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Navigating the world of contract management can be a daunting task, particularly for in-house legal departments dealing with a constant flow of agreements. A good contract management system, like the solutions we'll be exploring here, can significantly streamline these processes.

A key feature of these tools is a drag-and-drop interface that simplifies contract works, offering intuitive control over the entire contract lifecycle. Furthermore, these systems allow you to establish permissions, granting access to relevant team members while maintaining security and control.

I encourage you to explore the options I've assembled here; they're among the best I've found in my search for efficient, effective contract management solutions.

Legal contract management software is a digital solution utilized by businesses, law firms, and professionals engaged in frequent contract handling. These sophisticated platforms enable the creation, negotiation, execution, and storage of contracts in an organized, secure, and efficient manner.

Users include lawyers, paralegals, contract managers, and business executives who leverage the software for its various features, such as contract automation, deadline tracking, and compliance control.

The primary aim is to streamline contract lifecycles, minimize errors, and optimize legal operations, ensuring that every contractual agreement abides by relevant laws and meets the business's strategic goals.

Best Legal Contract Management Software Summary

Tools Price
Deel Flat rate user pricing, with a free version for businesses with up to 200 people
Juro Pricing upon request
Contract Logix From $25/user/month (billed annually)
Precisely From $50/user/month (billed annually)
Hyperstart Pricing upon request
Contractzy From $15/user/month
Juridoc From $15/user/month
Icertis Contract Pricing upon request
Contract Eagle No details
DocuSign Agreement Cloud From $30/user/month
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Best Legal Contract Management Software Reviews

Best for employment contracts

  • Free demo available
  • Flat rate user pricing, with a free version for businesses with up to 200 people
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Rating: 4.8/5

Deel is a global HR and employment platform that helps businesses hire and pay employees and contractors in over 150 countries.

Why I Picked Deel: For HR and in-house legal teams that deal with employment and contractor contracts, Deel is a good solution because it allows you to organize and edit contracts while having access to other HR functions in one platform. This means that as you review various contracts or work permit documents, you'll also have access to other data required to maintain compliance in the workplace. The platform also includes audit management, clear audit trails, comprehensive reporting, and proactive incident management.

Standout features & integrations:

Other than managing employment contracts, Deel also offers payroll compliance, in-house visa and immigration support, benefits administration, and various features for engaging employees, like a learning management system. Integrations include NetSuite and NetSuite Bookkeeping, BambooHR, Skovik, Workday, Xero Integration, QuickBooks, Zapier, and Deel API.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • In-house visa and work permit support
  • Automated payroll management
  • Comprehensive legal support for international hiring

Cons:

  • Limited customization options
  • Only useful for employment-related contracts

Best for collaborative contract creation and negotiation

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
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Rating: 4.7/5

Juro is a contract management platform designed to encourage collaboration during contract creation and negotiation. Its system is built to assist businesses in streamlining the process of contract creation, negotiation, and approval, making it ideal for teams that require a high level of cooperation.

Why I Picked Juro: I chose Juro for its commitment to fostering collaboration in contract management. Its standout ability to facilitate teamwork during contract creation and negotiation is what sets it apart from other tools. Therefore, it truly shines as the best choice for businesses seeking to boost collaboration during contract creation and negotiation.

Standout features & integrations:

Juro offers numerous features, including collaborative contract editing, track changes, and real-time negotiation. These features enable teams to work together seamlessly, negotiate terms, and keep track of amendments. The software integrates with platforms such as Salesforce, Slack, and Google Drive, enhancing team collaboration and document accessibility.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Real-time contract negotiation functionality
  • Robust integrations with platforms like Salesforce, Slack, and Google Drive
  • Excellent collaborative contract creation and negotiation features

Cons:

  • Limited functionalities for contract lifecycle management software beyond creation and negotiation
  • Pricing might be steep for smaller businesses
  • Requires minimum three users

Best for comprehensive contract lifecycle management

  • Free demo available
  • From $25/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.2/5

Contract Logix is a versatile software solution tailored to oversee every phase of your contract lifecycle. With a focus on all-inclusive contract handling, it caters to businesses needing a powerful tool for crafting, managing, and tracking contracts from inception to closeout.

Why I Picked Contract Logix: I selected Contract Logix for its holistic approach to contract management. The software's comprehensive functionality gives users the ability to control and monitor all aspects of contract lifecycles, which makes it distinct from other platforms. This exceptional capability validates it as the best choice for comprehensive contract lifecycle management, as it covers all contract phases with precision and efficiency.

Standout features & integrations:

Key features of Contract Logix include contract creation, a centralized contract repository, alert notifications, and sophisticated analytics. The contract creation tool streamlines drafting, while the centralized repository ensures easy access and storage. With alerts, you never miss a deadline, and analytics provide insights for data-driven decision making. It integrates seamlessly with leading software like Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and NetSuite for a unified experience.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Robust analytical capabilities
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Comprehensive contract lifecycle management (CLM) software

Cons:

  • May take time to understand all features
  • Limited customer support hours
  • Minimum 5 users required

Best for efficient contract automation

  • From $50/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.2/5

Precisely is a contract management software that focuses on providing robust contract automation solutions. It allows businesses to streamline their contract creation, tracking, and management processes, perfectly fitting scenarios where automation can save valuable time and resources.

Why I Picked Precisely: I picked Precisely because of its excellent contract automation capabilities. The ability of this tool to simplify and automate contract management sets it apart in this crowded field. Precisely, in my opinion, it emerges as the top choice for those seeking efficient contract automation.

Standout features & integrations:

Precisely features automated contract creation, customizable contract templates, and contract tracking tools. These features help companies automate their contract processes, reducing time spent on manual tasks and mitigating human error. It also integrates with popular CRM systems like Salesforce, enabling businesses to align their sales and contract processes.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Useful contract tracking tools
  • Integration with major CRM systems like Salesforce
  • Efficient contract automation features

Cons:

  • User interface could be more intuitive
  • Limited features for contract negotiation
  • Pricing may be prohibitive for smaller businesses

Best for AI-driven contract management

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
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Rating: 4.3/5

HyperStart is an AI-powered contract management platform designed to simplify every stage of your contract lifecycle. It helps your team create, negotiate, approve, and store contracts, all from a single platform. 

Why I Picked HyperStart: When it comes to legal contract management, HyperStart offers useful features like metadata auto-extraction, AI-driven clause-level contract searches contract search, and version tracking. These tools help you quickly find and manage contracts, track versions, and monitor legal obligations throughout the contract lifecycle. Its approval workflows and automated reminders make it easy for your team to stay on top of contract renewals and prevent lapses in compliance.

Standout features & integrations:

Beyond these, HyperStart also includes e-signature integrations, no-code workflow automation, and in-depth contract analytics. You can also store all contracts in a centralized repository, where AI-based extraction helps you track what you need efficiently. Integrations include Microsoft Word, Gmail, Salesforce, Microsoft SharePoint, Google Drive, DocuSign, AdobeSign, One Drive, Slack, and Microsoft Outlook.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Template-based contract creation
  • AI-assisted contract review and redlining
  • Automatic contract renewals

Cons:

  • Mobile capabilities are less robust than desktop
  • Configuration for specific needs can be complex

Best for cloud-based contract management

  • From $15/user/month
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Rating: 4.8/5

Contractzy is a digital contract management tool that uses cloud-based technology to streamline and automate the entire contract management process. By providing remote accessibility, real-time updates, and secure storage, Contractzy suits businesses that prioritize cloud-based contract management.

Why I Picked Contractzy: In determining which tools to include on this list, the prominence of cloud-based solutions became evident. I selected Contractzy for its strong capabilities in this field. Its powerful cloud-based features, paired with user-friendly interface, make it stand out from other tools. This is why I believe Contractzy is the best choice for businesses seeking a cloud-based contract management tool.

Standout features & integrations:

Contractzy's most significant features include a comprehensive dashboard for contract oversight, real-time updates and notifications, secure document storage, and user-friendly search functions. It seamlessly integrates with major cloud platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox, ensuring easy document access and collaboration.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Comprehensive and user-friendly dashboard
  • Easy integration with major cloud platforms
  • Strong cloud-based contract management features

Cons:

  • No free plan available
  • Advanced features require higher pricing tiers
  • Limited offline functionality

Best for small businesses seeking affordability and simplicity

  • From $15/user/month
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Rating: 5/5

Juridoc is a comprehensive contract management platform designed to help small businesses manage, negotiate, and analyze their contracts. Its balance of simplicity and functionality makes it a suitable choice for smaller organizations requiring an affordable yet capable solution.

Why I Picked Juridoc: I picked Juridoc for this list because it provides an optimal mix of affordability and simplicity without compromising on core functionalities. Its unique appeal lies in its user-friendly interface and streamlined workflows, which are key factors for smaller businesses. These characteristics make it a top pick for small businesses seeking an affordable and straightforward contract management solution.

Standout features & integrations:

Juridoc offers key features such as contract creation, negotiation, approval, and storage. Its alert system for key contract dates helps businesses avoid missing any crucial deadlines. The platform integrates with popular tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Office365, facilitating easy file sharing and collaboration.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Useful integrations with popular collaboration tools
  • User experience friendly interface
  • Affordable for small businesses

Cons:

  • Customer support may be less responsive than larger competitors
  • Limited customization options
  • Might lack some advanced features needed by larger organizations

Best for enterprise-wide contract visibility

  • Pricing upon request

Icertis Contract is a cloud-based contract lifecycle management platform that provides an enterprise-wide overview of contracts. Its comprehensive visibility and control over all contractual documents make it an excellent tool for businesses that need extensive oversight of their contracts.

Why I Picked Icertis Contract: In selecting Icertis Contract, I was drawn to its ability to offer a broad view of all contract activities across an enterprise. What distinguishes it is the centralized control it offers, which is crucial for organizations managing large volumes of contracts. This expansive visibility aligns with my belief that it is best for enterprise-wide contract management.

Standout features & integrations:

Icertis Contract includes features like contract discovery, risk management, and compliance tracking, which are all critical for enterprises. The tool also provides integrations with several ERP systems, CRM platforms like Salesforce, and productivity tools like Microsoft Office 365, enabling seamless data exchange.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Robust features such as risk management and compliance tracking
  • Strong integrations with popular business platforms
  • Provides comprehensive visibility of contracts

Cons:

  • Smaller businesses might find it too comprehensive for their needs
  • The user interface can be complex for new users
  • No transparent pricing information available

Best for dynamic contract storage and searching

Contract Eagle positions itself as a robust tool specializing in contract storage and searching. Its platform aims to simplify the process of storing contracts while facilitating their rapid retrieval, aligning it with businesses that handle a high volume of contracts.

Why I Picked Contract Eagle: Contract Eagle was my pick due to its enhanced focus on contract storage and searchable features. I appreciate its unique design that enables quick contract searches and categorization. Its ability to handle large volumes of contracts and provide efficient retrieval makes it the best choice for dynamic contract storage and searching.

Standout features & integrations:

Contract Eagle offers a wide range of features like intuitive contract storage, sophisticated search functionality, and contract renewal alerts. The search functionality allows users to quickly locate contracts using multiple criteria, reducing the time spent on contract management. The platform integrates well with Microsoft Office 365, enhancing document control and collaboration.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Useful alert feature for contract renewals
  • Smooth integration with Microsoft Office 365
  • Dynamic contract storage and search functionality

Cons:

  • User interface may require a learning curve
  • Only annual billing available
  • Pricing could be high for small businesses

Best for electronic signing and approval workflows

  • From $30/user/month

DocuSign Agreement Cloud is a comprehensive solution that focuses on automating and connecting the entire agreement process. With its powerful e-signature and approval workflow functionalities, it is particularly beneficial for businesses that rely heavily on electronic signatures and approvals.

Why I Picked DocuSign Agreement Cloud: In the process of selecting the most effective contract management tools, I decided on DocuSign Agreement Cloud due to its robust e-signing features and efficient approval workflows. The tool's focus on electronic agreements and its advanced workflow capabilities set it apart from others. This is why I affirm that DocuSign Agreement Cloud is the best tool for businesses in need of streamlined electronic signing and approval workflows.

Standout features & integrations:

DocuSign Agreement Cloud offers powerful features such as advanced e-signature capabilities, a unified platform for managing agreements, and intelligent insights to enhance compliance and reduce risks. The tool integrates seamlessly with popular platforms such as Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google, thereby facilitating collaboration and document handling.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Robust integrations with popular platforms
  • Streamlined approval workflows
  • Advanced electronic signing capabilities

Cons:

  • Could be overwhelming for smaller businesses
  • Some advanced features require higher-tier plans
  • Higher starting price compared to other tools

Other Legal Contract Management Software Tools

Below is a list of additional legal contract management software that I shortlisted but did not make it to the top 10. Definitely worth checking them out.

  1. Legal Templates

    Best for ready-to-use contract templates

  2. Contract Hound

    Best for contract deadline reminders and notifications

  3. Ironclad

    Best for streamlining complex workflows

  4. Legal Track

    Best for legal case management in non-profits

  5. Concord

    Good for comprehensive CLM solutions

  6. Legalesign

    Good for efficient electronic signature processing

  7. Evisort

    Good for artificial intelligence or AI powered contract analytics

  8. ContractPodAi

    Good for end-to-end contract automation

  9. Bigle Legal

    Good for automated document creation

  10. Coupa Contract Lifecycle Management

    Good for integrating contract management with broader business spend

Selection Criteria

In the journey to find the best contract management software, I've personally explored and researched over 20 different tools. It's crucial to find a solution that not only offers the right features but also aligns with your company's workflows and processes. Here are the criteria that I prioritized during my evaluation.

Core Functionality

  • Contract creation: The software should allow for the efficient drafting of contracts.
  • Review and editing: It should enable multiple team members to review, suggest changes, and edit contracts.
  • Approval workflow: The tool should manage the approval process, ensuring contracts are reviewed by all necessary parties.
  • Contract execution: The platform needs to support secure and legally binding electronic signatures.
  • Contract storage: It should provide a secure location to store contracts, with access controls.

Key Features

  • Search capability: Enables users to quickly find specific contracts or specific information within contracts.
  • Reminders and notifications: Alerts users about important dates like contract renewals or end dates.
  • Version control: Keeps track of all changes made to a contract, preserving an audit trail.
  • Custom templates: Allows for the creation of company-specific contract templates, saving time on repeated information.
  • Contract analytics: Offers insights into contract data, helping identify trends or areas for improvement.

Usability

  • Intuitive user interface: For contract management software, an intuitive interface would be one that clearly displays contract details, has an organized system for storing and categorizing contracts, and presents options for approval workflows in a straightforward manner.
  • Easy onboarding: The platform should offer useful onboarding resources such as video tutorials, articles, or even one-on-one training to help users get started.
  • Quality customer support: Look for software providers with a reputation for quick and helpful responses to queries or issues.
  • Role-based access: The system should allow admins to control who can access and edit different contracts, which is crucial for maintaining data integrity and security.

People Also Ask (FAQs)

What are the benefits of using legal contract management software?

Using legal contract management software provides numerous benefits, including:

  • Streamlined contract workflows: These tools help automate contract creation, review, approval, and execution processes, saving time and improving productivity.
  • Better organization: A centralized repository for all contracts makes it easier to manage and find documents when needed.
  • Improved compliance: Automated reminders and approval workflows can help ensure contracts are properly reviewed and meet all necessary regulations.
  • Reduced risk: Version control, audit trails, and secure electronic signatures help to minimize the risk of errors or contract disputes.
  • Enhanced decision-making: Many contract management solutions offer analytics and reporting features that provide insights into contract performance, helping to inform business decisions.

How much do legal contract management software tools typically cost?

The cost of contract management software can vary greatly depending on the specific features, the size of your organization, and the number of users. Some tools offer tiered pricing models, starting from as low as $20 per user per month and going up to several hundred dollars per user per month for more complex enterprise solutions.

What are the typical pricing models for these tools?

Contract management tools often have a per-user per-month pricing model, but they may also offer annual subscriptions at a discounted rate. Many vendors provide tiered pricing plans, each offering a different set of features. Some tools also include a “per contract” pricing model, where you pay based on the number of contracts managed in the system.

Which are the cheapest and most expensive legal contract management software?

On the more affordable end, you have tools like Contractbook, which start from $25 per user per month. On the other hand, more robust solutions like Agiloft or Icertis can be significantly more expensive, going up to several hundred dollars per user per month.

Are there any free contract management software options?

Yes, there are a few contract management tools that offer free versions or free trials. However, these usually come with limited features and may be best suited for very small businesses or for trying out the software before committing to a paid plan. Examples include Zoho Contracts and PandaDoc, both of which offer free plans with limited functionality.

Other Legal Document Solutions Reviewed

Here are some other tools you may need if you are looking for legal document solutions.

Summary

To sum up this guide on choosing the best legal contract management software, it's essential to remember three critical points:

  1. Understand Your Needs: Each tool mentioned offers unique advantages, so understanding your specific requirements is fundamental. You might need a tool that excels in electronic signing, contract deadline reminders or offers ready-to-use contract templates.
  2. Focus on Key Features and Usability: Beyond the basic functionality, pay attention to the key features that could greatly enhance your contract management process. Ease of use, user interface, and quality of customer support matter significantly in everyday operations.
  3. Pricing Considerations: Cost plays a significant role in decision-making. Understand the pricing model of each tool and find one that offers the features you need at a price that fits your budget. Free trials can be beneficial for testing out the software before committing.

Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. The best legal contract management software is the one that best fits your unique use case and operational needs.

Ben Aston
By Ben Aston

Ben Aston is an online media entrepreneur and founder of Black & White Zebra, an indie media company on a mission to help people and organizations succeed.

Since 2011, he has been evaluating, reviewing, and helping to recommend software through hundreds of articles across the company's influential digital publications, seeking to make technical workplace topics fun and easier to understand.