| Functionality | 10 <p>Docusign provides a complete eSignature solution, supporting web forms and payment collection while signing. The drag-and-drop builder allows extensive customization, enabling various input fields with validation and custom properties. Users can control signing order, enable signer delegation, e-witnessing, and in-person signing, and manage team access with custom permissions. The reports dashboard tracks completion rates for high document volumes. Security features include password protection and ID verification.</p> | 7 <p>Adobe Acrobat is a good eSignature solution with amazing auto-field detection. It supports web forms, payment collection (via Braintree), and has a mobile app. However, it's not great for large-scale sending, as it lacks bulk send and auto-fill features. There's no witness or in-person signing, and reports are almost non-existent, offering minimal insights beyond document status. Security includes password protection and audit trails, but no ID verification or KBA.</p> |
| Ease of Use | 7 <p>The platform is easy to use, though advanced document preparation takes some learning. The clean, modern design and field auto-placement make document creation faster. The builder supports custom fields, so you can reuse validation across documents. Bulk sending, auto-reminders, and auto-fill from integrations help speed up workflows. A file upload field means you don’t have to request documents separately, and Docusign lets you collect payments when you share documents. You can also edit and resend documents without voiding them, making corrections quick and simple.</p> | 6 <p>The platform is easy to use, though advanced document preparation takes some learning. Its clean, modern design and excellent field auto-placement speed up document creation. However, it lacks bulk sending and auto-fill from integrations, limiting workflow efficiency. A file upload field eliminates the need for separate document requests, and payment collection is available via Adobe Acrobat. However, documents cannot be edited and resent without voiding, making corrections less seamless.</p> |
| Look and feel | 8 <p>Although it has one of the highest number of features in the category, Docusign does a fantastic job of keeping the interface clean and intuitive. Advanced controls are nicely hidden away, making navigation smooth. The UI is modern, and key features are exactly where you’d expect.</p><p>The drag-and-drop builder is easy to use. The homepage clearly displays pending, waiting, expiring, and completed documents in a large font. The reports section provides deeper, but still easy to understand, insights on statuses and activity. For companies handling high volumes of signatures, document management is straightforward and efficient.</p> | 6 <p>Although Adobe Acrobat has a solid set of features, the interface is simple, modern, and has a nice theme. Navigation is straightforward, but it’s more of a file management platform than a typical layout for managing eSignature documents and tracking them. The drag-and-drop builder is easy to use. </p> |
| Customisability | 9 <p>Docusign is highly flexible, offering control over branding, field properties, signing order, and team member permissions. You can use formula fields, custom fields, and conditional logic to show or hide objects based on inputs. The platform supports in-person signing, e-witnessing, and signer delegation, covering all signing flows. You can configure custom permissions for team member roles, ensuring the right access levels. You can also create custom reports for better insights.</p> | 4 <p>Adobe Acrobat handles basic e-signatures but lacks advanced customizability like e-witnessing and in-person signing, limiting signing flows. User roles cannot be customized, and with no Zapier or API access, creating custom workflows isn't possible.</p> |
| Ease of Setup | 6 <p>Docusign offers a free trial and self-serve purchasing for all tiers except the Enterprise option. The onboarding process is simple, allowing users to create eSignature documents within 5-10 minutes. It integrates directly with many platforms, reducing the need for Zapier. Custom permission profiles and branding are easy to configure. Despite its many features, the help docs are well-organized and detailed. Setting up reusable templates, security settings, and user roles takes a few hours, while enterprise-level setup may take 1-2 weeks.</p> | 8 <p>Adobe Acrobat offers a free trial with self-serve purchasing for all tiers except Acrobat Sign Solutions, a separate product with extended eSignature features. Onboarding is simple, allowing users to create eSignature documents in 5–10 minutes. Custom branding is easy to set up, and other integrations are quick to configure, but there's no Zapier or API access. Setting up reusable templates, security settings, and signer roles may take a few hours.</p> |
| Customer Support | 10 <p>Docusign offers four support plans with different response times on average. Standard Support (included with subscriptions) has a <24-hour response time. Plus Support improves this to <6 hours and adds phone and technical support. Premier Support offers a <4-hour response time, emergency support within 1 hour, and API integration help. Enterprise Premier Support provides the fastest response, with <2 hours for regular issues and <30 minutes for critical emergencies. All plans include system monitoring, online case management, and access to the Docusign Support Center.</p> | 7 <p>Personalized Q&A is available via phone, live chat, and request submission. Higher-tier plans get 24/7 support. Self-serve support includes a comprehensive Help Center and community forums with high-quality guides and tutorials.</p> |
| Integratability | 10 <p>Docusign natively integrates with major platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Stripe, PayPal, Microsoft 365, and Slack. It also supports Zapier, enabling access to thousands of additional integrations. An API is available for custom integrations and automation.</p> | 1 <p>Integrations are severely limited, with only Google Drive and Dropbox supported. It doesn’t integrate with platforms like Salesforce or Slack, and there’s no Zapier or API access, making custom integrations nearly impossible.</p> |
| Ease of Migration | 10 <p>Docusign offers multiple ways to export completed document data. Finished documents can be exported as PDFs, audit trails are available in CSV format. A wide range of reports can be downloaded as CSV or exported as image charts. Reports can also be scheduled, with control over frequency, time intervals, start/end dates, and CC recipients. Native CRM integrations allow seamless data syncing, and additional data can be exported through the API for further customization and automation.</p> | 2 <p>Adobe Acrobat offers minimal data export options, partly due to no Zapier or API access. Finished documents and audit trails can be exported as PDFs, and another major drawback is the lack of downloadable reports for tracking insights across multiple documents.</p> |
