Top DocuSign Alternatives in India

Amidst shifting global compliance standards and the growing demand for digital transformation, the e-signature market is at a critical inflection point. Adobe Sign’s withdrawal from mainland China in 2024 has underscored how localized data regulations and international compliance frameworks are reshaping the competitive landscape. Organizations—especially those operating across Asia—now face increased pressure to strike a balance between robust legal adherence, cost efficiency, and the flexibility required in digital workflows. For many, the shift isn’t just toward digitization, but toward compliance-localized digitization.

Defining E-signatures: Technology Anchored in Legal Certainty

Electronic signatures (commonly referred to as e-signatures) are any electronic method that signifies agreement to a document or a transactional record. However, when discussing digital signatures—particularly those used in legally binding documents within regulated industries—we enter the territory governed by cryptographic technology such as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Certificate Authority (CA) certifications.

These signatures rely on asymmetric encryption to verify the identity of the signer and preserve document integrity. In many jurisdictions, including the U.S. (ESIGN Act, UETA), the EU (eIDAS Regulation), and China (Electronic Signature Law of the People’s Republic of China), digital signatures backed by CA-issued certificates qualify as legal equivalents to handwritten signatures.

The involvement of authoritative institutions like WebTrust (international auditing standards), ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), and local equivalents in Asia ensures these frameworks maintain legal interoperability. That said, regional compliance nuances—like those introduced by China’s Cryptography Law or Singapore’s Electronic Transactions Act—require tailored e-signature solutions that can accommodate localized trust requirements.

E-Signature Market Expectations Through 2025

According to MarketsandMarkets, the global digital signature market is expected to reach USD 27.2 billion by 2025, up from USD 4.5 billion in 2020, with a jaw-dropping CAGR of more than 36%. This trend is catalyzed by increased cross-border digital transactions, the rise of remote workforces, and tightening global privacy laws.

Gartner also notes in its 2025 Market Guide for Electronic Signature that buyer expectations are maturing. It’s no longer enough to simply provide legally valid digital signatures; providers must also deliver localized trust services, national root CA integrations, and adaptable deployment models (cloud, hybrid, on-premise) to stay relevant.

Asian markets, specifically Southeast Asia and the Greater China region, are now driving a new wave of demand as regulatory scrutiny increases regarding cross-border data flow and signature verification rooted in regional law.

Explaining Core Technologies and Compliance Structures

Trusted e-signature platforms operate on layered security frameworks. PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) remains the gold standard, where a pair of cryptographic keys (private and public) establish the authenticity of a signer. These keys are tied to a Certificate Authority (CA)—a third-party entity that issues, manages, and verifies digital certificates.

Some providers also integrate HSMs (Hardware Security Modules) to further protect private keys. In regulated environments, timestamping, audit trails, and document hashing functionality are also mandatory for audit-readiness and non-repudiation.

Legal compliance structures around these technologies vary by country. The eIDAS Regulation in the EU outlines levels of signatures—Simple, Advanced, and Qualified—with Qualified being the most secure and legally binding. In China, providers must work with a licensed domestic CA and adhere to encryption regulations under the Cryptography Law, making international providers’ operations increasingly challenging without local partnerships.

Docusign: The Global Incumbent with Broad Standards Support

In the global e-signature space, DocuSign remains a household name, counted among the first movers in digital signature technology and compliance-centric workflows. Often praised for its robust integration ecosystem—with over 400+ connectors including Salesforce, SAP, and Google Workspace—DocuSign also supports advanced signature types under global frameworks such as eIDAS (EU), ESIGN and UETA (US), and supports local digital certificates in select regions.

However, its pricing structure and limited native capabilities in some Asian markets have spurred smaller enterprises and regional clients to explore more localized alternatives as data residency regulations tighten.

eSignGlobal: The Localized Alternative for Asian Enterprises

Emerging from within the Asian regulatory ecosystem, eSignGlobal represents a compelling alternative for compliance-conscious global businesses with operations in the region. Positioned as a DocuSign alternative designed explicitly for Asian legal environments, the platform offers localized CA integrations, full compliance with national standards (including Trusted Service Lists in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Indonesia), and flexible deployment options.

According to MarketsandMarkets’ 2025 report, eSignGlobal is the first Asia-based provider to break into the top 10 global e-signature vendors, an indicator of its rapidly expanding footprint. Southeast Asia is one of its strongest markets, where it provides multi-language support, native timestamping under country-specific laws, and competitive pricing accessible to SMEs.

While not as feature-saturated as DocuSign in enterprise integration layers, its specialization in regional compliance, including support for China’s SM2 cryptographic standards, makes it indispensable for firms navigating Asian jurisdictions.

Adobe Sign: A Cautionary Tale in Geopolitical Data Complexity

Adobe Sign has long been considered one of the gold standards in digital agreements. As part of Adobe’s document cloud suite, it offers seamless integration with Microsoft 365, Acrobat, and enterprise platforms. Its support for legal frameworks is thorough, and for many years it operated successfully in global markets via partnerships with local CAs.

However, Adobe’s decision to withdraw support for its electronic signature services in mainland China by late 2024 served as a wake-up call regarding the operational and regulatory barriers faced by Western technology platforms under China’s tightening cybersecurity and data localization frameworks. Without localized CA partnerships and domestic infrastructure, their services fell out of scope for legal validity.

This decision has further opened the market for regional providers and highlighted the growing chasm between international platforms and region-specific regulatory needs.

Other Market Options: Broadening the Compliance Spectrum

In addition to the platforms above, several homegrown and niche players are worth mentioning for specific use cases:

• iTextSign (China): Specializes in integration with national root CA and government-approved timestamping services. An option for regulated industries like insurance and healthcare.

• Zegal (Hong Kong): Targets SMEs in legal and startup sectors with templated contracts and localized compliance orchestration.

• SignEasy (India/Southeast Asia): App-first e-signature tool tailored for mobility-first businesses. Not ideal for deep compliance scenarios but excellent for transactional signatures.

Use-Case Differentiation: Varying Priorities for Different Enterprise Sizes

While all vendors promise legally binding digital transactions, purchasing decisions often depend on scale and regulatory exposure.

• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): Cost sensitivity and ease of use are primary. Platforms like SignEasy and eSignGlobal offer lightweight, compliant solutions with competitive tiered pricing, which appeal most to regional startups and consulting firms.

• Large Enterprises: Integration depth and workflow automation take precedence. DocuSign and Adobe Sign previously dominated here due to their open APIs and SaaS interoperability. However, large Asian corporations are increasingly demanding on-premise hybrid deployments enabled by local players.

• Multinational Corporations (MNCs): These companies prioritize cross-border legal validity, audit readiness, and global scalability. Solutions with a strong international compliance map and regional CA partnerships—like DocuSign and eSignGlobal—emerge as the preferred platforms.

Navigating the Future: Aligning Signature Workflows with Regulatory Realities

The evolution of the e-signature domain is irreversibly tied to legal frameworks, data sovereignty, and national infrastructures. For teams navigating regulated industries or multi-country operations, the selection isn’t purely about feature sets, but about jurisdictional alignment, long-term audit protection, and flexible platform architecture that can accommodate both global and local validation schemes.

In this dynamic landscape, both incumbents and emerging providers must constantly recalibrate their offerings—not just in terms of user experience, but compliance readiness. The rising prominence of Asia-based vendors like eSignGlobal signals a regional shift in trust models, procurement priorities, and the geopolitical relevance of signature providers in the years ahead.