Comparing DocuSign and Adobe Sign for Small Businesses: A Comprehensive Analysis

1. Usability

Both Adobe Sign and DocuSign excel in terms of usability, offering straightforward and accessible signature processes. They empower users to access documents from anywhere and utilize legally-binding digital signatures.

Both solutions support offline document access and enable easy document uploading and editing before signing. They feature user-friendly drag-and-drop tools for adding signature fields to documents of various formats, simplifying document preparation.

The signing process in both Adobe Sign and DocuSign is quite similar. Signees are promptly notified via email about the need for their signature. The platforms guide signees through creating their signatures and signing the documents.

Throughout this process, both platforms keep users informed about the documents status, including who has signed and who is pending, while also offering the ability to send reminders to maintain progress.

Additionally, both platforms provide access to audit trails for documentation and legal purposes upon document completion.

2. Features

When it comes to features, both DocuSign and Adobe Sign offer impressive capabilities, but they have distinct focuses.

DocuSign shines in advanced online-signing features, making it a robust choice for users seeking comprehensive tools. It excels in simplifying the user experience for both business and individual users. DocuSign offers noteworthy integrations with cloud services and CRMs, enhancing its versatility.

Adobe Sign, on the other hand, prioritizes streamlining the signature process, catering to organizations of all sizes. It seamlessly integrates with Adobes extensive suite of applications, including Adobe PDF, Adobe Acrobat, and Adobe Creative Cloud, providing a cohesive document management experience.

Both Adobe Sign and DocuSign share a common set of valuable features, including audit trails, authentication, auto reminders, bulk sending, customizable templates, and more. They also offer mobile signature capabilities, multi-party signing, and security measures like two-step authentication.

While DocuSign boasts powerful features like advanced analytics and biometric phone authentication, Adobe Signs strength lies in its compatibility with Adobe apps. DocuSigns superior analytics give it the edge in this category.

3. Pricing

DocuSign and Adobe Sign both offer business plans, but when it comes to pricing, DocuSign emerges as the more cost-effective choice.

DocuSigns business plans commence with the Standard tier at $24.99 per month per user, accommodating up to three users. Scaling up to their Business plan costs $39.99 per user per month, allowing for multiple users and adding the option of processing payments.

On the other hand, Adobe Signs pricing starts with a Small Business plan at $34.99 per user per month, with no user limits. Their Business plan is priced at $39.99 per user per month but mandates a three-year commitment.

Although the pricing appears quite similar, DocuSigns Business plan offers better value for those seeking personalized branding, reminders, notifications, and document comments.

4. Integration

When it comes to integration capabilities, both DocuSign and Adobe Sign are versatile and offer various integration options. Lets explore their integration capabilities:

• Cloud Services: DocuSign integrates seamlessly with a wide range of cloud services, including Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box. This ensures that your documents are easily accessible and can be signed directly from these platforms.
• CRM Integration: DocuSign has strong CRM integration support, with connectors for Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and more. This enables businesses to incorporate eSignatures into their existing customer relationship management processes.
• APIs: DocuSign provides robust APIs, allowing for custom integrations with other software and applications. This flexibility is valuable for businesses with unique workflow requirements.

• Adobe Suite Integration: Adobe Sign boasts seamless integration with Adobes suite of applications, such as Adobe PDF, Acrobat, and Creative Cloud. This enables a cohesive document management experience for users familiar with Adobe products.
• Microsoft Integration: Adobe Sign offers strong integration with Microsoft applications like Microsoft 365 and SharePoint. This is advantageous for businesses heavily reliant on Microsofts productivity tools.
• APIs: Adobe Sign also offers APIs for custom integrations, providing flexibility for businesses to connect it with various other software solutions.

5. Security

Both DocuSign and Adobe Sign adhere to industry-standard security measures, ensuring the safety and legality of online signatures, and comply with various government regulations.

However, when it comes to security, DocuSign gains a slight advantage, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). DocuSigns comprehensive approach to security, coupled with its transparency, sets it apart. They provide detailed insights into their security measures through the DocuSign Security Brief, offering users a clear understanding of how their information is protected.

In contrast, Adobe Sign directs security inquiries to Adobes Trust Center without providing the same level of detail regarding its security management system.

6. Mobile Capability

When it comes to mobile capability, both DocuSign and Adobe Sign offer robust solutions for users on the go. Lets evaluate their mobile capabilities:

• Mobile Apps: DocuSign provides dedicated mobile apps for both iOS and Android platforms, ensuring a smooth and optimized experience for mobile users.
• Mobile Signature: Users can sign documents and collect signatures directly from their mobile devices, making it convenient for users who are often on the move.
• Offline Access: DocuSign allows users to access and sign documents even when they are offline, which is particularly beneficial for users who may have limited or intermittent internet connectivity.

• Mobile Apps: Adobe Sign offers dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android, enabling users to access the platform from their smartphones and tablets.
• Mobile Signature: Users can sign documents and initiate signing processes directly from their mobile devices, ensuring flexibility and convenience.
• Adobe Acrobat Integration: Adobe Signs integration with Adobe Acrobat Mobile further enhances its mobile capabilities, allowing users to work seamlessly with PDFs on their mobile devices.

7. Analytics

In the realm of analytics, lets explore how DocuSign and Adobe Sign stack up:

• DocuSign offers advanced analytics capabilities, allowing users to gain deep insights into their document processes.
• It provides detailed information on document status, such as who has signed and who is pending.
• DocuSigns analytics can help businesses track the progress of their document workflows and identify bottlenecks.
• It also offers features like document analytics, which can be valuable for performance assessment and decision-making.

• While Adobe Sign provides analytics features, its primary focus is on streamlining the signature process rather than in-depth analytics.
• Adobe Signs analytics are more basic in comparison to DocuSigns advanced analytics offerings.
• Users may find Adobe Signs analytics suitable for tracking signature progress but limited to deeper insights into document workflows.

8. Customization

When it comes to customization, lets see how DocuSign and Adobe Sign compare:

• DocuSign allows for extensive customization, particularly in its business plans.
• Users can personalize documents with their company branding, including logos and colors, which helps maintain a consistent professional image.
• DocuSign offers customizable templates, making it easier to create standardized documents and forms.
• It provides options for adding reminders and notifications to keep the signing process on track.
• Users can add document comments, facilitating collaboration and feedback within the platform.

• Adobe Sign offers customization options, including the ability to configure time stamps and apply color-coded recipient fields.
• It allows users to assign and reassign user licenses, providing flexibility in managing users.
• Adobe Sign also offers customizable form field fonts for document aesthetics.
• Self-serve forms can be created and customized as needed.

9. Compliance

In the critical area of compliance, lets compare DocuSign and Adobe Sign :

• DocuSign is ESIGN compliant, which means it adheres to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, a federal law in the United States that validates electronic signatures.
• It also complies with various international and industry-specific regulations, making it suitable for businesses with global operations or those subject to specific compliance requirements.
• DocuSign provides robust security features and audit trails to meet compliance and legal standards.

• Adobe Sign is designed to meet security and compliance standards, making it suitable for businesses with stringent regulatory requirements.
• It complies with various global and industry-specific regulations, offering features to support compliance, including audit trails and security measures.
• Adobe Sign provides EU Qualified Time Stamps, which are crucial for European users dealing with electronic signatures.

10. Integration with Adobe Apps

In terms of integration with Adobe applications, lets evaluate how DocuSign and Adobe Sign perform :

• DocuSign does not have native integration with Adobe applications. It primarily focuses on integrating with a wide range of third-party applications, cloud services, and CRMs, making it versatile for users who rely on various tools outside of the Adobe ecosystem.

• Adobe Sign excels in this category, as it seamlessly integrates with Adobes suite of applications, including Adobe PDF, Adobe Acrobat, and Adobe Creative Cloud. This deep integration allows for a unified and cohesive experience within the Adobe ecosystem.
• Users who are heavily invested in Adobe products will find Adobe Sign to be a natural and seamless extension of their existing workflow.