Is DocuSeal really free?

Yes. DocuSeal is open source: the code is public and installing it costs nothing. At most you pay for hosting if you put it on a server, often a few euros a month. DocuSign, on the other hand, costs €9 a month.

Do I need to code to install DocuSeal?

No. The level is beginner and the install takes about 10 minutes with the prompt from the page: Claude does the work, you answer its questions.

How is it different from DocuSign?

DocuSeal does most of what DocuSign does, without a subscription, and your data stays with you. The point by point comparison is on the page.

Yes. With an open source tool installed on your side, your files stay on your machine or your server. Nobody can close your account or change the price.

Free alternative

Free alternative to DocuSign

DocuSign costs €9 a month. DocuSeal does the same job for free, in open source: you install it on your machine or a small server, and you stop paying.

Public entry price, taken from DocuSign’s website (docusign.com). Over a year, that is €108 that stays in your pocket.

What replaces DocuSign

The main alternative

DocuSeal

🟢 Beginner⏱️ ~10 min to installSave €9/mo

DocuSeal does what you pay DocuSign for: you drop a PDF (quote, contract, mandate, terms, purchase order), place the fields to fill on it (signature, initials, date, text, checkbox, file, payment), add the signers and send by email. Everyone signs from their phone or computer, no account needed, and everyone gets the final document with its audit trail. Signatures are eIDAS compliant in Europe and ESIGN in the US. You can chain several signers in order, reuse templates, plug webhooks into n8n or Make, and there is an API to generate documents from your own tool. One Docker image, a SQLite database by default (or Postgres), and it is online. The project is AGPL-3.0 licensed, maintained by a small team that also sells a cloud version at €20 per user, and the repo is past 18,000 stars.

Loucash’s verdict on DocuSeal

8/10

If you send quotes and contracts to be signed, DocuSeal saves you DocuSign without losing anything essential: the person signs from their phone, the final PDF carries its audit trail, and the signature has the same legal value, eIDAS in Europe. Unlimited templates and sends, at your place. What I like: the simplicity. You drop a PDF, place the fields with the mouse, send. The install fits in one Docker image, and the API lets you plug it into n8n or your CRM so contracts generate themselves. What to know: the free version keeps everything essential, but a few options are reserved for their paid offer at €20 per user, like automatic reminders, signing embedded in your own site or conditional fields. And about invoices: the 2026 French reform requires electronic invoicing through a certified platform, not a signature. DocuSeal is for quotes, contracts and mandates, not that.

Who it is for: You get quotes, contracts or mandates signed several times a month, you have a server, and you want to keep your documents at home.

See the full page →See the tool ↗

DocuSeal versus DocuSign: the match

Price
DocuSeal
€0, plus a small VPS for a few euros a month
DocuSign
€9 a month yearly, €23 per user on Standard
Sends per month
DocuSeal
No limit
DocuSign
5 on Personal, 10 on Standard
Users
DocuSeal
Your team, no extra cost
DocuSign
1 on Personal, paid per seat after

DocuSign ↗

VS	DocuSeal	DocuSign ↗
Price	€0, plus a small VPS for a few euros a month	€9 a month yearly, €23 per user on Standard
Sends per month	No limit	5 on Personal, 10 on Standard
Users	Your team, no extra cost	1 on Personal, paid per seat after
Reusable templates	No limit	Depends on the plan
Legal value	eIDAS and ESIGN, audit trail included	eIDAS and ESIGN, audit trail included
Where your contracts live	On your server	With them

The prompt that installs DocuSeal

Paste this prompt into Claude: it checks the repository, asks you its questions and installs the tool step by step.

Installe DocuSeal sur mon serveur (la signature électronique open source, repo GitHub docusealco/docuseal) avec Docker Compose, en suivant la doc officielle docuseal.com/install. Pars de zéro : vérifie que Docker et Docker Compose sont présents, sinon installe-les. Récupère le docker-compose.yml officiel du dépôt (image docuseal/docuseal, port 3000, volume /data pour garder les documents) et lance-le avec la variable HOST réglée sur mon nom de domaine pour que le certificat HTTPS soit créé automatiquement. Ne publie pas le port 3000 en clair sur internet. Ouvre l'adresse, crée mon compte administrateur, puis configure dans les réglages l'envoi des mails (SMTP de ma boîte ou d'un service comme Brevo) pour que les demandes de signature partent. Vérifie en créant un modèle depuis un PDF de test avec un champ signature, en l'envoyant à mon adresse et en le signant. Explique chaque étape simplement, je débute.

Review the GitHub repository and check whether it is safe to install given my machine and my infrastructure. Ask me as many questions as possible, using widgets, to clarify my request and be as precise as you can.

Frequently asked questions

Is DocuSeal really free?: Yes. DocuSeal is open source: the code is public and installing it costs nothing. At most you pay for hosting if you put it on a server, often a few euros a month. DocuSign, on the other hand, costs €9 a month.
Do I need to code to install DocuSeal?: No. The level is beginner and the install takes about 10 minutes with the prompt from the page: Claude does the work, you answer its questions.
How is it different from DocuSign?: DocuSeal does most of what DocuSign does, without a subscription, and your data stays with you. The point by point comparison is on the page.
Do I own my data?: Yes. With an open source tool installed on your side, your files stay on your machine or your server. Nobody can close your account or change the price.