting on all of their plans. However, their basic reporting features cover more data. Not only can you track usage statistics, but also signing status, completed time, and voided reasons.
Advanced AI-driven analytics are also available on custom enterprise plans.
Who wins this category?
Toe-to-toe, DocuSign offers deeper insights on any plan, whether you’re opting for something more affordable or purchasing an e-signature solution for a large enterprise.
Additional Use Cases
Both platforms offer additional use cases in case you want to consolidate your tech stack.
Dropbox Sign:
We’ve mentioned this in the pricing comparison above, but it’s worth calling out. If you sign up for Dropbox Sign’s Dropbox + eSign plan, you get access to unlimited e-signatures and up to 3TB of secure cloud file storage.
If you need both solutions, this could be a great way for you to consolidate your tech stack and save money.
DocuSign:
DocuSign also has a combo plan designed for real estate agents that let’s you get two products in one. But with DocuSign, you’d be getting their forms product. With forms, you can create on-demand, self-service documents, for a variety of purposes. This way, you don’t have to generate a new file every time, but you can instead streamline your workflow and create a portal on your website where each new client can access all of the appropriate forms.
Who wins this category?
That totally depends! Both companies offer great combo deals. If you’re a real estate agent, you’ll benefit from DocuSign’s forms, but if you don’t yet have a secure cloud storage solution, you can opt for Dropbox Sign and get e-signatures and storage in one plan. Or you can check out this review article at CloudWards, and choose cloud storage service for your needs
The truth is…neither of these combo deals might be a fit for you. If you send proposals to your clients, you’ll be better off combining e-signatures with your proposal software, such as Proposify.
Final comparison: should you choose Dropbox Sign or DocuSign?
All in all, Dropbox Sign wins more of our comparison categories. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Dropbox Sign is the right fit for you.
While Dropbox Sign is typically a better choice for small businesses, DocuSign offers more advanced features in similar plans, such as conditional fields, unlimited templates, and more insightful reporting.
So, while small businesses will probably opt for Dropbox Sign, larger companies should review the costs and features thoroughly before making their final decision.
Try Proposify for e-signatures, proposals, and more
Did you know that you can get e-signatures inside of proposal software? If you send proposals to clients, you’ll improve your closing rate by adding e-signatures directly to your proposals, (rather than sending separate proposals and contracts).
Plus, when you use proposal software like Proposify instead of outdated PDF tools, you can cut your proposal creation time by 50 to 90%, curate a library of interchangeable proposal sections so all of your sellers are sending approved content, and get visibility into how your prospects are interacting with your proposal.
For an all-in-one proposal + e-signature tool, get a demo of Proposify
