Electronic signature and document management software are game-changers for businesses that work with numerous international clients. Two standout tools in this field include PandaDoc and DocuSign.

This week, I’m exploring them both to see which one serves its purpose better. I’ve tested their main features, which you’ll find in a clear overview below.

While PandaDoc is popular due to its rich template library, real-time collaboration features and workflow automations, DocuSign stands out as a highly customizable tool, offering multiple integrations. 

This article offers a thorough comparison of the two tools. It shows how they differ in terms of user interface, management of complex document workflows, and integrations they offer. It also discusses the compliance and legal validity of e-signatures for both platforms and evaluates the customer support options they provide. 

In addition, the guide introduces a third competitor (Oneflow) that helps you streamline your document creation process and create legally binding contracts. It has a feature-rich free plan, so you might be interested in trying it out. 

Company overview and history

First, let’s examine the origins of Pandadoc, DocuSign and Oneflow and how they came to be on the market.

PandaDoc is a big name in document automation. Founded in 2011 in San Francisco, it soon moved to Silicon Valley. In 2021, it announced a Series C financing round, which brought its valuation to $1 billion.

DocuSign, founded in 2003, holds a dominant position in the e-signature market, boasting a market share of approximately 47%. In 2020, Docusign acquired Seal Software, which increased its contract analytics capabilities. This year, they announced fourth-quarter revenue of $712.4 million and introduced new products for agreement management.

Oneflow is a tool with key features similar to PandaDoc and DocuSign, but it has a free plan that you can test without any obligations. 

It’s one of the best PandaDoc alternatives, automating everything—from creation and negotiation to signing and storage—making it a big name in the contract management space.

Oneflow was founded in 2012 in Sweden to transform inefficient contract management processes that relied heavily on manual work and paper documentation. In July 2024, its ARR reached SEK 153 million; in 2022, Oneflow transitioned to a publicly listed company.

User interface and ease of use

A user-friendly interface is critical for new software adoption and smooth operations. When software is easy to use, people are more likely to engage without frustration, reducing the need for extensive training and customer support.

A straightforward interface also speeds up tasks, improving overall efficiency in daily activities.

PandaDoc

PandaDoc features a robust drag-and-drop document editor that allows users to create and customize documents from scratch or modify existing templates. A rich template library enables rapid document creation tailored to various business needs. These templates cater to multiple industries and purposes, including:

• Business document templates, like software, mobile and website development proposals
• Contracts and agreements, including freelance, joint venture and car rental
• Policy and planning documents like company overtime policy template and strategic plan template

If you’re a beginner or a freelancer, PandaDoc makes things pretty straightforward. You get a clean and organized dashboard with quick access to recent documents, templates and essential functions.

As you start exploring more advanced features—like customizing documents, digging into analytics, or integrating with other tools—the learning curve gets steeper. Unique contractual needs or intricate compliance requirements are challenging to accommodate. Teams might need to contact their support or read their knowledge base to get the hang of everything, which could slow down those initial productivity boosts you were hoping for.

See also: Oneflow vs PandaDoc

DocuSign

If you’re new to DocuSign, the basics, like sending documents for signatures and managing envelopes, are quite easy to pick up. The drag-and-drop interface is user-friendly, allowing you to create customizable templates and add fields as needed. You can tailor documents to your specific requirements without technical knowledge. 

As you start exploring more advanced features—like setting up templates, using conditional logic, and automating workflows—the tool becomes more difficult to use. 

Advanced functionalities, such as workflow automation and embedded signing, often require a deeper understanding of the platform’s capabilities. Users may struggle to set up complex workflows or integrate DocuSign with other software systems.

See also: Oneflow vs DocuSign

Oneflow

Oneflow user interface is designed to streamline the entire contract lifecycle, focusing on collaboration, real-time editing and user-friendly navigation. It is a real help on your way to creating a paperless office.

The interface is clean and intuitive. It leverages common UI conventions and patterns that users are accustomed to, such as the placement of the search bar and the use of a hamburger menu. 

You can quickly access various contract creation, management and signing functionalities. The sidebar in Oneflow’s document and template views is collapsible, allowing users to focus more on the content and reducing clutter. 

Document workflow management

Workflow management capabilities in e-signature tools can save significant time and effort compared to manual document processes. Here’s the comparison of workflow management features in the discussed tools.

PandaDoc

PandaDoc enables businesses to automate document workflows and optimize processes. You can:

• Create tailored approval workflows for different document types
• Set up automatic notifications for approvers when a document is ready for review
• Review and approve documents from any device
• Add conditional approvals
• Create on-brand documents using drag and drop editor

When it comes to collaboration features, PandaDoc helps multiple parties work together on documents in real time. Team members can leave comments and feedback directly on documents, and stakeholders can get updates on document status and changes.

DocuSign

DocuSign provides robust document workflow automation capabilities to streamline your agreement processes from end to end. It allows you to:

• Automatically route documents to signers in the correct order
• Send reminders to signers to reduce delays
• Track the status of documents in the workflow
• Securely store signed documents
• Bulk send documents for signature
• Authenticate recipients via SMS, email or phone
• Automatically send final documents to recipients and store them internally

Templates for common document types, such as NDAs, SOWs, legal agreements etc., are available. Users can customize a few key fields and send documents for signature.

DocuSign collaboration features include real-time comments, designated signatures and envelope-sharing, allowing multiple users to review, correct and manage contracts.

Oneflow

Oneflow streamlines the contract creation process, offering a variety of document templates. The key features of its document management system include:

• Template library: Oneflow provides a library of pre-made contract templates, such as employment contracts, consulting agreements and sales documents. These templates can be used as-is or tailored to meet specific requirements, saving time and ensuring that legal language is accurate and up-to-date.
• Customization: When creating a template, users can choose from various section types, such as text and image, product tables, forms and attachments. This flexibility enables the creation of comprehensive documents tailored to specific business needs.
• Automated data transfer: The tool takes information collected through web forms and automatically transfers it to Oneflow contracts, streamlining the workflow and reducing manual data entry.
• Third-party API integration: Oneflow forms can interact with third-party APIs, enabling seamless data exchange and integration with other systems.

Oneflow enhances teamwork with collaboration tools like HTML-based interactive templates and fillable fields for counterparties. Team members can comment on contracts, tag others for feedback, and receive notifications for actions like contract openings or comments. 

It also supports sending contracts to multiple parties, setting automatic signing reminders, organizing signing orders, and delegating signing rights for efficient contract management.

Integrations and connectors

Integrating e-signature software with other business tools is essential for optimizing document workflows. For example, having your digital solutions integrated with Hubspot means you can easily create, send and sign contracts and agreements directly from your HubSpot account.

PandaDoc

PandaDoc provides many integrations and connectors, enhancing the signing process. It includes:

• CRM tools: Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive
• Payment processors: Stripe, PayPal and authorize.net
• Project management and collaboration tools: Monday.com, Slack and Microsoft teams
• Document storage and management: Google Drive, Dropbox
• Automation and workflow: Zapier, Integromat

DocuSign

DocuSign integration options include: 

• CRM tools: Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive
• Payment processors: Stripe, PayPal, authorize.net
• Cloud storage and productivity: Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Microsoft Office and Slack
• Automation and workflow: Zapier, Integromat
• Other: Zoom, ServiceNow and Workday

Oneflow

With Oneflow integrations, you can:

• Automatically create and manage contracts using data from different systems.
• Sync data across platforms, avoiding manual work and keeping everything accurate.
• Trigger workflows based on contract status changes, making your operations run smoother.
• Take advantage of a public API for custom integrations that fit your business perfectly.

Popular Oneflow integrations include:

• Salesforce
• Google Workspace
• Microsoft Dynamics 365
• Slack
• Zapier
• Teamtailor
• HiBob

Other notable integrations:

• Adocka
• Jobylon
• SuperOffice
• Pipedrive
• Power Automate
• Upsales
• Lime CRM
• Membrain
• Intelliplan

Compliance and legal validity

PandaDoc

PandaDoc is compliant with E-SIGN, UETA and HIPPA. These laws establish that eSignatures hold the same legal weight as traditional handwritten signatures. Under certain conditions, they are enforceable in court. PandaDoc is also backed by SOC2 certification.

This e-signature solution enhances the legal validity of its eSignatures through several features:

• Audit trails: They track document activity, providing a history of who signed and when which is crucial for authenticity.
• Digital certificates: These certificates include details like the signer’s IP address and timestamps, further solidifying the signature’s validity.
• Multiple signature options: Users can sign documents electronically by typing, drawing or uploading a handwritten signature.

DocuSign

DocuSign provides legally binding signatures in the U.S. under ESIGN and UETA, in the EU under eIDAS, and in Australia under ETA.

Docusign adheres to numerous international compliance standards, including:

• ISO 27001: Ensures information security management.
• PCI-DSS: Standards for payment card security.
• HIPAA: Compliance for healthcare information privacy.
• 21 CFR Part 11: Regulations for electronic records and signatures in the pharmaceutical industry.

These certifications show DocuSign’s commitment to maintaining high security and privacy standards.

Oneflow

Oneflow takes compliance very seriously to ensure the security and integrity of customer data. One key compliance measure is aligning with ISO 27001 for information security management. Oneflow also follows standards from the eIDAS regulation in the EU and the ESIGN Act in the US, which define requirements for legally binding e-signatures.

The tool is designed to address all the concerns about the legal validity of electronic signatures.

One of the foremost concerns is the ability to verify the signer’s identity. Traditional signatures can be easily recognized, but e-signatures are more susceptible to forgery. Oneflow supports various signing methods like electronic IDs, SMS verification, and handwritten signatures to verify the signer’s identity.

Another significant concern is the potential for document manipulation after signing. Ensuring that a document remains unchanged post-signature is crucial for legal enforceability.

Oneflow uses hashing and asymmetric encryption to protect document integrity and detect any changes. It also employs robust measures like TLS 1.2 to encrypt data in transit and the AES 256 algorithm to encrypt data before storing it at rest. Oneflow provides comprehensive audit trails to track user activities and enhance security.

Customer support and success

To give you an idea about what you can expect from customer support teams of each tool, here are some customer opinions.

PandaDoc

PandaDoc customers say their support team is willing to listen and interested in suggestions, so they had an overall good experience with support.

DocuSign

DocuSign customers praise the chatbot for quick and easy answers to common questions.

Oneflow

Oneflow’s customers say their support is helpful and knowledgeable, so the overall experience was exceptional.

Here’s a comparison of what customer support options provided by PandaDoc, DocuSign and Oneflow look like.

Industry-specific solutions

PandaDoc

PandaDoc provides tailored solutions for various industries, enhancing document management processes such as proposal creation, contract management, and e-signatures. The industry-specific solutions of PandaDoc include:

• Manufacturing
• Construction
• Healthcare
• Education
• Financial Services
• Real estate
• Insurance
• Event services
• Nonprofits
• Legal

For example, real estate contract management templates allow users to create, edit and customize documents such as lease agreements, purchase/sale agreements and rental applications. This feature helps reduce setup time and minimizes errors.

Furthermore, PandaDoc includes features for e-notarization, allowing users to manage notarization processes and schedule signings. The platform integrates with various real estate tools, such as Salesforce, Zoho and other property management software.

DocuSign

DocuSign solutions are available for such key industries as:

• Financial services
• Healthcare
• Real estate
• Insurance
• Education
• Government

For example, in the healthcare sector, DocuSign aims to enhance patient trust and streamline processes. Solutions include patient intake and consent forms (ensuring compliance with regulations like HIPAA) and automated hiring and onboarding processes for healthcare staff.

Oneflow

Oneflow also provides tailored solutions across various industries, focusing on enhancing contract management and operational efficiency. Here are some specific sectors that benefit from Oneflow’s offer:

• Consulting services
• Technology and IT
• Logistics
• Utility services
• Insurance
• Accounting services
• Recruitment

Oneflow focuses on the sales industry and offers various specialized features for sales teams. For example, Oneflow’s digital sales room provides a customer-facing portal where salespeople can share relevant content, track customer engagement, and communicate with customers via chat or video.

In addition, sales teams can collaborate directly with prospects within the contract, increasing engagement and success rates. They can also send and receive real-time feedback, speeding up the negotiation process.

Pricing and value for money

PandaDoc pricing starts at $35 per user per month, which allows for unlimited document uploads and e-signatures. The DocuSign basic plan is $15 per month, which allows you to send five agreements for signature monthly. 

Oneflow offers a Free-forever plan that lets users send, track and sign unlimited PDF contracts.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the three tools’ pricing models.

PandaDoc

PandaDoc offers a simple, scalable pricing structure:

• Starter Plan: $35 per user/month for quickly creating and signing forms and agreements. Includes unlimited document uploads and e-signatures.
• Business Plan: $65 per user/month for sales proposals and integrated agreement workflows. Includes custom quotes, sales agreements and CRM integrations.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing based on specific requirements. This includes workflow automation, smart content and single sign-on (SSO).

Discounts for yearly pricing and a free 14-day trial are available. 

DocuSign

DocuSign offers pricing plans tailored to different user needs, ranging from individual users to large enterprises. Here’s a breakdown of the pricing structure:

• Personal Plan: $15/month, limited to 5 envelopes per month, suitable for individuals or freelancers.
• Standard Plan: $45/month allows up to 100 envelopes per user per year, suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.
• Business Pro Plan: $65/month, includes advanced features such as custom branding and complex workflows.
• Enterprise Plans: Pricing varies significantly based on the organization’s needs, typically ranging from $8,200 to $80,500 annually for larger teams (200 to 1,001 users). Features include customizable solutions, enhanced compliance features, advanced integrations and organization management tools.

You can get up to 44% discount when choosing annual pricing. A free 30-day trial is available.

Oneflow

Oneflow pricing structure accommodates various user needs. Here’s a breakdown of the pricing plans:

• Free Plan: Allows users to upload, send, and e-sign PDF contracts, track activities and access basic dashboard insights.
• Essentials Plan: $17 per user/month when billed annually. Includes digital contracts and contract templates.
• Business Plan: $45 per user/month with annual billing. This includes data fields, lifecycle, and premium integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics).
• Enterprise: Custom pricing. Includes shared templates and single sign-on (SSO).

Conclusion

Both PandaDoc and DocuSign offer valuable document management and eSignatures features. Which one you choose depends on your business type and specific contract operations. PandaDoc is handy if you have a larger team but need advanced features, while DocuSign is ideal for individuals who need a reliable way of signing documents quickly and securely. Before investing in either, you may want to try them out yourself and consider user opinions on review sites.

A third alternative is Oneflow. It lets you easily upload, send and sign PDF documents with legally valid electronic signatures, track activities, receive notifications and more. It is great for freelancers, SMBs and large enterprises.

Try Oneflow for free to see how it can transform your contract management.

FAQs

What is the difference between DocuSign and PandaDoc?

Key differences between DocuSign and PandaDoc include DocuSign’s steeper learning curve and more advanced features (delayed routing, scheduled sending), while PandaDoc offers a more intuitive interface. DocuSign also appeals more to enterprise and mid-market users.

How much does PandaDoc and DocuSign cost?

The cost of PandaDoc ranges from $35 per user/month to $65 per user/month for teams. The DocuSign cost ranges from $15 per month for individuals to $65 per user/month for teams.

Are PandaDoc signatures legally binding?

Yes, PandaDoc signatures are legally binding. They comply with major electronic signature laws, specifically the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (ESIGN) Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) in the United States.

Is PandaDoc qualified electronic signature?

PandaDoc does not offer qualified electronic signatures (QES) under the EU’s eIDAS regulation but provides legally binding electronic signatures that comply with U.S. laws, ESIGN, and UETA, ensuring their validity and enforceability in court.

Disclaimer:
All information on this page is derived from publicly available sources such as G2, Capterra, and other software listing sites. Oneflow does not verify the accuracy, completeness, or currentness of this information. Accordingly, Oneflow assumes no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions in the content, nor for any actions taken in reliance on such information. Users are advised to independently verify any information before making decisions based on it.