The best free and open source electronic signature software
If you want to sign documents without a subscription, you have two honest routes: self host an open source tool, or live inside a generous free tier. We weighted licensing, free allowances and the option to host it yourself, then ranked the five worth your time.
Reviewed by M. HALLORAN·Updated APRIL 2026·How we vet
Tools compared5
Criteria weighted5
Last reviewedJune 2026
Paid placements0
How we ranked the field
Scored on the same five criteria as our main ranking, then reweighted for licensing freedom, a real free tier and the option to self host and own your data. See the full rubric →
Licensing and openness25%
Free tier or self host25%
Ease of use20%
Features and depth15%
Value to upgrade15%
01
RANK
★ Editor’s Choice
DocuSeal
Best for open source signing
The standout open source signing tool: create PDF forms, send them, and collect legally sound signatures, either self hosted for the cost of a small server or on a free cloud tier. Setup is genuinely quick, the interface is clean, and the API is open. You own your data outright. The tradeoff is that support and polish come from a community rather than a vendor desk.
For teams that want free signing without running a server, SignWell has the most generous credible free tier of the commercial tools: three documents a month at no cost, and unlimited documents from eight dollars when you outgrow it. It is closed source, so you do not own the stack, but you also do not maintain it.
A beautifully built open source signing platform with a modern stack and a growing community. Self hosting is free and the hosted plan starts at thirty dollars a month with full API access. It is younger than DocuSeal, so the feature set and ecosystem are still filling in, but the trajectory is strong.
Not open source, but the free plan is clean and usable for occasional signing, and the paid tier unlocks unlimited requests when you need them. The signing experience is the most polished here. You pay more than SignWell once you upgrade, and you do not get to host it yourself.
Built for people who just want to send a document, get it signed and look professional. The free plan covers light, occasional use and the design is friendly to newcomers. It is closed source with thinner depth, but for a solo user it rarely matters.