What is DocuSign, how to use it, and when you do not need it at all

Drop your document here and sign it now. PDF, Word and Excel all work: a .docx or .xlsx is laid out in your browser exactly as it was written, so there is nothing to convert first. Add a signature, a date, a company stamp or a watermark, then download it sealed. Free to start, no account, and the file is never uploaded to do it.

DocuSign is the company that made electronic signing normal, and its name has become the verb for it in the same way people say they will Google something. That is useful for them and confusing for everybody else, because "I need to DocuSign this" covers at least four different jobs, only two of which require DocuSign. Here is what the product actually is, how to use it, and the point at which the honest answer is that you do not need an account at all.

The DocuSign meaning, without the marketing

DocuSign is eSignature software: a website and app that takes a document, shows it to the people who need to sign it, records who signed what and when, and hands back a finished file with a certificate attached. Founded in 2003, it is the largest company in the category and the reason your bank stopped posting you paper.

The word you will meet immediately is envelope. An envelope is one send. It can hold several documents and several recipients, and it is the unit DocuSign counts and bills. This matters more than it sounds: an envelope sent back for one corrected date is a second envelope against your allowance.

The other word is certificate of completion, the PDF appendix listing each signer, the timestamp, the IP address and the consent they gave. That document is the evidence, and it is the thing to check exists before you trust any signing tool, ours included.

How to use DocuSign to send a document

The DocuSign sign up page is at docusign.com. Create the account, then Start, then Send an Envelope. Upload the PDF or Word file. Add recipients in the order they should sign, because DocuSign will route them in sequence if you tell it to and in parallel if you do not. Then drag the fields onto the page: signature, initial, date signed, name, and any text boxes you want filled in.

Send it, and each recipient gets an email with a link. They do not need an account and they do not pay. When the last one finishes, everybody named on the envelope receives the completed PDF and the certificate.

The one step people skip is placing the fields. If you send a document with no fields on it, DocuSign lets the recipient sign anywhere, and you will get back a contract with a signature in the margin. Ninety seconds of placing fields saves that.

How to sign one that was sent to you

Open the email, click Review Document, agree to sign electronically, then click each yellow tag in turn. Adopt a signature by typing your name and picking a style, or draw it with a finger if you are on a phone. Click Finish. That is the whole thing, it costs nothing, and you can download the signed PDF from the confirmation screen or the email that follows.

If you want a copy that is not tied to their account, download it immediately. A completed document is just a file, and the safest place for it is your own drive rather than somebody else's envelope list.

The DocuSign app, the API, and CLM

The DocuSign app for iOS and Android does the same job as the website with a better signing experience on a small screen. There is no DocuSign download for desktop in the way people expect: on a computer it is a website, and the only thing you install is an optional Word and Outlook add-in.

The DocuSign API is for putting signing inside your own product, so your customers never see a third party. It is well documented, it is genuinely good, and it sits on plans well above where a small team would otherwise be, which is the usual reason developers go looking at alternatives. DocuSign support is by ticket on the lower tiers and by phone higher up, and a DocuSign demo with a salesperson is the standard route into anything enterprise.

DocuSign CLM is a separate product for contract lifecycle management: templates, approval routing, a searchable repository, obligations and renewal dates. If somebody in your company says "we use DocuSign" and means CLM, they are talking about a different and considerably more expensive thing than eSignature.

Adobe, EchoSign, and why the names keep changing

The other product people mean is Adobe Acrobat Sign, which was EchoSign, then Adobe eSign, then Adobe Sign, then Adobe Acrobat Sign. If you have inherited a process that mentions EchoSign, it is Acrobat Sign now and the old links redirect.

People search adobe docusign as one phrase constantly, and the two are competitors rather than partners. The practical difference: Adobe is better if your organisation already lives in Acrobat and Creative Cloud, DocuSign is better if the counterparty is another large company that expects an envelope, and neither is a sensible purchase if you sign four documents a year.

When you do not need any of this

Two situations, and between them they cover most of the people who search for how to use DocuSign.

You were sent a document and you just need to sign it. Then you need nothing. Open it, sign it, send it back. If the sender used a tool, use their link. If they sent a plain PDF attachment, drop it into the panel at the top of this page, sign it in the browser and email it back. There is no reason to create an account to put your name on somebody else's paper.

You send a handful of documents a year. Then a subscription is the wrong shape. Per document pricing exists precisely for this: we charge $1.50 for the completed download, and the DocuSign features you would be paying for, sequential routing, bulk send, a template library, a connector to Salesforce, are ones you would not use.

The honest version of the DocuSign case: if signing is somebody's job, if the documents come out of another system, and if your counterparties are enterprises with procurement teams, the incumbent earns its price. If none of those are true, you are buying a warehouse to store one box.

Questions people ask about this

What is DocuSign in simple terms?

A website and app that sends a document to the people who need to sign it, records who signed what and when, and returns a finished PDF with a certificate listing the signers, timestamps and IP addresses. It is the largest eSignature software company and its name is often used as a generic word for the whole category.

How do I use DocuSign for the first time?

Create an account, choose Send an Envelope, upload your file, add each recipient's email in signing order, drag the signature and date fields onto the page where you want them, then send. Recipients get an email link, sign without an account, and everybody receives the completed PDF when the last person finishes.

What is a DocuSign envelope?

One send. It can contain several documents and several recipients, and it is the unit DocuSign bills against your allowance. Sending a corrected version of a document uses a second envelope, which is how entry tier allowances disappear faster than expected.

Is DocuSign the same as Adobe Sign?

No, they compete. Adobe Acrobat Sign was previously called EchoSign, then Adobe eSign, then Adobe Sign. Adobe suits organisations already inside Acrobat and Creative Cloud, DocuSign suits enterprise counterparties who expect an envelope. Both are subscriptions.

Do I need the DocuSign app to sign?

No. Everything works in a phone browser from the email link. The app is more comfortable for signing on a small screen and lets you carry documents offline, but it is optional and there is no desktop DocuSign download, only an optional Word and Outlook add-in.

Is there a simpler way to sign one document?

Yes. Drop the PDF into the signer on this page, draw or type your signature, place it and download the finished file. No account, no envelope, and $1.50 only when you download something you are happy with.

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What PDF Verified is, and what it is not

PDF Verified is a tool for preparing, signing, stamping and checking documents. It is not a law firm, a compliance service or a forensic examiner, and nothing here is legal, financial or compliance advice. Requirements differ by country, by document type and by the party asking, so check what applies to your document before you rely on it, and take advice where the document matters. You are responsible for the documents you create, sign and send, and for having the authority to do so: signing or stamping in somebody else name, or as an organisation you do not represent, is forgery whatever tool is used. To the extent the law allows, we accept no liability for how a document made with this tool is used or relied on. The full position is in our terms of service.

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