---
title: Docustay and Documenso
description: How Docustay and Documenso differ, as of 6 October 2026.
---

# Docustay and Documenso

As of 6 October 2026.

## Documenso

An open-source e-signature platform positioned as an alternative to the largest vendors, with an API and embedded signing.

## Docustay

A smaller, plainer product: one path from a file to a sealed copy, test mode, a documented API and the choice of hosting or self-hosting.

## Where they differ

- Documenso's plans step up by team size and by how you use the API. Docustay has one paid plan and puts the API and embedding in every plan.
- Documenso's top plan is $250 a month for unlimited users and white-label embedding. If you need that scale and that branding today, look closely at it.
- Documenso stresses open source and the ability to audit and fork the code. Docustay stresses a short path from a file to a sealed copy that anyone can verify.
- Both can be run on your own server. Read each licence before you build a product on top of it.

## Who should choose Documenso

Choose Documenso if you want to read, audit and fork the code of a project built around being open source, or if you need white-label embedded signing at the scale of its Platform plan. Its team plans also suit a group that wants shared templates and a team space from the first day.

## Who should choose Docustay

Choose Docustay if you would rather not climb a ladder of plans: one paid plan, an API and embedded signing in every plan, a free test mode, and a signed copy with a certificate page that anyone can check in a browser. It suits a small business or a developer who wants the shortest path from a file to a sealed copy.

## How the money works

Documenso's hosted plans on the day this page was read were Free at 5 documents a month, Individual at $25, and the Teams plan at $40 with five users and $8 for each extra user, and Platform at $250 a month. API access is tied to the plan: personal use on Individual, automation on Teams. Docustay's Pro plan is $39 a month for the workspace ($25 a month for founders who subscribe by the cut-off date on the Pricing page) with the API included, and the free plan allows 15 documents a month.

## Running it yourself

Both can be run on your own server. Documenso's code is under the AGPL-3.0 and it also offers enterprise arrangements. Docustay's self-host edition is free and unlimited, with a yearly licence key for the Pro items. As always, read the licence, and plan for backups, updates and email delivery.

## Questions people ask

**Is Docustay open source like Documenso?**

Docustay's server and app are licensed under the AGPL-3.0, and its SDKs and signing element under the MIT licence, so you can run it on your own server, free and without limits. If you want to embed, white-label or resell it, or keep a private fork without publishing it, that needs a commercial licence. The Licensing page says what each licence allows in plain words; the licence texts are what apply.

**Which has the better API?**

Both have one. Docustay publishes its API description and its client libraries on the Developers pages, and puts the API in every plan. Documenso lists API access by plan. Try each in its free tier before you decide.

**Can signers use either one without an account?**

Docustay's signers never need an account: they open a link, fill in and sign. Check Documenso's own pages for how its signing flow works for your case.

## Keep reading

- [Pricing](/pricing)
- [How it works](/product)
- [Self-host](/self-host)
- [Developers](/developers)
- [Security](/trust/security)
- [Compare with other tools](/compare)