Best Electronic Signature Software 2021

HelloSign vs. PandaDoc

Is HelloSign or PandaDoc the better solution for you? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best electronic signature tool to help close more deals and grow your business.

Individuals and organizations use electronic signature software tools to build and manage legal documents online. With so many options in the market, it can be hard to choose the best one for you or your business. We’ve created this guide to help you understand the key differences between HelloSign & PandaDoc, and simplify your purchase decision.

We’ve created this guide to help you understand the differences between HelloSign and PandaDoc, and simplify your purchase decision. Below, we share the types of customers each solution was built for, and analyze their pricing and key features.

All of our recommendations are based upon extensive research, discussions with electronic signature software users, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leading website builder software platforms. The details of our research process can be found on our Electronic Signature category page.

HelloSign & PandaDoc Comparison Summary

HelloSign and PandaDoc are two well known electronic solutions with tens of thousands of customers each. Both solutions are ranked highly in our overall standings – the key difference between them is the target customer each solution was built for. We rated HelloSign 87 out of 100 and PandaDoc 90 out of 100, respectively.

PandaDoc was rated higher than HelloSign because it offers a more robust free plan and platform in general, is easy to use, and can support sales team if needed to. HelloSign was rated lower because it is not as feature-rich as PandaDoc.


This breakdown shows our review criteria and the ratings that HelloSign and PandaDoc received for each category.

CriteriaAnalyst RatingFeaturesUsabilityPricingCustomer Support
HelloSign879988
PandaDoc9091089

HelloSign may be ideal for you if you need a moderately advanced, more general electronic signature tool for your legal documents. PandaDoc may be ideal if you need a solution for your sales team, or are looking for the best free plan in the market.

Overall, HelloSign is the cheaper of the two solutions. PandaDoc is a better deal if you need features to support sales processes, or you only need a free plan. PandaDoc’s free plan offers unlimited documents for uploading and sending for signature.

Both solutions come with all of the basic electronic signature software features – legally binding signatures, a document editor, templates, flexible signing, document storage, and audit reports. However, PandaDoc also offers sales-specific features – content library, interactive quoting, and recipient analytics.

Here’s a quick breakdown to determine which solution is best for you:

You'll prefer HelloSign if:

  • You want the standard electronic signature features at a cheaper price
  • You value having more document editing features like navigating a document by page & keyboard shortcuts
  • You want to be able to upload PowerPoints and Excel sheets

Try HelloSign Today

You'll prefer PandaDoc if:

  • You want a free plan that lets you send an unlimited number of documents
  • You need a solution built specifically for sales teams
  • You want features like standardized proposal templates and advanced recipient analytics that aren’t found in HelloSign

Try PandaDoc Today


Table of Contents

Who Should Purchase HelloSign?

HelloSign is a moderately advanced solution that includes all of the features needed to manage electronic signatures and legal documents. Its document editor and other features are intuitive & reliable. However, HelloSign does not include all of the bells and whistles included in the most advanced tools like DocuSign.

In our research, we found that HelloSign works best for individuals and SMBs who need a moderately advanced platform at an affordable price. Customers reported that HelloSign has an easy-to-use platform and is reasonably priced. However, customers have also expressed that they wish HelloSign offered a few more features like the ability to create more templates per plan.

Who Should Purchase PandaDoc?

PandaDoc is a good solution for those with basic electronic signature needs, and a great solution for sales teams. The company offers the most robust free plan in the market - it includes unlimited documents and payment requests.

Our research indicates that PandaDoc customers are very satisfied with the platform overall. Many have reported that they love certain features like PandaDoc’s content library, in-document payment processing, and the ability to include interactive quoting. Customers were also impressed by how robust and functional PandaDoc’s free plan is.

HelloSign & PandaDoc Price Comparison

HelloSign and PandaDoc are both priced as monthly subscriptions. In general, HelloSign is slightly more affordable than PandaDoc. Both solutions also offer a ~25% discount for the upfront purchase of an annual plan.

HelloSign Pricing Details

HelloSign pricing ranges from free to $50 per user per month. You can save up to 25% if you choose to pay the annual subscription upfront. Here’s an overview of HelloSign’s plans and pricing:

Free plan
  • $0 per user per month
  • $0 per month under annual subscription
  • 1 user
Essentials plan
  • $20 per user per month
  • $15 per month under annual subscription
  • 1 user
Business plan
  • $50 per user per month
  • $40 per month under annual subscription
  • Up to 5 users
Enterprise plan
  • Contact vendor
  • 5 users

PandaDoc Pricing Details

PandaDoc pricing ranges from free to $60 per user per month. You can save 24% if you choose to pay the annual subscription upfront. Here’s an overview of PandaDoc’s plans and pricing:

Free eSign plan
  • Free
Essentials plan
  • $25 per user per month
  • $19 per month under annual subscription
Business plan
  • $59 per user per month
  • $49 per month under annual subscription
Enterprise plan
  • Contact PandaDoc

HelloSign & PandaDoc Feature Comparison

HelloSign and PandaDoc are two moderately advanced tools that offer many similar features. Both platforms include legally binding signatures, a document editor, templates, flexible signing, and audit reports.

However, as shown in the table below, each platform also includes features not found in its competitor. For a full analysis of each solution’s features, read our HelloSign review and PandaDoc review reviews.

FeatureHelloSignPandaDoc
Legally Binding SignaturesYesYes
TemplatesYesYes
Auto-fill DataYesYes
Content LibraryNoYes
Custom BrandingYesYes
Text-editing for Uploaded DocumentsNoYes
Multiple LanguagesYesYes
Robust IntegrationsYesYes (not including Netsuite)
Real-time NotificationsYesYes
In person SigningYesYes
Multi-party SigningYesYes
Mass SignaturesYesYes
Auto-remindersYesYes
Two factor authenticationYesYes (Contact PandaDoc)
Audit ReportsYesYes
Proposal Template LibraryNoYes
Payments through a Legal DocumentNoYes
Interactive QuotingNoYes
APIYesYes
Mobile ApplicationNoYes

HelloSign's Unique Features

HelloSign offers a few features not found in PandaDoc. Understanding the features below will help you determine if HelloSign is ideal for you and your business.

Document Editor Features

HelloSign and PandaDoc both have advanced document editors. However, HelloSign includes a few more capabilities that make the document editing process easier and more efficient.

HelloSign Document Editor

HelloSign’s unique features that are shown above include:

  • Navigating a document by page
  • Zooming in and out of a document
  • Key shortcuts for editing documents

HelloSign API

HelloSign and PandaDoc both offer APIs with different key features. While PandaDoc’s API focuses on document and template specific features, HelloSign’s REST API offers a wider range of features. These include:

FeatureDescription
Embedded Requesting & SigningAllows you to have users sign signature requests on your site
Auto-filling DocumentsAllows you to use fields to merge with data already submitted by a user to your system to auto-fill documents
White-labelingAllows you to personalize the logo, color scheme, and legal text of the signer page

HelloWorks & HelloFax

Two adjacent products offered by HelloSign are HelloWorks and HelloFax. HelloWorks is a mobile forms solution, and HelloFax enables easy online faxing. As a HelloSign customer, you are given access to the free plans for HelloWorks and HelloFax, which can further automate and optimize your document workflows.

HelloWorks is an electronic signature solution specifically designed for mobile. Its purpose is to simplify the process of filling out PDFs by transforming them into a series of easy to follow questions to be answered on mobile. HelloWorks also offers a template library of forms and a no-code editor to build forms.

HelloFax provides you the ability to send faxes without the need for fax machines or fax servers. With HelloFax, everything works online – faxes are received in your email inbox as a PDF, and outgoing faxes are sent over the Internet. You can transfer your current fax number into HelloFax to prevent any operational disruption or customer confusion.

PandaDoc's Unique Features

As previously mentioned, PandaDoc’s platform is specifically built for sales teams. As a result, PandaDoc offers a few features beneficial to sales teams that are not found in HelloSign. If you find these features to be important, then we recommend PandaDoc.

Standardized Templates

PandaDoc includes a library of its own customizable templates. Customers save considerable time by reusing templates, and also ensure that their content stays consistent across all documents. Below is an example of a PandaDoc template with editable elements.

PandaDoc Template

Editing Documents

PandaDoc lets you edit the text of your uploaded Docx files within PandaDoc’s platform. This is useful for minor edits that need to be made a document. In contrast, HelloSign requires you to make all edits in a different application, and then re-upload the new version of the document.

PandaDoc Document Editor

Content Library

PandaDoc offers a content library which can store all of the content you frequently use in your documents. Examples of frequently used content include custom branding elements and legal statements. Adding these stored elements will ensure consistency and save you time when it comes to creating documents.

Recipient Analytics

PandaDoc includes analytics that let you track how a recipient interacted with your documents. Your teams can use the rich data provided to generate insights about your clients – this includes revealing which clients engage with your documents the most, and the parts of your documents that receive the most engagement. Over time, these insights can be used to improve your sales process and close more deals.

PandaDoc Recipient Analytics

Bottom Line

HelloSign and PandaDoc are two established electronic signature tools with tens of thousands of customers each. We ranked both solutions highly overall – the key difference between them is the target customer each solution was built for:

  • HelloSign is best for those who want a moderately advanced, general electronic signature solution at a more affordable price.
  • PandaDoc is the best for those that would benefit from sales-specific features like standardized templates, a content library, text-editable uploaded documents, and recipient analytics.

If you’re interested, visit HelloSign or PandaDoc today to get started.

Amy Yang

Amy Yang is a Junior Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where she conducts in-depth analyses on software markets and products. Amy has expertise in content production and managing digital and social platforms. She has a Bachelor of Science in Communication & Media, and a Minor in Web Programming and Applications from NYU. You can connect with Amy on LinkedIn.

Amy is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Course creation software
  • Electronic signature software
  • Social media software
  • Website builder software

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