You run a business. If you’re reading this, that means your business runs on contracts — clear, compliant, and profitable contracts.
And you’re always interested in tools that make document generation easier, improve workflows, and help your team better communicate while mitigating risk.
Enter contract management software. Each one of the solutions we’ve reviewed for this article is easy to use but may require additional setup to integrate with your current workflows.
So, which tool is the best for you? Let’s find out!
Key takeaways
Best overall: PandaDoc
Best for expanding businesses: SpotDraft
Best for merged companies: DocuSign CLM
Best for enterprises: ContractWorks
Best for automation: LinkSquares
Best for integration: Concord
Best for scanned documents: ContractSafe
What is contract management software?
Contract management software is a tool that unifies all parties, contracts, and versions involved in contract creation and contract negotiations.
The solution allows everyone to see changes and track timelines from inception to signing.
The best contract management systems offer detailed reporting, analytics, workflow automation, and intelligent notifications.
Options vary in complexity: some platforms support extensive customization, while others focus on simple functionality for specific use cases and industries.
Key features of contract management software
While each solution has its own unique attributes, modern contract management systems deliver the following functionalities:
- Contract creation and authoring: Efficient creation with templates and automated document generation.
- Contract storage and organization: Centralized, secure repository with version control.
- Contract tracking, monitoring, and reporting: Key date reminders, milestone tracking, and detailed reporting.
- Compliance and risk management: Standardized workflows, compliance tracking, and risk assessment tools.
- Negotiation and collaboration: Redlining, comments, and integrated communication tools.
- E-Signature capability: Native or integrated e-signatures for legally binding, compliant contracts.
- Mobile access: Mobile-friendly interface and apps for on-the-go management.
Tips for better contract management
Let’s map out strategic steps you can take.
Centralize and standardize agreements
Your contracts should always be uniform and easily found — no excuses! Modern solutions let you store all contracts in a single, secure repository and furnish the ability to use standardized templates tailored to the specific needs of you and your company.
Automate workflows and communications
Streamline contract creation, review, and approval with automated workflows. This includes setting up notifications to all document participants to address questions and keep deals moving.
Incorporate team collaboration and visibility
By involving teams, SMEs, and tools like inline commenting, you actively accelerate negotiations as well as ensure obligations are met by keeping the workflow transparent.
Utilize electronic signatures
Expedite the signing process with electronic signatures — they’re convenient, legally binding, and speed up contract execution.
Monitor compliance and performance
Use compliance tools to ensure adherence to policies and regulations. Leverage analytics to assess contract performance, monitor milestones, obligations, KPIs, and outcomes.
Maintain version control
You want to know who did what and when — this is where an audit trail adds a layer of efficiency on top of making the workflow more transparent, allowing you to track changes in real time.
Integrate with 3rd-party tools
Your choice of contract management software must play well with others. Ensure the tool you choose integrates with other solutions, such as CRMs, for barrier-free data flow and management.
OK, time for product reviews!
1. PandaDoc
PandaDoc streamlines the process of customizing, negotiating, eSigning, and managing legally binding contracts.
This efficient workflow ensures that contracts are prepared and executed swiftly, boosting productivity and reducing administrative tasks.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essentials: $19/ month/user Business: $49/month/user Enterprise plan available |
Supports any type of contract document Easy-to-follow Contract repository for teams |
A learning curve to design documents might feel steep at first |
Dozens | 24/7/365 (email and online chat), Premium support an optional add-on |
What makes PandaDoc stand out
- The platform supports contract creation, renewals, and everything in between with respect to contract lifecycle management. Automated contract renewal notifications ensure no deadlines are missed.
- Save time with contract templates for any business or company need. Once completed to match your team’s requirements and guidelines, templates can be easily stored and retrieved from your content library for repeated use.
- Features such as inline commenting, redlining, and chat facilitate efficient teamwork and collaboration, allowing all stakeholders to provide input and feedback directly within the document.
- Automate approvals and workflow management. This is another huge time-saver. Initiate automated workflows with features like pre-approved clauses and signing orders to speed up contract execution.
- You can easily assign user roles to better manage the approval processes based on different access levels, ensuring appropriate access and enhanced security.
- Seamless CRM integration. Easily connect PandaDoc to popular CRMs with just a few clicks. Work within HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and over a dozen others — no switching between screens!
- Collect payments immediately after all signatures are gathered, either via payment integration gateways with companies like Stripe or Square, or through native PandaDoc Payments.
Another big plus is the ability to leverage document analytics to gain insights into client engagement and KPIs around contract performance.
Automated alerts for tracked activities keep you informed and proactive, enabling data-driven decision-making.
And last but certainly not least, enterprise-grade security lets you share contracts with confidence, knowing that the PandaDoc platform meets stringent standards such as GDPR, FERPA, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type II.
With AES-256 data encryption, your documents are protected against unauthorized access, ensuring compliance and security across all transactions.
2. ContractWorks CLM
ContractWorks provides smooth data migration and a transparent pricing model.
This AI-powered CLM (contract lifecycle management) software offers industry-leading security and custom report automation.
With its AI-driven Smart Document Tagging feature, it helps easily locate contracts and track changes. The solution emphasizes security and offers several backup options.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
$700-$2,000/ month when billed annually, unlimited users | Easy to run reports | Limited customization options | Current CRM integrations include Salesforce and Pipedrive | During business hours |
What makes ContractWorks CLM stand out
- This software offers a centralized repository for users to securely store and organize all contracts, which they can easily access and manage.
- The platform uses AI to quickly locate contracts, clauses, or key terms and streamline the agreement process.
- Dynamix templates help users create complex documents quickly. This speeds up contract drafting and ensures consistency.
- This software helps automate the approval process, enables faster response times, and accelerates the contract lifecycle.
- The software includes a native editor compatible with MS Word. It supports collaboration over contracts in real time and promotes teamwork.
- The electronic signature feature allows users to sign documents and close deals faster.
In addition, ContractWorks lets you create detailed reports and take control of all contracts.
With its intuitive base, you can drag and drop files to store them in one searchable, scalable, and secure contract repository, setting up permission-based user roles.
ContractWorks uses 256-bit encryption technology to store and share documents securely.
3. Ironclad
In-house legal teams choose Ironclad to automate repetitive, manual, and black-box contracts with the help of this CLM software.
This solution helps legal departments efficiently automate workflows, generate reports, and process contracts.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Contact the vendor for a custom quote | Balances speed and compliance Reduces time for contract language reviews |
Non-intuitive user interface | Several integrations available, including Salesforce and Microsoft Teams | 24-hour support (by a live rep) |
What makes Ironclad stand out
- Its drag-and-drop user interface makes it simple for all stakeholders, including those who lack technical knowledge.
- With its public API and seamless integrations, this solution is a great fit for clause-level collaboration and negotiations, and it minimizes risk when fast-tracking approvals.
- Ironclad offers various approval workflows, including signature and approval conditionality, regardless of the agreement type.
- All your contracts can be stored in the repository with an intuitive search capability, including a structured and full-text search of the entire contract database.
- The software lets you automate the contract creation process with no coding required. It comes with built-in editing, redlining, and auditing capabilities that make your workflow seamless and enjoyable.
- Thanks to its built-in document editor, users can tag colleagues, accept or reject contract modifications, and preview and edit documents without leaving the platform.
Ironclad promises not to disrupt ongoing processes — instead, it brings in automation and useful functionality.
This software comes with powerful API integrations, including Salesforce, Google Drive, Dropbox, and e-signature providers like PandaDoc.
Ironclad supports SOC 2 Type II policies to securely store, process, and transfer data.
4. DealHub
DealHub.io can help you automate proposal and contract processes without leaving Salesforce. It helps organizations create and send contracts quickly and effortlessly.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on GetApp | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Contact sales for a quote | Content library and document analytics | The setup process might be technical | Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Freshworks, HubSpot, Sugar, DocuSign | Email and phone, within 24 hours |
What makes DealHub stand out
- Its easy-to-use interface works for teams with various levels of tech training, making sure everyone in the team feels comfortable using this software.
- Administrators can pre-approve templates to ensure accuracy.
- The software makes contract creation a breeze, helping users generate new contracts, quotes, and other business documents within the platform.
- DealHub follows strict security protocols, ensuring that the data handled by the platform is secure.
- This software promotes collaboration and revision processes among team members due to its simple document-sharing features. It also lets you know who the document has been shared with.
- It integrates with CRMs and simplifies how data is transferred into contracts, all while capturing all views and edits of a contract.
Once you’re finished with a contract, you can easily store it in a central storage location for easy access and retrieval.
Users can add electronic signatures to the document, and the information will be automatically stored in a CRM.
5. Concord
Concord is a contract management software designed to facilitate document compliance and negotiations.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on Capterra | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essentials: $49/month/user/ Business: $79/month/user Enterprise plans available |
Document compliance and negotiation directly within the platform | Lacks familiar features for lawyers, and emails might fail to reach users | Multiple, including native integrations with Salesforce | Online during business hours |
What makes Concord stand out
- The solution comes with pre-approved templates for faster contract creation. The version control feature ensures that all users receive up-to-date versions of a document.
- It supports tracking changes and holding discussions with stakeholders and other reviewers inside the platform. Besides, users can see the status of all contracts, leading to a faster buying cycle.
- The automated approval feature speeds up the process by automatically sending contracts through the right approval channels.
- Users can edit, review, and electronically sign the contract at no additional cost.
You can use Concord to build real-time custom reports with data drawn from existing contracts. That allows you to identify opportunities for upselling your current customers.
The software comes with a built-in e-signature solution to reduce the time for end-to-end CLM process and cut down on on-premise agreement signing.
It also automates the post-signature execution in your CRM.
6. Icertis
Icertis contract lifecycle management platform provides users with contract templates and clause libraries, and it speeds up contracting processes due to its cloud computing and storage system.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Contact the vendor for a quote | AI-driven automation and optimization of the entire contract lifecycle | Overloaded interface | Multiple, including Microsoft Azure, Salesforce, and Adobe | Online during business hours |
What makes Icertis stand out
- This solution provides built-in capabilities to model any contractual relationship. It also offers an intuitive and role-based experience for all users.
- Featuring enterprise-grade administration standards, the software guarantees your most highly sensitive contract will remain safe.
- The flexible rule-based contract generating features make it easy to create, collaborate on, and execute a new contract.
- The solution provides commercial risk, governance, and compliance tools.
- The software provides detailed reports and insights, driven by three main AI-based applications: VisualizeAI, DiscoverAI, and NegotiateAI.
Icertis runs natively on Microsoft Azure, making it integration-friendly and highly scalable to different kinds of SaaS cloud architecture.
By configuring and connecting the critical contract information that specifies how an organization runs, the analyst-validated Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform turns contracts from static documents into strategic advantages.
Icertis software helps global companies comply with regulations like GDPR.
7. Conga CLM
Conga is a hybrid contract lifecycle management solution that helps organizations create, track, maintain, and report on different business contracts — all in one spot.
AI insights and simple, step-by-step wizards make this software easy to use.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Varies based on specific needs | All contracts are centralized in one convenient location | Time-consuming to start and has no-intuitive interface | Multiple | 24/7 online |
What makes Conga CLM stand out
- The solution offers pay-as-you-grow or end-to-end enterprise options.
- The software can be hosted in the cloud or deployed on-premise. It offers various tools for contract management, including Conga Collaborate, Conga Sign, Conga Composer, and Conga CPQ.
- When you sign up, the software allows you to create a clause library filled with pre-approved clause bundles and snippets, which gives contract creation a plug-and-play feel.
- The software allows users to start with a standard contract, add clauses and snippets where necessary to modify the contract, and send the complete document to clients for review.
- This software procurement makes it easy to create strong, legally binding contracts quickly.
- The software supports multiple third-party integrations, including CRMs, supply chain management systems, and cloud storage solutions.
Conga CLM offers robust AI capabilities that help the users of this contract management tool streamline related processes, reduce risks, and minimize costs.
The software’s audio track allows users to follow all views and edits made to the document, making sure the contract retains its integrity.
8. ContractSafe
ContractSafe is designed as an all-in-one contract management solution.
The software comes with a Speed Search feature that works with scanned documents as well.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
From $375/month |
Ease of use and comprehensive capabilities | Lack of customer service and glitches | Multiple (including Salesforce, DocuSign, Active Directory, and Okta/SAML 2.0) | Live chat support (during business hours) |
What makes ContractSafe stand out
- It supports an unlimited number of users, relieving users of the typically complex user permissions synonymous with other apps.
- The platform offers a swift and intuitive keyword searching feature to locate contracts, reports, and other business documents quickly. You can use both general and highly specific keywords.
- When you’re done with a document, you can store it in one centralized, secure location. An easy track-and-search option for all stored documents is available, too.
- The software provides data encryption on all stored and transferred documents.
- The software also comes with malware, virus, and intrusion-detection capabilities.
- The software sends out an alert to remind you about upcoming deadlines, terminations, or contract renewals.
- The software supports an unlimited number of users, making it easy to assign roles to each team member. That includes no-delete and read-only users.
Similar to PandaDoc, ContractSafe software integrates with many third-party apps, including applications for cloud storage, e-signature, CRM, and other industry-acclaimed contract managers.
The company offers free implementation, in-product help, and customized training sessions.
9. DocuSign CLM
DocuSign CLM, is an aspect of the DocuSign signing platform that centers around contract management.
This solution is a market leader for many e-signature and contracting solutions.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Get a quote from the sales team | Handle plenty of documents Customized signing process |
Might be unclear how to target reminders | Numerous | Varies by plan |
What makes DocuSign stand out
- The platform is designed to help users with every aspect of contract lifecycle management and can be used to manage any time of contract or document workflow.
- DocuSign CLM places a heavy emphasis on accessibility for non-technical stakeholders by standardizing the entire CLM system, meaning that anyone can use it to manage any type of contract.
- The platform is equipped with an onboard AI to help with managing third-party contracts and native integration with Office 365 to help you edit contracts on the fly.
Unlike PandaDoc, which offers intuitive document generation through its built-in document editor, DocuSign CLM relies on document generation from templates.
You’ll need to upload your completed contract (written in Word or Google Docs and exported as a .docx file) to DocuSign CLM.
From there, you can enter in the relevant contract details, and the platform will produce a contract based on your template with the unique information automatically placed in the document.
Because DocuSign CLM is built for working with non-standard users, the system has guardrails in place.
For example, if a sales rep adds values to the contract that are outside the regular scope of a standard contract, the system will alert them that the contract will acquire additional approvals, triggering a process similar to the PandaDoc approval workflow.
10. Nintex for Salesforce
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
From $25,000/year to $50,000/year + custom plan + enterprise plan | Quick and affordable app creation process | The interface and approval process are not user-friendly | With major platforms like Salesforce | Varies by plan; online or by phone (during business hours) |
What makes Nintex stand out
- This software is designed to help users develop and automate complex workflows within an organization.
- With easy-to-use tools for quickly automating, visually managing, and continuously optimizing business processes and workflows – the solution improves the way you work.
- The software makes it easy to quickly generate new contracts, invoices, and other important business documents within Salesforce or Office 365.
- This solution helps streamline complex workflows and core business operations with the drag-and-drop visual editor.
- It makes importing high-resolution images into documents easy and quick.
- The platform offers integrated e-signature capabilities that help users electronically sign and manage documents and receive timely alerts and reminders.
- The built-in visual tools make it easy for users to capture real-time feedback from relevant stakeholders.
- The solution tracks various workflow performances to provide data-driven metrics for improvement.
- The drag-and-drop connector allows users to integrate with third-party applications for cloud storage, CRM, and more.
It doesn’t offer built-in document generation the same way PandaDoc does.
Instead, it offers document creation where data from multiple sources is compiled into a single document.
11. SAP Ariba
SAP Ariba streamlines every aspect of the contract lifecycle — from creation and collaboration to execution and compliance in one easy-to-use central repository.
The software provides unrivaled transparency, allowing users to stay informed during every phase of the contract lifecycle.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
From $50/year depending on the plan | Simple synchronization and integration with other ERPs | Complicated and supports only a few third-party connections | Features integrations-as-a-service (IaaS) with the suite of SAP offerings | Email support |
What makes SAP Ariba stand out
- This solution offers users a lower total cost of ownership with little to no demands on an organization’s IT team.
- The software provides a central repository with advanced search tools and secure storage. This allows you to easily access all your most important business documents.
- It helps you quickly generate legally binding contracts with a library of pre-approved legal clauses and templates.
- The software supports SAP Ariba solutions, ERPs, CRMs, and other third-party integrations for higher compliance levels.
- It allows users to monitor all changes made to the pre-approved document formats. This ensures that all agreements remain standard, allowing users to input important milestones for contracts, e.g., renewal and termination dates effortlessly.
In addition, the software supports third-party e-signature management through DocuSign and Adobe Sign.
The software’s document tracking features will keep all stakeholders informed of changes made to the contract, ensuring all your contracts remain compliant.
SAP Ariba’s version control feature guarantees that up-to-date versions of the contract are always available.
12. Trackado
Trackado is a simple, fast, and easy-to-use tool that allows users to store and access their contracts remotely from a central document repository.
It provides accurate and up-to-date billing information to help users stay on top of their finances.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on G2 | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Free/1 user $39/month/3 users $129/month/8 business users $299/month/25 enterprise users |
Easy-to-use and easy-to-navigate | Unintuitive notification alerts and renewal options | OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox integrations | Live chat support ( during business hours) |
What makes Trackado stand out
- The software comes with built-in reminders on critical contract milestones.
- The solution provides access to a central database for storing, searching, and retrieving all available documents.
- It helps your customers search the database by category, department, or any other customer property.
- The software allows you to access your contracts instantly from anywhere.
- The automated events and reminders feature makes it easier for users to keep track of upcoming contract renewals and terminations.
- The solution allows you to quickly generate new workflows from predefined templates or create new workflows from scratch.
- The software logs all activities as they are routed through the required approval channels.
- The business partner module feature displays contact details and other important information related to an ongoing business relationship.
- The software allows you to uncover insights about the financial health of your contracts, as well.
The software’s document tracking feature also allows you to monitor any important changes to a contract in real time.
13. GetAccept
GetAccept positions itself as a digital sales room for sales and revenue teams rather than a contract management software.
The platform comes equipped with everything a sales team needs to automate their work with leads and expedite deals.
This includes pipelines and tracking, integration with key sales tools, video and chat functionality, and more.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
From free plan to $79/month/ Professional user + Enterprise plan | Easy to get up and running | Limitations with Zapier and API integrations | Numerous integrations available | Live chat support (during business hours) |
What makes GetAccept stand out
- The solution comes with document tracking and analytics (Professional and Enterprise plans only), combined with a sales dashboard, so every member of your team will be able to track contract performance through its lifecycle.
- The platform is equipped with a content library to manage and store sales content, along with customizable, reusable templates.
- The Professional and Enterprise plans offer integration with Salesforce, Microsoft, Zapier, and similar tools, so it’s easier than ever to leverage your entire tech stack when trying to close a deal. At lower levels, you can use integrations with HubSpot and Pipedrive.
Specifically for documents and content, users will have access to an in-app editor to assist with negotiation and collaboration.
14. LinkSquares
LinkSquares wants you to take your legal team all the way to the 22nd century with automated AI tools and a comprehensive platform to help you write better contracts even faster.
It leverages AI and automation tools to accelerate your contracting process, reduce errors, and save time.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
$10,000/year | AI-driven search and analysis | Inconvenient UI and limited search function | 13 integrations currently available | Phone and email (8 to 6 ET) |
What makes LinkSquares stand out
- The onboard system relies on industry-leading optical character recognition to parse your contracts during upload.
- The system makes contracts searchable at a granular level, allowing you to find key clauses and information almost instantly.
- The platform offers tools to assist with contract creation, including the ability to quickly create draft agreements and automate the first pass of a contract review.
- AI used within the platform aims to expedite the contract creation process via a centralized clause library to supplement a standard contract template.
- When reviewing third-party contracts, AI provides insights and identifies important areas of focus so that you can get down to negotiating quickly.
Linksquares integrates with bigger players in the space, including Adobe, Dropbox, Microsoft, Salesforce, DocuSign, and others.
Combined with collaboration and consolidation tools for all your contracts, LinkSquares can act as a force multiplier for your teams and a central hub where contracts are stored, maintained, signed, and sent.
15. SpotDraft
Aimed at growing companies, SpotDraft is an AI-powered contract management software designed to help teams save time and close deals faster.
The platform is equipped with a variety of contracting tools and acts as a repository for all your legal documentation.
It provides accurate and up-to-date billing information to help users stay on top of their finances.
Price | Main advantage on G2 | Main complaint on TrustRadius | Integrations available | Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tailored to specific needs | Handle a large volume of standardized contracts | Limited customization options and slow performance | Multiple | Submit a ticket 24/7 |
What makes SpotDraft stand out
- This AI-powered contract management software helps growing companies close deals faster.
- The solution is built for smaller organizations and helps handle all types of contracts. Legal, finance, procurement, sales, and HR can use the platform to meet their needs.
- The software allows you to set up custom approval workflows, create and edit templates, and even automatically insert clauses based on predetermined conditions.
- It eases risk management by setting up guardrails that allow project stakeholders to use the tool without oversight from the legal team.
Predetermined workflows allow you to set up a process that everyone can follow when building documents, and you can use the insights from the data and analytics to improve contracts and reduce bottlenecks.
That flexibility allows SpotDraft to stay at the core of your business operations in a way that makes sense for all departments.
How we collected our data
When compiling content for this review, our team looked at a huge collection of information.
We strongly consider the source of that data based on key factors like reputability, reliability, and topical relevance. Our sources including the following:
- Business websites
- Independent publications
- Customer reviews and feedback
- Professional review sites such as G2, TrustRadius, Capterra, Getapp, and others
When websites for software are mentioned, they are most often consulted to confirm factual data about the tools in question.
This includes data like pricing plans, additional features, free trial details, etc. Their own impressions and claims of these tools weren’t represented in the analysis.
Tap into your ideal contract management solution
Whatever platform or toolset you choose to manage your contracts, make sure to start with a thorough analysis of your team’s requirements for features, integrations, and user experience.
From there, it’ll be much easier to find the perfect contract management tool since you’ll be able to evaluate each one objectively.
Don’t hesitate — try multiple products, including a free demo with PandaDoc, and compare one against another before saying “yes” to the product that’s just the right fit.
Disclaimer
PandaDoc is not a law firm, or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This page is not intended to and does not provide legal advice. Should you have legal questions on the validity of e-signatures or digital signatures and the enforceability thereof, please consult with an attorney or law firm. Use of PandaDoc services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Originally published March 3, 2023, updated August 21, 2024