Ecosystem Fatigue Is Setting In
For many Australian businesses, Adobe Sign wasn't a deliberate choice — it came bundled with Acrobat Pro or Creative Cloud. It was already there, so it became the default. But in 2026, as businesses scrutinise every subscription line item, that convenience is starting to feel like lock-in.
The pattern is familiar: you sign up for one Adobe product, and suddenly you need Acrobat to edit PDFs, Creative Cloud for design assets, and Sign for e-signatures. Each product works best within the Adobe ecosystem, making it harder to leave with every addition. Australian businesses — particularly SMBs — are pushing back against this bundling approach.
When Complexity Becomes the Problem
Adobe Sign was designed with enterprise workflows in mind. Approval chains, advanced routing, mega sign for bulk sending, integration APIs — these features serve large organisations well. But for the majority of Australian businesses, they create clutter.
A property manager in Perth doesn't need approval chains to get a lease signed. A physiotherapy clinic in Adelaide doesn't need bulk sending for patient consent forms. These businesses need to upload a document, add signature fields, and send it. Done.
The businesses switching in 2026 have realised that a tool designed to do everything often does the simple things less well. They're choosing focused alternatives that nail the basics instead of platforms that offer features they'll never touch.
Small Business Needs, Enterprise Pricing
Adobe Sign's pricing reflects its enterprise heritage. Acrobat Pro for teams starts at $23.99 per user per month, and e-signatures are bundled with the full Acrobat suite whether you need it or not. For a small business sending 20 documents a month, that adds up to a significant annual cost for what is essentially a signing tool.
Local alternatives have emerged that understand the Australian SMB market. AirSign, for example, starts at $5 for 10 documents and includes a PDF editor from the Starter plan — no separate Acrobat subscription needed. For businesses watching their margins, the savings are meaningful.
It's not just about the headline price, either. It's about paying for a tool that matches how you actually work, not one that charges for capabilities designed for organisations ten times your size.
The Local Advantage
Adobe is a global company, and its products reflect global priorities. Australian-specific features — like e-witnessing for statutory declarations, or data storage on Australian servers — aren't high on the roadmap when you're serving 190 countries.
For Australian businesses, especially those in legal, healthcare, and government sectors, these aren't nice-to-haves. They're requirements. A platform built for the Australian market understands these nuances and delivers features that global platforms treat as edge cases.
Want the full picture? We've put together a detailed feature-by-feature comparison of AirSign and Adobe Sign.
See our detailed AirSign vs Adobe Sign comparison →Breaking Free in 2026
The shift away from Adobe Sign isn't about the product being bad — it's about it being wrong for many Australian businesses. Too complex, too expensive, too tied to an ecosystem that not everyone needs.
If you've been using Adobe Sign because it came with your Acrobat subscription, 2026 is a good year to ask whether a standalone, Australian-focused alternative might serve you better. The answer, for a growing number of businesses, is yes.