If you want DocuSign without the per-seat pricing, DocuSeal is the easiest to set up and covers what most people need: upload a PDF, add signer fields, send it, get it signed. Documenso is the pick if you want a product that looks and behaves closest to DocuSign itself, with templates and an API built for developers. OpenSign adds a document vault and deeper third-party integrations, and Signature PDF is the small, no-frills option for signing and lightly editing a PDF yourself.
The rest of this guide goes through each one, what it does well and where the free self-hosted version stops short of the paid cloud version.
What to look for in a DocuSign replacement
DocuSign does one job: get a legally usable signature on a document, from one person or several, with proof of who signed and when. A replacement needs to cover the parts you actually use:
- Multiple signers in a fixed order, or everyone at once?
- Do outside signers need an account, or just a link and an email?
- Do you need an API to send documents for signing from your own app?
- Does your business need SSO, audit trails or compliance certifications, or is a signed PDF with a timestamp enough?
All four tools below produce a signed PDF with an audit trail. None of them are a substitute for legal advice on whether an electronic signature holds up for a specific contract in your country; that answer depends on the document, not the tool.
DocuSeal
DocuSeal has about 18,800 GitHub stars (October 2026) and is actively maintained, with releases every few weeks. It is written in Ruby on Rails and licensed under AGPL-3.0 with additional terms that restrict reselling it as a competing hosted service.
The core flow is a PDF form builder: drag fields onto a document, assign them to signers, and send. It supports multiple submitters per document, email automation, and a REST API with SDKs for JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, C# and Go. A self-hosted instance runs from one Docker command, with SQLite by default and PostgreSQL or MySQL as an environment variable away.
The free self-hosted version covers the form builder, multiple submitters, email automation and the API. What stays behind DocuSeal's paid cloud plan: white-label branding, user roles, SMS verification, conditional fields, bulk sending and SAML SSO. If you only need one admin sending documents, the free version is enough; a company with several people sending under their own logins will feel the gap.
Documenso
Documenso has about 15,500 GitHub stars (October 2026), is written in TypeScript (Next.js), and is licensed under AGPL-3.0.
It is the closest in spirit to DocuSign: a signing workflow editor that takes a document from draft to signed, reusable templates with direct links for on-demand signing, and embedding components for React and Vue so you can put the signing step inside your own product. The REST API covers document creation and signing, and a Zapier integration connects it to other tools without code.
Documenso's own marketing lists 21 CFR Part 11, ESIGN Act and UETA support, plus SOC2 and HIPAA certifications, for the hosted cloud product; nothing on the project's GitHub page claims those certifications apply to a self-hosted instance you run yourself, so check that distinction before relying on it for anything regulated. Self-hosting is documented for Docker, Docker Compose, Railway and Kubernetes, with one-click deploy buttons for a few hosts besides.
OpenSign
OpenSign has about 7,100 GitHub stars (October 2026) and over 800 forks. It is built on Node.js, React and MongoDB, and licensed under AGPL-3.0.
Past basic signing, OpenSign adds a document vault it calls "OpenSign Drive" for keeping signed files organized in one place, sequential multi-signer flows, an expiry date for documents that should not stay open forever, and OTP verification by email for guest signers who have no account. Audit trails record timestamps, IP addresses and contact details for every signer. Integrations reach further than the other three here: Zapier, plus direct connections to common CRM and cloud storage services, on top of its own API.
Self-hosting runs on Docker, with a documented one-click path on DigitalOcean. The project also offers its own hosted free tier, which is a reasonable way to try the feature set before deciding whether to run it yourself.
Signature PDF
Signature PDF is the smallest tool here, with about 830 GitHub stars (October 2026). It is written in PHP with the Fat-Free framework, and licensed under AGPL-3.0.
Where the other three are built around sending a document to someone else, Signature PDF is closer to a personal or small-team PDF toolbox: sign alone or with others, merge and reorder pages, delete or extract pages, edit metadata and compress files. Multi-signature mode needs server storage to coordinate between signers; signing alone can work without it. There is no API and no third-party integrations, which is the trade for a much smaller, simpler piece of software.
It installs as a Debian or Ubuntu package, an Alpine Linux package, or a Docker container. The project also lists over a dozen public instances run by volunteers, which is unusual for a tool this size.
Comparison table
| DocuSeal | Documenso | OpenSign | Signature PDF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stack | Ruby on Rails | TypeScript (Next.js) | Node.js, React, MongoDB | PHP |
| Multi-signer | Yes, with roles | Yes | Yes, sequential | Yes |
| Templates | Yes | Yes, with direct links | Yes | No |
| API | Yes, many SDKs | Yes | Yes | No |
| SSO | Paid cloud only | Not documented | Not documented | No |
| Default database | SQLite (Docker) | Requires Postgres | MongoDB | File-based |
| License | AGPL-3.0 + additional terms | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
How to run them
All four publish a Docker image or a Docker Compose setup, so the usual way to run them is on a VPS or a home server you look after yourself: updates, backups and HTTPS are on you. For anything with legal weight, back up the database and the signed documents separately, and test a restore before you need one for real.
New to self-hosting in general? Start with self-hosting for beginners. The full list of DocuSign alternatives, including closed-source options, lives under DocuSign alternatives.
FAQ
What is the best free DocuSign alternative?
DocuSeal for most people: a one-command Docker setup, a form builder that covers the common case, and an API if you need one later. Documenso is the stronger pick if you want to embed signing inside your own product.
Is a signature from these tools legally valid?
They all produce a signed document with an audit trail (who signed, when, from what address), which is how electronic signatures normally work. Whether that specific document holds up in a specific country for a specific use is a legal question, not a software one; ask a lawyer for anything that matters.
Can I self-host DocuSign itself?
No, DocuSign is a cloud-only product with no self-hosted version. The tools above are separate projects that replace it.
Do any of these need a database server?
Documenso needs PostgreSQL. DocuSeal defaults to SQLite and can switch to PostgreSQL or MySQL. OpenSign uses MongoDB. Signature PDF stores files directly, without a separate database server.
Which one has the smallest feature set?
Signature PDF. It has no API and no third-party integrations, and is built for signing and lightly editing PDFs rather than running a full signing workflow for a team.