Top 15 contract management software: A buyer's guide for 2026

Managing contracts requires collaboration across legal, sales, finance, and IT teams. A contract management system (CMS) centralizes this process, ensuring compliance while reducing delays.

For IT teams, it simplifies tracking licenses, subscriptions, and vendor agreements, helping you avoid risks and optimize asset value. Freshservice extends these benefits by unifying contract and IT asset management in one platform, giving you greater visibility and control.

In this buyer’s guide, you’ll learn what CMS does, the features that matter most, and how to select the best contract management software for long-term value.

What is contract management software?

Contract management software (CMS) is a digital tool that streamlines IT contract lifecycle. It supports the execution of agreements by automating processes, while reducing risk and staying compliant.

A CMS stores all software licenses and subscription details in one accessible place. It tracks terms and renewal dates, and automated alerts ensure that contracts are renewed on time and software remains properly licensed.

Who uses contract management software?

CMS is utilized by various departments within an organization; each benefiting from its ability to streamline processes and ensure compliance. Teams that typically use contract management software include:

• IT departments: Manage and track contracts for software licenses, IT services, and maintenance agreements, ensuring compliance with terms and avoiding service disruptions.

• Legal departments: Draft and approve contracts and obligations while verifying legal compliance and reducing the risk of errors.

• Finance departments: Track financial obligations associated with contracts, aiding in accurate budgeting and forecasting.

• Sales departments: Manage customer contracts, ensuring all terms are clearly defined and tracked, and monitor contract performance so that targets and customer expectations are met.

Features to look for in contract management software

A strong CMS covers the full contract lifecycle, from creation to renewal or closeout. Key features of contract management solutions include:

Contract creation

Templates and pre-approved clauses simplify drafting while ensuring compliance and consistency. Clause libraries add real value by flagging risky language, suggesting safer alternatives, and updating terms.

Advanced systems can even learn from past contracts to recommend tailored clauses. For instance, a licensing agreement template can be customized with terms, payment schedules, and exit clauses.

Contract collaboration

Centralized documents allow all stakeholders to work on a single version, reducing errors and delays. IT teams can track license usage, compliance, and spend with dashboards. To avoid bottlenecks, remember to define roles and permissions early. Ensure the system supports large files and complex attachments.

Contract management

Automated alerts help teams stay on top of deadlines, renewals, and compliance milestones. For IT, this means proactive license management, avoiding lapses, and ensuring optimal use of assets. Insights from the system can highlight underused licenses and opportunities for consolidation.

You can also sync your contract management tool with your IT ticketing system for a more streamlined contract approval process.

Contract storage

Contracts are stored securely, often with encryption and role-based access controls. Audit trails track who accessed or edited a document and when. CMS can automatically categorize agreements and integrate with existing IT systems for easy organization and retrieval.

When switching vendors, ask about data migration. Moving existing contracts can be complex and costly. Also, check how easy it is to export your data if you ever need to switch again.

15 best contract management software at a glance

Contract management software solutions should offer a powerful combination of user-friendly interfaces, robust automation features, and advanced analytics, enabling businesses to simplify contract workflows while ensuring compliance and minimizing risk.

Here are some of the best contract management tools for IT teams, along with their pros and cons, so you can make the right choice.

1. Freshservice

Freshservice helps IT teams manage contracts and vendor relationships from a unified IT management platform. Its unified dashboard eliminates fragmented tracking by giving clear visibility into costs, expirations, and audit readiness all in one place.

Manual license management is often time-consuming and error prone. Freshservice addresses this with its no-code Orchestration Center, which automates license allocation and provisioning across systems. This reduces routine administrative work while ensuring compliance.

Unused or inactive licenses drain budgets. Freshservice tackles this by identifying accounts tied to underutilized licenses, enabling teams to reassign or retire them. This prevents unnecessary renewals and helps optimize software spend.

Pros

• Build customized workflows to automate repetitive tasks and speed up contract creation and execution

• Gain full visibility into agreements to support compliance and audit readiness

• Use a complete ITSM platform alongside contract management

• Plan and execute complex contract-related activities with built-in project management software

• Integrate with Juro, Microsoft Teams, G Suite, and other apps to connect with existing infrastructure

Cons

• Some advanced features may only be available on higher plans

Why IT teams appreciate Freshservice

Freshservice's reporting capabilities provide dashboards and analytics that give clear visibility into IT services, assets, and incident management. These features help IT teams save time, maintain compliance, and make informed decisions about contracts and assets, all from a single platform.

Here's what Leandro A., an Enterprise IT Leader, has to say:

Through the service catalog, we were able to structure ticket creation, ensuring proper distribution among teams and, most importantly, accurate categorization and prioritization to meet the expected SLA. Visual management and performance indicators are another key differentiator that allows us to monitor operations in real time and drive continuous improvement in our processes.

Freshservice pricing

• Free trial available

• Starter: $19 per user, per month

• Growth: $49 per user, per month

• Pro: $99 per user, per month (CMS features available on this plan, along with advanced ITSM capabilities such as problem, change, and release management, along with full project management functionality)

• Enterprise: Custom pricing

2. IronClad

Ironclad is a digital contracting platform designed to streamline the entire contract lifecycle, from creation to execution. It supports a wide range of agreements, including legal, sales, finance, HR, marketing, and procurement.

Its contract repository centralizes documents, automatically indexing them so they can be searched and retrieved without manual tagging. For faster execution, it also provides personalized templates and simplified version management.

Pros

• Review contracts, suggest edits based on custom guidelines, and automatically extract key data

• Get customizable dashboards, shareable reports, and flexible templates

• Sync contract metadata across systems, connect with popular third-party apps, and allow tasks to be completed without leaving the platform

Cons

• Some users report limited post-signature management

• Only supports Word and PDF files

Pricing

• Custom pricing

3. LinkSquares

LinkSquares is a leading contract lifecycle management platform built for legal and procurement teams. It helps procurement track vendor spend, manage third-party agreements, and accelerate approvals through templates and automated workflows.

Contracts are stored in a centralized repository that applies OCR and risk scoring, making renewal dates and potential issues easy to find. The platform also highlights workflow bottlenecks and monitors obligations, giving teams a clearer view of risks and overall efficiency.

Pros

• Secure signed agreements with encrypted, verifiable signatures

• Comply with UETA, ESIGN, and eIDAS, with all actions stored in a downloadable audit log

• Extract contract data with AI for structured reporting and dashboards

Cons

• AI features may require training and adjustment

• Integration options are restricted, limiting connections to apps like Zapier or Slack

Pricing

• Custom pricing

4. Juro

Juro is an end-to-end contract lifecycle management platform that gives teams greater visibility and control across every stage of contracting. All agreements are centralized in a single repository, making it easy to search documents and stay on top of obligations.

The platform also streamlines routine work with AI support, helping teams move faster by shortening negotiation cycles. By enabling business teams to handle standard contracts independently, Juro reduces bottlenecks and frees legal teams to focus on higher-value work.

Pros

• Enables quick creation of templated agreements with drag-and-drop fields, dynamic questionnaires, and conditional logic

• Supports integrations with CRM and ATS systems for contract initiation

• Allows native redlining, commenting, and version control for internal and external collaboration

Cons

• Basic reporting and analytics compared to other tools

• Some users find the search function a hit or miss, saying it's difficult to find documents.

Pricing

• Custom pricing

5. DocuSign

Best known for its electronic signature capabilities, DocuSign has expanded into contract lifecycle management (CLM) through its intelligent agreement management (IAM) platform.

Built with regulatory standards in mind, it helps organizations manage contracts securely and maintain compliance with global frameworks. By combining eSignature with contract management, DocuSign provides a unified approach to handling agreements at scale.

Pros

• Meet EU/UK standards, including GDPR and eIDAS

• Reduce manual steps and accelerate contract approvals

• Drag-and-drop to build contracts without any code

Cons

• Primarily focused on e-signatures, with limited features for broader contract management

• Some users report that recipient authentication options are limited to phone or RSA ID checks, both of which cost extra

Pricing

• CMS features under IAM plan: $50 per user, per month, billed monthly.

6. PandaDoc

PandaDoc is a document management platform that centralizes contract creation, electronic signatures, and approval workflows in one system. It helps teams automate routine processes and ensure documents follow consistent standards.

Real-time tracking provides visibility into document status, while built-in rules guide users to apply appropriate legal language, helping reduce errors and streamline contract preparation.

Pros

• Offers renewal notifications to alert businesses when it’s time to revisit contracts

• Verifies that company names are automatically extracted, helping filter and retrieve contracts through AI-driven data extraction

• Integrates with external business tools, particularly the most popular CRM systems

Cons

• A limited number of templates available, barely any for IT use cases

• Users on G2 find the reporting and analytics tools to be basic and slow to load

Pricing

• Starter: $19/month

• Business: $49/month

7. DealHub

DealHub is a CLM platform that gives IT teams and stakeholders visibility into software licenses, vendor agreements, and enterprise contracts, ensuring alignment across teams. Centralized workflows and version tracking streamline the review and approval process, helping contracts move faster while maintaining accuracy and compliance.

Pros

• Track contract edits, provide real-time notifications on engagement, and identify stakeholders that a contract has been shared with

• Create NDAs, MSAs, and other documents in a variety of formats

• Edit terms and automatically pull contact data from your CRM

Cons

• Some users find the contract amendment process and managing pricing rules time-consuming, as you have to maintain rules in a spreadsheet

• Users report that advanced features are too complex for small businesses with limited tech support

Pricing

• Custom pricing

8. Concord

This AI-powered contract management platform covers the contract lifecycle and provides teams with AI-assisted tools to analyze contracts, highlight risks, and ensure compliance with standardized templates.

Core features such as redlining, version control, commenting, and e-signatures streamline collaboration, while integrations with existing systems help IT teams manage deadlines, software, and vendor agreements efficiently.

Pros

• Route contracts to designated approvers for in-document review and approval

• Get a comprehensive dashboard with customizable reporting and analytics

• Enjoy unlimited cloud storage on all plans, eliminating the need for separate storage platforms

Cons

• Multiple users mention a buggy experience, which can lead to a negative user experience

• Editing documents within the platform can be confusing; many users say they prefer to make changes externally and re-import

Pricing

• Tiered pricing starting at $399 per month for up to five users

9. Oneflow

Oneflow is an industry-agnostic digital contract platform that manages the full contract lifecycle. It allows interactive, editable contracts that can be updated without recreating documents for each revision.

Collaboration is built into the contracts themselves, enabling teams to comment, edit, and approve efficiently. AI-assisted insights provide high-level visibility into risks, compliance issues, and obligations to support better decision-making.

Pros

• Get dedicated workspaces for each team, complete with templates, document archives, and dashboards

• Invite and assign roles to collaborators

• Gain insights into document usage and engagement through contract metadata

Cons

• Focuses more on sales and HR workflows, offering limited functionality for legal teams

• Users find the UI non-intuitive, with related features spread across different areas, increasing navigation time

Pricing

• Free

• Essentials: $20 per user, per month

10. Proposify

Proposify is a proposal management platform that helps teams track and sign proposals and contracts. It also supports broader contract workflows, so that IT and business teams can manage approvals, e-signatures, and analytics without juggling multiple tools.

A central repository keeps templates, images, and reusable content organized, while easy customization of branding, fees, and pricing helps teams generate polished proposals.

Pros

• Embed images and videos to make proposals more engaging

• Sync contacts and use custom variables to automatically populate fields

• Locate proposals with filters for date, representative, stage, or status

Cons

• Some users believe that customizing proposals within the platform can be time-consuming

• Lower-tier plans limit the number of active proposals

Pricing

• Team: $49/month for three collaborators

• Business: $65/month for five collaborators

11. Evisort

This AI-powered contract management platform helps organizations stay on top of agreements throughout their entire lifecycle. It connects with your existing systems to reduce manual work, improve compliance, and keep data secure.

Teams can also create standardized, legal-approved templates for different contract types, making it easier to generate consistent agreements while keeping everything organized.

Pros

• Update dashboards in real time, consolidating core data from every contract

• Keep teams on top of deadlines and ensure the right stakeholders have time to act with automated, customizable alerts

• Gain rapid access to documents and key data across the entire contract portfolio with an AI-powered search

Cons

• Limited word-processing and redlining capabilities can make editing contracts cumbersome

• Frequent updates may require teams to continually adapt to platform changes

Pricing

• Custom pricing

12. Conga

Conga CLM is built for enterprises handling large volumes of complex agreements across legal, sales, procurement, and other teams. It lets organizations generate pre-approved contracts using templates and CRM or procurement data, reducing the need for legal involvement in routine agreements.

Automated workflows help speed up review, approval, and signatures, while ensuring compliance and consistency throughout the contract process.

Pros

• Comment and redline contracts in real time with internal and external parties

• Set approval processes based on contract value, key terms, or clauses

• Create reports, dashboards, and alerts easily with analytics tools

Cons

• Requires VBA knowledge to use the X-Author Excel integration

• Some users find training to create contract templates challenging, as it requires technical knowledge of Salesforce

Pricing

• Custom pricing

13. ContractSafe

Want something that emphasizes simplicity and control? This AI-assisted contract management platform stores contracts in a central hub, with deadlines, auto-renewals, and termination dates tracked automatically.

AI handles routine tasks such as data extraction, search, and reporting, while optical character recognition (OCR) makes documents easy to locate using keyword queries.

Pros

• Provides full audit trails, showing all changes and views of each contract

• Allows setting read-only or no-delete permissions to protect critical information

• Get full contract lifecycle support, including creation, approvals, e-signatures, and renewals

Cons

• Some users find AI data extraction less accurate, often requiring manual review

• New users say the navigation and actions like uploading or editing metadata are unintuitive, and onboarding is somewhat challenging.

Pricing

• Plans start at $375 per month

14. Trackado

Trackado is a cloud-based contract management platform that centralizes agreements and tracks them throughout the contract lifecycle. It includes financial tracking to provide visibility into billing and contract-related finances.

Users can monitor master and sub-agreements, manage external partners in a dedicated module, and send or sign documents electronically on any device, including attachments from participants.

Pros

• Start workflows from predefined templates or custom setups, with all actions recorded in an activity log

• Assign tasks and events to specific users, with automated reminders sent to relevant stakeholders

• Search and retrieve contracts by category, department, or custom properties efficiently

Cons

• Users report limited contract creation functionalities

• No AI features at the moment

Pricing

• Free

• Paid plans start at $39/month for three users

15. GetAccept

GetAccept is one of the best contract management software solutions for small businesses. The platform includes proposals, contract management, and e-signatures that also support IT agreements like software licenses and SaaS contracts.

Features include CPQ for accurate proposals, a mutual action plan for shared workflows, and live chat to engage recipients when documents are opened.

Pros

• Automatic reminders via email or SMS help teams stay on top of deadlines and improve win rates

• Chat and document commenting allow real-time feedback and updates to proposals

• Integrates with 500+ third-party tools to connect seamlessly with existing workflows

GetAccept cons

• Some reviews mention that limited customization makes it harder to tailor contracts to their processes

• Users say that updates to content aren’t automatically synced across all documents, requiring manual updates

Pricing

• Professional plan (which includes contract management) begins at $49/month per user

Key benefits of using contract management solutions

Contract management software can fundamentally improve how your teams manage contracts by implementing contact management best practices, such as ensuring centralized data storage, automating approval workflows, and providing real-time tracking, all of which enhance efficiency, mitigate risks, and drive compliance.

Here’s how:

• Faster contract cycles: Reduce back-and-forth in negotiations by identifying clauses that typically face pushback, so you can start with language more likely to be accepted. This shortens cycle times and frees up legal and procurement teams for higher-value work.

• Reduced risk: Automatically flag risky contract terms like broad liability clauses or missing termination rights and use predictive analytics to spot vendors or patterns historically linked to problems.

• Better compliance: Stay ahead of changing regulations with templates that update automatically. For global IT teams, jurisdiction-specific templates ensure every contract remains compliant across regions.

• Improved collaboration: Capture the reasoning behind decisions and preserve institutional knowledge, so legal, IT, and procurement teams can work seamlessly together, even as personnel change.

• Cost savings: Consolidate redundant vendors and reduce unnecessary renewals. By automating workflows and handling more contracts in-house, IT teams cut costs while minimizing risk.

• Greater visibility: Gain a single source of truth for contracts and renewals, making it easier for IT to track commitments, spot opportunities, and prevent unexpected spend.

• Scalability and agility: Support business growth by standardizing processes, scaling workflows, and adapting quickly to new vendors or compliance requirements.

These benefits typically take 6–12 months to fully materialize. During early adoption, teams may experience slower workflows as they learn new processes and adapt to the system. With proper planning, the long-term gains in efficiency, compliance, and cost savings far outweigh the initial adjustment period.

Why IT teams need specialized contract management software

IT contracts aren’t like typical legal or procurement agreements. They’re operational documents that directly affect systems, users, and business outcomes. Generic contract management tools handle storage and approvals, but often fall short in the fast-paced, technically complex world of IT.

SaaS and licensing complexity

Subscriptions auto-renew, pricing changes, and seat counts fluctuate. Standard tools send reminders, but IT contract management software integrates with infrastructure to track usage and suggest licensing adjustments.

Vendor SLAs and dependencies

Service-level agreements are commitments that must be linked to actual performance. The best contract management solutions provide automated breach alerts, track vendor compliance, and map dependencies across systems.

Compliance and operational intelligence

Compliance isn’t only about storing certificates. Top contract management software for IT connects obligations to real system configurations, helping teams prove adherence and flag risks early.

Pricing transparency and value in contract management software

Pricing for contract management solutions is rarely straightforward. Many vendors mask true costs behind “contact us” buttons, making budgeting difficult. To make informed choices, IT teams must evaluate pricing models, feature tiers, and overall value.

Models

• License-based: Lower upfront costs, but often hide expenses in upgrades, integrations, and premium support.

• Subscription-based: Predictable, but per-user pricing and add-ons (API calls, storage, advanced reporting) can inflate costs. Scaling up is easy; scaling down may require renegotiation.

Feature tiers

Basic tiers usually cover simple approvals, while advanced tiers vary widely in value, from limited “AI” tools to full risk scoring and clause recommendations. Pricing doesn’t always match capabilities.

ROI considerations

Evaluate efficiency gains, risk reduction, and operational savings against the total cost of ownership (TCO). Remember to factor in implementation, migration, support, and training costs, along with potential savings from automation, optimized licensing, and reduced compliance risks.

Bringing your contract management capabilities to the next level with Freshservice

The best contract management software should address your organization’s specific challenges while supporting long-term goals. Start by mapping your current processes, identifying bottlenecks, and gathering input from legal, procurement, sales, compliance, and IT.

Freshservice integrates seamlessly with your existing systems to scale growth. It combines contract and IT asset management in one platform, giving IT teams operational intelligence beyond generic tools. With a unified dashboard, you can track licenses, service contracts, renewals, and costs, while built-in analytics highlight inactive users and spending trends.

The no-code Orchestration Center automates tasks like provisioning and contract updates, reducing manual effort and compliance risks. Integrations with Microsoft Teams, G Suite, and Juro enable smooth workflows, while ITSM and project management features support end-to-end oversight.

By centralizing contracts, licenses, and assets, Freshservice helps you optimize software spend, ensure compliance, and align agreements with business objectives.