TL;DR:
- What it is: An electronic signature app integrated with Nextcloud. Free, self‑hostable, sovereignty‑oriented.
- Why it’s interesting: Documents never leave your servers. No per‑signature subscription. Seamless integration with Nextcloud folders and workflows.
- Legal validity: A digital signature based on certificates. With the signer’s recognised certificate: advanced level compliant with best practices, generally admissible in court.
- With the signer’s recognised certificate: advanced level compliant with best practices, generally accepted in court.
- Without a recognised certificate: proof of integrity and intention to sign, lower probative value but higher than a scanned signature.
- Timestamp log and verification QR for traceability.
- Strengths: Data sovereignty, zero licence cost, security, automatic reminders, API, simple and quick workflows.
- Limitations: Mobile UX still uneven depending on version. Server technical prerequisites. PDF only. No visible handwritten signature. Email notifications need improvement. Community still young.
Quick comparison
- LibreSign: ✅ free and self‑hostable. ✅ perfect if you already have Nextcloud. ❌ PDF only. ❌ no visual signature.
- DocuSeal: ✅ free, standalone or cloud. ✅ richer UX, templates and fields. ✅ visual signature possible. ✅ optional qualified signature via provider. ❌ free self‑hosting impossible.
- DocuSign: ✅ turnkey SaaS, extensive integrations, recognised brand. ❌ high cost. ❌ no default sovereignty.
When to choose what
- You use Nextcloud and prioritise sovereignty and cost: LibreSign.
- You want a more complete open platform, mobile and with visual signatures or advanced flows: DocuSeal.
- You need a turnkey SaaS with heavy integrations and cost isn’t the main issue: DocuSign.
Practical recommendation
- Pilot LibreSign on 5 to 10 internal contracts.
- For non‑technical external counterparties, test the link‑based signing experience.
- If you need a visual signature or complex flows, add DocuSeal for those cases.
- For files requiring high evidential standards, plan to use recognised certificates for the signer or a qualified signature option.
In a world where contracts and documents are increasingly signed remotely, electronic signature solutions such as LibreSign prove essential.
By recalling the essentials about Nextcloud, one can emphasise that it is an open‑source collaboration suite (file sharing, calendar, messaging, etc.) focused on data sovereignty.
LibreSign fills this gap by offering Nextcloud users a way to digitally sign their documents without leaving the environment.
What is LibreSign? How it works and features
LibreSign is a web application for electronically signing PDF documents that integrates as an extension (app) into Nextcloud.
Signature request interface in LibreSign (integrated with Nextcloud). The user selects a PDF stored on Nextcloud, then can invite signers by email (Nextcloud users or externals).
Under the hood, LibreSign uses public‑key cryptography (PKI) technologies for digitally signing documents.
- Use the user’s personal digital certificate (for example, a certificate issued by a national or professional certificate authority)
- Automatically generate a digital certificate for the signer if they do not have one.
This flexibility is important: a user who already has a qualified certificate (e.g., an electronic identity card) can use it directly.
Other key features of LibreSign include:
- Advanced security: LibreSign encrypts documents end‑to‑end during the signature process and supports two‑factor authentication for signers.
- Real‑time tracking and reminders: the application allows you to monitor the progress of signatures on a document (who has signed, who has not yet signed) and to send automatic reminders.
- Verification via QR code: each signed document can include a verification QR code. Anyone with the document can verify its authenticity by scanning the QR code.
- API and integration: LibreSign offers API endpoints allowing integration with other systems or business applications. Connectors are also available to link LibreSign to CRMs or ERPs.
Finally, LibreSign’s interface is designed to be relatively easy to use within Nextcloud. Non‑expert users can initiate a signature process in a few clicks and track progress.
Legal value: is a digital signature valid in court?
A crucial question for any electronic signature solution is its legal value. In other words, does a document signed via LibreSign have the same value as a handwritten signature?
First, one must distinguish between a “simple” electronic signature (for example ticking a box or pasting an image of a signature) and the so‑called “advanced” or “qualified” signatures governed by standards such as eIDAS in Europe or Bill 25 in Quebec.
These mechanisms comply with digital signature standards and guarantee the authenticity and integrity of the document, two conditions necessary for legal recognition.
If the signer does not have an official certificate and uses a self‑generated certificate from LibreSign, the legal value will be that of a simple electronic signature.
In summary, LibreSign produces technically robust electronic signatures. When used with a recognised certificate, the signature is admissible at the advanced level.
Advantages of LibreSign: sovereignty, security and cost
LibreSign has several key advantages for professionals and organisations seeking a controlled and compliant e‑signature solution.
- Sovereignty and total control over data: Since LibreSign runs in your self‑hosted Nextcloud, your documents never leave your infrastructure.
- Free software and auditability: Being open source, LibreSign can be audited by the community or independent experts. The code can therefore be inspected to detect potential security flaws.
- Cost savings: LibreSign is free. Apart from the operating cost of your Nextcloud server, you have no licence to pay and you avoid the per‑signature fees charged by SaaS solutions.
- Seamless integration with your workflows: If your organisation already uses Nextcloud to manage its files, adding LibreSign does not require switching platforms. The integration is direct.
- Security and compliance: LibreSign meets the security criteria for digital signatures (as seen above) and enables compliance with regulatory requirements (eIDAS Regulation in Europe, Bill 25 in Quebec, etc.).
- Efficiency and productivity: By replacing paper printouts, postal mail or even email back‑and‑forths to sign a document, LibreSign saves teams valuable time.
All in all, LibreSign provides a controlled, economical and efficient IT solution for electronic signatures, making it a strategic choice for organisations keen to protect their data.
Limitations and points of attention of LibreSign
Despite its strengths, LibreSign also has some limitations that should be honestly addressed:
- Mobile accessibility: LibreSign’s current interface, integrated in Nextcloud, is mainly optimised for a computer screen. The mobile experience may lack ergonomics.
- Technical setup: Unlike a turnkey SaaS service, LibreSign requires installation on your Nextcloud server. Technical skills are required.
- Limited document formats: Currently, LibreSign only supports PDF files for signature. Word, LibreOffice, etc. formats need to be converted before signing.
- No visual signature: LibreSign ensures legal value via the internal digital signature in the PDF, but does not yet offer the possibility to insert a visual handwritten signature into the document.
- Notifications and external interactions: LibreSign does allow external signers to be invited by email (non Nextcloud users), but the experience and notifications could be smoother.
- Young community and support: Although LibreSign is gaining popularity, it is still less widely used than market giants. The community and support are developing gradually.
In summary, LibreSign is a powerful tool but still young in some respects. For open‑source and self‑hosting oriented use, its benefits largely outweigh its limitations.
Comparison: LibreSign versus DocuSeal and market solutions
LibreSign is not the only open‑source electronic signature solution. Another notable alternative is DocuSeal, often cited as a free alternative to DocuSign.
DocuSeal allows a handwritten signature that is visible in the PDF, but like LibreSign it primarily generates a PKI‑based digital signature. DocuSeal also offers a cloud hosting option in addition to the self‑hosted version, and has a more developed web interface with document templates and fields.
Verify according to the latest versions of DocuSeal. A dedicated mobile app has been mentioned on their roadmap.
Analysis of the comparison: LibreSign and DocuSeal share a common goal – providing a free alternative to platforms like DocuSign – but with slightly different approaches.
Compared to a player like DocuSign, the two free solutions stand out mainly for data control and cost. DocuSign retains the advantage of integrations and support, but at a high price and with reliance on a vendor.
Ultimately, the choice depends on the context: for an entity already equipped with Nextcloud wanting to extend its capabilities, LibreSign is ideal. For those who want a slightly more mature and visual‑oriented solution, DocuSeal is to be considered.
Conclusion: LibreSign, another step towards digital autonomy
By offering a free, secure electronic signature solution integrated with Nextcloud, LibreSign fits perfectly into the dynamic of sovereign and ethical tools.
Of course, everything is not yet perfect: the application is evolving, with a few rough edges still to be smoothed out (notably the mobile experience and visual signatures), but LibreSign already offers a very convincing preview of what a sovereign, free and powerful electronic signature can be.
For a general professional audience, the main takeaway is that yes, there are credible alternatives to DocuSign and other proprietary platforms, and that the combination of Nextcloud + LibreSign constitutes a robust solution for most contracts and common documents.
In short, adopting LibreSign means choosing an ethical and pragmatic solution: ethical due to its respect for your data and software freedom, and pragmatic thanks to its ease of use and transparent integration into an existing Nextcloud.
References 🎓
[25] LibreSign – official site (libresign.coop). Presentation of LibreSign, the LibreCode cooperative, aims and user testimonials.
[6] LibreSign – Key features (libresign.coop). Description of features: advanced security, hybrid signatures, validation via QR code, real‑time tracking and more.
[23] LibreSign – Target audience (libresign.coop). Example of use in education, mention of the legal validity of digital signatures.
[8] LibreSign FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions (libresign.coop). Explanation of the security and legal validity ensured by LibreSign (hashing, timestamping, GDPR compliance).
[11] Nextcloud Forum – Discussion “Electronic signature in Nextcloud”. User comment about LibreSign (works on PC, not suited to mobile, no dependence on an external service).
[12] Nextcloud Forum – “Problems LibreSign and Nextcloud Snap”. Discussions about difficulties installing LibreSign in a Snap environment (certificate errors, dependencies not installed automatically).
[27] NethServer Forum – “LibreSign – Nextcloud”. Confirmation of features: electronic signature OK, adding visible signature requires Ghostscript (visible QR code and footer); lack of handwritten signature image.
[13] DocuSeal – official site (docuseal.com). Presentation of DocuSeal as an open‑source alternative to DocuSign, user testimonials on the UX.
[15] DocuSeal – “Qualified Electronic Signature” page. DocuSeal’s capabilities regarding eIDAS compliance, qualified signatures, identity verification, data encryption.
[17] DocuSeal – Blog “Top 5 DocuSign Alternatives in 2025”. Extracts concerning DocuSeal: hosting options (Cloud or On‑Premises), free vs paid plan, API/integration strengths, advantage of on‑prem for sovereignty.
[16] EastAgile Blog – “Choosing the right eSignature Solution”. Mention of the high cost of enterprise solutions like DocuSign/Adobe Sign (US$300+/month for API…).