Salsox vs DocuSeal: open source e-signatures compared

Salsox vs DocuSeal

DocuSeal is an open source e-signature platform you can host yourself or use as a cloud service, with an API and embedding for developers. Salsox is a hosted, phone-first signing tool for people who do not want to run anything. The right choice depends mostly on that.

Facts about DocuSeal were checked on October 15, 2026 against:

DocuSeal pricing

At a glance

DocuSeal's figures were taken from its pricing page on 15 October 2026, in US dollars. Prices and limits change; check the source before you decide.

	Salsox	DocuSeal
Free option	Cloud: 3 documents a month, plus free PDF tools	Cloud Basic: $0, 10 request emails a month; open source edition free to self-host
Paid plan	Personal $9/month, Business $19/month, per account	Cloud Pro: $20 per user a month or $200 per user a year
Pricing basis	Per account	Per user (web seats; signers are free)
Self-hosting	No	Yes, open source, with a paid on-premises Pro plan
API and embedding	No public API	Pro plans; $0.20 per document via API in production
Payment with signature	Business plan (Stripe or Paystack)	Listed: 4% fee on free cloud plan, 0% on Pro
Bulk send	Not offered	Pro: 50 a month included, then $0.20 per signature
SMS	Signing links shareable to SMS and WhatsApp; SMS reminders where configured	Pro: SMS verification, 20 a month included, then $0.20 each

Where DocuSeal is stronger

DocuSeal suits teams with technical skills. Being open source, it can run on your own servers, which some organisations need for data-residency reasons, and the code can be inspected. Its Pro plans add an API and embedding, so signing can live inside your own product, plus webhooks, Zapier, SSO and SAML, bulk sending from a spreadsheet, and user roles. If you are a developer embedding signatures in an application, those features are decisive and Salsox offers none of them.

Where Salsox is different

Nothing to run. Salsox is a hosted service: there are no servers, updates or email delivery to manage, and no developer is needed to start.

Built for phones. Signers sign one field at a time in any phone browser, with no account, and links can be shared to WhatsApp or SMS from the document page.

Mobile money. Sign & Pay works with Paystack as well as Stripe, so a signer can pay by mobile money where Paystack supports it.

Flat price per account. Salsox paid plans are priced per account rather than per user, and do not count documents.

Fixes in place. A wrong email or an expired link is corrected or renewed on the same document.

Switching between them

Moving from DocuSeal to Salsox, or the other way, is mostly about records. Download your completed documents and their audit trails before you close an account; they remain valid records of what was signed, and nothing needs to be signed again. If you used DocuSeal's API or embedding, plan for that work to become manual in Salsox, which has neither. If you self-hosted, keep a backup of the database and stored files until you are sure you no longer need them. Signers notice little change: in both, they open a link and sign without an account.

Which should you choose?

Choose DocuSeal if you want to self-host, need an API or embedding, or have developers who will integrate signing into your own software. Choose Salsox if you want a hosted tool that non-technical people can use from their phones, with deposits collected as clients sign. Both let signers sign without an account, so try a real document with each.

Frequently asked questions

Is DocuSeal free?

Its open source edition is free to self-host, and its cloud Basic plan is $0 with a limit of 10 request emails a month, as listed on 15 October 2026. Its cloud Pro plan is $20 per user a month, or $200 per user a year.

Does DocuSeal have an API?

Yes. DocuSeal lists an API and embedding on its Pro plans, charged at $0.20 per document signed through the API in production, with a free sandbox. Salsox has no public API.

Can both collect payments with a signature?

Yes. DocuSeal lists payment collection, with a 4% fee on its free cloud plan and 0% on Pro. Salsox includes Sign & Pay on its Business plan, through Stripe or Paystack.

Should I self-host my e-signatures?

Self-hosting gives you full control of your data but makes you responsible for servers, updates, backups and email delivery. If you do not have someone to run it, a hosted service is usually safer.