DocuSign has long been a dominant player in the digital signature solution space, known for its broad feature set and global reach. However, as business needs evolve, many organizations are beginning to seek out alternatives that better align with their specific requirements.
Whether it’s due to DocuSign’s higher pricing, support challenges, or unexpected renewal fees, many businesses are exploring alternatives like Certinal eSign. Certinal offers a more tailored, cost-effective eSignature experience, making it a compelling choice. This post highlights the key differences between Certinal eSign and DocuSign to help you make an informed decision for your business.
Feature Comparison: Certinal eSign vs. DocuSign
To truly understand why Certinal eSign stands out as one of the superior DocuSign alternatives, it’s essential to look at a side-by-side comparison of key features. Here’s how the two platforms stack up:
| S.no | Feature | Certinal eSign | DocuSign |
| 1 | Pricing Flexibility | Flexible pricing based on wrapper count, saving more than 50% compared to other vendors | Inflexible pricing, no separation between internal and external wrappers |
| 2 | Renewal Pricing | Flat renewal pricing | Substantial price increase at renewal |
| 3 | User Interface | Intuitive and user-friendly | Complex and sometimes difficult to navigate |
| 4 | Compliance | Complies with ISO 27001:2013, SSAE SOC I and II certifications, and more | Robust but fewer certifications |
| 5 | Document Size per Transaction | Supports up to 250MB for large documents like engineering specs | Limited to 25MB per transaction |
| 6 | Cloud Storage | 100GB free cloud storage | Limited free storage, with charges beyond that |
| 7 | Artificial Intelligence | Next-gen AI capabilities, including contract auto-summarization for recipients | First-generation AI with limited capabilities |
| 8 | Enterprise-grade Digital Signature | Comprehensive options: Standard, Advanced, and Government-accredited Qualified eSignatures | Primarily focused on Standard eSignature with limited advanced options |
| 9 | Premium Support | Premium support included at no extra cost | Premium support available at an additional cost |
1. Cost-Effectiveness and Flexible Pricing
Certinal eSign: Certinal eSign stands out for its transparent and flexible pricing structure, helping businesses save over 50% compared to legacy eSign vendors. Certinal’s pricing is based on wrapper count, allowing companies to scale their operations without facing steep increases in costs. Additionally, Certinal offers flat renewal pricing, ensuring that enterprises aren’t hit with unexpected price hikes when it’s time to renew contracts.
DocuSign: While DocuSign offers a comprehensive set of features, its pricing can be significantly higher, which may pose a challenge for smaller businesses or startups looking for a more cost-effective solution.
DocuSign charges a substantial price hike at the time of renewal, making long-term budgeting more difficult.
Learn more about eSign pricing
2. Ease of Use and Integration
Certinal eSign: Certinal eSign is designed with user experience in mind, offering an intuitive interface that makes navigating and completing eSigning processes simple, even for users with minimal technical expertise. Its robust API support and over 400 integration possibilities, including connectors for platforms like Salesforce, SharePoint, Workday, SAP, Oracle etc , ensure seamless workflows across departments and systems.
DocuSign: While DocuSign also offers a user-friendly interface, some users may find it complex due to its extensive feature set. Though DocuSign integrates with many platforms, the process can be more cumbersome compared to Certinal eSign’s streamlined approach, which is tailored for simplicity and ease of integration.
3. Security and Compliance
Certinal eSign: Security is a top priority for Certinal eSign, which adheres to stringent global standards such as ISO 27001:2013, SSAE SOC I and SOC II Type 2, and Trust Arc APEC PRP System Certification. Certinal employs advanced authentication methods and data encryption to protect sensitive information. Additionally, Certinal is globally and locally compliant, covering 70+ countries with regulations like GDPR, eIDAS, and HIPAA, making it a comprehensive solution for enterprises with diverse compliance needs.
DocuSign: DocuSign is known for robust security and international compliance, though it does not match Certinal’s breadth of certifications and cutting-edge security technologies. While secure, DocuSign’s limited certifications compared to Certinal may leave gaps for businesses operating under stricter compliance regulations.
4. Speed and Support
Certinal eSign: Certinal eSign offers rapid deployment, allowing businesses to get up and running within hours. This speed helps enterprises maintain productivity without disruptions. Certinal’s support team is highly responsive, providing immediate assistance and minimizing downtime when issues arise.
DocuSign: DocuSign also provides comprehensive support, but the initial setup process can be more time-consuming. Businesses may experience delays in becoming fully operational, potentially impacting productivity and efficiency during the transition period.
5. Customization and Scalability
Certinal eSign: Certinal eSign provides extensive customization options, allowing businesses to tailor the platform to their unique needs. The scalable infrastructure ensures that as your business grows, Certinal’s performance remains reliable, adapting to increasing demands without sacrificing speed or security.
DocuSign: DocuSign offers customization and scalability as well, but its flexibility may not be as robust as Certinal’s. For businesses with specialized workflows, implementing these processes in DocuSign may present challenges, especially as requirements grow more complex.
Why Enterprises Trust Certinal eSign
- Gartner Peer Insights:
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- Certinal has a 4.4/5 rating on Gartner Peer Insights.
- Recognized as a “Strong Performer” in the 2023 Gartner® Peer Insights™ Voice of the Customer Report.
- Noted for its user-friendly interface, robust security features, and excellent customer support.
- Certinal is one of the fastest-growing entrants in Gartner’s Market Guide for Electronic Signatures.
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- IDC MarketScape:
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- Certinal is recognized as a leader in the IDC MarketScape for eSignatures in 2023.
- This leadership position reflects Certinal’s strong performance and innovation in the eSignature industry.
- Certinal’s solution is tailored to meet the evolving needs of large enterprises, offering adaptability, security, and efficiency.
Conclusion
Both Certinal eSign and DocuSign are powerful eSignature solutions, each offering valuable features. However, when key factors like cost-effectiveness, ease of use, security, speed, and customization are considered, Certinal eSign emerges as the more compelling alternative. For businesses seeking a flexible, secure, and cost-efficient eSignature solution, Certinal provides unparalleled value in the competitive world of digital transaction management.
With Certinal, enterprises benefit from transparent pricing, intuitive workflows, advanced security, and seamless scalability—making it the perfect fit for businesses looking to streamline operations without compromising on quality or efficiency.
For more detailed information on how Certinal eSign can be the ideal electronic signature solution for your business, visit www.certinal.com/request-a-demo
