DocSpring vs DocuSeal

PDF filling and signing workflows

DocuSeal centers on document signing, with hosted and self-hosted options, an embedded builder, and an API. It can prefill fields and create signing templates from HTML or DOCX. DocSpring centers on filling PDFs and generating documents, with Data Requests for collecting missing information and signatures.

There is real overlap for an application that fills a PDF and asks a customer to sign it. Compare how each handles the surrounding process: who sends the invitation, how your app authenticates the signer, and what you need to run if you self-host.

Feature comparison

Follow the feature links for details in DocSpring's documentation. Sources for each DocuSeal cell are listed at the end of the page.

Scroll the table sideways to see both products.

A dedicated integration is different from connecting an API through a generic HTTP action. Plan requirements and product boundaries are noted in the cells.

Fill an application and collect one signature

Your application knows the customer's name and email. The customer must review the filled form and sign it. Compare what your code sends, who emails the customer, and what you get back.

Fill the application with DocSpring

This request fills the known fields. Add a Data Request to the same submission to collect the signature.

curl --fail-with-body \
  "https://sync.api.docspring.com/api/v1/templates/${DOCSPRING_TEMPLATE_ID}/submissions" \
  --user "${DOCSPRING_TEST_TOKEN_ID}:${DOCSPRING_TEST_TOKEN_SECRET}" \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "test": true,
    "data": {
      "customer_name": "Mira Patel",
      "customer_email": "[email protected]"
    }
  }'

Set the environment variables to your template ID and test API credentials. Accounts in our EU region send requests to sync.api-eu.docspring.com instead. The response includes a download URL for a watermarked PDF. See the request and response guide.

Test a customer who never signs, one who signs on a phone, and a form that changes after you have live submissions. Then count how many of your documents need no signature at all.

Per user plus per completion, against per PDF

For 1,000 signed documents a month through the API with one Pro user, DocuSeal is $20 plus $200 in completions, or $220. DocSpring's 1,000-PDF plan is $99 per month and includes Data Requests, with your app sending the emails. If you also generate 5,000 unsigned PDFs, DocuSeal is the wrong tool for those. DocSpring's Business plan is $249 per month for 5,000 PDFs, then 5c per additional PDF, which covers all 6,000 documents.

Moving DocuSeal workflows to DocSpring

Upload the same PDFs to DocSpring and place or import the fields. DocuSeal text tags map naturally to DocSpring field names. Recreate any conditional fields as DocSpring conditional rules.

Replace submission creation with a DocSpring submission plus Data Requests for each signer. Your application takes over sending the signing links and recording how each signer was authenticated. Embed the signing form with a one-time token where DocuSeal's form component was used.

Keep completed DocuSeal documents and their signature certificates as the record for historical agreements. Export them before closing the account or decommissioning a self-hosted instance.

Discuss your documents with us.

Questions about DocuSeal alternatives

Is DocuSeal really free?

The open-source edition is free to self-host and includes a basic API and unlimited emails through your own SMTP. Embedding, HTML and DOCX templates, conditional fields, and the cloud's compliance reports need Pro, and API or embedded completions cost 20 cents each on Pro.

Can DocuSeal fill a PDF without asking anyone to sign?

Only through a submission. Mark the submitter as auto-completed, which counts as a completed document, or fetch the partially filled documents of a pending submission. DocSpring returns a filled PDF from one request with no signing step.

Which one should I self-host?

DocuSeal's open-source edition is designed for it. DocSpring offers self-hosted enterprise licenses for organizations that need the full platform on their own infrastructure.