Documenso

Documenso is an open-source digital document signing platform — a transparent, self-hostable alternative to DocuSign. It handles the full e-signature workflow: upload a PDF, place signature fields, send to signers, collect signatures, and receive a legally binding signed document with a tamper-proof audit trail.

Market opportunity

The e-signature market is worth $6B+ and growing at 28% annually as the world permanently moves to digital document workflows. DocuSign controls roughly 70% of the market and charges $10–$65+/user/month for basic signing features — pricing that stings for small businesses, agencies, and startups that just want to send a few contracts a month without a $120/year minimum. Adobe Acrobat Sign and HelloSign add another pricing layer. Documenso targets this directly: a production-grade signing platform you can self-host for the cost of a VPS, with a growing cloud option for those who want managed.

Technical overview

• Stack: TypeScript + Next.js + tRPC, Prisma + PostgreSQL, Docker-based deployment.
• Signing workflow: PDF upload → drag-and-drop field placement (signature, initials, name, date, text) → email signing invitations → real-time status tracking.
• Audit trail: cryptographically signed certificate of completion with timestamp, IP, and signer identity.
• Multi-signer: sequential or parallel signing order, with optional signing order enforcement.
• API: a REST API for programmatic document creation and signing — integrate into your own product.
• Self-hostable: Docker Compose with PostgreSQL; runs on any cloud VPS.

Who's it for

Small businesses sending contracts without a DocuSign budget, SaaS products that need embedded e-signatures, HR teams automating offer letter workflows, legal and real estate professionals, and developers building document-heavy applications.

Get started

Cloud (fastest): Sign up at documenso.com — free tier available. Upload a PDF, drag signature fields onto the document, enter your signer's email, and send. They receive an email, click to sign, and you both get the completed document.

Self-host:

git clone https://github.com/documenso/documenso
cd documenso
cp .env.example .env   # set DATABASE_URL, NEXTAUTH_SECRET, NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBAPP_URL, and email (SMTP)
docker compose up -d

Visit http://localhost:3000, create your account, and upload your first document. For production, run behind Nginx + SSL. Configure SMTP (SendGrid, Resend, or your own) for signing invitation emails.