Compare
XDocs vs Dropbox Sign
Dropbox Sign is what HelloSign became after Dropbox bought it, and it kept what people liked: a signing page that gets out of the way and an API developers enjoy. If you need finished PDFs signed, or signing inside your own app, it is a sound choice. XDocs is a different shape: the agreement is written, negotiated, shared and read in the same workspace it is signed in.
Dropbox Sign E-signature from Dropbox, formerly HelloSign: a clean signing experience for finished documents and a well-documented API for embedding signing in other products.
| Capability | XDocs | Dropbox Sign |
|---|---|---|
| Draft and edit the agreement itself | A collaborative editor with suggesting mode, version history and templates whose signature blocks belong to named parties. | Signing starts from a file prepared elsewhere. |
| Legally binding e-signatures | ESIGN and UETA, frozen snapshot at send, certificate with SHA-256 digests and an audit trail. | Legally binding signatures with an audit trail. |
| Templates and bulk send | Templates with signature blocks wired in; bulk send one agreement to the rows of a sheet, counted against the plan's monthly sends. | Templates and bulk send; check which plan includes bulk send. |
| Embedded signing in your own app | A REST API, webhooks and an MCP server cover the whole product, but signing happens on an XDocs page reached by link, not inside your app. | A strength: an API and SDKs built for embedding signing in another product, priced separately from the app plans. |
| Tracked share links with gates | Password, verification, allow lists, NDA gate, watermark, expiry and view caps on every link. | Not part of Dropbox Sign. Dropbox sells DocSend separately for tracked document sharing. |
| Virtual data rooms | Folder permissions per viewer group, watermarks per reader, a Q&A inbox, freeze and archive, from the free plan up. | Not in Dropbox Sign; DocSend, a separate Dropbox product, offers data rooms. |
| Reading analytics | Section-level reading time, per visitor, with internal visits excluded. | Request status: sent, viewed, signed. |
| Free plan | 5 sends a month with the editor, links, a data room and the assistant. | A free plan with a few signature requests a month and self-signing; check the current allowance. |
| Pricing model | Per workspace: $29 a month for Pro, $99 for Business, any number of people. | Per user per month on team plans; the API is priced on its own. |
| Self-hosting | Docker and Postgres, unmetered. | Cloud only. |
Compared against Dropbox 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 Dropbox 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 Dropbox Sign when
- You are building signing into your own product and want an embedded signing API with mature SDKs.
- The team already lives in Dropbox and only ever signs finished documents.
Choose XDocs when
- The agreement is drafted and negotiated before it is signed, and you want one place for both.
- You want tracked links and a data room in the same tool, rather than Dropbox Sign plus DocSend.
- Per-user pricing charges you for people who mostly read and sign.
Questions people ask when switching
- Is Dropbox Sign the same as HelloSign?
- Yes. Dropbox acquired HelloSign and renamed it Dropbox Sign. Older links to hellosign.com and older API documentation refer to the same product.
- Does XDocs have an API like Dropbox Sign?
- XDocs has a REST API covering every part of the product, webhooks with signed payloads, a CLI, a Zapier app and an MCP server for AI agents, on every plan. What it does not offer is a signing page embedded inside your own app; signers open an XDocs link.
- Can I bring my HelloSign templates across?
- Upload the PDF and place fields on it once, or import the Word version into the editor and add signature blocks for each party. Completed documents can stay where they are; they remain valid.
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.