Back to blog

The 20 best legal drafting software options — a rundown

Contracts are the driving force behind every business process. Whether they’re related to transactions, purchases, data or rent, a huge 60-80% of all business-to-business transactions are governed by drafting written agreements.

If you’re trying to write these contracts manually — and without the help of automation — you’re missing out on efficiency gains. Our research, based on the findings from a major telecoms company, found that manually drafting 100 NDAs takes up to 50 hours, with a potential cost of 1,250€. Automating that same process cut the time to just 50 minutes and the price to 20€ for the same workload.

graphic comparing manual drafting and automated legal drafting software

Investing in the best legal drafting software is a must for businesses in the 21st century. The sooner you can start standardizing, automating and generating your legal documents, the faster you’ll start saving time, increasing revenue and creating new opportunities.

The 20 best legal drafting software options — a rundown

1. Avokaado

screenshot of avokaado homepage

Avokaado’s contract lifecycle management software lets businesses manage contracts and related workflows in one place to transform operational efficiencies and eliminate risk. A strong part of Avokaado’s CLM is its contract creation tool that enables automated document generation based on pre-approved and customizable templates.

 

Pricing

Starting from the $0 Freemium plan, going up to a Premium (€60/month/user) and Custom plan (quote specific) for large teams and API users.

 

Why choose Avokaado?

Avokaado’s global pre-lawyered template ecosystem makes it the ideal legal document generation software as your templates are always up-to-date and of the highest quality. Plus, the clause-based contract builder lets you create documents with ease by simply dragging different clauses together.

 

Colleagues can also collaborate and execute all forms of legal document management on one central platform.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

Drafting documents is quick and easy because it’s based on a Q&A that users can automate in advance. Plus with its cloud functionality, you can access documents anytime, anywhere.

 

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

On a small laptop screen, the text box on the left-hand side can be hard to read. The majority of customers, however, couldn’t find anything they disliked.

2. Agiloft

screenshot of agiloft homepage

Agiloft provides agile contract lifecycle management software with automated contract drafting functionality based on pre-built and custom modules.

 

Pricing

Four pricing plans starting at $65 per user/month.

 

Why choose Agiloft?

Agiloft’s contract generation software features an in-built clause library which lets users easily create contracts using different clauses as building blocks.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The platform is perfect for designing business processes and lets you keep all company agreements at your fingertips.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

The software’s customization means that it can be difficult to make changes on your own.

3. Lexis® for Microsoft® Office

screenshot of lexisnexis homepage

This legal contract drafting software helps you build documents with confidence with precedent language from 850+ attorney authors and trusted legal proofreading tools.

 

Pricing

No pre-defined pricing packages are available. You’ll need to contact a sales representative for a quote.

 

Why choose Lexis® for Microsoft® Office?

The platform’s advanced legal analytics, AI and visualization technology enhance your search and give you valuable insights. With Smart Forms, you can build documents based on answers you supply in an interactive questionnaire.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

Lexis® for Microsoft® Office increases productivity in the research and writing of documents because it lets you integrate your legal research needs right into draft documents.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

The contract drafting software can be difficult to navigate and the interface and search functionality need updating.

4. Legito

screenshot of legito homepage

Legito’s contract generation software offers solutions for advanced document drafting and management, with the aim of democratizing legal expertise.

Pricing

A single user plan costs $660 per year while a custom plan (for 20+ users) requires a quote.

 

Why choose Legito?

Legito’s Template Editor lets you automate complex logical dependencies into your legal document templates without programming.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The conversion from Microsoft Word templates to automation-ready structured documents in the Legito editor is fast and convenient.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

A key complaint is that different stakeholders have to work on legal documents consecutively — not at the same time.

5. ClauseBase

screenshot of clausebase homepage

ClauseBase treats clauses as building blocks that can be easily stacked together, exchanged, moved around, configured and deleted with the click of a button so that you can draft contracts quickly.

 

Pricing

Prices start at €300/month (for the Solo account) and go up to €1500/month for the Office plan.

 

Why choose ClauseBase?

This contract creation tool lets you build a new document or adapt any existing template with complete freedom using intelligent clauses.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The contract drafting software is so extensive that there are almost no limits to its use.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

It can be a steep learning curve to fully use all the functionalities.

6. CobbleStone Contract Insight

screenshot of cobblestone homepage

CobbleStone Contract Insight Contract Management Software is an enterprise contract lifecycle management system backed by AI that automates and streamlines the contract drafting and the further lifecycle.

 

Pricing

Starts at $59.00/user/month and features a 30–day free trial.

 

Why choose CobbleStone?

Quickly create accurate, timely, and compliant documents, letters, and contracts that merge your approved clauses. Existing document templates can be leveraged by Contract Insight™ for automated contract drafting.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

With effective contract approvals and tracking you can faster turn your drafts into executed contracts.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

The inability to remove the out-of-the-box fields and modules can make the platform confusing to use.

7. PandaDoc

screenshot of pandadoc homepage

PandaDoc is an all-in-one contract generation software that streamlines the process to create, approve, and eSign proposals, quotes, and contracts.

 

Pricing

From $0 for the Free eSign plan and free trial options on the Essentials and Business plans.

 

Why choose PandaDoc?

Contract templates combined with a library of pre-approved clause choices let you build, customize and populate error-free contracts quickly.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The online document generation software is easy to use and intuitive thanks to its user-friendly layout. Drafting doesn’t require substantial training, which makes it easy to implement across the firm.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

The editor can be tedious when designing forms from scratch: slight edits can skew the document out of alignment.

8. DealHub.io

screenshot of dealhub homepage

DealHub makes it easy for sales reps and channel partners to generate personalized documents based on pre-built templates, dynamic content and CRM integrated data.

 

Pricing

DealHub offers ‘DealRoom’, ‘DealHub CPQ’. and ‘Revenue Platform’ plans, but you’ll need to contact their sales department for a specific quote.

 

Why choose DealHub?

The DealRoom sales proposal software technology enables sales teams to quickly compile and generate customized business proposals.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

Sales teams can send out slick deal proposals which greatly increases competitiveness.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

The platform needs further flexibility around product line items.

9. Ironclad

screenshot of ironclad homepage

Ironclad’s contract management software tackles the complexity of clause-level collaboration and lets companies deploy contracts at speed.

 

Pricing

Prices start at $500 per month with a free trial available, but you’ll need to contact Ironclad for a quote.

 

Why choose Ironclad?

The Workflow Designer is a self-serve contract creation tool that works right out of the box, without long implementation times or the need for technical expertise.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

Ease of use — even non-legal stakeholders can intuitively use the product and love how it works.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

Search capabilities are limited as you can only search by the title of the workflow.

10. Nintex

screenshot of nintex homepage

With Nintex Forms, you can create dynamic online smart legal forms to capture and submit accurate and current data from wherever you are.

 

Pricing

The Nintex Workflow package starts at $910/month with unlimited users for 10 workflows.

 

Why choose Nintex?

The user-friendly design canvas, drag-and-drop controls, and advanced business logic make it easy to customize your legal forms for every business need.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The easy-to-use drag and drop designer allows you to create modern, sleek, dynamic forms that improve efficiencies across the business.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

Loading a form can take over 30 seconds and it’s not possible to modify or even check the settings on references.

11. Concord

screnshot of concord homepage

Concord’s contract management software automates and connects the entire agreement process from contract creation to signature.

Pricing

From $0 for the free pricing plan and ‘try for free’ options on the Standard and Pro plans.

 

Why choose Concord?

Import any document from any source and create multiple customized versions of an agreement with different variables.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

With Concord, you have several thousand contracts at your fingertips, all easily accessible with a few clicks, which makes drafting more efficient and more productive.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

Editing template contracts in Concord does not support some features that lawyers are ordinarily accustomed to.

12. Formstack

screenshot of formstack homepage

The Formstack document generation software lets you quickly create custom forms, feed data into digital documents, and collect eSignatures.

 

Pricing

The ‘Documents’ package (needed for document generation) starts at $92/month for the Starter option, rising to $367/month for the Pro option.

 

Why choose Formstack?

No matter what sector you’re in, Formstack’s versatile document generation software helps you create countless custom documents.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The form builder is easy to use for all staff and has a lot of integration options to automate workflows.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

Difficult to link to payment software (Stripe/PayPal) or collect payments.

13. Onit

screenshot of onit homepage

Onit is a legal workflow and business process automation software with automated functionality to support all phases of the contract lifecycle.

 

Pricing

Prices start at $3,000 per month according to various sources, but specific packages require an Onit quote.

 

Why choose Onit?

The CLM is built on Onit’s robust Apptitude platform, an innovative workflow process automation engine that makes it easy to create, modify, and deploy new solutions.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The platform can be quickly modified and adapted for various business needs and acts as a one-stop-shop for contracts.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

Though it looks easy to use, staff will require training to get to grips with the system.

14. Conga

screenshot of conga composer homepage

Conga offers end-to-end contract lifecycle solutions to help transform revenue operations and navigate business complexities.

Pricing

Starting at $35/user/month.

 

Why choose Conga?

With Conga Composer’s legal drafting software, you can build fully customized, personalized documents in minutes, whatever your industry or role.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

You can generate agreements based on customized templates at speed using the Document Automation Wizard. This frees up valuable time to dedicate to more complex agreements.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

The software is difficult for non-tech savvy individuals and there’s a lack of access to training materials.

15. HotDocs

screenshot of hotdocs homepage

HotDocs is a document automation solution that enables users to convert frequently used documents and forms into ready-to-use templates to automate customer documentation.

 

Pricing

HotDocs pricing starts at $25.00 per feature, per month, with a free trial available.

 

Why choose Hotdocs?

Convert any document into a dynamic template that users can enter data into using the intelligent HotDocs interview process. Then the HotDocs document assembly creates a finished, perfectly formatted document in seconds.

Main advantage on Capterra:

An extremely flexible legal contract drafting software that lets you address all areas of legal practice in the same program, whether it’s estate planning documents or business transaction documents.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

The process for creating new HotDoc templates and entering data is challenging and lacks intuitiveness, which wastes time.

16. Contractbook

screenshot of contractbook homepage

Contractbook is an end-to-end contract management platform for managing contracts throughout the entire lifecycle in a single streamlined flow.

 

Pricing

A free version is available for 1 user, and the next level up is the Core package which starts at $160/month for 3 users.

 

Why choose Contractbook?

The Contractbook template library lets you create contracts directly in its machine-friendly format across a range of formats and for different business functions.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

There are contract templates available for all business scenarios which can also be edited for one-off cases. This makes drafting easy and ensures the same standard for every contract sent out.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

Using the template system can be confusing and takes time to get used to.

17. Draftable

screenshot of Draftable homepage

Draftable is another enterprise-grade document comparison software. Its side-by-side view will let you track changes and single page view will allow you to see all changes in a redline view (loved by lawyers). Plus, you can easily export comparisons to PDF format and get a seamless experience using it.

 

Pricing

For Draftable desktop windows (full version), pricing is $129 per year. You can try it for free with a fully-featured 5-day trial.

 

Why choose Draftable?

This tool allows you to compare documents effortlessly, so you can focus on other important things. Plus, its products are designed with data security and privacy at front of mind. So, you can experience the best state-of the-art technology and great user interface..

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

Document comparison on Draftable is quite a seamless experience as it is a purpose-built tool focusing on one core feature of document comparisons.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

Compared to other options, it lacks a wide breadth of features as it focuses solely on document comparison.

18. Precisely

screenshot of precisely homepage

Precisely’s contract management software automates drafting processes and contract workflow, and reduces manual tasks while ensuring contract compliance.

 

Pricing

From $62/month/user for the Professional plan, which also features a 14–day free trial.

 

Why choose Precisely?

Automated templates allow all colleagues, regardless of legal experience, to create compliant, error-free contracts.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The advanced calculation features mean that all teams can generate contracts quickly with minimum input from legal team members.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

UI could be more clear and intuitive, and certain elements of the contract templates are not customizable.

19. Outlaw

screenshot of outlaw homepage

The Outlaw platform unifies contract creation, document automation, in-app negotiations, and smart repository into a singular contract experience.

 

Pricing

For the Core Users plan, prices start at $100/month/user.

 

Why choose Outlaw?

Outlaw’s proprietary legal template management system enables high-volume contract generation with zero error.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

Intuitive contract creation process and an overview function that lets you cut through dense legal contracts.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

In some cases, there may still be the need to create your documents from scratch and enter data manually.

20. DocuSign CLM

This contract lifecycle management software lets you create preconfigured templates that auto-populate contracts with data from other systems and approved language.

 

Pricing

No standard pricing plans, so you’ll need to contact Sales for a quote.

 

Why choose DocuSign CLM?

Seamless integration with DocuSign eSignature, and as part of the DocuSign Agreement Cloud, CLM enables you to fast-track your contracts and increase efficiencies at scale.

 

Main advantage on G2:

User friendly, easy to use and highly scalable.

 

Main complaint on G2:

It can be difficult to set up the desktop sync at first.

21. Documate

screenshot of documate homepage

The Documate no-code document generation software lets you create custom web forms that populate data into your Word or PDF documents and forms.

 

Pricing

There are two predefined pricing schedules: Lite ($83/month) and Standard ($165/month).

 

Why choose Documate?

Documate turns template documents and forms into intelligent workflows, dramatically reducing the time to generate document sets.

 

Main advantage on Capterra:

The product is both powerful, intuitive, and requires no prior coding experience.

 

Main complaint on Capterra:

Lack of ability to customize design, fonts and colors in client-facing documents.

 

The bottom line on legal drafting software — automation is key

If you deal with contracts daily (and let’s face it, what businesses don’t?) then you need the best legal drafting software to stay competitive.

 

As we’ve seen in this rundown of leading contract generation software, automation lets you eliminate manual, slow and resource-heavy tasks. This not only helps you avoid risks (lost contracts, mistakes and reputational damage), but it opens up new windows of revenue opportunity to help your business grow.

 

Don’t get left behind the curve — automate your legal drafting today and see the results for yourself!

 

Avokaado is your go-to tool if you want to draft error-free contracts at speed. Our customizable templates and clause library let you automate the contract drafting process so that you can save time, money and resources!

16.08.2021

Recent posts

What Is CLM Software and How Can It Help HR Managers?
28 April 2023
Temporary Employment Contracts: Hire and Manage Global Temporary Employees More Efficiently
23 March 2023
Efficient Management of Employee Contract Termination
22 February 2023

Subscribe to Newsletter

Successfully subscribed!

Now you can stay up-to-date with legal news.

Avokaado Newsletter

Stay updated on Legal Tech with our weekly newsletter
* Invalid e-mail

Subscribed!

We sent confirmation information to your e-mail address