The short version
DocuSign's own signer page says it plainly: if the document you need to sign was sent via DocuSign, you do not need a DocuSign account to sign. Open the email, tap the review link, and follow the prompts. At the end you may be offered a free account. It's optional.
The person who sent the document is the one with a DocuSign plan. They pay for sending envelopes; you don't pay anything to sign one.
How to sign a DocuSign envelope on iPhone
Open the DocuSign email
It comes from DocuSign on behalf of the sender, with a button to review the document.
Tap the review button
The document opens in your browser. You don't have to install the DocuSign app.
Follow the tags
Tap each highlighted field to sign, initial, or fill in a date.
Tap Finish
The sender gets the signed copy. You can skip the offer to create an account.
One exception
A sender can change their account settings so that recipients must log in before signing. If you're asked to log in, that's the sender's choice. Ask them if you'd rather not create an account.
When you'd want your own signing tool
Sometimes the document doesn't come through DocuSign at all. A landlord, school, or client just attaches a PDF to an email and asks you to sign it and send it back. There's no link and no signing tags. That's when people search for DocuSign, sign up, and find themselves looking at plans.
DocuSign's page also says that if you want to upload your own document and sign it there, a free DocuSign account is required. Sending documents to others needs a paid plan: DocuSign Personal: $11/month billed annually ($132/year), 5 envelopes/month, per DocuSign's pricing page. That's a fair price for someone who sends contracts. It's a lot for someone who signs a PDF now and then.
For a PDF attachment, you have simpler options. Apple Markup is free and built into your iPhone. Our guide to signing a PDF on iPhone walks through it, and explains why a Markup signature sometimes doesn't show on Windows or Android.
Which one is you?
- 1The email has a DocuSign review button: sign from the link. No account, no app, no cost.
- 2The PDF is a plain attachment, one page, going to someone on Apple devices: Apple Markup is enough.
- 3The PDF is a plain attachment with dates, initials, or checkboxes, or it's going to a Windows or Android user: use a signing app that flattens the file.
- 4You send documents to other people to sign: that's DocuSign's job. See eSign PDF vs DocuSign.
Where eSign PDF fits
eSign PDF is for the plain-attachment case. Open the PDF from Mail or Files, sign, add dates and initials, and export a flattened file that shows correctly everywhere. Nothing is uploaded and there's no account. It doesn't send envelopes or track who signed, so if you need that, stay with DocuSign. Our DocuSign alternative guide covers the difference.
If you only sign now and then
eSign PDF is $59.99 one-time (US): no account, nothing uploaded, no envelope count. PDFs are flattened so your signature shows on any device.
FAQ
Do I have to download the DocuSign app to sign?+
No. You can sign a DocuSign envelope in your phone's browser from the link in the email.
Will DocuSign charge me for signing?+
No. DocuSign says signing a document sent to you is free. The sender pays for their plan.
DocuSign is asking me to create an account. Do I have to?+
Usually not. After you finish, DocuSign may offer a free account, which is optional. If you're required to log in before signing, the sender set that up; ask them about it.
Someone emailed me a PDF, not a DocuSign link. Do I need DocuSign?+
No. Sign it on your iPhone with Apple Markup, or with a signing app like eSign PDF ($59.99 one-time (US)), and reply with the signed file.
How much is DocuSign if I want to send documents?+
DocuSign Personal: $11/month billed annually ($132/year), 5 envelopes/month, according to DocuSign's pricing page.