How to use Formstack with Dropbox Sign

When Formstack and Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign) work together, creating documents and sending signature requests becomes seamless. 

You collect information through Formstack forms, use it to create documents, and then automatically send them to Dropbox Sign for e-signatures. From your Dropbox Sign account, you can track everything in real time, see whether a signature is still pending, and know exactly when someone signs.

That said, the Dropbox Sign integration with Formstack is a two-platform setup. It works, but it adds extra steps to your workflow. If you want a simpler alternative that automates document creation and signing in one system, you’ll need an all-in-one platform such as Jotform. 

In this guide, we’ll explain how to use Formstack with Dropbox Sign, the limitations of the setup, and  the ways a platform with built-in forms and e-signature can save you time and eliminate hassle. 

How Formstack with Dropbox Sign integration works

What is Dropbox Sign’s integration with Formstack? It’s a software-to-software connection that lets you automatically send Formstack documents to Dropbox Sign. Once you integrate the two platforms, you can request e-signatures without manually uploading documents to Dropbox Sign or sending links one at a time to each signer. 

But to include these seamless signature requests in your Formstack document workflow, you’ll need a Dropbox Sign account. If you don’t already have one, you can create it on the Dropbox Sign website. The good news is that your signers don’t need an account to sign any documents you send them.

After creating an account, the next step is to generate a Dropbox Sign API key, which you’ll use to connect the e-signature tool to Formstack: 

1. Log in to your Dropbox Sign account. 
2. Click or tap your initials or avatar in the top right corner. 
3. Go to Settings > API > API keys.
4. If it’s your first time using the Dropbox Sign API key, tap or click Generate key. If you’ve used it before, you’ll see Reveal key instead. 

Next, you’ll use Formstack Documents to create a document that works with Dropbox Sign. To collect a signature, you must specify in the document where someone should sign by adding an e-signature tag, which looks like this: [sig|req|signer1]. If you don’t want the tag to appear in the final document, you’ll have to change the text color to match your document’s background. That way, once the signer completes the form, only the signature will appear. 

Once your document is ready, you’ll tell Formstack to send it to Dropbox Sign. That connection lets Formstack automatically transfer the document for signing. 

Read on to learn how to integrate Formstack with Dropbox Sign. 

How to use the Formstack-Dropbox Sign integration

1. In Formstack Documents, under the specific document you want to send for signature, go to the Delivery tab. 
2. Click or tap New Delivery and then select Dropbox Sign from the list. 
3. A setup screen asking for your Dropbox Sign API key will appear. Copy the key from your Dropbox Sign account and paste it in the correct field.
4. Enter the signer’s name and email address. If more than one person needs to sign, provide their details too. Then fill in the email subject and, if needed, the email address of anyone who should receive a copy.
5. Click or tap Save Delivery in the bottom right corner of the setup screen. 

Once you save your settings, the integration is officially set up. From there, you can automatically collect signatures through Dropbox Sign for every Formstack document you send. 

Keep in mind that if you want to fully automate signature requests with this setup, you’ll need aDropbox Sign API plan, which is separate from and more expensive than the plans for using the e-signature tools without APIs. 

How to use Formstack with Dropbox Sign without API integration

You can still send signature requests in bulk, even without API integration, but you’ll have to import Formstack documents to Dropbox Sign manually: 

1. Log in to your Dropbox Sign account and select Sign documents.
2. Upload your Formstack documents from your computer or a cloud storage service such as Dropbox or Google Drive. 
3. Add signer names and email addresses (up to 20 signers on paid plans and up to three on the free plan).
4. Place the required signature and form fields in the document.
5. Under cc, add copy recipients.
6. Under Email to signers, enter the email title and message. 
7. If you have a paid plan, you’ll set the date for the request to expire by checking the box next to Set expiration date and time under Document expiration date. 
8. Click or tap Send for signature. 

Limitations of the Formstack + Dropbox Sign setup

Even with all the benefits of Dropbox, integrating Dropbox e-signature with Formstack has some disadvantages. Understanding those limitations can help you decide whether the two-tool setup works best for your business or whether an all-in-one Formstack and Dropbox Sign alternative makes more sense: 

• Requires two separate tools: Formstack handles the data collection, and Dropbox Sign handles the signatures. Hopping between two systems makes your workflow more complex.
• Involves manual setup and maintenance of field mapping between Formstack and Dropbox Sign: Using text tags such as [sig|req|signer1] and [date|req|signer1] means you’re manually defining which fields on your Formstack document correspond to Dropbox Sign’s signature fields. A single typo or misplaced tag can break the workflow, and any change to your document layout means updating the tags again.
• Comes with additional subscription costs: You’re paying for Formstack, Dropbox Sign, and, possibly, Formstack Documents to keep everything running seamlessly. 
• Scatters data across tools: Form submissions live in Formstack, while signed documents are located in Dropbox Sign. Without a single source of truth, record-keeping becomes complicated.
• Lacks a native signing experience: Signers move from your form workflow into Dropbox Sign’s interface, which may feel disconnected. 
• Comes with integration dependencies: If Dropbox Sign updates its APIs or Formstack changes how its built-in integration works, you’ll need to update your setup. This means ongoing monitoring and maintenance, which requires extra effort. 
• Limits workflow automation between form and signature steps: For example, the setup lacks the advanced conditional logic present in more powerful, alternative platforms.

An advanced alternative that eliminates the need for separate tools: Jotform

Organizations that want a simpler, all-in-one alternative to Formstack-Dropbox Sign setup often turn to Jotform. With a forms builder that offers more than 20,000 templates and no plug-ins to install, plus a built-in e-signature tool (Jotform Sign), the entire process of creating and signing documents electronically happens in one place. 

With Jotform Sign, you can automate the e-signing process from start to finish. Just upload your document or create one from a ready-made template, and then customize it with Jotform’s Form Builder. After adding your signers, you can send the document in a specific order if approvals need to follow a chain of command. 

You can share your document by email, send a Jotform Sign link, or embed it directly on your website so signers and approvers can access it anytime and anywhere on a phone or computer. However you choose to send it, you skip the manual work of chasing down wet signatures.  

Other benefits of using Jotform Sign include the following: 

• Store all your data in one place: No more splitting records between Formstack and Dropbox Sign.
• Switch from Formstack to Jotform without losing data: To import Formstack forms to Jotform, you can use the Formstack migration portal or Jotform’s Import Formstack™ Forms app. Wondering why you should use Jotform as a Formstack alternative? Compare Jotform with Formstack to see the difference. 
• Automate tasks and approvals: Use conditional logic, workflows, and multistep approvals to simplify processes.
• Handle calculations and document creation with ease: Run automatic calculations right in your forms with Form Calculation and create documents quickly using Jotform’s PDF Editor.

While there are many Jotform alternatives, our platform stands out by bringing everything you need for forms and signature requests into one place. 

One automation platform for building, signing, and storing forms

Integrating Formstack with Dropbox Sign works. But it’s a two-tool setup requiring manual field mapping and maintenance. You’ll also have to buy a premium plan for each tool. 

For teams that want forms, signatures, automation, and storage in one system, Jotform is an all-in-one alternative that’s easy to scale. By offering all these features in one place, Jotform

• Reduces tool bloat
• Simplifies workflows
• Improves team efficiency
• Offers Jotform Sign, a powerful alternative to the Formstack e-signature add-on

Try Jotform for free to quickly import your Formstack forms and enjoy forms and e-signatures in one place.