Compare
XDocs vs Adobe Acrobat Sign
Acrobat Sign is usually bought because Acrobat is already on every laptop: the PDF is open, so sending it for signature is one more menu. That is a good reason, and for regulated organisations its compliance options are a better one. The comparison is worth making when the agreement is still being written, argued over and shared before anybody signs, because Acrobat works on the finished PDF and XDocs works on the document before it becomes one.
Adobe Acrobat Sign Adobe's e-signature service, formerly Adobe Sign: sending and signing PDFs from inside Acrobat and Microsoft apps, with a broad compliance footprint.
| Capability | XDocs | Adobe Acrobat Sign |
|---|---|---|
| Draft and edit the agreement itself | A collaborative editor for long agreements: live cursors, suggesting mode, version history, templates with signature blocks wired in. | Acrobat edits PDFs well, but it is not a shared drafting tool; agreements are usually written in Word and converted before sending. |
| Legally binding e-signatures | ESIGN and UETA: consent recorded, snapshot frozen at send, certificate with SHA-256 digests and an append-only audit trail. | A wide compliance footprint, including certificate-based digital signatures for eIDAS through trust service providers; check which plan includes them. |
| Sign uploaded PDFs | Drag fields onto the pages of an existing PDF; they are stamped back at the same coordinates. | Its core workflow, with Acrobat's PDF tools around it. |
| Routing, reminders and templates | Sequential or parallel routing, reminders, expiry, reassign and void, decline with a reason, templates and bulk send from a sheet. | Mature routing, reusable templates and bulk sending; check which plan includes each. |
| Tracked share links with gates | Password, email verification, allow and block lists, expiry, view caps, an NDA before viewing, watermarks, download control. | Not what it is for. Acrobat can share a PDF by link, but gates such as an NDA before viewing are not part of signing. |
| Virtual data rooms | Folders, viewer groups, a permission matrix per folder and file, per-reader watermarks, a Q&A inbox. | Not offered. |
| Reading analytics | Time on each section, counted only while it is on screen, per visitor, document and room. | Agreement status and history: sent, viewed, signed. Not what was read. |
| Free plan | 5 signature sends a month, the editor, links, one data room and the assistant, free for good. | A free Acrobat account can sign and send a small number of requests; regular sending is on a paid plan. Check Adobe's current allowance. |
| Pricing model | Per workspace, not per seat: Pro is $29 a month and Business $99, however many people are in the team. | Per user, often bundled with Acrobat plans or sold under an enterprise agreement. |
| API, webhooks and agents | Every endpoint in the REST API, webhooks on every event, a CLI, Zapier and an MCP server, on all plans. | A REST API and webhooks; access depends on the plan or enterprise agreement. |
| Self-hosting | Runs in Docker against ordinary Postgres, unmetered. | Cloud only. |
Compared against Adobe Acrobat Sign's public pages on 27 October 2026. Their prices are not quoted because they change; ours are read from the plan table. If a line is out of date, tell us at hello@xdocs.io and it will be fixed.
Try it on an agreement you would send in Adobe Acrobat Sign today
Upload the PDF or Word file, place the fields and send it. The signer needs no account. Free for 5 sends a month, no card. Moving a team over? We will set up your templates with you.
Choose Adobe Acrobat Sign when
- You need eIDAS advanced or qualified signatures, or industry compliance options that XDocs does not offer; check Adobe's compliance pages for your plan.
- The company already pays for Acrobat across the board and signing is included in what you have.
- Your work happens on finished PDFs inside Acrobat and Microsoft apps, and nothing is drafted together first.
Choose XDocs when
- Agreements are drafted, redlined and revised before they are signed, and you want that in the same place as the signature.
- You share decks and diligence folders and need tracked links or a data room, not only a signature.
- Most of the team signs or reads rather than sends, and per-user pricing charges you for all of them.
Questions people ask when switching
- Is Adobe Sign the same as Adobe Acrobat Sign?
- Yes. Adobe renamed Adobe Sign to Adobe Acrobat Sign, and earlier still it was EchoSign. Older documentation and integrations may use any of the three names.
- Are XDocs signatures as binding as Acrobat Sign's?
- Under US law, yes: both implement what the ESIGN Act and UETA require — intent, recorded consent, association of the signature with the record, and retention. XDocs does not yet offer eIDAS advanced or qualified signatures for the EU.
- Can XDocs edit the text of a PDF like Acrobat?
- No. XDocs places signature and form fields on an uploaded PDF but does not rewrite its text. To change the wording, import the Word version into the XDocs editor, where it can be negotiated and then signed in place.
- Do signers need an XDocs or Adobe account?
- Not for XDocs: a signer gets a private link and signs in the browser. Only the people who write and send sign in.
Moving a team over?
Twenty minutes with somebody who built XDocs: bring the documents you send today and we will set them up with you.
One place for every important document.
Create, sign, share and understand your documents with XDocs.