Why We Built a Free E‑Sign Tool
A few days ago, Andrew Wilkinson tweeted: “I just found out how much we pay for DocuSign and my jaw dropped. What’s the best alternative? Is there something free or stupid cheap?” That struck a chord.
Most people don’t need a sprawling enterprise suite to get a legally binding signature on a PDF. They need fast, secure, unlimited e-sign without surprise fees. That’s why we built Inkless to be free.
Our Belief: E‑Signatures Should Be Accessible
- Core utility, not luxury: Signing a document is a basic internet task, like sending an email.
- No gatekeeping: Critical infrastructure shouldn’t be capped, especially when it's so cheap to run in 2025.
- Fairness for small teams: Freelancers, creators, and small businesses shouldn’t subsidize enterprise margins.
It’s Cheaper to Build Than You Think
Modern infra makes the core product efficient to run:
- Lightweight workloads: Uploads, field placement, notifications, and audit logs are modest at typical volumes.
- Commodity storage and compute: PDFs and metadata are inexpensive at scale.
- Focused scope: We ship the essentials instead of bundling rarely used enterprise add‑ons.
We keep engineering pragmatic and infrastructure lean, passing those savings on to you. Plus, right now, we're a team of 1!
What “Free” Actually Means
- Unlimited documents and recipients
- No hidden caps or trial periods
- Legally binding (ESIGN, UETA compliant)
- Secure by default: encryption in transit/at rest, tamper‑evident audit trails
Free shouldn’t mean “frustrating.” It should mean “usable forever.”
How We Keep It Sustainable
Free isn’t a gimmick. Why we can offer this for free and how we're sustainable:
- Efficient architecture: Keep infra costs low per document.
- Optional paid add‑ons: Advanced features, like teams, advanced branding, and workflows, may be paid, but core e‑signing stays free.
- Lower costs: Smaller team and lower infrastructure costs allow us to offer free e‑signing.
Who Benefits Most
- Individuals and freelancers: Contracts, NDAs, invoices, and more without monthly fees.
- Small teams and startups: Move fast without procurement headaches.
- Professionals at volume: Realtors, landlords, educators, nonprofits without any per‑document fees.
Why Now
Prices for e‑sign ballooned while the tech got cheaper. People are asking - like Andrew - “Is there something free or stupid cheap?” Yes. It’s time the default is free for what most people actually need.
Get Started in 60 Seconds
- Go to useinkless.com
- Upload your PDF
- Drag and drop signature/date/text fields
- Add recipients and send
- Get the signed copy automatically
Try Inkless today: https://useinkless.com