Adobe Acrobat Sign Alternative: Send for Signature Without Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat Sign comes bundled with Acrobat, and if you already pay for Acrobat Pro it is a reasonable way to collect signatures. If you don't, a full PDF suite is a lot to buy just to get a lease or a waiver signed. Here is how Adobe Sign compares with MultiDocs, and when staying with Adobe makes sense.
In 30 seconds
- Adobe Acrobat Sign is mostly sold inside Acrobat Standard and Pro, priced per license.
- Acrobat Pro for teams is $23.99 per license a month on an annual plan (November 2026). A free Adobe account allows about 2 signature requests every 30 days.
- MultiDocs: 15 free requests a month, or $25 a month for the whole team, with no PDF suite to buy.
- Adobe wins on PDF editing, Microsoft 365 and enterprise integrations, and compliance.
How Adobe Sign is sold
Adobe used to sell "Adobe Sign" (earlier, EchoSign) on its own. Today most small businesses get it as Acrobat Sign, included in Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Pro and Acrobat Studio. Large organizations buy Acrobat Sign Solutions through Adobe's sales team, with custom pricing.
That bundle is great value if you edit, convert and combine PDFs every day. It is less so if all you need is to send a document and get it back signed.
Adobe Acrobat Sign vs MultiDocs
| Adobe Acrobat (with Acrobat Sign) | MultiDocs | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, individuals | Acrobat Standard $14.99/mo, Acrobat Pro $19.99/mo (annual plan billed monthly). Month-to-month: $24.99 and $29.99. | Free: $0. Team: $25/mo for everyone. |
| Price, teams | Acrobat Standard for teams $16.99, Acrobat Pro for teams $23.99 per license a month (annual) | $25/mo or $240/yr, not per user |
| Free plan to send | About 2 signature requests every 30 days with a free Adobe account | 15 signature requests a month |
| Cancellation | Annual plans billed monthly can carry an early-cancellation fee after 14 days | Cancel any time |
| Bulk send | Available in Acrobat Pro and Sign plans | Free: 20 copies. Team: 500. |
| Delivery | Email and link; SMS on some Sign plans | Email, text message (SMS), WhatsApp or link |
| Signer account | Not needed | Not needed |
| Audit trail | Yes | Yes, with SHA-256 fingerprint and public verification |
| PDF editing | Yes, full: edit text, convert, combine, OCR | No; place fields and sign only |
| API and integrations | Yes: Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday and an API | No |
| Mobile app | Yes, Acrobat Reader and Adobe Scan apps | Works in the phone browser |
How much of Adobe Sign is free
Two things are free with Adobe. First, signing a document someone sends you through Acrobat Sign never costs anything. Second, the free Acrobat Reader app lets you fill and sign a PDF yourself.
Sending a document for others to sign is limited. Adobe doesn't state the free quota clearly on its pricing pages; Adobe community staff describe it as 2 transactions in a rolling 30-day window for a free account, and users who exceed it see a "quota exhausted" error. Treat that as "about 2" because Adobe can change it without notice.
With MultiDocs you can sign your own documents with no account and no watermark, and send 15 requests a month on the free plan. See how to sign a PDF if you only need your own signature.
What a small team pays
Three people on Acrobat Pro for teams pay 3 × $23.99, about $72 a month or $864 a year on an annual plan. On Acrobat Standard for teams it is about $51 a month. MultiDocs Team is $25 a month for all three, or $240 a year.
The fair comparison: those Adobe licenses also include a full PDF editor. If your team uses it, the price may be justified. If they only open Acrobat to request signatures, you are paying for the editor anyway.
When Adobe is the better choice
- Your team edits, converts and combines PDFs daily and already pays for Acrobat.
- You live in Microsoft 365 (Word, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint) and want signing built in.
- You need enterprise integrations (Salesforce, Workday), an API, SSO and admin controls.
- You need formal compliance documentation or identity verification options.
- You want a native mobile app for scanning and signing.
If you only need to collect signatures, MultiDocs does that job for less, and lets signers open the link from a text message or WhatsApp.
FAQs
Is Adobe Sign the same as Adobe Acrobat Sign?
Yes. Adobe Sign was renamed Adobe Acrobat Sign and is now included in Acrobat Standard, Pro and Studio, as well as sold as enterprise Sign plans.
Is Adobe Acrobat Sign free?
Signing documents sent to you is free, and Acrobat Reader lets you sign your own PDFs. Sending for signature on a free account is limited to about 2 requests every 30 days.
Can I cancel Acrobat any time?
Month-to-month plans can be canceled any time. Annual plans billed monthly may carry a fee of up to half the remaining commitment if you cancel after 14 days, according to Adobe's pricing page.
Can MultiDocs edit PDFs like Acrobat?
No. MultiDocs lets you place fields (signature, initials, date, text, checkboxes) and sign, but it doesn't edit the existing text of a PDF.
Is a signature from MultiDocs valid like one from Adobe?
For most documents, yes. The ESIGN Act and UETA give electronic signatures legal effect regardless of the tool, as long as there is intent to sign and a record of it.
Does MultiDocs work with Microsoft 365?
There is no integration. You can export a Word document as PDF and upload it, or see how to sign a Word document.
This is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, ask a lawyer licensed in your state.
Sources
- Adobe: Acrobat pricing for business (official)
- Adobe Community: free account, 2 signature requests every 30 days (Adobe forum, staff answers)
Pricing checked November 2026. Confirm on Adobe's website before you buy. If you spot an out-of-date figure, write to us at info@multidocs.es.