head to head · open source
Docuseal vs OpenSign
Docuseal has 18,558 GitHub stars, 1,867 forks, 121 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. OpenSign has 7,002 stars, 824 forks, 148 open issues and last shipped 28 days ago. Docuseal leads on adoption by 165% (18,558 vs 7,002 stars). Docuseal is written in Ruby under AGPL-3.0; OpenSign is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Docuseal has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, OpenSign 12%. Docuseal was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (document-signing, e-signature), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Docuseal | OpenSign | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 7.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Ruby | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-08-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 824 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Docuseal if
- You weight community size — 19K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenSign if
- You want the OpenSign feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and OpenSign fits your workflow better
About Docuseal
Docuseal is an open source document filling and signing platform for individuals and teams, and its repository describes it as an open source alternative to DocuSign. It is built in Ruby on Rails and uses a self hosted deployment model, with interface components associated with Tailwind CSS, Vue, and Hotwire Turbo.
read the full Docuseal overview →
About OpenSign
OpenSign is a free and open source document e signing application built in JavaScript, positioned by its maintainers as an alternative to commercial platforms such as DocuSign, PandaDoc, SignNow, Adobe Sign, Smartwaiver, SignRequest, HelloSign and Zoho Sign. It lives in the business software ecosystem, specifically the document management and e signature category, and its topic list places it alongside digital signature, electronic signature, esign, legaltech and hacktoberfest projects. The project is distributed through a GitHub repository under the opensignlabs organisation, with a companion website at opensign…
read the full OpenSign overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docuseal or OpenSign more popular?
Docuseal has 18,558 GitHub stars and OpenSign has 7,002. Docuseal has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docuseal and OpenSign free?
Both are open source. Docuseal is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and OpenSign has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Docuseal and OpenSign?
Docuseal is written in Ruby and OpenSign in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Docuseal or OpenSign?
Choose Docuseal if you want the larger community (18,558 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenSign if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.