Open source document signing infrastructure
Documenso is the open-source alternative to DocuSign and PandaDoc. Create signable PDF templates, distribute signing links, collect cryptographically verified signatures, and store documents on your own cloud.
Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing
Estimated Hosting: $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean)Documenso vs DocuSign Comparison Matrix
| Evaluation Criteria | Documenso (Open Source) | DocuSign (Proprietary) |
|---|---|---|
| Envelope Quota | Unlimited Signatures | Strict 100-300 limit |
| Contract Privacy | Stored in your private S3 | DocuSign internal servers |
| Cost per 10 Users | $0 / Server Cost Only | $400 / month |
Financial Impact: Migrating from DocuSign to Self-Hosted Documenso
* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages
* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance
Compare Documenso Head-to-Head
Comprehensive benchmark comparing Documenso against proprietary DocuSign licensing and features.
Embedded Document Forms vs Modern Next.js Digital Signatures
Unlimited Self-Hosted Signatures vs $40/User/Month Paywall
Core Capabilities & Features
Self-Host Documenso with Docker Compose
Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:
1-Click Docker Compose Generator
Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.
The open-source digital document signing infrastructure
version: "3.8"
services:
documenso:
image: ghcr.io/documenso/documenso:latest
ports:
- "${PORT:-3000}:3000"
environment:
NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBAPP_URL: "${APP_URL:-http://localhost:3000}"
DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://documenso:${DB_PASSWORD:-documenso_pwd}@db:5432/documenso"
NEXTAUTH_SECRET: "${AUTH_SECRET:-documenso_auth_secret_2026}"
depends_on:
- db
restart: unless-stopped
db:
image: postgres:15-alpine
environment:
POSTGRES_USER: documenso
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD:-documenso_pwd}
POSTGRES_DB: documenso
volumes:
- documenso_db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
restart: unless-stopped
volumes:
documenso_db:Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting Documenso
How do I self-host Documenso using Docker Compose?
You can deploy Documenso (documenso/documenso) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.
How does Documenso compare to DocuSign?
Documenso is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to DocuSign built with Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind, Prisma. Unlike DocuSign ($25 - $40 / user / month), Documenso has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.
What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for Documenso?
For production self-hosting (Easy difficulty tier), we recommend at least 2 GB RAM (minimum 1 GB), 1 vCPU, and 10 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean).
Is Documenso free for commercial business use under the AGPL-3.0 license?
Yes. Distributed under the AGPL-3.0 license, Documenso can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.
Embed Official Documenso Badge in GitHub README
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