Today is day 7 of my 29 Days of Open Source Alternatives series, where I'll be exploring open source alternatives to proprietary software in the categories of Game Development and Multimedia, Development Tools and Platforms, Productivity and Collaboration Tools, and more. If you'd like to see the list of the open source alternatives I'll be covering this month, head over to my 29 Days of Open Source Alts Page or check out my bonus lists: open source games and API Development Tools.
A Tale of Two Electronic Signature Platforms
It's time to enter the ring as two heavyweight champions face off: DocuSign and Documenso. In one corner, we have the reigning champion – DocuSign, the established player with years of experience in the eSignature market. In the other corner, emerging contender Documenso brings a fresh perspective, aiming to disrupt the industry with its innovative open source approach.
The Open Source DocuSign Alternative
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About Documenso
Signing documents digitally should be fast and easy and should be the best practice for every document signed worldwide. This is technically quite easy today, but it also introduces a new party to every signature: The signing tool providers. While this is not a problem in itself, it should make us think about how we want these providers of trust to work. Documenso aims to be the world's most trusted document-signing tool. This trust is built by empowering you to self-host Documenso and review how it works under the hood.
Join us in creating the next generation of open trust infrastructure.
Recognition
Community and Next Steps 🎯
We're currently working on a redesign of the application, including a revamp of the codebase, so Documenso can be more intuitive to use…
ROUND 1: FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
Both platforms offer robust feature sets, but their approaches differ. At first glance, both DocuSign and Documenso seem evenly matched.
DocuSign focuses on providing comprehensive tools tailored for businesses of various sizes, offering integrations with popular apps such as Salesforce, Microsoft Office, and Google Workspace. Meanwhile, Documenso takes a unique stance by emphasizing accessibility and affordability through its open source nature, enabling developers to customize and build on its core functionalities.
Winner? DocuSign edges ahead with its clearly communicated features and integrations. However, those looking for flexibility and cost savings might prefer Documenso.
ROUND 2: USER EXPERIENCE (UX)
DocuSign boasts polished UX, ensuring easy navigation even for beginners. Its extensive documentation and resources cater well to both individual and enterprise customers. Documenso was easy to use, and I could sign documents quickly with their Single Player Mode.
Winner? DocuSign has more to offer and clear documentation to help users get started. Although Documenso has an easy to use single-player mode, the extra capabilities make DocuSign easier to use.
ROUND 3: COMMUNITY & INNOVATION
Behold, the wildcard factor! With DocuSign being a seasoned veteran, it commands respect within the community and consistently delivers incremental innovations. But Documenso aims to change the space with transparency and collaboration through open source. Let's take a look at their open source support.
Open Source Stats
- Stars: 5.3k
- Watching: 33
- Forks: 580
- License: GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
As an open source project, they have solid activity and PR velocity.
With only seven employees, we can see a strong community showing.
A closer look:
You can see the full contributor list here.
And we see the fans showing up for Documenso and sharing their support 🎉
Is this the beginning of a comeback round for the new kid on the block, Documenso?
AND THE WINNER...
As things stand today, DocuSign remains the dominant force in electronic signatures. Yet, with challenger Documenso pushing boundaries and refusing to back down, this is a competitive match. Will these rivals trade blows forever or eventually unite forces against common foes? Only time will reveal who emerges victorious in this ongoing battle royale.
Until then, stay tuned for future updates on the epic clash between DocuSign and Documenso!
What battle would you like to see next?
Top comments (5)
I have so much stock in Docusign, it will make me sad if it fails 😭
Haha. I'm really interested to see where it goes. I'll definitely be watching.
Interesting.
This was a fun read 😄
Thanks! I was trying to bring some life to it.