Formlio vs Docusign: sign a document or send a proposal
Docusign and Formlio solve different jobs. Docusign gets an existing document signed, with deep identity options, audit records and integrations, from $120 a year. Formlio is where creative studios make the proposal the client reads, prices and signs on one page, from $259 a seat a year. Regulated or high-assurance signing fits Docusign better.
What you pay.
Prices in USD, per seat, before tax. Checked on docusign.com and formlio.com on 2026-11-05.
| Plan | Formlio | Docusign |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. Every feature, 2 publications per 30 days, with a Made with Formlio badge | No free sending plan. Free trial; recipients sign free |
| First paid plan, one seat | Starter: $27 a month, or $259 a year, 5 publications per billing period | Personal: $15 a month, or $120 a year, 5 envelopes a month |
| Your brand only, no vendor badge | Starter and up | Custom branding from Standard, $300 per user a year. Its pages don't say whether every Docusign mark can be removed |
| Your own domain | Pro: $41 a month, or $394 a year | Not on its plan table. A custom email domain exists; Docusign says availability depends on the plan |
| Sending limits | Starter: 5 publications per billing period. Pro: unlimited | Standard and Business Pro: 100 envelopes per user a year on annual plans |
| Extra fees | None. Viewers are free; tax added at checkout | Extra envelopes $3.60 to $7.80 each. SMS delivery from $0.36. ID verification from $2.40 an attempt |
Sources:Docusign plans and pricing, US (2026-11-05)Docusign plans and costs, updated October 2026 (2026-11-05)Docusign community: custom email domain (2026-11-05)Formlio pricing (2026-11-05)
Do you need to sign a document, or make the one your client reads?
Docusign starts once the document exists. You prepare an agreement, place signature fields with drag and drop and send it, using reusable templates. It's quick, and custom branding from Standard puts your logo and colours on the signing experience. On Enhanced plans, it can also generate agreements from Salesforce.
Formlio is where the proposal gets made. You assemble it from blocks, upload your own fonts on any plan, and the blocks move as the client scrolls: text reveals, number tickers, hand-drawn highlights, gallery transitions. You can pin a video or voice bubble next to your pricing to walk the client through it yourself.
What does a small studio pay with its own branding?
Docusign Personal is cheaper, at $120 a year, but it has no custom branding, so this chart uses Standard, the first plan that does, at $300 per user a year with no seat minimum listed. Formlio Starter removes the Made with Formlio badge at $259 a seat a year. The two limits differ: Starter allows 5 publications per billing period, and Standard allows 100 envelopes per user a year. If you mostly send contracts for signature, Docusign's allowance goes further.
What can you see after you hit send?
Docusign tracks the agreement: each recipient's status (needs to view, viewed, signed), the full history, reminders and a certificate of completion with names, timestamps and IP addresses. Its signing goes deep. It says it complies with ESIGN, UETA and eIDAS, offers advanced and qualified signatures, and sells ID verification as an add-on.
Formlio tracks the reading: who opened the proposal, time per section, mouse-tracking heatmaps and a session replay on every plan, so you see where the client paused on your pricing. Clients approve with a slide or sign on the page. Signatures comply with eIDAS, ESIGN and UETA, with email verification and a record of consent, time, IP and a document fingerprint. Formlio doesn't offer advanced or qualified signatures, so high-assurance signing fits Docusign better.
What each one does.
Checked against each product's site and help docs on 2026-11-05.
| Feature | Formlio | Docusign |
|---|---|---|
| Making the document | ||
| Build the document in the tool | Prepare with fields; generation from Salesforce on Enhanced | |
| Reusable templates | ||
| Custom branding | Every plan; badge off from Starter | Standard and up |
| Blocks that animate on scroll | ||
| Engagement | ||
| Viewed status and notifications | ||
| Time per section | ||
| Mouse-tracking heatmaps | ||
| Session replay | ||
| Closing | ||
| Interactive quotes with optional add-ons | ||
| E-signature | ||
| Audit record | Consent, time, IP, document fingerprint | Certificate of completion, every plan |
| Advanced and qualified signatures | Enhanced plans; other plans as add-on or through sales | |
| ID verification | Add-on from $2.40 an attempt | |
| SMS delivery | Add-on from $0.36 a delivery | |
| Collect payment on signing | Business Pro and up | |
| Compliance and integrations | ||
| SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 | ||
| HIPAA BAA, FedRAMP, 21 CFR Part 11 | Enhanced, through sales | |
| CRM (Salesforce, Dynamics) | Enhanced, through sales | |
| Slack and Microsoft Teams | Standard and up | |
| Public API | Business Pro and up | |
Sources:Docusign plans and pricing, US (2026-11-05)Docusign eSignature (2026-11-05)Docusign help: envelope details (2026-11-05)Docusign help: history and certificate (2026-11-05)Docusign legality (2026-11-05)Formlio pricing (2026-11-05)
When is Docusign the better choice?
Choose Docusign when the signature is the job. It fits contracts, HR forms and anything in a regulated industry: advanced and qualified signatures, ID verification, certificates of completion, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, with HIPAA, FedRAMP and 21 CFR Part 11 options through sales. It also has bulk send, web forms, payment collection and over 1,000 partner integrations. Formlio doesn't compete on any of that.
Choose Formlio if you're a studio, agency or freelancer and the proposal is what wins the work. You make the document, send a link, see what the client read and let them pick options and sign on the same page. You can also use both: the proposal in Formlio, formal contracts in Docusign.
Common questions about Formlio and Docusign.
Price, free plans, signature strength, replacing Docusign, CRM, payments and switching, answered with the numbers.
It depends on the job. Docusign Personal is cheaper at $120 a year, with 5 envelopes a month. With custom branding, Docusign Standard is $300 per user a year against $259 per seat for Formlio Starter. Formlio Starter allows 5 publications per billing period; Standard allows 100 envelopes per user a year.
Formlio has a free plan with every feature, including e-signatures, interactive quotes, heatmaps and session replay. It publishes two documents per 30 days and shows a Made with Formlio badge. Docusign has no free sending plan, but it offers a free trial, and the people you send to sign free.
For everyday client agreements, Formlio e-signatures are legally valid: they comply with eIDAS, ESIGN and UETA, verify signers by email code and record consent, time, IP and a document fingerprint. Docusign goes further, with advanced and qualified signatures, ID verification and regulated-industry options. If you need those, choose Docusign.
For proposals a client reads and signs, yes: the document and the signature live on one page. It can't replace Docusign for contracts that need qualified signatures, identity checks, retention policies or Salesforce workflows. You can keep both, with the proposal in Formlio and formal contracts in Docusign.
No. Formlio has no CRM integrations today. It has built-in pipeline stages and automation rules that move a deal, send an email or alert a teammate. Docusign lists 1,000+ partner integrations on Business Pro, with Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics and NetSuite on Enhanced plans through sales.
Not in Formlio today. Clients can choose options, watch the total update and sign on the page, but payment happens outside the document. Docusign collects payment at signing on Business Pro and Enhanced plans. Business Pro is $40 per user a month, billed yearly, with 100 envelopes per user a year.
Yes. Start on the Free plan, upload your fonts and brand colours once, then build your proposal from a template or from blocks. Your signed agreements stay in your Docusign account. Send new proposals from Formlio, and keep Docusign for any contract that needs its signature options.
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