The free Docusign alternative for getting documents signed
Signing on Docusign is free, but sending documents for other people to sign is built around paid plans, and the cheapest includes 5 envelopes a month. KovaPDF's Request Signatures is free with a free account, within a limited allowance.
- Send for signature free, within a limited allowance
- Signers need no account; you need a free one to send
- Certificate of completion and a trusted timestamp seal
KovaPDFDocusign- Price to send
- KovaPDFFree
- DocusignFrom $10 a month, billed yearly
- Requests included
- KovaPDFA limited allowance
- Docusign5 a month on Personal
- Sign your own PDF
- KovaPDFFree, no account
- DocusignFree, account needed
- Qualified signatures (EU)
- KovaPDFNot offered
- DocusignOffered
- Signed files kept
- KovaPDF30 days after finishing
- DocusignUntil you delete them
- Phone apps
- KovaPDFWeb app from the browser
- DocusigniPhone and Android
Docusign's facts read from its own pages on 10 October 2026.
KovaPDF vs Docusign, feature by feature
Price, limits, tools, privacy and apps, checked against Docusign's own pricing and help pages on 10 October 2026.
| Feature | KovaPDFFree | DocusignFree plan |
|---|---|---|
| Price and limits | ||
| Price to send for signature | KovaPDFYes: Free, with a free account | DocusignPersonal $10 a month yearly, $15 month to month |
| Requests included | KovaPDFPartly: A limited allowance, free | DocusignPartly: Personal 5 a month; Standard 100 per user a year |
| Free sending after the trial | KovaPDFYes: No trial; free within an allowance | DocusignPartly: Limited; the number is not stated |
| Free trial | KovaPDFYes: None needed: every tool works free | Docusign30 days, no card needed |
| Billing | KovaPDFYes: Free: nothing to pay. Pro: cancel any time | DocusignPartly: Renews automatically; yearly plans refunded within 30 days, once |
| Signing | ||
| Sign a PDF yourself | KovaPDFYes: Free, no account | DocusignPartly: Free, account needed |
| Signing order and reminders | KovaPDFYes: In order or all at once, reminders | DocusignYes: Yes, plus in-person signing |
| Saved templates | KovaPDFYes: Yes | DocusignYes: Yes |
| Record of who signed | KovaPDFYes: Certificate of completion and timestamp seal | DocusignYes: Audit trail |
| Signature levels (EU terms) | KovaPDFPartly: Simple electronic signatures | DocusignYes: Simple, advanced and qualified |
| SMS delivery and ID checks | KovaPDFNo: Email links, optional access code | DocusignPartly: Paid add-ons |
| Privacy and storage | ||
| Where documents are kept | KovaPDFOn our server | DocusignDocusign cloud, in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia or Japan |
| When they are deleted | KovaPDFYes: 30 days after the request finishes | DocusignKept until you or an admin delete them |
| Apps, languages and other tools | ||
| Phone | KovaPDFPartly: Sign in any phone browser; installable web app | DocusignYes: iPhone and Android apps |
| Languages | KovaPDFSite in 27 languages | DocusignSite in 8; signing in 44+ |
| Merge, compress, convert, OCR | KovaPDFYes: 50+ free PDF tools | DocusignNo: Not offered |
Prices and limits change. We read Docusign's pages on 10 October 2026; check their site before you pay for a plan.
Which one should you use?
Choose KovaPDF if…
- You want to send for signature without paying. Request Signatures is free with a free account, within a limited allowance. Docusign's Personal plan costs $10 a month and includes 5 envelopes a month.
- You do not want a plan that renews. Sending is free with a free account, so there is no trial to remember. If you choose Pro, you can pay month to month and cancel any time.
- You only need to sign something yourself. Sign PDF works without an account. Docusign asks you to make one even to sign your own file.
- You sometimes need a certificate signature. Digital Signature signs with your own certificate file, with a trusted timestamp, at no cost.
- Your paperwork is more than signatures. Merge, compress, convert and OCR sit next to the signing tools, all free.
Choose Docusign if…
- You need advanced or qualified signatures. Docusign offers all three eIDAS levels. KovaPDF creates simple electronic signatures and does not issue certificates.
- You want signed contracts stored for you. Docusign keeps completed documents until you delete them. KovaPDF deletes them 30 days after the request finishes, so you keep your own copy.
- You need payments, SMS delivery or ID checks. Docusign sells these on Business Pro or as add-ons. KovaPDF sends links by email, with an optional access code.
- Your signers prefer an app. Docusign has iPhone and Android apps. On KovaPDF, people sign in the phone's browser.
The tools you use, under the same names
Open the tool, drop your file in. No account, nothing to install.
Why people look for a Docusign alternative
Docusign is the best-known name in e-signatures. The catch is the cost of sending. Signing a document someone sent you is free, but sending documents for other people to sign is built around paid plans.
The cheapest plan, Personal, costs $10 a month billed yearly, or $15 month to month, and includes 5 envelopes a month. An envelope counts when it is sent, even if nobody ever signs it. Standard costs $25 per user a month billed yearly and includes 100 envelopes per user a year. There is a 30-day trial with no card. After it, a free account can send only a limited number of envelopes, and Docusign does not publish the number.
What Request Signatures gives you, free
- Free with a free account. Sending works within a limited allowance, and each request can go to several people.
- Signers need no account. They open a private link and sign in the browser, on a computer or a phone. Only you, the sender, need a free account with a verified email.
- In order or all at once. Choose whether people sign one after another or at the same time, and send reminders.
- An optional access code for each signer, and a way to decline or cancel.
- A certificate of completion with the file's fingerprint and, for each signer, their name, email, times, IP address and browser. The finished file is sealed with a trusted timestamp, so any later change shows. See what a certificate of completion contains.
- Templates for documents you send again and again.
- Files up to 15 MB each, up to 10 documents and 30 MB in one request.
Start at Request Signatures. To sign something yourself, Sign PDF needs no account at all.
Are the signatures legally binding?
Many countries accept electronic signatures for many everyday agreements, but some documents need more. In EU terms, KovaPDF's requests are simple electronic signatures backed by strong evidence: the certificate of completion and the timestamp seal. They are not advanced or qualified signatures. KovaPDF does not issue certificates and does not offer qualified signatures, which Docusign does.
If you have a certificate of your own, Digital Signature signs with it for free. For the rules where you live, read which electronic signatures are legally valid in the EU or electronic signatures in the US. This page compares two products; it is not legal advice.
Where your documents are kept
Docusign stores your documents in its cloud, in a region chosen by where you are: the US, Canada, Europe, Australia or Japan. They stay there until you or an admin delete them, which works well as an archive.
KovaPDF keeps a request only while it is open. It is deleted 30 days after it finishes, or sooner if you delete it, so download the signed PDF and keep it with your own files.
Moving over takes a few minutes
Make a free account, upload the PDF or Word file you would have put in an envelope, add the people and drag their fields onto the pages. If you are handed a document someone signed through Docusign, Verify Signature checks it was not changed afterwards. Here is how to verify a Docusign document.
Docusign alternative: common questions
Is there a free alternative to Docusign?
Yes. KovaPDF's Request Signatures lets you send documents for signature for free with a free account, within a limited allowance, with a certificate of completion. The people you send to sign without an account.
What is similar to Docusign but free?
Request Signatures on KovaPDF works the same way: upload a document, add people, place their fields, and each person gets a private link by email. You can set a signing order, send reminders and add an access code. Sending is free within a limited allowance, and signing costs nothing.
What is the cheapest Docusign alternative?
KovaPDF sends for free with a free account, within a limited allowance, and Pro, from $3.99 a month billed yearly, removes the limits. For comparison, Docusign's cheapest plan is Personal at $10 a month billed yearly, with 5 envelopes a month.
Does Docusign have a free version?
Partly. A free Docusign account lets you sign documents and sign your own uploaded files, and signing what someone sends you is always free. Sending for signature comes with a 30-day trial, and after that the free account can send only a limited number of envelopes. Docusign does not publish the number.
Is KovaPDF a good Docusign alternative for a small business?
For everyday agreements such as quotes, NDAs, timesheets and forms, yes, as long as the free allowance covers how often you send. Each request can go to several people, and Pro removes the limits. If you need qualified signatures, payments in the signing flow, SMS delivery or ID checks, a paid Docusign plan is the better fit.
Are KovaPDF signatures legally binding?
They are electronic signatures with a certificate of completion and a timestamp seal, which many countries accept for many everyday agreements. They are not qualified signatures. Whether a simple electronic signature is enough depends on the law that applies to your document. This is not legal advice.
Do the people I send a document to need an account?
No. Signers open their private link and sign in the browser on a computer or a phone. Only the sender needs a free account.
Can I check a document that was signed with Docusign?
Yes. Verify Signature reads the digital seal on a completed PDF and tells you whether the file was changed after it was signed.
KovaPDF next to other PDF services
Docusign is a trademark of its owner. KovaPDF is not connected with, or endorsed by, Docusign. The facts above come from Docusign's own public pages, read on 10 October 2026.