Docusign or signNow: count sends and check the signing process

Analysis of official documentation, with no testing on a paid account.

Differences that change choice

Describe the document and persons

A contract may contain several files and multiple recipients. However, this is not a number of sales or the same number of billable units for all suppliers. Describe the complete file: preparer, first signatory, second signatory, copy and order of passage.

The French Docusign page distinguishes the monthly envelopes of Personal and the annual volumes per user of higher offers. For signNow, see the rules of the contract used: the current layout of the seats should not be mechanically reconciled with an old grid billed per user.

The level of proof precedes the price

Needs vary according to document, parties and context. Do not present a basic electronic signature as a qualified signature. The Docusign page distinguishes between check options and supplements; confirm their availability and cost for your journey.

For a high-stakes document, have the appropriate person confirm the required level. The chosen tool must let you retain the final document and its associated evidence. This comparison describes the plans; it does not certify the legal validity of a particular contract.

Test refusal and correction

Prepare a fictitious document with two signatories. Have an address corrected, a request declined and the corrected version sent again. Check who can see the events, which sends count towards the quota and how to avoid having an outdated version signed.

Then calculate a normal month and a busy renewal period, with any excesses. Choose the solution whose contract clearly explains these situations and whose export allows to find the correct version. An apparently cheaper subscription may lose interest if each correction makes billing difficult to predict.

Contract, annex and two signatories: distinguish correction and new shipment

Consider this case: a company sends a contract and its appendix to two signatories. This document set does not automatically represent four units. The Docusign FAQ describes an envelope that may contain several documents and recipients. TheSignNow Help explains a similar grouping for an invitation, but distinguishes email invitation and signature link at the time of counting.

To predict the volume, from the sent folders, then add the ones that will need to be recreated. At SignNow, a reminder or referral of the existing invitation does not consume any additional unit according to this help; cancel and send again does not return the initial unit. These are two different operations, despite similar wordings in daily work.

1. On a document without actual data, request a demonstration of a corrected recipient address before finalisation.
2. Show separately a reminder, cancellation and creation of a new folder.
3. Check where to retrieve the completed documents, the available history and follow-up information useful to the company.

The choice depends on the document workflow, its volume and the requirements of the case. These observations do not determine the signature level required for a particular legal act. No contractual document was sent or signed; quotas and overage terms under an existing contract, especially an older or negotiated one, must still be checked in that contract.

Reviews to consult

• Docusign
• SignNow