Dropbox Sign alternative
The no-subscription alternative to Dropbox Sign
Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign) is a polished, monthly per-user subscription e-signature product that's part of Dropbox — great if you sign documents regularly and live inside the Dropbox ecosystem. GetItSigned is the better fit if you sign occasionally: there's no subscription and no per-seat fee, you pay only when a document is actually signed (bundles work out to roughly $0.50–$0.80 per document), you get 3 free on signup, and your credits never expire. Both produce legally binding signatures.
The core difference: subscription vs. pay-per-signature
Dropbox Sign is built around a monthly per-user subscription — there's a free tier with limits, then paid plans priced per seat (check the Dropbox Sign site for current numbers). That model rewards steady, team-wide volume. GetItSigned flips it: no monthly fee, no seats. You buy credits in bundles, one credit sends one document for signature, and a document is only charged once — when the last required signer completes. If you go a few months without signing anything, you pay nothing, and the credits you already bought stay in your account because they never expire.
Who should pick which
Pick Dropbox Sign if you send signature requests most weeks, want it tightly wired into Dropbox file storage, or need a per-seat plan for a whole team that signs constantly. Pick GetItSigned if you're a freelancer, landlord, small-business owner, or individual who signs a handful of documents a month or a year — an NDA here, a lease there, the occasional client contract — and you'd rather not pay a recurring bill for a tool you use sparingly.
What's the same
Both let you upload a PDF, place signature and date fields, and send a link the other person opens on any device. Both produce signatures that are legally binding under ESIGN and UETA in the US and eIDAS in the EU. Both keep an audit trail and issue a completion record. The signing experience for your recipient is clean and familiar in either tool — no account required to sign.
Where Dropbox Sign is genuinely strong
We won't pretend otherwise: Dropbox Sign is a mature, well-designed product. If your files already live in Dropbox, the integration is seamless, and its team features, templates, and API are battle-tested at scale. For high-volume teams that have standardized on Dropbox, staying put is a perfectly reasonable choice. The question isn't whether Dropbox Sign is good — it's whether a per-user subscription matches how often you actually sign.
Are GetItSigned signatures legally binding?
Yes. Every document captures the evidence a court looks for: the signer's consent and intent, their email and IP address, a timestamp, the signing method, and SHA-256 hashes of the original and signed PDF. Each completed document comes with a Certificate of Completion — a separate PDF with the full audit trail — generated automatically. That's valid under ESIGN/UETA in the US and eIDAS in the EU, the same legal footing as any mainstream e-signature tool.
Dropbox Sign vs. GetItSigned at a glance
An honest side-by-side. Dropbox Sign details are described conservatively — check the Dropbox Sign site for current plan specifics.
| What you care about | GetItSigned | Dropbox Sign |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay per signature (credits) | Monthly per-user subscription |
| Recurring monthly fee | ||
| Per-seat / per-user fees | ||
| Free to start | 3 free credits on signup | Free tier with limits |
| Credits / unused value expire | Never expire | N/A (subscription) |
| Cost for occasional signing | ~$0.50–$0.80 per document | Pay the monthly fee regardless |
| Legally binding (ESIGN / eIDAS) | ||
| Certificate of Completion + audit trail | ||
| Sign on any device, no account to sign | ||
| Deep Dropbox file integration |
Common questions
- Is GetItSigned a good Dropbox Sign alternative?
- If you sign occasionally rather than constantly, yes. GetItSigned drops the monthly subscription and per-seat fees entirely — you pay only when a document is actually signed, start with 3 free, and your credits never expire. For heavy weekly use or deep Dropbox integration, Dropbox Sign may still suit you better.
- Is Dropbox Sign the same as HelloSign?
- Yes. HelloSign was rebranded as Dropbox Sign after Dropbox acquired it. It's the same product line — a monthly per-user subscription e-signature tool, now part of Dropbox.
- How much does GetItSigned cost compared to a subscription?
- GetItSigned has no monthly fee. You buy credits in bundles that work out to roughly $0.50–$0.80 per document, and one credit sends one document for signature. If you only sign a few documents a year, you typically pay far less than any monthly per-user plan. Check the Dropbox Sign site for its current subscription pricing.
- Do my GetItSigned credits expire?
- No. Credits you buy stay in your account indefinitely. There's no "use it or lose it" pressure and no recurring charge — a key difference from a subscription, where you pay every month whether you sign anything or not.
- Are GetItSigned signatures legally binding like Dropbox Sign's?
- Yes. Both capture consent, intent, signer identity, timestamp, and document integrity, and both are valid under ESIGN/UETA in the US and eIDAS in the EU. GetItSigned issues a Certificate of Completion with every signed document.
- Can the person I send to sign without an account?
- Yes. Your recipient opens a secure link and signs on any device — phone, tablet, or computer — with no account or app required. That's true in both GetItSigned and Dropbox Sign.
Stop paying a subscription for signatures you send rarely
Upload a PDF, drop a signature field, send a link. Pay only when it's signed — and start with 3 free. No subscription, no per-seat fees, credits that never expire.
Start free