Documenso — Open Source Document Signing Platform

Introduction

Documenso is an open-source DocuSign alternative built on Next.js, Prisma, and PostgreSQL. It provides legally binding PAdES-compliant digital signatures, ideal for organizations that need full control over their signing infrastructure.

With 12.6K+ GitHub stars and AGPL-3.0 licensing, Documenso supports self-hosted deployment, custom branding, API access, and a complete audit trail — with no per-signature fees.

Core Features

• PDF upload with signature fields: Upload PDFs and place signature, text, date, and checkbox fields
• Email invitations: Send signing requests via email with automatic reminders
• Digital signatures: PAdES-compliant with embedded certificates
• Audit trail: Complete signing history with timestamps, IP addresses, and verification info
• Templates: Create reusable document templates for repeated workflows
• API access: REST API for programmatic document creation and signing
• Self-hosting: Full data control via Docker or manual deployment

FAQ

Q: Are Documenso signatures legally binding? A: Yes. Documenso uses PAdES-compliant digital signatures, which are legally binding in most jurisdictions (including the EU's eIDAS and the US ESIGN Act).

Q: How does it compare to DocuSign? A: Documenso offers the core signing features (PDF signing, templates, API) without per-signature pricing. You can self-host for complete data control.