Documenso

Documenso is an open-source platform for electronic signatures. A user uploads a document, places signature and form fields, adds recipients and sends it. Recipients sign in the browser, and every party gets the completed document. Documenso is available as a cloud service and can also be self-hosted, and its code is public.

Documenso offers templates for documents that are sent often, such as service agreements or consent forms, and an API so other software can create and send documents automatically. It also integrates with Zapier.

What Documenso handles

• Uploading documents and placing signature, date and text fields
• Signing order for multiple recipients
• Reusable templates for common agreements
• An API for sending documents from other software
• Completed documents delivered to all parties

E-signatures inside a workflow

Signatures are rarely the end of a process. A signed contract might need to update a project, notify staff or trigger an invoice. Through the Documenso API or an automation tool, signing can become one step in a larger workflow, such as a client portal where a customer reviews and signs a proposal and the project status updates on its own.

Why some businesses self-host

Signed documents often contain personal and financial details. Self-hosting Documenso keeps those documents on infrastructure the business controls. Self-hosting also brings responsibility for updates, backups and uptime, which need to be planned before going live. Signed documents should be included in backups and kept for as long as the business must retain them.

Documenso fits businesses that send agreements regularly and want e-signature connected to their own systems. Businesses should confirm that electronic signatures are acceptable for each type of document they use them for.