Every "free e-signature" search mixes two different needs. If someone sent you a document to sign, you normally do not need to buy anything: Docusign states plainly that signing and returning documents is always free, and the sender is the one who pays. If you need other people to sign your documents, you are sending, and sending is what the free plans below meter. This page compares the free sending plans we could read on the vendors' own pages on October 27, 2026. Nothing here comes from a hands-on trial.
For whom: a freelancer, landlord or small business that sends a few agreements a month. Not for: anyone sending agreements every working day, or a team that needs several senders, templates and reminders managed centrally.
The free plans side by side
| Service | What the free plan lets you send | Audit trail on free | Main limit | First paid step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BoldSign | 25 envelopes a month (5 until business details are verified for a personal email signup) | Yes, stated on the pricing page | One user, two templates | Growth, $5 per user a month billed yearly |
| Jotform Sign | 10 signed documents a month | Not stated for the free plan | Jotform branding on signed documents | Bronze, $34 a month billed annually |
| Dropbox Sign | 3 signature requests a month, renewing every 30 days | Yes, with completed requests | No bulk send | Essentials, $15 a month |
| Docusign | Signing documents others send you; sending needs a paid plan | Not applicable | No free sending | Paid plan price not yet verified on Docusign's own page |
| Product | Published entry price | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| BoldSign | $5 per user/month, billed yearlyGrowth plan$15 billed monthly; API from $30/month for 40 envelopesVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | Yes, 25 envelopes a month |
| Jotform Sign | $34/month, billed annuallyBronze plan$39 billed monthly; Sign is part of Jotform plansVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | Yes, 10 signed documents a month |
| Dropbox Sign | $15/monthEssentials plan$180 billed yearly; a lower first-year promotion was shownVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | 3 signature requests/month; unlimited self-signing |
| Docusign | Not yet verified on the vendor’s own page | Not verified |
Prices are the entry list prices each vendor publishes on its own US pricing page, read on Oct 27, 2026. They exclude taxes, payment processing unless stated, hardware, add-ons and negotiated discounts; a promotion appears only in the notes, labeled as one. Prices change. No vendor paid for a place or a price in this table.
Two counting rules change the math. Dropbox counts several documents sent together to the same signers as one request, and self-signing your own documents does not count toward its three. BoldSign counts envelopes, so one envelope can carry several documents for the same signers.
Our pick
BoldSign. Its free plan sends the most per month of the plans we could read, it states an audit trail on the free tier, and its first paid plan is the cheapest step up. For a small business that sends a few contracts a week, that combination means the free plan is a real working tool rather than a trial.
- Pick Jotform Sign instead if the document starts as a form someone fills in: intake, waivers, applications. Its free plan is built around forms and signed documents together; expect Jotform branding on what you send until you pay.
- Pick Dropbox Sign instead if you mostly sign your own documents (a lease you countersign, a form you complete) and send only a couple of requests a month: self-signing is unlimited on its free plan.
- Docusign is free only for signing. If you are asked "is Docusign free?", the answer is yes for the person signing and no for the person sending. If your counterparties expect Docusign, see our Docusign alternatives ranking before paying for it just to send.
When free stops being enough
- Volume. Three requests a month is one contract a week at most; 25 envelopes covers a small business, not a sales team.
- More than one sender. BoldSign's free plan has one user; a second person sending means a paid plan.
- Proof. If you might need to prove who signed and when, keep the completed file and its audit trail outside the vendor account. The federal ESIGN Act lets a record be refused effect if it cannot be retained and accurately reproduced later.
- Consumers. If a law requires that you give a consumer a notice in writing, the free tier does not change the ESIGN consent step; see our consent template.
For what paid plans cost once you outgrow free, see e-signature pricing compared.
Traceable evidence
Sources for this decision
- vendorBoldSign official product siteBoldSign · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Product and operations teams comparing web signing with API and embedded workflows. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorJotform Sign official product siteJotform Sign · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Teams connecting forms, collected data, and signature documents in one workflow. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorDropbox Sign official product siteDropbox Sign · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Small and product teams evaluating approachable signing and embedded workflows. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorDocusign official product siteDocusign · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Organizations evaluating a broad agreement workflow and integration ecosystem. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorBoldSign pricing pageBoldSign · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: BoldSign's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Growth plan ($5 per user/month, billed yearly) and the page details recorded with it ($15 billed monthly; API from $30/month for 40 envelopes), and a free plan (Yes, 25 envelopes a month). It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorJotform Sign pricing pageJotform Sign · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Jotform Sign's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Bronze plan ($34/month, billed annually) and the page details recorded with it ($39 billed monthly; Sign is part of Jotform plans), and a free plan (Yes, 10 signed documents a month). It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorDropbox Sign pricing pageDropbox Sign · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Dropbox Sign's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Essentials plan ($15/month) and the page details recorded with it ($180 billed yearly; a lower first-year promotion was shown), and a free plan (3 signature requests/month; unlimited self-signing). It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorBoldSign pricing page, plan features and add-onsBoldSign · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: BoldSign's pricing page as read on October 27, 2026: the free Essential plan with 25 envelopes a month (five until business details are verified for personal email signups), one user and two templates with an audit trail, the paid plan tiers, and identity verification at two US dollars per verification and knowledge-based authentication at one US dollar fifty per attempt listed as add-ons for Business, Premium and Enterprise API; it does not label which displayed price set is yearly or prove any legal outcome.Open source ↗
- vendorJotform Sign pricing page, plan featuresJotform · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Jotform's pricing page for Jotform Sign: the free Starter plan with 10 signed documents a month and Jotform branding on signed documents, paid tiers by monthly signed documents, and HIPAA-enabled features only on Gold and Enterprise; it does not prove any legal or regulatory outcome.Open source ↗
- vendorCan I use Dropbox Sign for free?Dropbox · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Dropbox help article stating that the Dropbox Sign Free plan allows three signature requests per month, renewing every 30 days from sign-up, unlimited self-signing that does not count toward the limit, documents sent together counting as one request, an audit trail with completed requests and no bulk send; it does not list every Free plan limit or paid prices.Open source ↗
- vendorDocusign page for signersDocusign · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Docusign's page for signers stating that signing and returning documents is always free, that a signer of a document sent through Docusign does not need an account, that a document not sent through Docusign needs a free Docusign account, and that collecting signatures from others requires a paid plan; it does not state paid plan prices.Open source ↗
- officialElectronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce ActUnited States Congress · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Federal rules for electronic records and signatures in interstate or foreign commerce, including consumer-disclosure requirements and statutory exclusions; not a conclusion that every document or workflow is eligible.Open source ↗