5 Best PandaDoc Alternatives for Signing and Managing PDFs

Generally, PandaDoc alternatives include pdf.net, DocuSign, Adobe Sign, Dropbox Sign, and DocuSeal. They are easy to use, simple to roll out across teams, and integrate well with existing workflows. Additionally, many of them are also more affordable than PandaDoc.

In this guide, we compare these tools in detail, covering their key features, pricing plans, and their pros and cons. We also share practical tips on choosing the right alternative for your business, so you can make the best choice according to your needs.

Key Takeaways

• Some of the best PandaDoc alternatives for small businesses are pdf.net, DocuSign, Adobe Sign, Dropbox Sign, and DocuSeal.
• These are easy to adopt and integrate with existing workflows; they also provide comparable features for editing and e-signing PDFs without a premium price tag.
• PandaDoc alternatives are for you if you can’t justify spending $49 per month and still be limited by tools offered solely as paid add-ons or require usage credits.
• To find the right tool for your business, you should think through your typical workflows and consider your team’s size, tech-savviness, and daily document handling volume.

Why Look for a PandaDoc Alternative?

You may want to look for a PandaDoc alternative if you run into any of the following issues:

• PandaDoc pricing increases as teams grow. If you choose the Starter or Business plan, PandaDoc costs $19 and $49 per user per month, respectively. And, for instance, if a business has 24 employees, which is the average in the U.S., this comes to $456 per month on the Starter plan or $1,176 per month on the Business plan.
• Limited features in the Free and Starter plans. Many important functionalities, such as creating templates, restricting editing to protect the integrity of documents, bulk sending, and integrating with CRMs and Salesforce, are only available in the Business plan. However, $49 per user per month might be too high for many small teams.
• Many tools are only available as paid add-ons. For example, email whitelabeling, renewal notifications, single sign-on (SSO), and team workspaces aren’t even part of the most expensive PandaDoc plan. You need to reach out to the sales team to inquire about pricing, which takes more time and resources.
• Caps on some features in the Business and Enterprise plans. While most PDF editors for small businesses offer unlimited access to core tools in their highest-tier plans, this is not the case with PandaDoc. Some features are still capped, including knowledge-based identification and ID/SMS verification. Others (e.g., web forms and automations) require usage credits, which you will need to purchase separately by contacting the sales team.

What to Look for in a PandaDoc Alternative

Here are what you should look for in a PandaDoc alternative:

• Ease of use and smooth onboarding. The more intuitive the interface, the less time you (or your team members) need to spend learning the tool. For small businesses often short on time and resources, this is even more important. The best PandaDoc alternatives typically offer drag-and-drop tools and helpful guides and tutorials.
• Legally valid and compliant e-signatures (ESIGN, eIDAS, GDPR). For e-signatures to be accepted by banks and government agencies, they must be recognized as legally valid under regulations such as the ESIGN Act, eIDAS, and GDPR. This usually means the tool you choose must offer features like detailed audit trails, signer authentication, identity verification, and secure document storage.
• Strong PDF editing and fillable form creation tools. PandaDoc allows you to create forms, turn them into reusable templates, and edit documents directly to prepare them for signature requests. As such, a solid alternative needs to at least offer the same capabilities. It would be even better if they could provide more advanced features at a lower cost than PandaDoc.
• Built-in collaboration and multi-signer support. These can make or break your ability to work efficiently with teams and clients, so it is important to prioritize features like real-time commenting, shared editing, and signer order control. Bulk importing and sending are also helpful capabilities to look out for.
• Transparent pricing that scales with your business. Many online PDF tools for teams include hidden fees or usage limits that can catch users off guard. PandaDoc also offers some features as add-ons that require contacting the sales department, which takes time and adds uncertainty. A better alternative clearly outlines what is included at each price point, shows limits upfront, and lets you upgrade predictably.
• Seamless integrations with your existing tools. As a business, you likely use many different tools day to day, like a CRM, cloud storage, email platform, and project management apps. If your PandaDoc alternative can connect smoothly with these, it is much easier to keep your document workflows organized and efficient.

Best 5 PandaDoc Alternatives for Small Businesses

These top PandaDoc alternatives are ideal for small businesses because they combine user-friendly interfaces, essential features like editing and e-signing, seamless integrations, cost efficiency, and strong security. Let’s look at each in more detail now!

#1. pdf.net

Pdf.net is the best PandaDoc alternative for individual users (e.g, students, freelancers, entrepreneurs, etc.) and small businesses. Thanks to its incredibly intuitive interface, this tool provides the most effortless PDF editing and e-signing experiences.

Its ease of use remains the same on mobile devices, including phones and tablets. You can count on it for everyday PDF tasks, even if you are on the go. Its capabilities include applying signatures, adding fillable fields to forms, and basic template reuse, similar to PandaDoc.

There are three pricing plans for you to choose from:

1. $0.95 for 14 days of limited access
2. $1.95 for 14 days of full access
3. $24.95 per month for annual access

Below is a brief breakdown of pdf.net’s pros and cons:

If PandaDoc’s features are overkill for your specific needs, pdf.net is the ideal alternative. It is built with simplicity in mind, so you won’t have to worry about overcoming any learning curve. Moreover, with its affordable pricing plans, you can start using it immediately or roll it out to team members without stretching your budget.

#2. DocuSign

DocuSign rivals PandaDoc as an agreement management platform. It is often chosen by SMBs and enterprises for its globally recognized certifications, including ISO 27001/27017/27018, SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS v4.0, FedRAMP, GovRAMP, DoD IL4, IRAP, and multiple EU eIDAS frameworks.

DocuSign also stands out for its integrations, extension apps, and APIs that allow businesses to automate work processes end-to-end and scale securely. DocuSign offers a wide range of integrations and API capabilities across its plans, with more advanced automation and developer features available on higher-tier subscriptions.

DocuSign’s pricing plans are as follows:

1. Personal. $10 per month
2. Standard. $25 per month per user
3. Business Pro. $40 per month per user

Let’s take a closer look at its strengths and limitations:

DocuSign is a solid alternative to PandaDoc if advanced integrations, API access, and strict compliance are your top priorities. Before committing to a pricing plan, you can test the tool with a 30-day free trial.

#3. Adobe Sign

Adobe Sign is part of Adobe’s long-established PDF software ecosystem and evolved from Adobe’s acquisition of EchoSign, which later became Adobe Sign.

The program is available as part of Adobe Acrobat Standard ($14.99 per month per license), Pro ($22.99 per month per license), and Studio ($29.99 per month per license).

While many businesses question whether Adobe Acrobat is worth it due to its reputation for being expensive, its highest-tier plan, comparable to PandaDoc’s Business plan, is still $19.01 per month cheaper. Moreover, this plan comes with Acrobat AI Assistant and Adobe Express Premium.

Here is an overview of Adobe Sign’s advantages and disadvantages:

When stacked against PandaDoc, Adobe Sign is an affordable PDF software for businesses seeking enterprise-grade features and security measures. It is especially suitable for those with existing workflows within Adobe’s ecosystem. You can organize everything more easily in its exclusive cloud storage space and benefit from a lower learning curve.

#4. Dropbox Sign

Dropbox Sign allows you to send, sign, and track PDFs in multiple languages, with pricing at $15 or $25 per user per month. Every digitally signed document includes an audit trail, 2-factor authentication, 256-bit AES encryption, TLS encryption, and data validation.

These features support compliance with regulations such as the ESIGN Act and eIDAS. The tool is also eIDAS, GDPR, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 Type II compliant. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial to test out all of Dropbox Sign’s features and see if they align with your business’s needs.

As with the PandaDoc alternatives above, Dropbox Sign has its pros and cons:

Dropbox Sign is a trusted tool for creating forms and contracts, requesting signatures, and signing documents. It is worth considering if you don’t need PandaDoc’s excessive features for analyzing PDFs. Its least expensive plan also offers unlimited signing, while PandaDoc’s free version limits you to five documents per month and charges $3 for each additional one.

#5. DocuSeal

DocuSeal is a free PandaDoc alternative that supports PDF, DOCX, XLSX, JPG, PNG, and ZIP files, and is both open-source and SOC 2-, ISO 27001-, GDPR-, and HIPAA-compliant. It is particularly practical for healthcare professionals and clinics, since HIPAA compliance is only available as a paid add-on in PandaDoc.

When comparing the free plans side by side, DocuSeal also comes out ahead in a few key areas. PandaDoc limits users to five templates, while DocuSeal allows unlimited creation. Plus, the former doesn’t support in-person signing, whereas the latter does.

If you have the budget for a monthly subscription, DocuSeal also offers a Pro plan at $20 per user per month. This plan unlocks advanced features such as signature request emails, automated reminders, and SAML SSO, among others.

Take a look at its main benefits and drawbacks below.

DocuSeal is an excellent PDF tool for small businesses if you want to customize the tool to match your team’s workflows without being limited by preset features. In addition, it is well-suited for healthcare businesses and professionals, as it complies with HIPAA.

How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Business

To choose the right PandaDoc alternative for your business, keep the following tips in mind:

• Identify your core needs. The best tool fits into your workflows and makes everyday tasks easier. As such, it needs to support the file types you handle regularly and offer all the features you need to work efficiently.
• Evaluate ease of use. If a tool is not user-friendly, you will have to invest time and money in onboarding and training, and it can lead to costly mistakes. Therefore, you should look for a tool with an intuitive interface. It also helps if it has guides and tutorials, as well as a 24/7 support team.
• Review the pricing plans and their limits. You should check not just the monthly cost, but also the limitations on templates, documents, integrations, and signers. Some tools lock useful features behind higher tiers or charge them as add-ons, which can add up if your needs grow.
• Prioritize security and compliance. All U.S. businesses must abide by data protection laws, so the tool that you choose should include strong security measures and meet compliance standards. Furthermore, for your signatures to be legally binding, the platform should offer features such as long-term document storage, audit trails, and authentication methods to meet the ESIGN Act’s requirements.

A straightforward solution like pdf.net fits well when you want a practical, easy-to-use tool that handles core document and signing needs without overwhelming complexity. It's all because of a focused set of features that helps small teams stay efficient while avoiding unnecessary costs.

Final Thoughts

PandaDoc is a well-known tool for e-signing, editing, and overall document management, but it is not suitable for all businesses. Small teams, in particular, may find that pdf.net, DocuSign, Adobe Sign, Dropbox Sign, and DocuSeal better match their needs and budgets.

To choose the right PandaDoc alternative for your business, consider the PDF tasks your team handles every day and the tools required to complete them. You should also take advantage of each tool’s free trials to evaluate ease of use, reliability, and security before making your final decision. In return, a solid PandaDoc alternative will help your small business streamline document workflows, reduce costs, collaborate more effectively, and scale securely.

PandaDoc Alternative FAQs

#1. What is the best free PandaDoc alternative?

The best free PandaDoc alternative is DocuSeal. This tool is open source, so you can freely customize it to match your business’s needs. pdf.net is also worth considering; although it isn’t free, its pricing plans start from $0.95 only.

#2. Is PandaDoc the same as DocuSign?

PandaDoc is not the same as DocuSign; the two tools share many features, but their pricing plans are different. DocuSign offers more advanced features and integrations, and their API offerings are not sold separately.

#3. Can I sign PDFs online without PandaDoc?

Yes, you can sign PDFs online without PandaDoc by using pdf.net. This tool lets you apply your signature by typing it, drawing it, or inserting an image of it. It is very easy to use, so you can finish signing in just a few minutes.

#4. Is PandaDoc safe and legal?

Yes, PandaDoc is safe and legal. It complies with the ESIGN Act, UETA, and HIPAA and holds SOC 2 certification. PandaDoc also supports GDPR, FERPA, PCI DSS, and 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.