HelloSign (now rebranded as Dropbox Sign) is a popular e-signature and document workflow platform individuals and small businesses use to sign documents and manage workflows efficiently.
What is HelloSign?
HelloSign is an easy-to-use e-signature solution that allows users to send, sign, and manage documents. With the now-rebranded DropBox Sign, users can upload documents that require a signature, send signing requests to others, and get documents signed directly on any device in just a few clicks. The signatures captured are legally binding, meaning HelloSign or Dropbox Sign can be used to sign official documents like contracts and sales agreements.
Dropbox Sign is best suited for small businesses and teams that need to streamline routine document workflows like onboarding paperwork, contracts, approvals, or any other process involving signatures. The solution offers features like unlimited signatures, reusable templates, automated reminders, and more. These capabilities and convenient integrations with popular apps like Dropbox, Google, Salesforce, and others set HelloSign apart.
Dropbox’s Acquisition of HelloSign
In a major move in 2019, Dropbox acquired HelloSign for $230 million to integrate e-signature and document workflow capabilities into its collaboration platform. Founded in 2011 as HelloFax, HelloSign built a thriving business around electronic signatures and helping teams manage document workflows more efficiently.
The acquisition enabled a tighter integration between HelloSign’s suite of capabilities and Dropbox’s content collaboration platform. The goal was to create more seamless document workflows for Dropbox’s growing customer base. For example, users can now easily send documents for signature approvals and manage the entire lifecycle without leaving Dropbox.
From HelloSign’s perspective, it was business as usual after the acquisition. Dropbox assured that there would be no changes to the day-to-day product experience. The additional resources from Dropbox also opened up opportunities to accelerate innovation in areas like AI-powered smart workflows.
Fast forward to 2022, and HelloSign was rebranded to Dropbox Sign, aligning it closer to Dropbox’s vision of creating one organized place for content and workflows. The rebrand symbolized HelloSign’s further integration into Dropbox’s ecosystem.
Overall, the acquisition has benefited both sides. Dropbox expanded its market opportunity while continuing to enrich its collaboration product. HelloSign gained resources and reach while independently operating its document workflow and e-signature capabilities.
HelloSign Key Features
HelloSign offers a robust set of features to help streamline the document signing process for businesses and teams. Similar to apps like DigiSigner and Adobe Sign, HelloSign provides a suite of capabilities to make signing documents simple and secure. Some of the document signing software’s most notable capabilities include:
- Advanced Signing Tools: Dropbox Sign provides flexible signing tools like decline to sign, signer reassignment, and support for variable signers to enable more customized signature workflows.
- Document-Level Permissions: Dropbox Sign customers can apply granular controls over who can access documents by setting up permissions at the document level, ensuring sensitive information is only viewable to authorized signers.
- 256-bit AES Encryption: Dropbox Sign leverages 256-bit AES encryption and Transport Layer Security (TLS) to protect data in transit and at rest, meeting security standards for handling sensitive documents.
- Two-Factor Authentication: An extra layer of security can be enabled through two-factor authentication, requiring users to enter a code from their mobile device when accessing their account.
- User-Friendly Interface: Despite its sophisticated capabilities, Dropbox Sign offers an intuitive, user-friendly interface to simplify sending, signing, and managing documents.
- Custom Branding: Users can request signatures and signing pages with their branding, ensuring a consistent experience for recipients.
With its focus on security, ease of use, and customization, Dropbox Sign provides a feature-rich platform tailored to streamline digital transactions and approvals across an organization.
HelloSign Integrations
To streamline workflows, Dropbox Sign integrates with many popular business apps like Dropbox, Google Suite, Microsoft Office, and Salesforce. The deep Dropbox integration, for example, allows users to send documents for signature right from Dropbox without switching between apps. Similarly, the Google and Microsoft integrations let users access key Dropbox Sign features within those platforms.
For sales teams, the Salesforce integration surfaces real-time signature status and signed documents within deals and accounts. Overall, these integrations eliminate friction in document processes by enabling users to sign, manage, and collaborate on documents directly from the tools they use every day. This capability makes workflows more efficient since users don’t constantly switch between systems.
Pros and Cons of HelloSign
Dropbox Sign (previously HelloSign) is one of the leading e-signature and document workflow platforms, offering many benefits for streamlining digital transactions. Similar to tools like PandaDoc and SignNow, the electronic signature app has been praised for its easy-to-use workflows. However, there are also some downsides to consider with the platform.
Pros of HelloSign
Dropbox Sign has several compelling strengths as an e-signature solution:
- Intuitive Interface: The platform offers an easy-to-use interface to set up and manage document workflows with minimal training needed. Everything is designed to be simple and intuitive for the end user.
- Legally Binding Signatures: The e-signatures captured are court-admissible and backed by the ESIGN Act, giving users confidence when signing official paperwork.
- Custom Branding: Users can customize signing pages with their branding, ensuring a seamless experience for signers that aligns with existing business collateral.
- Robust Audit Trails: Dropbox Sign offers reliable audit trails that track detailed activity on documents to ensure signing process transparency and data integrity.
- Top-Tier Security: The platform employs high-grade 256-bit SSL encryption and data redundancy across global data centers to protect documents.
Cons of HelloSign
However, Dropbox Sign has some shortcomings in areas like:
- Limited Document Organization: The platform lacks extensive options for organizing executed agreements with folders, tags, and custom metadata. This can make contract administration tedious.
- No Editing Signed Documents: Users cannot edit documents once they are sent out for signature, requiring setting up new requests instead, which is time-consuming.
- Salesforce Integration Requires Premium Plan: Those wanting deep Salesforce integration for workflows must upgrade to a more costly Premium plan.
- Contract Limits: Some plans impose monthly restraints on the number of documents that can be processed, limiting broader use cases.
Signaturely is the Top HelloSign Alternative
While HelloSign helped pioneer the e-signature space, Signaturely delivers an even more well-rounded, affordable, and frictionless document transaction experience. Signaturely makes it simple for anyone to legally sign, share and approve documents in seconds with an interface that is intuitive enough for non-technical users.
Compared to Dropbox Sign, Signaturely offers unlimited signatures by default on all plans and deeper, more seamless integrations with popular productivity platforms. Signaturely also enables real-time editing of documents post-sending and provides customizable folders for organizing executed agreements.
Furthermore, Signaturely is the best e-signature software with robust customer support and consultative onboarding included on all tiers without additional fees. Pricing starts at just $16 per user monthly for unlimited use.
With Signaturely, you get everything needed to digitize document processes at a great value. Try Signaturely free for 14 days to experience top-rated support and ease of use firsthand. Signaturely offers the most powerful yet easy-to-use e-sign platform.
FAQs About HelloSign
Dropbox Sign is a common choice among businesses looking to streamline document workflows. Some frequently asked questions about the platform include:
HelloSign allows individuals and teams to easily send, sign, and manage documents 100% online. Everyday use cases include signing contracts, onboarding paperwork, approvals, agreements, and other transactional documents.
DocuSign is not the same as HelloSign. While DocuSign and HelloSign offer similar e-sign capabilities, DocuSign focuses more on enterprise-scale deployments, while HelloSign targets small to midsize business users. HelloSign is also owned by Dropbox.
Yes, documents signed on HelloSign or Dropbox Sign are legally valid and enforceable. Dropbox Sign e-signatures and audit trails comply with standards like ESIGN and UETA to be admissible in court.
HelloSign employs multiple security protections like 256-bit SSL encryption, data redundancy, and SOC 2 compliance to keep data safe and prevent unauthorized access. Robust authentication protocols also help validate signer identities.
What You Need to Remember About HelloSign
HelloSign (now Dropbox Sign) delivers easy-to-use, legally valid e-signatures loved by small businesses. While capabilities are extensive, some limitations exist around contract organization, integrations, and modifying sent agreements. Signaturely is the prime HelloSign alternative worth evaluating via a free trial for unmatched document transaction flexibility and support.
