The Best Document Signing Connectors for Power Automate in 2020

We reviewed and ranked every Document Signing Power Automate connector 

Do you need to automate document signing? It’s August 2020 and of the 377 Power Automate connectors, 8 of them are dedicated to document signing. This can be very confusing to someone who needs to implement a signing solution! How do you know which one is best? We thought it would be worth seeing how each them stacks up compared to the others. 

We will point out that there are connectors that handle document signature functions in addition to their primary focus; like Documents CorePack where the main objective is document generation. But, today’s focus is on those connectors in which document signing is the main objective.

If pressed to characterize the “should haves,” automated document signing should consist of a set of basic, verifiable operations that you need in order to get your important documents signed by one or more parties. It should include authentication date, time and IP address from whence they came. (And yes, when we’re talking tech, we need a little old school “hence” or “whence” to keep it all from becoming a snooze-fest. 😂) 

Every document-signing app ought to include these features:

• Upload a document for signing 
• Indicate where each party shall sign 
• Send it to all signers 
• Notify all signing parties when others have signed 
• Notify all signing parties when a document has been fully executed by all parties 

Any capabilities that reach beyond those basics are icing on the cake. (It should be noted that the people who’ve created these connectors have varying terminology for the same things.) Documents, agreements, slates, envelopes, templates and more can be interchangeable terms when comparing connector capabilities.

How do they stack up? 

So, let’s check them out! 

Adobe Sign

Adobe Sign is your connector of choice if you already happen to have a relationship with Adobe. If you’re still looking to make a choice, here’s what it can do for you. It offers a rich collection of actions that let you access your document library (if you want to manage documents inside Adobe Sign instead of your systems.) It also supports pre-defined templates, which are documents that you’ve setup and can be sent automatically. 

This connector supports the following features: 

• Send agreements with signing URL. 
• Get notified when documents are sent, viewed, re-delegated or when an action is requested. 
• Use the completion of an agreement (both parties sign) to kick off other actions or as a trigger in your automations. 

Notable trigger for Adobe users: “When an event occurs” allows you to trigger your flows from intermediate steps within a document signing process. This can allow for more complex flows where something needs to happen before the document is fully executed.  

airSlate

airSlate is a workflow automation platform similar to PowerAutomate that provides a PDF editor, a document editor and a drag and drop web form creator that can be used from within Microsoft Dynamics 365. airSlate prides itself as a document process and workflow automation company. 

The connector has two actions: 

• Generate a new slate for editing or signing from the flow in your airSlate organization 
• Send a slate with documents and forms by email. 

DocuSign

DocuSign is one of the most popular document-signing platforms. It offers secure document signing with a palette of actions plus the ability to add or remove a recipient from an envelope. The lone trigger fires when an envelope status changes. The app boasts over 50 million users worldwide which lends credence to its solid acceptance. 

The connector offers the following actions: 

• Add a recipient to an envelope (Envelope is what they call the signature request) 
• Bonus: This allows you to add non-signers using the role parameter 
• Get envelope documents 
• List recipients 
• Remove recipient from envelope 
• Send envelope (Only works for existing envelopes) 
• Send envelope using template (For creating new envelopes) 
• Doesn’t allow you to upload a document 

HelloSign

HelloSign is another popular document signing service. Basic features of the app are offered in a free option with the ability to add more for growing teams, each of which comes with a free trial. The connector offers triggers on when signature requests are created, completed and declined, which means you can hook into your signature process at each of these points. 

The connector’s actions are: 

• Send a signature request from template (meaning, you need to have created the template ahead of time) 
• Cancel a signature request 
• Get signature request details 

Scrive eSign

Scrive eSign connector for electronic signatures helps you handle the document-signing portion of the company’s suite of document workflows and identity verification. 

Actions include: 

• Create a new document from a template 
• Get the document JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) https://apidocs.scrive.com/#document 
• Get document PDF 
• Set File for document 
• Update the properties of parties or party fields within the template
• Update the JSON 
• Start the signing process 

Available triggers are: 

• When a document from template is signed by all signers
• When a document is signed by all signers 
• When signing process starts and when a document is signed by all signers 

SigningHub

With its many possible actions, SigningHub connector optimizes the review, approval, delivery and digital signatures on your business documents. 

With SigningHub connector you can: 

• Create a new workflow (This is what they’re calling a signature request that can contain multiple documents) 
• Upload a document into a workflow 
• Apply a template on the document workflow 
• Assign a recipient to the document 
• Send a document to signers (Share a workflow) 
• Terminate a workflow 
• Apply a signature to a document (Yes, you can use power automate to automatically apply a signature!) 
• Decline a document 
• Delete a workflow 
• Get contacts (related to the authenticated user account in Power Automate) 
• Get recipients (Not the same as contacts) 
• Get all workflows 
• And a few more here https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/signinghub/#actions 

There are no triggers for this connector so you can’t automate a response to workflow updates in Power Automate. 

SignNow

For electronic signature, SignNow connector allows you to securely sign, send, and manage documents.  

Connector actions include: 

• Create a document from a selected template  
• Generate a signing request link to the document 
• Upload a document to SignNow 
• Invite others to fill out and sign the document (Send the document to signers) 
• Delete document 
• Download a document

There is only a single trigger for this connector. It triggers a flow on new or updated signature invitations, or when someone creates, updates, completes, or deletes a document. 

SignRequest

Based on the details we were able to locate about this connector, it has one action and one trigger. It’s as basic as can be; SignRequest connector’s action sends a sign request, and it triggers when the document status of a SignRequest changes. Good news for the super-thrifty or low usage clients; while there are paid plans available, this one has a “Free forever” option. 

If you need assistance deciding which connector is right for your project, just ask us. We know more about Power Automate connectors than anyone.