Best / E-signature
Best open-source E-signature
The best self-hosted e-signature split in the c17.io catalog is Documenso for an AGPL-3.0 signing desk (the published Docusign / PandaDoc / Dropbox Sign / HelloSign / Adobe Acrobat Sign / SignNow / Yousign / Zoho Sign stack), DocuSeal when you want that AGPL-3.0 Ruby signer, Stirling PDF when the job is a PDF toolbox rather than an envelope, and Papermark when the job is a tracked document link rather than a signature. This is not Docusign's identity add-ons or PandaDoc CPQ.
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Ranked picks
1
DocumensoAGPL-3.0 signing desk — the c17 Docusign / SignNow / Yousign path. /compare/documenso-vs-docuseal.
When to pick it: A PDF envelope you host.
2
DocuSealAGPL-3.0 Ruby signer — /compare/documenso-vs-docuseal.
When to pick it: Create, fill, and sign on Postgres if Documenso is not the shape.
18,788 stars in the catalog
3
Stirling PDFMIT-community PDF toolbox already on /replace/acrobat. Not an envelope.
When to pick it: Split, merge, and stamp a PDF, not a counterparty signature.
94,432 stars in the catalog
4
papermarkOpen-source dataroom already on /replace/docsend. Not e-sign.
When to pick it: A tracked link, not a certificate of completion.
9,247 stars in the catalog
How they compare
| Tool | License | Self-host | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documenso | Not listed | Easy | A PDF envelope you host. |
| DocuSeal | GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 | Easy | Create, fill, and sign on Postgres if Documenso is not the shape. |
| Stirling PDF | MIT License | Easy | Split, merge, and stamp a PDF, not a counterparty signature. |
| papermark | Other | Easy | A tracked link, not a certificate of completion. |
Related pages
- Documenso stack
- Stirling PDF stack
- Papermark + Postgres stack
- Replace Docusign
- Replace PandaDoc
- Replace Dropbox Sign
- Replace SignNow
- Replace Yousign
- Replace Zoho Sign
- Replace Adobe Acrobat Sign
- Replace HelloSign
- Replace Adobe Acrobat
- Replace Smallpdf
- Replace iLovePDF
- Replace DocSend
- Documenso vs DocuSeal
- All best open-source pages
- All compare pages
- All replace pages
- All stacks
- Tools catalog
FAQ
- Documenso or DocuSeal?
- Documenso if you want the published Docusign path. DocuSeal if you want that Ruby signer — /compare/documenso-vs-docuseal.
- SignNow, Yousign, or Zoho Sign?
- Same published envelope — /replace/signnow, /replace/yousign, and /replace/zoho-sign.
- Is this Acrobat?
- A PDF editor stays on /replace/acrobat (Stirling PDF). This page is a signature.
- Are these free?
- Documenso and DocuSeal are AGPL-3.0. You pay hosting. Template users never pay c17.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open /stacks/documenso-sign. Persist Postgres and PDFs. Complete one test envelope.
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