Making the work
Growing an audience
Running the business
DocHub and SignWell both give away three free uses a month, but they are built for different jobs. DocHub edits and signs PDFs in the browser, filling in whatever form arrives, then $8 a month for Basic. SignWell is built specifically around sending a contract, tracking who signed it and proving it later, with SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA coverage stated on every plan including the free one, then $10 a month for Light. DocHub's own guidance points a weekly-contract business toward SignWell's audit trail and templates instead.
DocHub | SignWell | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $8 | From $10 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 30 days | Not stated |
| API | Not stated |
Sign and edit PDFs with a free plan
DocHub edits and signs PDFs in the browser, which covers the everyday case of filling in a form somebody emailed you without buying a document suite for it. The free plan allows three uses a month of the core features, so an occasional contract costs nothing. Paid tiers add unlimited use, templates and the sending workflow where you chase a countersignature.
Our note
The three-a-month free allowance is the reason to start here rather than anywhere else, since most people genuinely sign less than that. Upgrade when you find yourself counting, not before.
E-signatures with three free documents a month
SignWell does the one job an independent business needs from an e-signature tool: send a contract, get it signed, keep an audit trail that stands up. Templates and reminders cut the chasing. The free plan allows three documents a month from one sender, which covers an occasional client contract and nothing busier.
Our note
Against Dropbox Sign and Docusign this is the cheaper answer to the same question, and the free tier is the differentiator. Three documents a month covers a freelancer who signs a contract per client rather than per project.
Buy DocHub if the job is filling and annotating a PDF that already exists, a few times a month, without an audit trail attached to the process. Free covers three uses a month, and Basic lists at $8.
Buy SignWell if you are the one sending the contract and need proof of who signed it and when, with compliance coverage that matters for client work. Free covers three documents a month from one sender, and Light is $10 a month for unlimited documents once that cap bites. SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA are stated on every plan, including the free one, which DocHub does not claim at all.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
|---|
| Their cut | None | None |
|---|
| Runs on (they differ) | Web, iOS, Android | Web |
|---|
| Covers | Legal & Contracts | Legal & Contracts |
|---|
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
|---|
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
|---|
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
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| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
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Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.