DocuSign dominates enterprise e-signature with 99.9% uptime SLA and deeper audit trails, while Adobe Sign excels for users already invested in Creative Cloud with superior PDF integration and 30% lower per-user costs for small teams.
Adobe Sign vs DocuSign — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based e-signature solution integrated with Creative Cloud and Document Cloud.
Enterprise-grade e-signature platform with advanced security, compliance, and agreement lifecycle management.
Pricing (Per User/Month). PDF Integration Quality. Enterprise Uptime SLA. Market Share (Enterprise). Audit Trail Detail. Free Plan Capabilities. Mobile App Rating (iOS)
Choose Adobe Sign if you use Creative Cloud, need aggressive pricing for small teams, or require seamless PDF workflows. Choose DocuSign if you need enterprise-grade security, comply with strict regulatory requirements (healthcare/finance), or operate mission-critical signing at scale where 99.9% uptime is non-negotiable.
Adobe Sign: ~150 integrations | DocuSign: ~300+ integrations
Adobe Sign: 3-5 days | DocuSign: 2-3 days
Adobe Sign: Full support | DocuSign: Limited (web only)
Adobe Sign: Native & seamless | DocuSign: None
Adobe Sign: Free for single documents | DocuSign: No free tier
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Adobe Sign: 500+ million | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: Native App (AppExchange) | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: Yes, SOC 2 Type II | DocuSign: Certified
Adobe Sign: No (requires Acrobat) | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: 150+ connectors | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: Limited (iOS only, basic functionality) | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, FedRAMP Ready, ISO 27001 | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: Basic conditional logic and field mapping | DocuSign: N/A
Monthly Pricing (Single User, Annual Commitment)
Adobe Sign: 350+ | DocuSign: 500+ via Docusign CLM
Adobe Sign: Yes, with full delegation and routing | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: 2008 (Sign), acquired HelloSign 2021 | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: $30/month (Individual plan) | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: Unlimited documents per user | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: 0 - Document-focused only | DocuSign: N/A
Average Time to Productivity for New Users
Adobe Sign: 0.1-0.2 days (30-45 minutes) | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: HIPAA, eIDAS, SOC 2 Type II, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GDPR | DocuSign: N/A
Adobe Sign: 100+ per batch | DocuSign: N/A
Base Subscription Price (Monthly per User)
Adobe Sign: Basic (sequential routing, simple rules) | DocuSign: Advanced (conditional logic, multi-branch routing, field dependencies)
Adobe/Microsoft Office Integration Quality
Adobe Sign: Native (Acrobat, Creative Cloud, SharePoint embedded) | DocuSign: Plugin-based (requires extension installation)
Compliance Certifications for Healthcare
Adobe Sign: HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II | DocuSign: HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II, FDA 21 CFR Part 11
Enterprise Tier Monthly Price (Per User)
Adobe Sign: Yes (native Adobe integration) | DocuSign: No (requires third-party tools)
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: $10 per user/month
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: 1.5+ million customers
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: 24-48 hours for basic setup
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: 190+ countries
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: Yes, with BAA available
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: Comprehensive REST & SOAP
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: iOS and Android
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: Signing and document tracking
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: $10/month (Standard plan)
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: Limited (document signers only)
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: iOS, Android, Web
Adobe Sign: N/A | DocuSign: Yes (DocuSign AI)
How to choose between Adobe Sign and DocuSign
Adobe Sign vs DocuSign — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Adobe Sign vs DocuSign. Contains 93 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Adobe Sign vs DocuSign — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Adobe Sign vs DocuSign.
Which is better for healthcare compliance?
DocuSign wins decisively for healthcare. It holds HIPAA certification, offers advanced audit trails with tamper-detection, and maintains FedRAMP authorization for government health agencies. Adobe Sign supports HIPAA-compliant workflows but lacks DocuSign's enterprise-grade audit infrastructure and blockchain-verified signatures needed for regulatory audits in healthcare systems.
Can I use Adobe Sign if I'm not a Creative Cloud subscriber?
Yes, Adobe Sign works as a standalone product without a Creative Cloud subscription. However, you'll miss seamless integration benefits. Standalone Sign starts at $10/month, while Creative Cloud subscribers get a discount and better PDF workflow integration for document-heavy work.
How do DocuSign's integrations compare to Adobe Sign?
DocuSign has 1,000+ pre-built integrations with enterprise systems (Salesforce, SAP, NetSuite, Workday). Adobe Sign has 600+ integrations, with strongest support for Adobe apps and Microsoft ecosystem. For legacy enterprise software, DocuSign is the clear winner; for creative workflows, Adobe Sign.
What's the real difference in cost for a 50-person team?
At standard pricing: Adobe Sign costs $600-750/month (50 users × $10-15). DocuSign Enterprise costs $2,000+/month (50 users × $40+). That's a $1,200-1,400/month difference annually ($14,400-16,800). However, DocuSign often bundles features that require separate purchases in Adobe Sign.
Which has better security and compliance certifications?
DocuSign leads with FedRAMP, HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and blockchain-verified signatures. Adobe Sign holds SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance but lacks FedRAMP. For government contracts or highly regulated finance, DocuSign's certifications are essential; for general business use, both are secure.
How to Choose Between Adobe Sign and DocuSign
Pricing (Per User/Month): Adobe Sign has $10-15, while DocuSign has $10-40.
PDF Integration Quality: Adobe Sign has Native Adobe ecosystem, native PDF editing, while DocuSign has Third-party PDF tools required.
Enterprise Uptime SLA: Adobe Sign has 99.5%, while DocuSign has 99.9%.
Market Share (Enterprise): Adobe Sign has 28%, while DocuSign has 52%.
Audit Trail Detail: Adobe Sign has Standard logging, while DocuSign has Advanced tamper-detection with blockchain option.
Free Plan Capabilities: Adobe Sign has Up to 5 signatures/month, limited templates, while DocuSign has Up to 3 signatures/month, basic signing.
Mobile App Rating (iOS): Adobe Sign has 4.6/5 stars, while DocuSign has 4.3/5 stars.