Best Self Hosted Alternatives to OpenSign

Documenso is an open-source document signing platform designed as an alternative to proprietary e-signature services. It provides an embeddable signing experience, developer APIs, and tools for creating, sending, and collecting legally compliant signatures.

Key Features

• Open-source core with an AGPL-3.0 license and a public repository containing the full source code and developer docs.
• REST/tRPC-style API surface and webhook support for real-time event notifications (document.created, document.signed, document.completed, etc.).
• Reusable templates, direct-share signing links, and embeddable signing UI to integrate signing flows into other applications.
• PDF viewing and manipulation capabilities (PDF rendering and programmatic edits) plus planned PDF-signing tool support in the ecosystem.
• Payments integration support (Stripe) and platform billing primitives for monetizing signing workflows (some payment features marked as coming soon).
• Production-ready deployment options: self-host via Docker or run the hosted service; includes Docker image and GitHub Container Registry artifacts.
• Developer-friendly stack and quickstart: TypeScript-based codebase, Prisma ORM, Tailwind CSS UI, Node.js runtime, and local development scripts.

Use Cases

• Embedding contract signing into a web application so customers can complete agreements without redirecting offsite.
• Automating document workflows: generate templates, send documents programmatically, and respond to signing events via webhooks.
• Running a private, auditable signing service for regulated or privacy-sensitive organizations that require reviewable source code.

Limitations and Considerations

• License: the project is released under AGPL-3.0, which imposes strong copyleft requirements that may be restrictive for some proprietary deployments.
• Feature maturity: several platform features (template marketplace, some payment experiences) are listed as "coming soon" and may be evolving; enterprise-grade SLA/support options are available but distinct from the open-source repo.
• Platform dependencies: self-hosted installations require Node.js (v22+), a PostgreSQL database, and configuration of SMTP and signing certificates, which adds operational requirements.

Documenso aims to provide a full-featured, developer-first e-signature platform that can be self-hosted or consumed as a hosted service. It focuses on embeddability, API automation, and an open-source governance model for organizations that want control over their signing infrastructure.