Helpful Summary
- Overview: We compare PandaDoc, Docusign, and SignWell—three leading e-signature platforms, focusing on their features, pricing, and key differences to help businesses choose the best solution.
- Why trust us: We have a ton of experience with all the major e-signature platforms and have extensively researched and tested each one to provide reliable information.
- Why this is important: Selecting the right e-signature solution is crucial for streamlining document workflows, reducing costs, and ensuring legal compliance in electronic transactions.
- Action points: We suggest using SignWell for its ease of use, affordability, seamless integrations, and legally binding signatures that comply with international standards.
- Further research: Check out the SignWell blog to stay updated on industry trends and tips for maximizing the benefits of e-signature technology.
Comparing PandaDoc and Docusign?
The ability to sign documents electronically has become a game-changer in the digital age. PandaDoc and Docusign are two leading platforms that offer this service (and more), but there are plenty of differences to consider when deciding which to use.
Plus, alternatives are available to address many of these platforms’ greatest flaws.
At SignWell, we’ve spent tons of time testing and building e-signing tools—we know what to look for when selecting the right platform. In this article, we’ll examine PandaDoc, Docusign, and SignWell in-depth: what features they offer, how they differ from one another, and which is the best (in our opinion).
Why Listen To Us?
At SignWell, we have extensive experience with e-signature tools and workflows. We are a leading e-signing tool for businesses and individuals, and we regularly test and evaluate other platforms to ensure we are providing the best possible service to our customers.
PandaDoc vs. Docusign vs. SignWell: Key Differences
PandaDoc, Docusign, and SignWell are the three most powerful platforms for managing electronic signatures and document workflows. They share several common features but also have unique offerings that set them apart.
Cost
Cost is a big differentiator for these three tools.
For starters, neither PandaDoc nor Docusign offer a free plan, while SignWell does. Paid plans also vary dramatically—especially for teams. PandaDoc ranges from $19/user/month to $49/user/month, Docusign ranges from $10/month (for individuals) to $40/user/month, and SignWell costs a flat fee of $8/user/month (for individuals) to $24/user/month.
PandaDoc, SignWell, and Docusign offer free developer accounts with unlimited API test usage.
Ease of Setup & Use
Users also rate all three tools highly in terms of ease of setup and use.
According to G2 averages, SignWell is the clear winner in “ease of setup” (9.5/10 to PandaDoc’s 9.0/10 and Docusign’s 8.4/10). The same goes for “ease of use” (9.4/10 to PandaDoc’s 9.2/10 and Docusign’s 9.0/10).
SignWell also rates higher than the other two tools in “quality of support,” “ease of admin,” “product direction,” “meets requirements,” and more.
Market
Finally, these three tools differ slightly in terms of the markets they appeal to.
All three are considered small-business tools, but SignWell’s pricing and ease of use mean that it attracts a much larger proportion of small businesses than either PandaDoc or Docusign.
Docusign attracts the largest percentage of enterprise users and mid-market users, although both SignWell and PandaDoc have users in these categories.
What Is PandaDoc?
PandaDoc is a software platform that helps businesses create, send, and manage documents online.
With PandaDoc, you can streamline your document workflow, collaborate with your team, and automate your signature process. Whether you need to create proposals, contracts, invoices, or any other type of document, PandaDoc can help you do it faster and easier.
Key Features
Electronic Signatures
PandaDoc‘s electronic signatures let you add legally binding signatures to your documents without printing or scanning. You can also track the status of your documents and get notified when they’re signed.
Custom Workflows
PandaDoc enables you to design custom workflows that suit your specific business needs. With custom workflows, you can define the roles, permissions, and actions for each document, like who can edit, approve, sign, or view it. You can also automate the document flow with triggers, reminders, and notifications, saving you time and hassle.
Proposal Creation
PandaDoc helps you create professional proposals quickly. You can use templates, drag-and-drop editor, and e-signature features to customize your proposals according to your needs. PandaDoc also allows you to track the status of your proposals and get insights into how your clients interact with them.
Central Content Repository
PandaDoc’s common content repository feature allows you to store and organize your frequently used content in one place. You can create folders, subfolders, and tags to categorize your content and make it easy to find and reuse. You can also track the performance of your content and optimize it for better results.
Integrations
PandaDoc integrates with various tools and platforms that you already use, such as CRM, accounting, project management, and e-commerce. With PandaDoc integrations, you can streamline your workflows, sync your data, and automate your document processes across different applications.
Smart Content
Smart Content is a helpful feature that lets you insert variables that automatically adjust text, pricing, and other elements based on predefined rules or recipient inputs. This speeds up the document creation process by eliminating repetitive adjustments and increases accuracy and relevance in communications.
Workspaces
Workspaces are distinct sections within PandaDoc that separate teams and departments within an organization. They’re dedicated environments where team members can create, manage, and review documents without interfering with other projects. You can set separate permissions and roles for each workspace and even create separate templates and branding for specific teams.
ACH Payments
PandaDoc also supports ACH payments that integrate financial transactions into the document-handling process. This is an essential feature for businesses looking to streamline their financial operations and enhance the customer payment experience.
Document Tracking
Document tracking is a key PandaDoc feature that gives users real-time insights into how recipients interact with their documents. It tracks and reports metrics including who opened the document, when it was opened, how much time was spent viewing each page, and whether the document was signed.
Pricing
PandaDoc offers three pricing tiers—Essentials, Business, and Enterprise.
Essentials ($19/user/month, billed annually) includes basic features like unlimited document uploads and e-signatures, real-time tracking, and notifications. Business ($49/user/month, billed annually) offers more advanced features like CRM and Zapier integrations, approval workflows, and more. The Enterprise plan offers customizable pricing options and includes advanced features such as smart content and API access.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Create, edit, track, and sign documents quickly and easily
- User-friendly interface
- Seamless integration with other programs
- Responsive customer service teams
Cons
- Platform speed could be improved
- The design may not be user-friendly for some customers
- Difficult to modify if something goes wrong without starting from the beginning
- Hidden fees
What Is Docusign?
Docusign is a cloud-based platform that allows users to electronically sign, send, and manage documents.
It enables faster and more secure transactions with automated workflows, negotiation and collaboration tools, contract analysis, and e-signing.
Key Features
Electronic Signature
Docusign’s electronic signature feature supports a wide range of document types and offers legally binding e-signatures. This feature is admissible in court and widely accepted for most business transactions around the world.
Branding
With Docusign, you can customize the signing and sending experience to reflect your brand. This includes adding your logo, changing colors, and customizing email copy and links. This feature helps reinforce your brand presence and reassures signers that documents sent to them through your Docusign e-signature account are coming from your organization
Templates
Docusign’s template feature allows you to prepare documents for rapid sending with reusable templates that save tags and field placement, workflow routing, and other settings. These templates standardize processes, reduce preparation time, and enable end-to-end automation of your business
PowerForms
PowerForms allows your business to generate on-demand, self-service documents for signature. It’s ideal for forms like activity waiver forms, customer-initiated account change request forms, event sign-ins and registrations, and more.
Reporting
Docusign’s reporting feature offers users and account administrators a powerful tool for gaining insights and visibility into their account activity. With seamless integration and a user-friendly interface, this feature provides timely access to crucial business data, ensuring informed decision-making and efficient workflow management.
Document Creation
One key strength of Docusign’s document creation feature is its emphasis on compatibility. Whether creating contracts, agreements, forms, or any other document type, Docusign ensures that files created within its platform are compatible across a wide range of devices and operating systems.
Plus, Docusign prioritizes accessibility, ensuring that documents are easily attainable to all users, regardless of their device or assistive technology.
AutoPlace
Docusign’s AutoPlace feature automatically recognizes certain strings of characters and inserts fields into the document or template. This not only saves users time but also reduces the possibility of human error.
Pricing
Docusign offers three main plans—Personal ($10/month), Standard ($25/user/month), and Business Pro ($40/user/month).
Personal only supports one user, so teams will need to upgrade. Advanced features like PowerForms, payments, bulk sending, and attachments are only available on Business Pro or higher.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easy and accessible software
- Quick document processing
- Secure website for signing important and legal documents
Cons
- Poor customer service experience
- Issues with API integration
- Confusing document signing process
- Key features locked behind expensive plans
Best PandaDoc & Docusign Alternative: SignWell
SignWell is an e-signing solution that offers powerful features like document management and automation, bulk sending, reminders and alerts, attachments, and more—all at an affordable rate.
SignWell’s e-signing process is designed around the natural ways people use e-signing tools, so it’s easy for employees, customers, and partners to understand. All signatures collected with SignWell are legally binding and automatically archived to prevent tampering.
We also offer features like audit trails that are designed to support compliance.
Key Features
Electronic Signature API
SignWell’s electronic signature API simplifies the process of signing documents. You can use our secure, encrypted API to easily embed an electronic signature into your applications and web platforms, giving you complete control over document signing processes. We offer comprehensive documentation, free test accounts, and affordable, pay-as-you-go pricing (more on that in a minute).
Document Signing
SignWell lets you sign documents electronically with your mouse, keyboard, touch screen, or stylus. You can also request signatures from others, set reminders and deadlines, track the status of your documents, and get notified when they’re signed.
Document Workflows
SignWell helps you streamline your document processes by creating workflows that automate the steps involved in sending and signing documents. It lets you create workflows for different types of documents, like sales contracts, NDAs, invoices, and more. You can also assign roles and permissions to different parties, like approvers, reviewers, signers, and recipients.
Custom Templates
SignWell allows you to create and save templates for your frequently used documents. You can use templates to speed up the creation and signing of your document. It also enables you to share templates with your team members and collaborators and lets you edit and update your templates anytime.
Audit Reports
SignWell provides you with audit reports that show the history and details of every document you send and sign. You can access audit reports from your dashboard or download them as PDF files. Audit reports include information like the date and time of each action, as well as the IP address, email address, and signature image of each party.
Easy Integration
SignWell integrates with 5,000+ popular applications and platforms that you use every day, like Gmail, Outlook, Google Drive, Dropbox, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, and more. You can use these integrations to send and sign documents directly from your email or cloud storage accounts. You can also sync your data and automate your workflows across different applications.
Responsive Customer Support
SignWell’s responsive customer support ensures that users receive the assistance they need when they need it most. Whether navigating a feature, troubleshooting an issue, or seeking guidance on maximizing the platform’s capabilities, SignWell’s dedicated customer success team is readily available to provide timely support through email, phone, or a quick Zoom call.
Pricing
SignWell offers a free plan that supports one sender and three documents per month.
Paid plans include—Personal ($8/month), Business ($24/month for 3 users + $8/month for each additional user), and Enterprise (custom). All paid plans include unlimited documents, but higher-tier plans unlock advanced features like custom branding, in-person signing, high-volume API access, and more.
Our Enterprise plan is fully custom—we’ll work with you to come up with a plan that fits your business’s exact needs.
API Pricing
SignWell offers a flexible and cost-effective e-signature API that allows you to integrate electronic signatures into your workflows and applications. You only pay for what you use—no hidden fees or minimum commitments.
You can also opt for either a free Developer account for unlimited API test access or an Enterprise API account for full customization. We’re proud to offer an intuitive, secure electronic signature solution that is accessible to businesses of all sizes.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easy to use and configure the API
- More affordable than other document signing software
- It is compliant with HIPAA and other U.S. and international e-signature laws
- Simple process for signing and tracking documents
Cons
- Lack of Integromat Integration
- Inability to modify documents once uploaded
PandaDoc vs. Docusign vs. SignWell: Feature Comparison
Features | PandaDoc | Docusign |
SignWell |
Free Plan |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Pricing |
Starts at $19/month |
Starts at $10/month |
Starts at $8/month |
Team Plans |
$49/user/month | $25/user/month to $40/user/month |
$24/month (up to 3 users) |
No Hidden Fees |
✅ | ❌
Note: Docusign limits each account to 100 envelopes per user annually, regardless of the chosen plan. |
✅ |
Templates | ✅ | ✅ |
✅ |
Electronic Signatures |
✅ | ✅ |
✅ |
Share & Track Documents |
✅ | ✅ |
✅ |
Document Approval |
✅ | ✅ |
✅ |
Integrations | ✅ | ✅ |
✅ |
Ease of Use |
✅ | ✅ |
✅ |
Unlimited Documents | 🟠 | ✅ |
✅ |
Why People Choose SignWell?
People choose SignWell for several reasons, underscoring its appeal across diverse industries and business sizes.
Here are some of the main reasons why people choose SignWell over the competition:
- Superior Customer Support: One thing we’re constantly hearing from users is that our customer service is top-notch. This is something we’re proud of—and it’s something that you don’t always get with other e-signature providers.
- Ease of Use: SignWell offers an intuitive user interface that simplifies sending, signing, and managing documents. This ease of use is a breath of fresh air for businesses that are tired of clunky document management systems that try to pack in too many features and are difficult to navigate.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to many other electronic signature services, SignWell is known for its affordability. Our plans top out at $8/user/month (paid annually), no matter how big your team is. We also offer 25 free API documents each month for added savings.
- Legally Binding and International: SignWell provides secure, legally binding signatures that comply with laws like ESIGN and eIDAS. This legal compliance means you can safely and confidently use SignWell for all your document signing needs in almost any country worldwide.
- Versatility: SignWell is very scalable. Whether you need to send occasional documents for signature or send hundreds of contracts every day, SignWell can handle it.
- Workflow Integrations: SignWell integrates seamlessly with 5000+ business tools and services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Salesforce, facilitating smoother workflows and reducing the manual effort required in document management processes.
- No Signup Signing: Signers don’t need to create a SignWell account to sign documents. All they need to do is click the unique link provided to them and follow the instructions, making it a hassle-free process for both parties.
Conclusion
PandaDoc and Docusign are both popular and reliable e-signature solutions that can help you streamline your document workflows and close deals faster. However, they also have some drawbacks, like high pricing, limited integrations, and complex features.
If you are looking for a simple, affordable, and user-friendly alternative, consider SignWell.
SignWell is a cloud-based e-signature platform that lets you create, send, sign, and manage documents with ease. You can integrate SignWell with your favorite tools, like Gmail, Google Drive, Dropbox, Salesforce, and more. You can also customize your documents with your branding, add fields and comments, track the signing status, and store your documents securely.
Sign up for a free account and see what SignWell can do first-hand.
Sign with a team that knows what you need.
Putting a signature on a document shouldn’t be hard. The SignWell mission? Simplify how documents get signed for millions of people and businesses.
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