The 6 Best Contract Management Automation Apps

Creating and managing contracts is pretty much a must in the business process, but let’s face it, most of us don’t enjoy doing them. Tedious, wordy, pedantic and an overall time sucker, creating contracts yourself leaves you drained and your contract prone to human error.

But fun fact: productivity increases when businesses adopt contract management automation software. For example, FineMark Bank was spending 4 to 5 hours preparing contracts manually - switching to DocuSign cut this to just 30 minutes.

So, if you’re still doing your contracts yourself, it’s time to ask yourself why.

There are lots of options to choose from, and we’re here to help. Here are the top 6 best contract management automation apps.

1: PandaDoc

PandaDoc is the most popular document automation solution in G2 as of 2021. It’s affordable, stacked with features, and fully ESIGN and UETA compliant. Used by over 40,000 customers worldwide, PandaDoc offers a 14 day free trial and unlimited documents and eSignatures.

PandaDoc pros

• 14 day free trial

• Unlimited documents and users

• Unlimited signatures

• 24/7 support on pro plans

PandaDoc cons

• Content libraries are only available on paid plans

• Limited integrations for free plans

• Some features incur extra costs

PandaDoc has a mobile app which is great for creating, signing and managing contracts on the go. Core tools include:

• Template gallery with WYSIWYG editor

• Content library (only for paid plans)

• Easy duplication

• E-signature facility

• Real-time monitoring

• In-built payment processing

The custom templates are excellent here, and the drag and drop editor is partly why it’s overtaken other options.

On top of this, workflow integrations are simple - PandaDoc even supports some 15 customer relationship management (CRM) programmes.

Plans are offered on a monthly basis or annually. The main packages are as follows:

• eSign: Legally binding signatures and document uploading.

• Essentials: As of 2022, $19 per month per user. Comes with all templates, the editor, pricing tables, and reporting/analysis

• Business: $49 per month per user. Comes with all CRM integrations, content library, advanced automation and customisable branding.

• Enterprise: Bespoke solutions for enterprise level businesses.

2: DocuSign

DocuSign is a longstanding contract management system and a budget friendly one at that!

Fully compliant for use in the UK, the company has been operating since 2003 and is one of the most recognised players in the game.

DocuSign pros:

• 30-day free trial with no card needed

• Flexible automation and workflow management

• Excellent 24/7 support

DocuSign cons:

• Relatively convoluted

• Full enterprise solutions require a quote

• 99.99% uptime

DocuSign originally started as a simple eSignature company and quickly became a household name. It developed into fully fledged contract lifecycle management relatively recently.

While simple to use, DocuSign is a little fiddly to set up, but it does suit contract heavy applications. It can be used in the browser, and there’s a mobile app too.

Top features include:

• Content database

• Payment collection features

• Real time notifications

• Recipient reminders

• Custom reusable templates

DocuSign has superb automation and integration features. In fact, it has some 350 integrations with everything from CRMs like Hubspot and Pipedrive to Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, Zapier and more.

The company offers bespoke plans for different industries, like public sector and non profit, healthcare, property, etc. Basic plans as of 2022 are:

• Personal: A single user plan costs just $10 for 5 contracts a month, designed for sole traders and small business owners.

• Standard: $25 per month per user for up to five users. Adds branding, which is great for a price point this low.

• Business Pro: $40 per month per user. Adds payment collection features and bulk send.

3: Concord

Concord is a fully fledged contract lifecycle management suite with tons of enterprise level features for contract heavy workflows.

The template builder and editor are first rate, and all packages offer unlimited eSignatures and documents.

Concord pros

• Unlimited documents and eSignatures

• Bulk send features for all plans

• 14 day trial with no card required

Concord cons

• Integration can be complex

• Templates don’t suit all industries

• Incomplete refund policy

Despite being a relatively new player, Concord has risen to become one of the most reliable CLMs around and has captured a big portion of the market. For large businesses, it’s very tough to beat as it handles ultra contract heavy industries better than most.

It’s easy to set up and onboarding is excellent. The Concord dashboard keeps things intuitive and makes basic integrations simple.

Top features include:

• Smart fields

• Robust eSignature facilities

• Automated reminders

• Sophisticated optical character recognition (OCR) search

• Real-time editing

• Excellent WYSIWYG editor

Concord’s flexibility is super impressive for businesses that need advanced integration. It’s secure and uses cutting edge encryption for all data, which is good for sensitive workloads.

Concord’s advanced audit trails are useful for businesses with advanced compliance responsibilities.

As of 2022, Concord’s packages are as follows:

• Standard: Unlimited documents and unlimited e-signatures with three useful templates

• Pro: $47 per month with API and integrations

• Enterprise: Custom features for advanced business use cases

4: Agiloft

Agiloft is a customisable contract lifecycle management suite with code free, extensible workflows. It’s scalable and perfect for businesses requiring a level of customisation not offered by other providers.

Agiloft pros:

• Highly customisable

• Scalable custom contract solutions

• 99.9% uptime service level agreement (SLA)

Agiloft cons

• Unapologetically complex

• Not designed for small teams

• Won’t get the most out of it unless you have a contract-heavy business

Agiloft has been around since the 90s and has developed into the most customisable CLM around.

For businesses that need extensible solutions that go beyond templates and editors, Agiloft is tough to beat. Advanced audit trails suit businesses with complex regulatory responsibilities.

Features include:

• Mentoring and training

• Advanced customisation

• Content repository

• Class leading support

• Industry specific features

• Consistent updating

• Unparalleled audit trails

The extensible code-free functionality of Agiloft is its headline feature. It’s expertly designed for complex industries such as healthcare, governmental, legal, procurement and financial services. Many users won’t get to the bottom of what Agiloft offers.

There are no subscription based options for Agiloft, all quotes are provided on an on demand basis.

5: Juro

UK based Juro is a streamlined CLM designed for operations in the UK. It suits specific industries and business operations such as HR, legal, sales and finance.

Juro pros:

• Designed for a primarily UK business audience

• End to end contract management

• Excellent template builder

Juro cons

• Not as customisable as some

• Only essential integrations

• Quotes on demand only

Juro is modern, swish and comes with integrations for key tools such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack and Zapier. An open API provides custom integration and automation options.

Features include:

• Template editor

• Native eSignature

• Approval workflows

• Renewal reminders

• Negotiation

• Smart storage

• Straightforward integrations

The no code contract editor is great and comes with lots of templates suitable for UK audiences. Overall, Jura is a clean, modern CLM suitable for most generic and industry specific uses.

Juro is split into Lite, Team and Scale tiers, all of which require custom quotes.

6: Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper is a powerful CLM that extends features into other areas, such as risk management. It has different login portals for employees and vendors, which enables businesses to network their contracts via the platform.

Gatekeeper pros

• Cloud based CLM

• Unlimited signatures

• Strong integrations

Gatekeeper cons

• Only suitable for complex workloads

• Tough to get to the bottom of all features

• Potential data overload

Gatekeeper’s unique feature is handling both sides of the contract process with its vendor portal. This makes contractual changes and negotiations easy. Moreover, for compliance control, its auditable data trail is comprehensive.

Gatekeeper features include:

• AI driven cloud-based contract management

• Unlimited users and signatures

• Advanced automation tools

• Audit trails

• Data extraction

• Vendor portal

There’s no doubt that Gatekeeper is an advanced CLM suitable for enterprises. The pricing system is indicative of that, with options varying from $995 per month to over $4,285 per month.

What is contract lifecycle management (CLM)?

Since the late 90s, electronic contract signing has become increasingly popular - and necessary - to support efficient business. Contracts vary from simple NDAs to advanced contracts for regulated industries.

Some common components of the contract lifecycle include:

• Approval process

• Audit trails for compliance

• Document creation

• Secure storage

• Negotiations

• Payments

• Data analysis

Contract lifecycle management features

CLM software typically contains the same core features, such as:

• Audit trails: Many regulated industries require contractual auditing. As such, software contains data logs to ensure all changes and modifications are tracked.

• Alerts: CLMs use notifications and alerts to keep everyone updated.

• Automated approval process: Contracts need to be approved by those with authorisation control. Approval workflows save time.

• Content repository: Essentially a database for contracts and all related documents.

• Editors with custom or smart fields: CLMs contain editors with WYSIWYG editors that enable users to create contracts with little manual work.

• eSignatures: Most CLMs contain built in eSignature facilities.

• Track Changes: Parties can edit contracts in real time using track changes.

Some CLMs are more streamlined, offering great functionality for creating and exchanging various business contracts. Others are much more customisable; they cater to multinational businesses that operate in/with various complex regulated industries, like healthcare, pharma and financial services.

Summary: The 6 best contract management automation apps

Contract management software saves time and, by proxy, money. You can unlock efficiency savings by speeding up contractual processes and ending paperwork.

Choosing a contract management app depends on your needs. For example, if you need a straightforward solution for exchanging contracts with a small number of regular customers or clients, your needs differ from maintaining complex contractual workflows that cover multiple industries and jurisdictions.

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