Quick answer
DocHub and PlatoForms both support reusable client paperwork, but offer different ways to build and run it. DocHub combines PDF text editing, annotations, reusable templates, and signature requests. Its Pro organizations also offer Rooms for shared documents and assigned tasks. PlatoForms combines PDF and web-form creation with submission management, approval routing, and automatic PDF delivery.
Choose PlatoForms when clients need an original-layout PDF form or responsive web questions that fill your PDF, and your team needs to manage the responses. You can also build a new web form or design a document in PDF Document Creator. Add Master Forms for shared answers across several PDFs, and Workflow when the process needs additional participants or approval decisions.
This comparison follows recurring client intake—from preparing the paperwork to receiving a complete, usable record. It covers the client experience, staff responsibilities, document outputs, and team costs that determine which setup fits.
Feature comparison
| Intake task | DocHub | PlatoForms |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare a document or form | Edit existing PDF text, annotate pages, and add fillable fields | Upload a PDF and review AI-detected fields, or create a new PDF design or web form |
| Create a downloadable fillable PDF | Export the document with active form fields | Design and edit a document in PDF Document Creator, then export a fillable PDF |
| Reuse a form with new clients | Send template copies as sign requests, or share a template for Fill a Copy | Publish a link or embed the form; use pre-filled invitations for known clients. Each submission creates a separate record |
| Choose how clients fill it online | Clients complete fields on the document | Keep the original PDF layout, use responsive questions that fill the PDF, or publish a standalone web form |
| Reuse answers across paperwork | Link text and paragraph fields within a PDF | Use Master Forms to map one set of answers to several linked PDFs |
| Collect signatures | Assign fields to recipients and set signing order | Collect electronic signatures; enable signature certificates for tracked invitations or Workflow signing steps on a paid plan or during the free trial |
| Coordinate staff review | Pro organization Rooms group documents, assigned tasks, and activity | Add Approval steps with approved and send-back paths; add a form step when staff must enter details or sign |
| Retrieve completed records | Download PDFs, export field data to CSV, and retrieve signing audit trails | Export submission PDFs and CSV data; signature certificates record consent, document fingerprints, and a verifiable event timeline, with a seven-year retained evidence copy |
| Save PDFs to Google Drive | Open Drive files in DocHub; export an updated file or a new copy to a selected folder | Configure Cloud Drive integration to save generated PDFs automatically after submission, with folder and subfolder settings |
| Share work with colleagues | Document collaboration and organization membership; Pro organization subscriptions are billed per user | Assign form-editing and submission-viewing permissions to the members included in your plan; form and submission allowances are shared across the team |
The sections below explain the plan requirements and setup behind these capabilities. A downloaded fillable PDF is completed as a file; online form features such as routing and automatic delivery apply to the hosted process.
Prepare an Existing PDF—or Create a New Form
DocHub suits paperwork that needs changes to the document itself. Its PDF editing tools support text edits, annotations, page operations, and fillable fields. Staff can prepare the document, collaborate on it, and reuse it as a template for subsequent clients.
PlatoForms offers three starting points:
- An existing PDF: upload it, review the AI-detected fields, and choose an original-layout or responsive online form.
- A new PDF document: use PDF Document Creator to design and edit a layout from a blank canvas, preset, or AI prompt. Export a static or fillable PDF, or convert it into an online form.
- A new web form: build from scratch, an application template, or an AI-generated draft.
Document Creator edits designs created there. Adding fields to an uploaded PDF preserves that document as the background; it does not rewrite the PDF’s existing text. PlatoForms also offers free PDF tools for tasks such as merging, splitting, and rearranging pages.
Reusable Templates and the Client’s Filling Experience
DocHub’s reusable templates produce separate copies for new recipients. For a known client, send a sign request with fields assigned to that person. DocHub’s signer guide describes authentication through the emailed document link, followed by completion of the assigned fields.
For people arriving through a shared link, DocHub offers Fill a Copy. Its publishing guide describes this route through a template’s Share Link or Public setting and says respondents need a free DocHub account. The guide distinguishes it from addressed sign requests, which do not require account creation. DocHub’s pricing table lists Public documents on Pro and Site License; an unlisted Share Link is a separate sharing setting.
With PlatoForms, a form configured for Public submitter access can be completed without joining your team. Share the same published link with new clients, embed it on your website, or use pre-filled invitations when you already know some of their details.
The layout is another practical difference. An original-layout form keeps the familiar PDF appearance. A responsive Web PDF Form presents questions that adapt to smaller screens and maps the answers back to the PDF. For a long client application, conditional logic can show only the relevant questions while your team still receives its required document layout.
Repeated Details Within a PDF or Across a Packet
DocHub can link text and paragraph fields so an answer entered in one field appears in the others in its group. This is useful when a name or address repeats within a document.
PlatoForms’ Master Forms map shared answers to several linked PDFs. For example, a client enters contact details once for an application, consent form, and service agreement. Each PDF keeps its own layout and receives the mapped values. Use this when your team needs several distinct documents from one set of answers; an ordinary single-form application does not require Master Forms.
Signing Order, Staff Tasks, and Approval Decisions
DocHub’s signing order lets recipients complete a document together or one after another. A sequential request notifies the next signer after the previous person finishes. This fits prepared documents that need a defined sequence of signatures.
For broader teamwork, Rooms in DocHub Pro organizations group documents, people, tasks, and activity. Staff can assign tasks with due dates and track completion. That capability belongs in the comparison when colleagues need to coordinate a client file, rather than only sign a document.
PlatoForms Workflow supports both form steps and Approval steps. Form steps collect additional information or signatures. An Approval step asks a reviewer to decide, then follows the configured Approved or Sent back connection. A client application can go to a staff reviewer and return to an earlier form for correction when needed. A decision alone does not require a separate reviewer form; add one when the reviewer must enter extra fields or sign.
When several form steps must add entries to the same PDF, enable Combine data across steps for steps using the same uploaded PDF. Approval routing and combining PDF entries are separate configuration choices.
What Your Team Receives After Completion
Both DocHub and PlatoForms let you download completed PDFs and export data to CSV. Your team can keep the finished document and use the exported answers in a spreadsheet or another system.
DocHub exports PDF field values with document metadata. Its CSV export also offers a detailed field-data option with field names, types, and page information.
PlatoForms lets you export submissions as CSV, PDFs, and uploaded attachments for a selected date range. The CSV includes form answers and submission details such as the submission ID, date, and revision information. You can choose the delimiter and arrange submissions in rows or columns. For recurring client intake, this gives staff both the individual documents and a dataset they can sort, filter, or analyze together. You can also configure PDF email attachments to deliver completed documents to the team.
For signing evidence, DocHub records an audit trail for sign requests and filled template copies. It can be downloaded separately or with the finalized PDF.
PlatoForms’ upgraded signature certificate records the signer’s details, the exact Consent notice they agreed to, the signed PDF’s SHA-256 fingerprint, and a hash-chained event timeline. The signer agrees by signing and submitting the form. A public verification page lets a recipient check the evidence and compare the received PDF with its recorded fingerprint without a PlatoForms account. Uploaded PDFs are checked but not stored.
New forms use the upgraded certificate format, but a certificate is generated only through a tracked invitation or Workflow step with its certificate option enabled. Public-link submissions do not generate certificates or display the signing consent notice.
Each enabled workflow step produces a certificate; the last step’s certificate includes earlier steps’ signatures. Approval decisions and the final PDF’s fingerprint join the timeline when the workflow completes. Only the first submitted version is signed: editing and resubmitting creates no new signing record and no new certificate, and the verification page shows Superseded by a later version.
A write-once copy of the certificate and timeline is retained for seven years, even if the submission is deleted. Verification then continues from the retained copy. HIPAA teams have a restricted verification view: masked details appear only after a matching PDF is uploaded. For supported document types and jurisdictions, see the electronic signature legal scope.
PlatoForms can also append an approval record page to a copy of the workflow’s final PDF. It records decisions, participants, times, and comments. Retrieve that version through the workflow completion notification, tracker download, or final-PDF API. The form’s original submission PDF is a separate record.
Google Drive: Editing Files and Filing New Submissions
DocHub can open documents from Google Drive for editing or signing. Its export controls let you choose the destination folder and filename, update an existing Drive file, or save a new copy. This supports work that begins with a file already stored in Drive.
PlatoForms’ Cloud Drive integration automatically uploads generated PDFs after form submission to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box. You can choose the storage folder and create subfolders as part of the form’s integration settings, so new responses arrive in the location your team uses.
Subfolder names can use submission values and other custom fields, including a client or application ID collected in the form, the file creation date, form name, submission index, tracking code, or revision number. For example, organize client paperwork by application ID and include the revision number to distinguish resubmitted versions. Once configured, the naming rules apply as files are uploaded, reducing manual sorting.
If you need the PDF with the workflow’s appended approval record, use the completion-delivery options described above. The documented form-level cloud upload should not be assumed to contain that extra record page.
Pricing and Team Access
Compare plans for your intake workload
DocHub Basic and Pro prices below are per user. PlatoForms prices cover the whole team allowance: 2 members on Free, 5 on Bronze, or 20 on Silver. Compare the total cost for the colleagues who need access, alongside the forms and responses your team handles.
| Plan | Price and included users | Main features for intake | Usage allowances |
|---|---|---|---|
| DocHub Free | Free | Basic PDF tools and AI Assistant; limited access to core document tools | PDF text editing, self-signing, sign requests, templates, envelopes, and link sharing share 3 uses/month |
| DocHub Basic | $11/user/month, or $96/user/year ($8/user/month equivalent) | Advanced fillable fields; unlimited templates, self-signing, PDF downloads, and folders | PDF text editing, sign requests, and envelopes share 3 uses/month |
| DocHub Pro | $16/user/month, or $144/user/year ($12/user/month equivalent) | Unlimited PDF editing and sign requests; bulk sending, in-person signing, and Public documents | Bulk-send rate limits apply; Pro organization users are billed individually |
| DocHub Site License | Custom quote | Organization licensing, Rooms, SSO, and HIPAA BAA availability | Advertised unlimited users and volume discounts; scope agreed with DocHub |
| PlatoForms Free | $0 for up to 2 team members | PDF-to-online-form conversion, AI field recognition, web-form creation, and signature fields | 1 live form; 100 submissions/month, shared across the team |
| PlatoForms Bronze | $12/month for up to 5 team members, or $120/year total ($10/month equivalent for the team) | Free features plus signature certificates, Workflow, API access, and cloud-drive integration | 2 live forms; 1,000 submissions/month, shared across the team |
| PlatoForms Silver | $36/month for up to 20 team members, or $360/year total ($30/month equivalent for the team) | Bronze features with more capacity; HIPAA team setup and BAA available | 20 live forms; 10,000 submissions/month, shared across the team |
Signature fields support drawing, typing, or image uploads on all PlatoForms plans. Signature certificates are available on paid plans and during the free trial.
Prices checked September 16, 2026, in USD. Annual equivalents require annual billing. DocHub prices are per user; PlatoForms includes the listed members in one plan. Regional offers may differ. DocHub’s bulk-sending limits also apply to Pro, so include your sending volume when choosing a plan.
Compare the cost for the whole team
DocHub Pro for Organizations combines per-user Pro subscriptions under centralized billing. A five-person team needing Pro access therefore pays for five subscribed users. Members excluded from the subscription retain some organization capabilities but lose Pro subscription access.
PlatoForms includes team members in the plan price. Bronze, for example, covers five members sharing two live forms and 1,000 monthly submissions. Assign editing and submission-viewing permissions to match each colleague’s work. Choose a larger plan when the team’s combined form or response volume requires it.
Count the colleagues who prepare and manage paperwork separately from the clients who complete it. A public PlatoForms respondent does not need team membership, and a DocHub signature recipient does not need a Pro subscription.
Start with the workload you have
For a small online application, PlatoForms Free gives your team one published form and 100 monthly submissions. DocHub Free suits occasional document work within its shared tool-use allowance. Those limits count different activities: receiving a response is not the same as editing a PDF or sending a signature request. For signature certificates, approvals, and automatic delivery, compare the plans that include those features and the capacity you need.
For healthcare intake, include the appropriate BAA arrangement in the comparison: DocHub lists it with Site License, while PlatoForms HIPAA team setup is available on Silver and Gold with activation and a signed BAA.
Where AI Helps with Intake
DocHub’s AI text tools help revise document wording. Its AI capabilities also include summaries, document questions, and visual edits, with availability depending on the plan.
PlatoForms supports several stages of preparation: detect fields in an uploaded PDF, draft a web form from a description, or create a new PDF layout in PDF Document Creator. The AI Logic Builder can draft rules that show relevant questions based on earlier answers.
During collection, authorized respondents can use Voice Filling on enabled forms and review their answers before submitting. Afterward, staff can use AI in Insights to explore and summarize response reports. The AI feature guide covers access, credits, and data handling for these features.
Which Setup Fits Your Client Paperwork?
Choose DocHub when your team mainly edits and collaborates on existing PDFs, reuses signing templates, and organizes document tasks in Google Drive or Pro organization Rooms. Its signing order, field-data exports, and audit trails support recurring document work.
Choose PlatoForms when you want clients to complete forms online and your team to receive organized responses and PDF output. Start from an existing PDF, a web form, or a new Document Creator design. Use Master Forms when several PDFs share answers, Approval steps when staff must review or send work back, and cloud-drive delivery to file generated PDFs automatically.
Try a typical client application before changing your process. Check how it feels on a phone, how staff handle any review or correction, and whether the resulting PDF and CSV contain the information your team needs. For a wider shortlist, see the PDF comparison hub or free and paid fillable PDF creators.
Frequently asked questions
When is PlatoForms a good DocHub alternative?
PlatoForms is a good fit for recurring client intake that needs online completion, PDF output, and team follow-up. Convert an existing PDF, build a web form, or create a new document in PDF Document Creator. Add Workflow for participant steps and approvals, or Master Forms when one set of answers must populate several PDFs.
Can clients complete PlatoForms paperwork without downloading a PDF?
Yes. Share an original-layout PDF form or a responsive Web PDF Form through a link or website embed. Clients answer in their browser, and PlatoForms fills the PDF using your configured field mappings. The responsive option adapts the questions to smaller screens while preserving the PDF output your team needs.
How does PlatoForms organize completed client paperwork?
Manage responses in the submission dashboard and export CSV data, completed PDFs, and uploaded attachments. Configure cloud-drive delivery to file generated PDFs in folders named using submission values. For a workflow PDF with its appended approval record, use the completion notification, tracker download, or final-PDF API.
Build Your Next Client Intake Form
Turn an existing PDF into an online form, adapt an application template, or design a new document in PDF Document Creator. Give clients a form they can complete in their browser and your team the records it needs to take the next step.
