Dropbox Sign Alternative

APISign vs Dropbox Sign

A pay-per-contract e-signature API with no monthly plan, for teams that send contracts from code.

(Formerly HelloSign, now Dropbox Sign)

Recommended

APISign

Per contract$0.25
Monthly fee$0
Free to start20 contracts
TemplatesMarkdown-based

Dropbox Sign

Effective per request≈$1.50 - $2.50
Monthly fee$75 - $250
Free to startAPI test mode
TemplatesWeb editor

Why developers look beyond Dropbox Sign

Dropbox Sign has a well-documented API, official SDKs and embedded signing. Where it fits less well:

A plan before your first send

Dropbox Sign's API plans start at $75/mo for 50 signature requests. Fine at steady volume; a lot per contract if you send a handful a month.

Priced around an allowance

Each API plan includes a monthly request allowance, so your cost follows the tier you pick rather than the contracts you actually send.

Templates live in their editor

Dropbox Sign templates are built in its web editor from uploaded documents. If you want contract text in your repo next to your code, that's an extra step.

APISign: Built for the developer workflow

What APISign does differently, and why it suits an API-only signing workflow.

Developer-native templates

Define templates in Markdown with {{variables}}. Version control your contracts, generate them programmatically.

Pay only when you send

No plan, no allowance. $0.25 per send, and a resend counts as a send. Test-mode contracts are free and go to your own inbox.

Import existing docs

Upload a Word .docx and it becomes a Markdown template you can edit. Keep the contracts you already have.

Feature-by-feature comparison

FeatureAPISignDropbox Sign
Per-contract pricing$0.25≈$1.50-$2.50 effective (plan ÷ allowance)
Monthly fee$0$75-$250/mo API plans
API-first design
Markdown templates
Free to start20 live contracts + free test modeFree API test mode; free app plan
Real-time webhooks
Audit trails
Embedded signingNot offeredYes
Official SDKsNone (REST, CLI, MCP)Yes

Competitor pricing checked October 2026. Sources: Dropbox Sign API pricing, Dropbox Sign app pricing. Effective per-request figures are plan price divided by the plan's included requests.

Moving from Dropbox Sign

The concepts map closely. The main differences: two plain HTTPS calls instead of an SDK, and signing links go out by email.

Dropbox Sign → APISign
  • Template → Markdown template with {{variables}}, or an imported .docx
  • Send with template → POST /api/contract/create, then POST /api/contract/send
  • Test mode → test_mode: true at creation: free, emailed to you instead of the signers, PDF stamped TEST
  • Event callbacks → webhooks
  • SDKs → none; plain HTTPS with an x-api-key header, the apisign-io CLI, or the MCP server
  • Embedded signing → not offered; signers get an emailed link
APISign API
const headers = {
  'x-api-key': process.env.APISIGN_API_KEY,
  'Content-Type': 'application/json'
};

// 1. Create a contract from a template
const res = await fetch(
  'https://apisign.io/api/contract/create',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers,
    body: JSON.stringify({
      name: 'Services Agreement',
      template_id: 'your_template_id',
      variables: { company: 'Acme Inc' },
      signers: [{
        name: 'John Doe',
        email: 'john@example.com',
        signing_order: 1
      }]
    })
  }
);
const { contract } = await res.json();

// 2. Send it (one $0.25 charge per send)
await fetch('https://apisign.io/api/contract/send', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify({ contract_id: contract.id })
});

Try APISign alongside Dropbox Sign

Start with 20 free contracts. No credit card required, no plan to pick.