How to Migrate from DocuSign to Documenso

DocuSign starts at $10/month for personal and scales to $25-65/user/month for business plans. Documenso is the open source alternative — beautiful signing experience, API access, and self-hostable. Here's how to switch.

Step 1: Deploy Documenso

# Docker Compose
git clone https://github.com/documenso/documenso.git
cd documenso
cp .env.example .env
# Configure DATABASE_URL, NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBAPP_URL, SMTP settings
docker compose up -d

Or use Documenso Cloud (free tier available).

Step 2: Set Up SMTP

Documenso needs email for sending signature requests:

SMTP_HOST=smtp.resend.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=resend
SMTP_PASSWORD=re_your_api_key
NEXT_PRIVATE_SMTP_FROM_ADDRESS=signing@yourdomain.com
NEXT_PRIVATE_SMTP_FROM_NAME="Your Company"

Step 3: Create Templates

Recreate your DocuSign templates:

1. Upload your document (PDF)
2. Add signature fields (drag and drop)
3. Add text fields, date fields, checkboxes as needed
4. Save as template for reuse

Step 4: Update Workflows

If you use DocuSign via API, switch to Documenso's REST API:

// Create and send a document for signing
const response = await fetch('https://your-documenso.com/api/v1/documents', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    title: 'Contract Agreement',
    recipients: [
      { email: 'signer@example.com', name: 'John Doe', role: 'SIGNER' },
    ],
  }),
});

Step 5: Embed in Your App (Optional)

Documenso offers a React embedding component:

import { EmbedDocumenso } from '@documenso/embed-react';

<EmbedDocumenso
  token="signing-token"
  host="https://your-documenso.com"
/>

Cost Comparison

Usage	DocuSign Business	Documenso Self-Hosted
1 user	$25/month	$5/month (VPS)
5 users	$125/month	$5/month
10 users	$250/month	$10/month
Unlimited	$650+/month	$10/month

What You'll Lose

• DocuSign's extensive template library
• Advanced authentication (knowledge-based, ID verification)
• Notary service integration
• Enterprise compliance certifications (initially)

What You'll Gain

• No per-user pricing
• Full data ownership
• API access without enterprise plan
• Embeddable signing in your app
• Open source, customizable

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Compare e-signature tools on OSSAlt — features, API access, and pricing side by side.