DocSend tracks documents. DocuSign signs them.
Totally different tools. But people search "DocSend vs DocuSign" constantly. We get why.
You're sending a contract. You want signatures, sure. But did they even read the payment terms? Did they skip straight to the signature page? Are they sharing it with their legal team?
One tool shows you what happened. The other makes it official. Let's figure out which one you actually need.
They don't actually compete
Here's the thing. DocSend is like Google Analytics for documents. You upload a PDF, get a link, send it out. Then you watch. Sarah from Acme Corp opened it at 2:47 PM. Spent 3 minutes on page 2. Went back to the pricing page twice. Downloaded it.
That's DocSend. Pure intelligence.
DocuSign? It's a signature machine. You need that sales contract signed by Friday. Drop in signature fields, send it to three people, set the signing order. Tom signs first, then Legal reviews, then the CFO approves. Boom. Legally binding. Stored forever.
That's DocuSign. Pure execution.
Comparing them is like comparing a telescope to a camera. Both involve looking at things. Completely different purposes.
Need document tracking software?
You share important documents. You need to know who's engaged.
But DocSend starts at $15/user and jumps to $65 fast. No free tier.
Ellty gives you the same tracking intelligence. See who viewed what. Which pages matter. When to follow up. Plus basic signatures when you need them.
Free tier with 50 documents. Paid plans from $29.
What each platform really does
DocSend
Upload your deck. Send the link to 20 investors. Now you know Investor #3 spent 12 minutes on your financial projections. That's interesting. Investor #7 opened it five times but never got past slide 4. That's a pass. Investor #15 forwarded it to two other email addresses. That's very interesting.
You can password protect links. Set expiration dates. Disable downloads. Update the document even after sending. Control everything.
But you can't edit inside DocSend. Can't add form fields. Can't collect signatures (well, technically you can on the $250/month plan, but it's basic).
It's watching, not doing.
DocuSign
Different game entirely. You're closing a deal. Employment contract needs three signatures by Monday. DocuSign handles the logistics. Drag signature fields onto the PDF. Maybe add some initial boxes, date fields, checkboxes for terms acceptance.
Send it out. Everyone gets notified in order. Mobile friendly so the CEO can sign from their phone at the airport. Automatic reminders if someone forgets. Legal audit trail for compliance.
When everyone signs, you get a tamper-proof PDF with certificate of completion. Deal closed.
But DocuSign won't tell you if they struggled with your payment terms. Won't show that they spent 10 minutes on the liability section. Just shows: sent, viewed, signed. That's it.
The real question: What's your goal?
Sending a pitch deck to investors? You don't need signatures. You need intelligence. Who's interested? Who's sharing internally? Who opened it five times? DocSend.
Closing a commercial lease? You don't need view analytics. You need signatures from four different parties in the right order with legal compliance. DocuSign.
But here's where it gets messy. What about that sales proposal? You want to know if they're interested AND get it signed. Now you're looking at two tools, two workflows, two subscriptions.
Some teams do this. Send the proposal via DocSend first. Watch engagement. When they seem interested, send the contract via DocuSign. It works, but it's clunky. And expensive.
Why not both?
Five-person team using both:
- DocSend: $75/month ($900/year)
- DocuSign: $75/month ($900/year)
- Total: $1,800/year
That's real money for a startup. Plus you're training everyone on two platforms. Sending two different links. "Here's the proposal to review" then later "Here's the contract to sign." Recipients get confused.
Better options
The market noticed this gap. New tools handle both tracking and signing in one platform.
Take Ellty. Built by a team that used both DocSend and DocuSign. Got tired of the workflow mess. Created something that tracks like DocSend but includes basic signatures. One link handles both needs. Starts at $29/month instead of paying for two tools.
Or flip it around. PandaDoc started as a DocuSign competitor but added basic tracking. Not as detailed as DocSend, but shows opens, views, time spent. Plus it creates documents from scratch. Different approach, same problem solved.
Picking your path
Start with your main thing. Are you mostly sharing information or mostly getting signatures?
Mostly sharing (like pitch decks, proposals, marketing content):
- DocSend if you want best-in-class tracking
- Ellty if you want tracking plus occasional signatures
- Skip if budget is tight - use Google Drive with view notifications
Mostly signing (like contracts, agreements, forms):
- DocuSign if you need advanced workflows
- PandaDoc if you also create documents
- HelloSign (now Dropbox Sign) if you're already in Dropbox
Need both equally: Time for a unified platform. The dual-tool approach sounds good in theory. In practice, it's a pain.
What users actually say
Pulled from real reviews:
"DocSend is amazing for understanding engagement but gets expensive fast as we grew the team" - startup founder on G2
"DocuSign is bulletproof for signatures but I wish I knew if people actually read our contracts" - sales manager on Capterra
"Switched from using both to [unified solution] and saved 3 hours a week just from simplified workflow" - operations lead on TrustRadius
How Ellty solves the problem
DocSend + DocuSign = $150/month for 5 users. Two logins. Two workflows. Confused clients.
Ellty = $145/month for the same team. Everything in one place.
Track documents like DocSend. Get signatures when needed. One link does both.
A startup we know switched last month. They were paying DocSend $325/month just for tracking. Added Ellty instead. Now they track documents AND collect signatures for less than half the price.
That's $2,340 saved this year. Real money for a seed-stage company.
Try it free:
- 50 documents/month
- Full analytics
- Basic signatures
- No card required
Takes 2 minutes. Upload a document. Share it. See everything.
FAQs
Can DocSend collect signatures?
Technically yes on the Advanced plan ($250/month). But it's basic compared to DocuSign.
Can DocuSign track detailed views?
No. Shows when opened and signed. That's it.
Which costs more?
Both start at $15/user/month. DocSend jumps to $65 then $250. DocuSign goes to $40 then custom.
What about security?
Both are enterprise-grade. DocuSign has more compliance certifications.
Should I get both?
Try a unified alternative first. Simpler and usually cheaper.
