✍️ Inkseal
Self-hosted e-signatures. Unlimited envelopes, verifiable audit trail, pay once.
DocuSign Personal caps you at 5 envelopes a month for $10/mo — and Standard is $25/mo for the features most small teams actually need. Inkseal is the same core workflow — upload a PDF, place signature fields, route it to signers, get back a flattened, audit-trailed final document — running on your machine or your own $5 VPS. No per-envelope fees, no monthly cap, ever.
Inkseal, as it actually looks — a real screenshot, not a mockup.
Features
Drag-and-drop fields
Render any PDF with pdf.js, drop signature / initials / date / text fields, assign each to a color-coded signer, mark required or optional.
Sequential or parallel routing
Signer 2's link only activates after signer 1 finishes — or send to everyone at once.
Real signing experience
Signers open a unique link, see their fields highlighted, draw or type a signature, and must check "I agree to sign electronically" before finishing.
Flattened final PDF
Signatures and text are embedded into the original PDF via pdf-lib at the exact recorded coordinates — plus an appended audit certificate page.
Hash-chained audit trail
Every event is chained with sha256(prev_hash + event), rooted in the original document's own hash. One-click Verify recomputes the whole chain and pinpoints any tampering.
Templates
Save a document's field layout once, spin up new envelopes from it with fresh signers by role. Decline, void and remind flows included.
Email invitations (BYO SMTP)
Or just copy the signing link if you don't want to configure SMTP — envelopes still complete and download normally.
100% local
SQLite database, PDFs on disk, no telemetry, no external services. Desktop app or Docker on a $5 VPS.
Inkseal vs DocuSign
DocuSign at $10/mo runs roughly $120/year — $240 over two years. Inkseal is $49, once.
| Inkseal | DocuSign | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49 once | $10/mo Personal ($120/yr) · $25/mo Standard |
| Envelopes | Unlimited | 5/month on Personal |
| Your documents | On your machine or server | Their cloud |
| Multi-signer routing | Sequential and parallel | Standard tier only |
| Audit trail | Hash-chained, verifiable by anyone | Proprietary |
| Templates | Included | Standard tier only |
| Works offline (desktop mode) | Yes | No |
| Source code | MIT, on GitHub | Closed |
Five months of DocuSign Personal pays for Inkseal outright — and removes the envelope cap entirely. Everything after that is free, forever.
Three steps, no subscription
Buy once on Whop
One-time $49 for the packaged Windows installer — no subscription, no per-envelope billing, ever.
Run it as a desktop app or on a VPS
Desktop mode is zero-config and offline-friendly. Need signers to open links from anywhere? docker compose up on a $5 VPS — same code, same database.
Upload, place fields, send
Drop a PDF, drag fields onto it, route signers in order or all at once. Download the flattened, audit-trailed final document when everyone has signed.
Honest answers
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — the full source is MIT-licensed at github.com/bensblueprints/inkseal and always will be. The $49 buys the signed Windows installer, 1-click setup and updates instead of running git clone yourself.
Are the signatures legally valid?
Inkseal implements the core requirements commonly associated with ESIGN/UETA (US) and basic eIDAS "simple electronic signature" validity: demonstrated intent via click-to-sign, consent capture, association of the signature with the record, a tamper-evident hash-chained audit trail, and copies for all parties. It is NOT a Qualified Electronic Signature (eIDAS QES) — no certificate-based digital signatures, no Qualified Trust Service Provider, and no compliance certification is claimed. That's fine for everyday agreements like leases, contracts and NDAs; if you need QES or work in a regulated industry, consult counsel first.
How does the audit trail compare to DocuSign's?
Every event (created, sent, viewed, consented, signed, completed, declined) is chained with sha256(prev_hash + event), rooted in the SHA-256 of the original uploaded PDF. Anyone can hit Verify and recompute the whole chain — no need to take a vendor's word for it. DocuSign's certificate is solid too, but it's proprietary; you trust them, not math you can check.
Do signers need an account?
No. Each signer gets a unique link, signs in the browser, and that's it. You need SMTP configured to email invitations automatically — or just copy the links and send them however you like.
What doesn't it do?
No QES, no in-person notarization features, and no big integration marketplace — DocuSign genuinely wins on ecosystem breadth and compliance certifications. Inkseal covers the upload-place-route-sign-verify workflow that most freelancers, landlords and small teams actually use.
Deep-dive comparisons:
Own Inkseal forever
$49 once. Deploy on your own server — your data never leaves it. No renewal, no account with us, no meter. Or build it yourself from the MIT source — it's the same app.