A DocuSign alternative built for contractors
DocuSign is the best-known name in e-signatures, and it can do everything a contractor needs. The question is what it costs to do it the way a crew works: the contract signed at the kitchen table, change orders signed before the extra work starts, a lien waiver with every payment, and several people sending from their phones. Here's DocuSign through a contractor's eyes, using DocuSign's own pages as of November 2026.
Updated November 9, 2026 · 4 min read
On this page
DocuSign's plans, priced for a crew
DocuSign's eSignature pricing page lists three self-serve plans, each sold three ways. Personal is $10 a month paid yearly up front, $11 on an annual plan paid monthly or $15 month to month, for one user and 5 envelopes a month. Standard is $25, $30 or $45 a user a month, and Business Pro $40, $45 or $65. On annual plans, Standard and Business Pro include 100 envelopes per user a year; month to month, 10 per user a month.
- In-person signing starts on Standard. On Personal you can't hand your tablet to the homeowner.
- Bulk send, signer attachments, web forms and payment collection are Business Pro.
- Texting the signing link is an add-on, from $0.36 a delivery, and ID verification from $2.40 an attempt.
- Annual plans are a commitment. DocuSign lets you cancel within 30 days; after that you owe the rest of the year.
The paperwork on one job
Envelope limits matter more to a contractor than to an office, because one job produces several documents. A kitchen remodel with a contract, two change orders and four progress payments, each with a lien waiver, is seven envelopes before the completion sign-off. At 100 envelopes per user a year, that's about a dozen jobs per person.
- The contractSigned at the kitchen table or sent to the homeowner who's at work.
- Change ordersNew scope and price, signed before the extra work starts.
- Lien waiversConditional with the payment request, unconditional once the check clears.
- Completion sign-offThe homeowner confirms the work is done, often on site with photos.
- Subcontractor paperworkAgreements, W-9s and certificates of insurance from every sub.
SignMaster Crew and DocuSign Standard side by side
| SignMaster Crew | DocuSign Standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Five people | $49 a month for 5 people, monthly or yearly | $125 a month paid yearly up front, or $225 month to month |
| Envelopes | Unlimited | 100 per user a year, or 10 per user a month month to month |
| In-person signing | Every plan, in the app or the browser | Standard and up |
| Bulk send | Every paid plan | Business Pro |
| Your logo | Crew and Company | Standard and up |
| Collect payment at signing | No | Business Pro |
| Scan paper | Built into the iPhone and iPad app, with searchable text | Camera scanning in the mobile app |
| Mobile apps | iPhone and iPad; Android in the browser | iPhone, iPad and Android |
| Signer languages | 6, Spanish included | 44 and more |
| Remote online notarization | No | DocuSign Notary, through sales, or OneNotary from $25 |
DocuSign figures come from its eSignature pricing page, mobile app page and Notary page, read on November 9, 2026, at US list prices.
What a five-person crew pays
Five users on Standard cost $1,500 a year paid up front, $1,800 a year on the annual plan paid monthly, or $225 a month with no commitment, with 100 envelopes per user a year on annual billing. Bulk send means Business Pro: $2,400 a year up front for five. SignMaster Crew is $490 a year, or $49 a month, for 5 people with unlimited envelopes, and each extra person is $8 a month.
Where DocuSign is the better choice
- You want the deposit when the contract is signed. Business Pro collects payments during signing. SignMaster doesn't take payments.
- Your crew carries Android phones. DocuSign's app runs on Android as well as iPhone and iPad. SignMaster's app is iPhone and iPad only, and Android works in the browser.
- A document has to be notarized. DocuSign Notary handles remote online notarization. SignMaster doesn't notarize.
- You need many languages or deep integrations. DocuSign signs in 44 and more languages and lists over 1,000 integrations.
- Your GC or lender already sends you DocuSign envelopes. Signing theirs is free either way; the question is only what you send with.
Who SignMaster fits better
Crews that close in person and send a lot of small documents. Hand the iPad over with in-person signing: signing mode fills the screen and only your Face ID or passcode ends it. When a second homeowner is at work, they sign from a link and both signatures land in the same envelope. Get change orders signed before work starts and send lien waivers with every payment without counting envelopes.
In the truck, scan the paper contract a customer already signed, add your company stamp with your license number, and let Alana fill the next draft from a sentence. For a season of maintenance renewals, bulk send gives every customer their own agreement from one CSV.
How to switch from DocuSign
- 1
Start free
Your workspace gets 14 days of Crew with no card. Run your next job's paperwork through it.
- 2
Turn your forms into templates
Upload your contract, change order and lien waiver PDFs and save each as a template, with roles like Homeowner and Contractor. Check that your state's lien waiver wording is exact.
- 3
Add the crew
Invite up to 5 people on Crew. Templates are shared across the workspace, and roles decide who can edit them.
- 4
Time it to your renewal
Let envelopes already out finish in DocuSign, download the signed copies, and switch before your annual term renews.
Questions? Answers.
Is DocuSign Standard enough for a contractor?
It covers in-person signing and your branding. Watch the allowance: 100 envelopes per user a year on annual plans, and a single job can use several. Bulk send and payments need Business Pro.
How many envelopes does a contractor need?
Count the documents per job: the contract, each change order, each lien waiver and the sign-off. Multiply by your jobs a year. SignMaster's paid plans have no envelope limit.
Can a homeowner sign on my iPad with SignMaster?
Yes, on every plan. Choose the signer in the envelope, hand over the iPad, and the certificate records that they signed in person and who hosted.
Can I send lien waivers for e-signature?
In many states, yes, but some prescribe exact statutory wording and a few have extra execution rules. Read can you e-sign a lien waiver and use your state's form text in your template.
Where do the DocuSign figures come from?
From DocuSign's eSignature pricing page, mobile app page and Notary page, read on November 9, 2026, at US list prices.
Sources
- DocuSign eSignature pricing · ecom.docusign.com
- DocuSign mobile app · docusign.com
- DocuSign Notary · docusign.com
