8 Best contract lifecycle management tools in 2025

WalkMe Team
By WalkMe Team
Updated September 18, 2025

Contracts are the foundation of all business relationships. Managing them poorly is risky and expensive, leading to missed deadlines and lost value. An effective contract lifecycle management (CLM) system is crucial for driving business transformation.

The challenge is that creating contracts is often a slow process involving many teams. CLM tools simplify this by centralizing all documents in one place. They automate the contract lifecycle, which speeds up the sales process and improves business resilience

In this article, we will explore the top CLM tools to help you select one that meets your needs. All review scores are based on G2 review ratings. 

1. SAP Ariba

  • Review Rating: 4.1/5 [based on 673 reviews]
  • Best For: Businesses that want to make their entire procurement process and supply chain management easier. 

SAP Ariba acts as a central online library for every agreement your company has. Instead of contracts being lost in emails or stored in different folders, everything is kept in one secure place.

The system helps with the entire lifecycle of a contract. It starts with creating new agreements, often using pre-approved templates to save time and ensure consistency. From there, it manages the negotiation process, allowing all parties to comment and make changes in one place. 

Once an agreement is reached, it can be signed electronically. SAP Ariba also sends reminders when a contract is about to expire or needs attention. 

Key Features

  • Guided buying experience: Employees get a user interface that’s in line with company rules when buying goods and services.
  • Supplier risk management: The system provides continuous monitoring to help manage supplier-related risks.
  • Approval workflows: Customizable workflows automatically route contracts to the right people for review and approval.

2. DealHub.io 

  • Review Rating: 4.7/5 [based on 733 reviews]
  • Best For: Employees who want to benefit from better sales processes with CPQ and deal management.

DealHub offers a cloud platform that helps sales teams manage the entire sales process, from price quotes to subscriptions. It automates quote creation, ensuring proposals are fast and accurate while reducing errors. This frees up sales reps to focus more on customers.

The system simplifies contract negotiations with digital deal rooms and integrates with other sales tools. By keeping everything in one place, work becomes more efficient. As a flexible solution, DealHub also scales to support growing businesses, adapting to their changing needs.

Key Features

  • Streamlined quote-to-cash: You can get a quicker contract process, from creating a quote to receiving payment, all within one system.
  • Real-time deal insights: Dashboards show how deals are progressing, making it easy to fix problems.
  • Deal workflows: This system has custom steps that guide sales teams to close deals faster.

3. LinkSquares  

  • Review Rating: 4.7/5 [based on 393 reviews]
  • Best For: Companies that need to automate contract analysis and tracking obligations.

LinkSquares is a cloud-native platform designed to assist legal and finance teams in managing their contracts. It handles the entire process, from creating a contract to storing and analyzing it after it’s signed.

Users can create new agreements quickly by using pre-approved templates. This ensures that contracts are both accurate and completed faster. The platform also helps companies reduce risk. It keeps track of important dates, such as when a contract is up for renewal and sends alerts to prevent missed deadlines. 

This tool gives managers a clear overview of all their agreements, allowing them to easily find key details. It also makes it easier for different departments to work together.

Key Features

  • Compliance automation: The tool automatically checks for compliance issues and sends helpful alerts.
  • Customizable dashboards: Users can build dashboards to track contract progress and important dates.
  • AI-powered search: Businesses can use AI to find specific details in any contract quickly.

4. Juro 

  • Review Rating: 4.6/5 [based on 167 reviews]
  • Best For: Users who want to manage contracts with an intuitive, all-in-one platform.

Juro provides an AI-driven platform to help businesses handle the entire lifecycle of their contracts. 

The software allows business teams to create their own standard contracts using pre-approved templates. This reduces the workload on the legal department.

To help companies reduce risk, Juro also sends automatic reminders for important deadlines such as renewals. The platform gives managers a clear view of all their contracts in one central, searchable place. This provides better control and allows for real-time reporting.

Key Features

  • Pre-built contract templates: Ready-to-use templates make creating new contracts fast and simple.
  • Collaborative contract editing: Teams can edit contracts together at the same time.
  • Integrated e-signatures: This tool gets contracts signed electronically without leaving the platform.

5. Ironclad

  • Review Rating: 4.5/5 [based on 258 reviews]
  • Best For:  Organizations that want to benefit from better contract workflows and approvals

Ironclad is an AI-powered tool that helps businesses manage their contracts from start to finish. 

The platform speeds up contract approvals and reduces delays by automating manual work. It uses standardized templates and AI checks to ensure contracts are accurate and consistent, minimizing errors. 

Ironclad also provides a clear dashboard that shows contract metrics, bottlenecks, and timelines. It ensures data security with certifications like SOC 2 Type II and helps businesses stay compliant with legal requirements. 

Key Features

  • Approval workflows: Businesses benefit from approval steps with a complete history, making sure everything is compliant.
  • End-to-end contract automation: This system handles the entire contract process, from start to finish.
  • Centralized contract repository: This tool provides a single, searchable location to store and locate all your contracts.

6. Legistify 

  • Review Rating: 4.9/5 [based on 210 reviews]
  • Best For: Businesses that require the management of legal operations and compliance efficiently.

Legistify provides a digital tool called LegisTrak to help companies handle their legal needs. It serves as a central hub for managing contracts, lawsuits, intellectual property, and other legal notices.

The system is designed to make legal departments more efficient by automating routine tasks. This frees up the legal team to concentrate on more strategic work. LegisTrak provides users with data and analysis from past cases, which helps them make better-informed decisions.

By keeping all legal information in one organized place, the software helps businesses stay compliant with regulations. It also features clear dashboards that give managers a complete overview of all legal matters.

Key Features

  • Automated legal reminders: Users can set automated alerts for deadlines so nothing gets missed.
  • Comprehensive case management: A single platform to manage all legal cases, tasks, and important dates.
  • Centralized document storage: This tool provides a secure location to store and organize all your legal files.

7. CobbleStone Contract Insight Enterprise 

  • Review Rating: 4.8/5 [based on 40 reviews]
  • Best For: Managers who want to benefit from comprehensive contract lifecycle management.

CobbleStone is a software system that provides one central and secure location for all contract documents. It uses automatic digital workflows to ensure that contracts move through the approval stages without delays. 

This helps everyone stay on track and accountable. Users can also set up their own dashboards to see the specific information that is most important for their job.

To speed up the final steps, the software works with electronic signature services, allowing contracts to be signed digitally. It also gives companies control over their contract information. It has robust security features and allows managers to decide exactly who can view or change certain documents. 

Key Features

Key features of CobbleStone Contract Insight Enterprise
  • Vendor performance tracking: Employees can track how well vendors are meeting their contract agreements.
  • AI-driven contract drafting: AI tools help write contracts faster by suggesting text.
  • Reporting tools: Companies benefit from reports and dashboards that they can change to fit their company’s specific needs.

8. Icertis Contract Management Software 

  • Review Rating: 4.2/5 [based on 81 reviews]
  • Best For: Users who need enterprise-level contract governance and compliance.

Icertis is an automation platform that helps companies manage their contracts from start to finish. It handles every step, from the first draft of a contract to the final signature and beyond. Employees can use this tool on their phones to manage contracts from anywhere.

The software saves users time by automating many tasks. It speeds up the process of getting contracts written and approved because everything is kept in one organized place. Users can also use pre-made templates to create new contracts quickly and consistently.

You can also source valuable data and reports about the contracts. This information helps managers make better business decisions by showing them how their agreements are performing.

Key Features

  • Contract templates: Businesses can get templates that automatically fill in information to save time and prevent mistakes.
  • Risk mitigation: AI tools find potential problems in contracts and suggest how to fix them.
  • Global compliance tracking: A system that makes sure your contracts follow the rules in different countries.

How to choose the right contract lifecycle management tool for your business 

Choosing the proper contract lifecycle management (CLM) system is crucial because it streamlines contract management and mitigates risks. A good CLM also automates tasks, enhances teamwork, and helps prevent missed deadlines.

Here’s a guide on choosing the best contract lifecycle management tool for your company: 

ToolBest use caseKey featuresIdeal for
SAP AribaDigitizing procurement and supply chain processes.Cloud-based procurement, supplier collaboration, contract management, and spend analysis.Large enterprises with complex supply chains
LinkSquaresAutomating contract analysis and compliance.AI-powered contract review, obligation tracking, and risk assessment.Legal teams and compliance officers.
IroncladAutomating contract workflows and team collaboration.Workflow automation, contract repository, and integrations with business tools.Enterprises with high contract volumes.
JuroSimplifying contract creation and management.Intuitive contract editor, e-signatures, and workflow automation.Startups and small businesses that need simple contract tools.
DealHub.ioStreamlining sales processes with CPQ and deal management.Configure Price Quote (CPQ), deal acceleration, revenue optimization, and sales analytics.Sales teams that require faster deal closures.
Icertis Contract Management SoftwareEnterprise-level contract governance and compliance.AI-driven contract intelligence, risk management, and global compliance tools.Enterprises that want robust contract governance.
CobbleStone Contract Insight EnterpriseComprehensive contract lifecycle management.Advanced reporting, analytics, e-signatures, and compliance tracking.Organizations with diverse contract needs.
LegistifyManaging legal operations and compliance efficiently.Case tracking, compliance management, and legal document automation.Legal departments and law firms.

Negotiate contracts quickly and mitigate risk with contract lifecycle management tools  

Contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools make handling contracts simple and effective. They help your business follow rules, reduce risks, and work more efficiently from start to finish.

These tools are designed to fit any company, no matter its size or industry. As your business grows, a CLM tool can easily adapt to your changing needs.

CLM tools also utilize advanced technologies, such as AI and automation, to make contract management faster. This technology is transforming how businesses manage contracts in the future.

So, to stay competitive, it’s wise to review your current contract methods. By adopting a CLM tool, you can streamline your work and set your business up for success.

FAQs
What are contract lifecycle management tools?

Contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools are software that help manage contracts more easily. They handle everything from creating and negotiating contracts to signing, storing, and tracking them. Key features include tools for writing contracts, electronic signatures, approval processes, contract storage, and AI insights to improve risk management and compliance.

How can small businesses benefit from contract lifecycle management tools?

Small businesses can utilize contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools to streamline their contract management processes. These tools simplify processes, automate tasks such as drafting and approvals, reduce errors, and enhance teamwork. CLM also helps reduce risks and stay compliant with rules by storing contracts in one place and sending automated alerts. 

How long does it typically take to implement contract lifecycle management tools?

Setting up contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools can take anywhere from a few days to several months or even a year. The time required depends on the complexity of the tool, the size and needs of the business, the level of customization needed, and the amount of data that needs to be moved.

WalkMe Team
By WalkMe Team
WalkMe pioneered the Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) for organizations to utilize the full potential of their digital assets. Using artificial intelligence, machine learning and contextual guidance, WalkMe adds a dynamic user interface layer to raise the digital literacy of all users.