DocuSign vs. Adobe Sign: What’s the Difference, Is One Better?

In today’s fast-paced digital world, where time is money and efficiency is critical, electronic signature software has become integral to business operations. Organizations use these tools, especially when they need signatures for compliance and legal purposes. Such use cases include signing contract agreements, non-disclosure agreements, invoices, and other official documents. While so many of these programs exist, not all have what it takes to be practical. But two e-signature software tools stand out, DocuSign and Adobe Sign. Both have excellent online reviews, with users praising their sophisticated security features, ease of use, scalability, customer support, and integration. 

But like all comparable and competing tools, each has its strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, which is better depends on an individual’s or business’s needs. This article makes a thorough analysis of DocuSign and Adobe Sign, exploring their features, drawbacks, and benefits to help you make an informed decision. 

DocuSign vs. Adobe Sign: Side-by-Side Comparison

DocuSign vs. Adobe Sign: What’s the Difference?

This section will provide a detailed comparison of the functionalities and features of DocuSign and Adobe Sign. We’ll cover several aspects, including security features, ease of use, integrations, pricing, customization, compliance, and other features. 

Ease of Use and User Interface

Ease of use and user interface design are crucial when choosing an e-signature platform. Both Adobe Sign and DocuSign feature intuitive platforms that are also relatively easy to navigate. Setting up DocuSign and Adobe Sign is also quite easy. Unlike other platforms, these two incorporate helpful tutorials and guides when signing up. Thus, users always have an easy time; whenever they encounter problems, they can contact customer support.

The drag-and-drop functionality within both systems makes working with the platforms even easier. Users can simply drag-and-drop signature fields to specified documents and prepare them for signing. Once the documents are ready, the signing process is quite similar. First, signees will receive an email notification stating they have some documents that need their signatures. Both guide users through the process with detailed steps of what they need to do. And when the signing process goes on, you’ll receive updates on those who signed and those who have yet to sign. Moreover, you can also set reminders for your signees, alerting them of impending deadlines. 

Various system customization options let users tailor their signing experience to their specifications. For instance, they can collect e-signatures from websites, integrate with other tools, and customize with their brand. While we agree both platforms are easy to use, Adobe Sign is more robust, and some users may require some time to get used to it, especially if they are new to the platform. 

Security Features 

A secure e-signature platform is crucial because it ensures all your confidential and sensitive documents are safe from unauthorized access and tampering. When using e-signature software, you entrust your business or personal information to the service provider. As such, you must ensure that the tool you choose meets all the compliance requirements and has encryption technology to protect your data from cyber threats like hacking and phishing attempts.

Both DocuSign and Adobe Sign have everything it takes to be considered secure. DocuSign, for instance, uses advanced technology to protect documents from unauthorized data access. The platform also features multi-factor authentication options like email and SMS verification to ensure your account is secure. 

Similarly, Adobe Sign uses industry-standard encryption technology to protect your signatures and documents from hackers. This software also adheres to strict security standards, such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2, that ensure your data is secure. Like DocuSign, it also provides multifactor authentication and allows users to set document expiration dates to enhance security further. 

DocuSign wins with a slight margin over Adobe Sign. This platform takes a holistic approach, especially regarding the security of SMBs. Unlike Adobe Sign, DocuSign is pretty transparent about its procedures and security protocols. There’s a clear outline of DocuSign’s approach regarding various documents on their platform. As such, users are always aware of what happens and how secure certain documents are within the system.

Integrations 

E-signature platforms are just a single part of a large business workflow process. They are not standalone products and require integration with other tools. These integrations let e-signature tools work seamlessly with other platforms in the same workflow. Thus, creating a more streamlined and efficient process. Therefore, the best e-signature platform is one that is compatible with most systems. It should be easy to manage integrations and have various options for customizations. 

With DocuSign, accessing advanced integration options like Microsoft Sharepoint, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, and Salesforce requires access to a Business Pro plan. Other platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft Office 365 will only demand access to a basic plan. Therefore, you must pay a premium to integrate with the most demanded applications.

As for Adobe Sign, single users can’t access integrations. This feature is only accessible to those subscribed to a multi-user account. Like DocuSign, the most valuable integrations aren’t available for cheap.

Another thing to look at is the ecosystem within which the applications integrate. Adobe Sign is part of the larger Adobe Family. Therefore, it integrates with almost all software tools within the broad Adobe ecosystem. This feature makes it perfect for businesses confined to Adobe-owned services. 

On the other hand, DocuSign has the most integrations, including those within the Adobe ecosystem. As such, it’s the ideal platform for versatile businesses. Organizations operating in different industries can effectively integrate different platforms into DocuSign. 

Pricing Model

Pricing is another crucial factor when looking for e-signature software. Both DocuSign and Adobe Sign have plans suited for different use cases.

For instance, DocuSign has three plans plus one more customizable plan. For $10 per month, the personal plan is the cheapest DocuSign plan. The standard plan is the most popular and goes for $25 per month per seat, whereas the business plan is the most expensive and goes for $40 per month per seat. Each of these plans offers different features. For instance, features like PowerForms, formulas, and advanced fields are unavailable in the standard and personal plans. 

Adobe Sign has two pricing categories (individual and teams), each with two plans. Under the individual category, we have Acrobat Standard, which goes for $12.99 per month, and the Acrobat Pro plan, which goes for $19.99. The teams’ category has standard and pro plans. The standard plan costs $14.99, whereas the pro plan costs $23.99 monthly. 

DocuSign is the most flexible plan of the two platforms, especially for smaller teams and individuals. That’s because Adobe’s plans that could suit smaller businesses lack the same level of compliance. Subsequently, users have to subscribe to the more expensive option. 

Customization

Customization is tailoring your signing platform to suit your specific business needs and branding. This includes adding your company’s logo, setting custom workflows, and the ability to add custom tags and fields for signers to complete. DocuSign and Adobe Sign both offer custom branding options for businesses at premium tier pricing. 

Both allow users to add taglines and logos and perform general company branding, like adding custom messages to signees. Moreover, once you create your branded profile with document color and all branding materials, the platforms seamlessly incorporate them into your documents. 

Although both platforms offer customization options for URLs, footers, and headers, DocuSign takes it one step further with the ability to edit XML and HTML files. However, Adobe Sign is the better option because users can access its branding and customization features at a relatively lower price than they would with DocuSign. 

E-Signature Features

The most important feature of any e-signature software is the ability to sign contracts online safely and quickly. DocuSign and Adobe Sign excel at these features. On both platforms, the signatures are legally binding and feature a secure audit trail. Essentially, users can track when someone signed a document. 

Another feature is that both come with digital seals. These seals add an extra layer of authenticity and verification. Typically, digital seals use public key infrastructure (PKI) to create a unique digital code attached to the document. 

Another feature common in both platforms is they come with advanced analytics. Document owners can use this feature to gather and analyze data on the signing process and user behavior, providing insight to improve the signing experience. 

DocuSign vs. Adobe Sign: Must Know Facts 

• Both platforms ensure legally binding documents that ensure enforceable transactions.
• DocuSign offers more diverse integration possibilities, whereas Adobe Sign focuses more on integration within the Adobe ecosystem. 
• Both platforms offer advanced security features, including multifactor authentication and advanced integrations, but DocuSign’s approach is more transparent.
• You can edit HTML and XML files with DocuSign, which is impossible with Adobe Sign. 
• You can perform audit trails with both platforms and receive notifications when someone accesses or signs the documents.
• Adobe Sign offers a 30-day free trial, whereas DocuSign’s is only seven days.
• Both platforms have user-friendly interfaces, but Adobe’s is a relatively more robust platform.

DocuSign vs. Adobe Sign: Which One Is Better? Which One Should You Use?

Choosing between DocuSign and Adobe Sign depends on your specific business needs. Both offer features that make them ideal for varied business needs.

DocuSign has the most integrations, which makes it a perfect solution for an organization that operates in different industries. If you frequently have to edit your documents, Adobe Sign is better because it has advanced editing options, including PDF editing directly within the system. However, DocuSign is the most suitable if the documents you need to edit are XML or HTML files. 

We recommend evaluating DocuSign, Adobe Sign, and other solutions like PandaDoc to determine which platform offers the best features. But if you only have two options, and the cost isn’t a major factor, we recommend using DocuSign.