Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu has taken a strong stance against DocuSign, a well-known digital signature software provider, for what he describes as exorbitant pricing. He argued that Zoho’s alternative, Zoho Sign, efficiently addresses the same needs without requiring a massive workforce.
“DocuSign is a supremely bloated company that sells super over-priced enterprise software. We solve that problem with Zoho Sign and we don’t need 6,705 employees to produce digital signature software,” Vembu stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
His remarks were in response to Andrew Wilkinson, a US-based entrepreneur, who expressed shock at the pricing of DocuSign. Wilkinson, co-founder of Tiny, a venture capital firm, posted about his surprise after discovering the amount his company was paying for DocuSign services. “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?” he asked on X.
Vembu seized the opportunity to address what he perceives as a broader issue in the enterprise SaaS industry. He emphasized that many enterprise software companies have inflated cost structures and charge significantly more than necessary. “So much ‘enterprise SaaS’ fits the ‘supremely bloated company that sells super over-priced enterprise software’. As the SaaS bubble deflates, customers of the over-priced enterprise SaaS will have the same reaction as Andrew,” he noted.
Further elaborating, Vembu encouraged businesses and entrepreneurs to scrutinize SaaS companies’ financial allocations, particularly their sales and marketing expenses relative to research and development (R&D). He argued that companies spending disproportionately more on selling their products rather than innovating and improving them could indicate an opportunity for customers to find cost-effective alternatives. “If they are spending a lot more selling the software to you than building it in the first place, that is a very good signal you can save a ton of money replacing them,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, several X users came forward to praise Zoho Sign, claiming that it offers a comparable or superior experience at a significantly lower price. One user, GK Raju (@GKRAJU1), stated, “Zoho Sign has everything and much more than what DocuSign has to offer and all priced lesser than the cost of a ballpoint pen.” Another user, Shyam Sekhar (@shyamsek), shared his preference for Zoho’s solution, saying, “I use the Zoho Sign software and prefer it over any other competing product.”
The debate underscores growing concerns about software pricing in the SaaS industry, with many businesses seeking alternatives that deliver functionality without excessive costs.
