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DocuSign vs Adobe Acrobat Sign: a 5-envelope cap against a PDF editor
Updated Oct 6, 2026
DocuSign Personal costs $10 a month paid yearly ($120) for one user and 5 envelopes a month. Adobe sells e-signature inside Acrobat: Acrobat Standard is US$14.99 a month on an annual plan, and its pages state no document limit for it. Adobe includes PDF editing and phone support; DocuSign Personal has chat and a stated envelope cap.
At a glance, by our score
#7 DocuSign
One sender who needs 5 envelopes a month or fewer, from $10 a month billed yearly
7.8/10GoodOur scoreVisit DocuSignOn docusign.com- Lowest price
#8 Adobe Acrobat Sign
PDF editing and e-signature requests in one Acrobat subscription, from $14.99 a month
7.6/10GoodOur scoreVisit Adobe Acrobat SignOn adobe.com
Adobe Acrobat Sign's lowest monthly price is lower than DocuSign's, checked Sep 27, 2026 and Sep 27, 2026.
Side by side
| Criterion | Adobe Acrobat Sign | DocuSign |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 7.6/10GoodOur score #8 of 9 | 7.8/10GoodOur score #7 of 9 |
| Price per sender (35%) | 8.8 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Documents a month (20%) | 0.0 / 10 | 4.0 / 10 |
| Included on the entry plan (20%) | 10.0 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Support (15%) | 10.0 / 10 | 6.0 / 10 |
| Free plan (10%) | 10.0 / 10 | 6.0 / 10 |
| Price from | $10.99 / month | $15 / month |
| Best for | PDF editing and e-signature requests in one Acrobat subscription, from $14.99 a month | One sender who needs 5 envelopes a month or fewer, from $10 a month billed yearly |
| Visit | Visit Adobe Acrobat SignOn adobe.com | Visit DocuSignOn docusign.com |
Who should pick which
- Adobe Acrobat Sign: PDF editing and e-signature requests in one Acrobat subscription, from $14.99 a month
- DocuSign: One sender who needs 5 envelopes a month or fewer, from $10 a month billed yearly
Adobe no longer shows a self-serve Acrobat Sign plan: e-signature requests come with Acrobat subscriptions, and the standalone Acrobat Sign Solutions are sold through sales. So Adobe's side here is Acrobat Standard, the cheapest plan on its plans page whose card lists "Collect e-signatures and track responses". Acrobat Express doesn't send for signature.
At a glance
| Adobe Acrobat Sign | DocuSign | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Acrobat Standard (1 user) | Personal (1 user) |
| Price and billing | US$14.99 a month on an annual plan, US$179.88 a year; US$24.99 month to month | $10 a month, $120 paid yearly; $11 a month on an annual commitment; $15 month to month |
| Documents a month | Its pages don't say for Acrobat Standard | 5 envelopes a month |
| Included (templates, reminders, audit trail, mobile, cloud storage) | All five, per its help and plan pages | All five: templates, reminders, audit trail, mobile signing, cloud storage |
| Free plan | Free Acrobat account: two requests every 30 days | Free trial, length not stated; no free plan listed |
| Support | Phone and chat | Support Center and chat; phone only on paid support plans |
Price
For one user billed yearly, DocuSign Personal is $10 a month ($120 paid upfront) and Acrobat Standard is US$14.99 a month (US$179.88 a year), so Adobe costs US$4.99 a month or US$59.88 a year more. Month to month, it's US$24.99 against $15, a gap of US$9.99.
Both default to annual terms. DocuSign's default option, $11 a month, is "an annual commitment of $132": you can cancel within 30 days without penalty, then the rest of the year is owed. Adobe's annual plan billed monthly charges "up to half your remaining annual commitment if you cancel after 14 days"; the prepaid plan has no refund after 14 days.
For five users, Personal won't do: it's single-user. DocuSign Standard is $25 per user a month paid yearly, $125 a month for five. Acrobat Standard for teams is US$16.99 per license a month on an annual plan, US$84.95 for five.
Prices from DocuSign's pricing page and Adobe's plans page, both read Sep 27, 2026.
Where they differ
- Document limit. DocuSign's compare table shows "Envelope sends 5 per month" for Personal; Standard and Business Pro allow 100 per user a year. Adobe's pages don't say how many requests Acrobat Standard allows. Its business e-sign page says teams plans have "no usage caps", but that covers teams plans only.
- What else you're paying for. Acrobat Standard is a PDF tool first: its card lists creating, editing, converting and organizing PDFs. DocuSign Personal is a plan of DocuSign eSignature, its electronic signature service.
- Support. Adobe's contact-options table lists phone and chat for Acrobat Standard. DocuSign's Standard Support is the Support Center and chat; phone support comes with the paid Plus, Premier and Enterprise Premier support plans.
- Free option. A free Acrobat account allows "two request e-signatures transactions every 30 days". DocuSign offers a free trial of unstated length; its home page says "for free", but the pricing page lists no free plan, so we read it as a trial.
- Higher-plan features. Web forms and bulk send start at Acrobat Pro (US$19.99 a month on an annual plan) and at DocuSign Business Pro ($40 per user a month paid yearly), which also adds payment collection. HIPAA: Adobe's HIPAA-Ready list names the standalone Acrobat Sign service, not Acrobat Standard, and its BAA goes through sales; DocuSign's BAA is "Contact sales" on Enhanced plans.
Who should pick which
Pick DocuSign if you send 5 envelopes a month or fewer, want the lowest yearly price of the two, or might grow into Standard's up to 50 users.
Pick Adobe Acrobat Standard if you also edit PDFs, want phone support on the plan you buy, or send more than 5 a month and can accept that Adobe's pages don't state a limit for Standard.
See the full e-signature ranking and how we score e-signature tools.